SINGAPORE: I should have known, given Nicolas Cage’s recent track record of making some spectacularly bad script choices (Bangkok Dangerous, anyone?). I also should have known never to use the US box office as an indicator of any kind (the film opened at No 1).

Alex Proyas’ (The Crow, Dark City) “Knowing” begins interestingly enough. An astrophysicist (Cage) comes across a page of seemingly random numbers – drawn by a strange girl and buried in a time capsule in 1959 – and realises it’s actually some sort of code that predicts all major global catastrophes. So off he goes to see if he can prevent the last three predictions from becoming reality.

After a first half of impressive disaster scenes, it all goes desperately downhill. Between Cage displaying the same mopey expression throughout it all, mega plot holes and a truly wretched script, which culminates in incredibly bad dialogue, uttered in equally ridiculous situations, all logic gets thrown out the window.

But it really doesn’t matter, thanks to an amazingly ridiculous ending. You know, the kind that makes you want to repeatedly bang your head against the wall. Overand over again. Hard. -

Channel News Asia

Rap
MENGIMBAU kembali, ini bukan satu-satunya filem dari Hollywood yang mengisahkan keadaan dunia pada hari terakhirnya atau kata lain, kiamat.

Begitupun, hasil karya sutradara Alex Proyas kali ini tidak kurang hebatnya. Namun apabila menontonnya, saran penulis perhatikan jalan ceritanya dengan teliti, jika tidak ia bakal meninggalkan tanda tanya.

Knowing bukan sekadar menceritakan mengenai bencana yang menimpa bumi. Sebaliknya, jalan ceritanya disulami pelbagai isu menarik seperti keagamaan, keangkuhan manusia dan eksperimen dijalankan saintis yang akhirnya membawa keburukan ke atas diri sendiri.

Menariknya, filem ini menjelmakan idea segar dan menarik daripada kebanyakan cerita bergenre sama yang pernah ditayangkan sebelum ini. Dengan menampilkan pelbagai babak yang tidak dijangka berlaku, penonton pasti terpegun.

Menampilkan Nicolas Cage sebagai teraju utamanya, pasti ramai tidak akan melepaskan peluang menonton filem ini. Namun, lakonan Cage yang sinonim dengan lagak bersahaja tidak sesuai untuk filem mendebarkan seperti ini.

Apapun, lakonannya tidak membunuh keseronokan menonton. Menampilkan pelbagai adegan mendebarkan, teknik janaan komputer yang menarik serta garapan cerita yang segar dan baik memenuhi cita rasa mereka yang gemarkan filem begini.

Data

FILEM: Knowing

PENGARAH: Alex Proyas

PELAKON: Ben Mendelsohn, Chandler Canterbury, Nicolas Cage dan Rose Byrne

GENRE: Thriller / Drama

TAYANGAN: 26 Mac 2009

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Harian Metro

PARK CITY, UTAH – He may be known as 50 Cent but rapper Curtis Jackson is among the world’s richest celebrities.

His estimated earnings of about US$150 million between June 2007 and June 2008 put him on the 26th spot on Forbes 2008 list of top 100 richest celebrities, and the multi-talented artiste who owns a record label and clothing line, acts and writes books, is looking to top that this year as he adds film production to his multimedia empire.

Promoting his new venture Cheetah Vision at the Sundance Film Festival this week, 50 Cent said the current global financial crisis did not deter him from starting a new business.

“I don’t think it will affect me as much as it will the other people that are out there because I’m not afraid to finance some of these things myself if I have to,” he said.

The rapper added that Cheetah Vision had already bought eight scripts and among the first to be produced would be “The Dance”, starring himself and Nicolas Cage.

“(The script) was previously passed around a little bit but both me and Nicolas Cage had an interest in the film so it will still happen. He plays the founder of a boxing program, and I play a fighter who goes to state prison,” 50 Cent said.

“They are all different types of movies that I bought the rights to, and we’re developing projects. You will see different things from me in the future,” he added.

