This is it! The last release week of 2012 for Malaysia. Although it's sad to see that we are ending this year without a lineup of anticipated blockbusters, perhaps it's a great time to give a chance for the unsuspecting choices that we have for this week.
Let's start with the trailers of this final week, shall we?
Let's start with the trailers of this final week, shall we?
Director: Nizam ZakariaKahwin 5
Cast: Usop Wilcha, Dian P. Ramlee, Adrea Abdullah, Norish Karman, Marsha Milan, Fizz Fairuz, Anzalna Nasir, Soffi Jikan
Running Time: 1 Hour 26 Minutes
Language:: Malay
Classification: 18
Synopsis: Nizam Zakaria directs this romantic comedy that focuses on the issue of polygamy in Malaysia. The story centres on a successful plastic bowl businessman from Perak known as Dr K, who has already reached the quota of four wives, all whom are from different states. They are as follows: Saadiah from Selangor, Sahara from Kelantan, Monalisa from Negeri Sembilan dan Mimi from Sabah. The large family live a happy and peaceful life, until Dr K is influenced by Rahim, his driver and number one suck-up, and becomes involved in a scandal with Farra, who is the sister to a gangster head, Cico. As a result, Dr K is forced to choose between which of his wives to divorce in order to marry Farra, or risk losing his life.
Trailer Impression: Rarely does a new director have his follow-up effort released within the same year of his directional debut, so critic-turned-director Nizam Zakaria should count himself lucky that he has got work after Cinta Kura-Kura. Polygamy in Malaysia seems like an interesting subject because it's something I'm sure certain facets of Malaysian society are curious about but this trailer doesn't seem show that it is going for the in-depth take, instead just doubling the amount of wifey troubles and slapstick comedy from the same formula of Binu-Biniku Gangster (minus the catfight). It is a little disappointing really, which only leaves the depiction of a Sabahan the only hook to watch this but I couldn't guess who is she in this trailer (and from the accents).
Director: Roslan HussinPrince Of The City
Cast: Julian Cheah, Michael Madsen, Aaron Aziz, Jehan Miskin, Tara Wallace
Running Time: 1 Hour 40 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: 18
Synopsis: Prince Amara, the capable and reliable adopted son of Malaysian billionaire Jaggoi Sibuyan is the pride of the family, more so than his full-blooded son Putra Sibuyan. When the powerful patriarch of Dana Corporation dies, Prince inherits the successful company but the jealous Putra frames him for murder. Shamed and beaten, Prince is banished from the country and told that he will be killed if he returns to Malaysia. With the help of entrepreneurial gangster Ben Carlton and killer bodyguard Iskandar Yaakob, he must prepare himself physically and mentally, as he returns to clear his name and regain his position in society as prince of the city.
Trailer Impression: Admittedly I haven't watch any of the independent movies by Julian Cheah (no, not even Killer Clown which was probably not screened in Sabah back in 2010), who has attained some sort of 'so bad it's good' cult status for Malaysian moviemakers, to be considered as the Uwe Boll of Malaysia. That trademark quality seems to have maintained judging from this trailer, and it certainly does raise its appeal in the 'how bad can it be' kind of way. This movie has been ready since April, so the Compulsory Screening scheme really waited till the end of the year to throw this one out.
Director: Andrew LauThe Guillotines (血滴子)
Cast: Huang Xiaoming, Ethan Ruan Jing-Tian, Shawn Yue, Wang Luo Dan, Li Yuchun
Running Time: 1 Hour 53 Minutes
Language:: Cantonese
Classification: P13
Synopsis: "The Guillotines" marks the first collaboration between director Andrew Lau, helmer of the "Infernal Affairs" trilogy, and "Bodyguards and Assassins" producer Peter Ho-sun Chan. The period actioner centres on an elite group of assassins, called the Guillotines, who carry out secret missions for the Chinese Emperor. Set in the Ming Dynasty, this elite group is made up of a group of street ruffians who are trained to be part of the imperial-sanctioned band of assassins who use the deadly "guillotine". The guillotine looks at first like an iron ring with blades but with a tug of the weapon, it can decapitate its victims. However, when the assassins are ambushed by another gang, they will stop at nothing to have their revenge for hunters do not like being hunted...
Trailer Impression: Not to be mistaken as the remake of Master of the Flying Gulliotine, there really isn't much going for it to me. The unimpressive CG effects to showcase the titular Chinese weapon and the vague but 'I couldn't care less' plot in this trailer just doesn't instill much confidence for this one, even if it's directed by Infernal Affair's Andrew Lau (which reminds me that I should watch that one again).
Director: Juan Diego SolanasUpside Down
Cast: Kirsten Dunst, Jim Sturgess, Jayne Heitmeyer
Running Time: 1 Hour 47 Minutes
Language:: English
Classification: P13
Synopsis: Adam (Sturgess) is a seemingly ordinary guy in a very extraordinary universe. Living from day to day, no one could have guessed that he longs for a girl he met once upon a time from another world, Eve (Dunst). Eve lives in an inverted affluent world with its own gravity, directly above but people of the two worlds would never be able to reach each other. And so their childhood flirtation is left to become a futile love. But when Adam catches a glimpse of adult Eve on television one day, his pursuit of Eve begins, and nothing will get in the way of getting her back, not even the law of science.
Trailer Impression: Another movie that has been on the waiting line for so long. It has been so long since I first saw the trailer in theaters that I thought it never made it to Malaysian shores. So now it's here, a high-concept romance, perhaps much in the same vein as In Time. While Andrew Nichols' outing with the time-economy didn't quite cut it, this would be my first film by Argentinian director Juan Diege Solanas. Admittedly, Kristen Dunst and Jim Sturgess does look to have better chemistry than Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried.
FilmBah's Pick of the Week: Woah, first time I wrote a Trailer Impression for every release in a week. This week certainly did catch my attention. But since nothing screams out 'Must Watch' from this week's releases (except Les Misérables, which came out two days ago), I'm allowing myself to pick something out of curiosity. Prince of The City is probably the one that will kill me if I'm a cat but I do want to see the underdog pull out some surprises on me, once in a while. However, if I'm not in the mood to be ripped off RM10, then Upside Down looks like a safer bet.
Releases according to CinemaOnline.
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