50 Cent who has come a long way since his drug dealing days in his teens, also makes his directorial debut this year with his new feature film “Before I Self Destruct”. The movie will be given away free with his latest album of the same name, which is due to be released in late March.

The film, in which he also stars, tells the tale of an inner city youth whose mother is shot to death so he takes up a life of crime in order to support his younger brother.

- CNA/km

Channel News Asia

Oleh Nurulhisham Abdul Latiff
nurul@bharian.com.my


BOLT, sebuah kisah pengembaraan seekor anjing, kucing dan hamster
dalam mencari erti sebenar keperkasaan.

High School Musical 3, Bolt temui penonton sebelum tahun 2008 berakhir

MENGAKHIRI jadual tayangan 2008 dengan dua filem menghiburkan, High School Musical 3: Senior Year (tayangan mulai 24 Oktober) dan animasi Bolt (27 November) yang meminjam suara pelakon John Travolta dan Susie Essman, Buena Vista nampaknya menyambung tayangan filem edaran mereka pada 2009 dengan beberapa lagi judul terbitan Walt Disney.

Membuka tirai pada 1 Januari ialah filem lakonan bintang komedi terkemuka dunia, Adam Sandler bersama Keri Russell, Guy Pearce, Courteney Cox dan Russell Brand, berjudul Bedtime Stories. Filem itu menyaksikan Sandler memegang watak pekerja hotel, Skeeter Bronson, yang menyimpan impian menjadi pengurus.

Skeeter bersetuju untuk menjaga dua anak saudaranya dengan tujuan membantu kakaknya. Bagi membuatkan mereka duduk diam, dia bercerita pada dua kanak-kanak itu. Tanpa diketahui, dengan berbuat demikian dia sebenarnya membuka pintu kepada sebuah dunia fantasi yang seakan sama dengan kehidupannya. Kanak-kanak itu pula cukup teruja dengan kisah fantasi itu yang kini menjadi nyata.

Kemudian, sebuah kisah komedi pengembaraan akan menemui penonton pada 19 Februari, berjudul Beverly Hills Chihuahua. Ia membariskan pelakon Jamie Lee Curtis dan Piper Perabo, berserta suara Salma Hayek, Andy Garcia, Drew Barrymore, Cheech Marin dan Paul Rodriguez.

Dalam filem ini, penonton dapat mengikuti kisah seekor anjing chihuahua bernama Chloe (suara Barrymore) yang mendapati dirinya tiba-tiba tersesat di sebuah kawasan sibuk di Mexico. Bersendirian buat julung kali, dia kini mengharapkan bantuan rakan baru seperti seekor anjing German Shepherd, Delgado (Garcia) dan anak anjing bernama Papi (George Lopez) untuk mendapatkan kekuatan pulang ke tempat asal.

Pada 12 Mac pula, Disney menghidangkan filem aksi lakonan Dwayne Johnson, AnaSophia Robb, Carla Cugino dan Ciaran Hinds, Race to the Witch Mountain. Sebuah lagi filem untuk tayangan Mac ialah Shopaholic, yang dibuat berdasarkan novel kelakar popular tulisan Sophie Kinsella. Filem yang ditayangkan pada 27 Mac itu dilakonkan Isla Fisher, Hugh Dancy, John Goodman, Joan Cusack, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kyrsten Ritter dan John Lithgow.

Bintang ternama, John Travolta, Robin Williams, Kelly Preston dan Seth Green pula bergabung tenaga menjayakan filem komedi Old Dogs yang akan ditayangkan mulai 16 April.

Antara lain, filem ini bercerita mengenai dua sahabat baik (Travolta, Williams) yang hidup tunggang langgang apabila mereka ditugaskan menjaga sepasang kembar berusia 6 tahun, pada ketika kedua-duanya berdepan urusan perniagaan terpenting dalam karier. Berlakon buat kali pertama dalam filem ini ialah Ella Bleu Travolta (anak John Travolta bersama Kelly Preston) dan Conner Rayburn yang menjadi pasangan kembar.

Bintang remaja kesayangan ramai, Miley Cyrus pula berganding dengan Emily Osment, Mitchel Musso dan Jason Earles dalam filem Hannah Montana: The Movie yang dijadual menemui peminat pada 1 Jun. Ia dibuat berdasarkan siri televisyen menggunakan judul serupa.

Sebuah lagi filem animasi komedi pengembaraan, G-Force yang menggunakan suara pelakon Nicolas Cage, Penelope Cruz dan Bill Nighy bakal menemui penonton pada 23 Julai tahun depan. Filem mengenai sekumpulan haiwan kecil yang cuba membongkar rancangan seorang hartawan untuk memusnahkan dunia itu diterbitkan oleh produser masyhur, Jerry Bruckheimer.

Pada 13 Ogos, sebuah lagi filem animasi, kali ini hasil kerjasama Disney dan Pixar berjudul Up akan ditayangkan. Ia mengisahkan seorang lelaki berusia 70 tahun yang berpadu tenaga bersama seorang kanak-kanak 10 tahun dalam usaha menyelamatkan dunia daripada kejahatan seorang saintis.

Aktor Bruce Willis, Radha Mitchell, Rosamund Pike dan James Francis pula disatukan dalam filem bercorak thriller, Surrogates, arahan Jonathan Mostow. Filem tayangan 20 November ini mengetengahkan kisah apa terjadi jika seorang manusia itu mampu mempunyai robot yang kelihatan sama dengan dirinya?

Disember pula menyaksikan dua lagi judul daripada Disney ditayangkan, iaitu bermula dengan A Christmas Carol (3-D) lakonan pelawak tersohor, Jim Carrey, pada 3 Disember. Kali ini Carrey memegang empat watak berbeza. Turut beraksi ialah Collin Firth, Gary Oldman dan Bob Hiskins.

Pada 24 Disember pula, filem kartun The Princess and the Frog bakal menghiburkan penonton dengan kisah cinta disampaikan dalam bentuk muzikal. Filem ini menggunakan suara Anika Noni Rose, Keith David, Jennifer Lewis dan John Goodman.

Berita Harian

LOS ANGELES: “Burn After Reading,” the newest dark comedy by sibling directors Ethan and Joel Coen, was the top weekend movie draw in the United States and Canada, preliminary industry figures showed Sunday.

The film, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, debuted with US$19.4 million in North American ticket sales, according to industry tracking company Exhibitor Relations.

In second place was the melodrama “The Family that Preys” by playwright-turned-filmmaker Tyler Perry with US$18 million, followed by police drama “Righteous Kill” starring Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino, with US$16.5 million.

The modern update of the classic film “The Women,” starring Hollywood sweetheart Meg Ryan, was in fourth place with US$10 million.

In fifth was “The House Bunny,” about an ousted Playboy bunny who becomes a college sorority house mother, with US$4.3 million.

The spoof “Tropic Thunder” – Ben Stiller’s movie-within-a-movie about filming a war flick in the middle of a real-life conflict zone – came in sixth place with US$4.1 million in receipts.

“Batman” sequel “The Dark Knight” was seventh with US$4 million. The blockbuster film also claimed the title of second all-time box office champion with US$512 million in ticket sales since its release.

Last week’s box office winner “Bangkok Dangerous,” starring Nicolas Cage as a ruthless hitman on assignment in Thailand, fell to eighth this week with just US$2.4 million in sales.

“Traitor,” a war-on-terror epic featuring Don Cheadle as a former US Special Ops officer and potential international conspirator, was ninth, pocketing US$2.4 million.

In 10th place was “Death Race,” an action-adventure flick about an ex-convict competing against prison inmates in a freedom-or-death car race, with US$2 million in ticket sales.

– AFP/yb

Channel News Asia