The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
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- First film on Steve Jobs to debut at Sundance
- 'The Hobbit' gets mixed reviews from critics
| Posted: 06 Dec 2012 05:40 AM PST It was a match made by their parents. He was a dopey London-based 30-year-old graduate student writing a thesis about the psychology of women. She was a flighty Hong Kong-based 18-year-old high school student. To please their folks, they got married but had no illusions of living happily ever after. However, Cupid's arrow found its way around them and the quirky pair decided to make the marriage work. That was the premise of the 2002 Hong Kong romantic comedy My Wife Is 18. Fast forward 10 years later and their marriage begins to see signs of trouble in the sequel My Sassy Hubby, again helmed by James Yuen. Meanwhile, Charlene Choi (of Hong Kong pop duo Twins) and Ekin Cheng reprise their roles of Yo-Yo Ma and Sub-Sam Cheung, respectively. In the sequel, Yo-Yo is the co-owner of a fashion boutique, while Sub-Sam is a college professor teaching psychology. The couple find that their marriage has lost its zing and their differences have become too overwhelming – they both end up seeking solace in the arms of others. Yo-Yo bumps into her wealthy childhood sweetheart Lam Shu Ho played by the dishy Izz Tsui, while Sub-Sam meets Beijing student-cum-fashion model Tong Yi, played by the delectable Zhang Xinyi. With such intense competition, can Cupid work his magic again? Despite a packed schedule, both Cheng, 45, and Choi, 30, were in high spirits at a press conference in Kuala Lumpur last week to promote My Sassy Hubby. "Of all our collaborations, Yo-Yo Ma and Sub-Sam Cheung are the two characters we feel for the most, as we had lots of chemistry going on between us," offered Choi, who has worked with Cheng in The Twins Effect (2003) and Storm Warriors (2009). "In our other collaborations, we had numerous fight scenes and there was always lots of action going on around us. But in this movie, we can achieve a lot with just a wide shot, with the camera focused on the two of us," continued Cheng, who will next be seen in Ronny Yu's Saving General Yang playing the eldest son of the famed Yang Clan. Choi recalled how Cheng had to take the blame for her mistakes during the filmming of My Wife Is 18. "I was just a newbie, and knew nothing about camera angles and framing. So, I had to depend on him. But, every time I went out of the frame, he was the one the director reprimanded. I sort of miss those days now. "These days, filming has gotten much smoother but less fun as there wouldn't be as many amusing moments." Starring in a romantic comedy like My Wife Is 18 was also something out of the ordinary for Cheng, who was accustomed to being cast as a triad leader or action hero or even supercool racer. "It was also a challenge for me. I asked the director whether he made a mistake. Then, when I saw that I was to be paired with her, I was even more apprehensive. Fortunately, it all worked out, despite my initial misgivings. So, 10 years later, here I am, back for more," Cheng noted. My Sassy Hubby was filmed in Queensland, Australia, at Choi's suggestion and features up-and-coming actors like Joyce Cheng (who is Lydia Shum's daughter), Lo Hoi Pang and Siu Yam Yam. My Sassy Hubby opens in local cinemas today. |
| First film on Steve Jobs to debut at Sundance Posted: 05 Dec 2012 01:20 AM PST LOS ANGELES: The first film on the life of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs since his death, with Ashton Kutcher in the title role, will debut in January at the Sundance Film Festival, organizers said. The film "jOBS" directed by Joshua Michael Stern, known for the 2008 movie "Swing Vote," chronicles "the defining 30 years of Steve Jobs' life," according to a statement Monday from the Sundance Institute. The film written by Matt Whiteley is described as "a candid, inspiring and personal portrait of the one who saw things differently." The movie aims to tell the story of Jobs's life from wayward hippie to co-founder of Apple and revered creative entrepreneur. The Facebook page for the film said "jOBS" "is the incredibly powerful and true story of the visionary who set out to change the world, and did." The producers said on Twitter that "jOBS" will be the closing film at Sundance, which takes place January 17-27 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. Joining Kutcher in the cast of "jOBS" are Dermot Mulroney, Josh Gad, Lukas Haas, J.K. Simmons and Matthew Modine. Sony Pictures is also developing a movie about Jobs, based on the bestselling book by Walter Isaacson that was released after the Apple chief's death last year. It will be scripted by "Social Network" writer Aaron Sorkin. Kutcher, 34, was best known for TV shows including "That 70s Show" and "Punk'd" before he replaced Sheen last May at "Two and A Half Men." Jobs died October 5, 2011 at the age of 56 after a long battle with cancer. -AFP |
| 'The Hobbit' gets mixed reviews from critics Posted: 04 Dec 2012 08:40 PM PST LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The long-awaited film The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey got a mixed response in early reviews on Tuesday, with some critics deeming it dull and over-detailed, and others disappointed by its new take on 3D technology. An Unexpected Journey, the first of three cinematic installments from Oscar-winning director Peter Jackson of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Hobbit, took more than a decade to bring to fruition. An Unexpected Journey, which will open around the world next week, is estimated to rake in a bumper US$137 million in its opening weekend in North America. Jackson turned his Lord Of The Rings trilogy from 2001-2003 into a US$3 billion box-office hit worldwide. But with a running time of three hours and nine minutes, the first Hobbit movie was overly long for some critics' tastes, according to early reviews. TheWrap.com's Leah Rozen said that although fans of the books will "doubtless love this movie," the film is "ambitiously epic and visually inventive, (but) it's neither as engrossing nor exhilarating as the first time around with Rings." Variety's Peter DeBruge criticized Jackson for adding a "mythologically dense, computer-generated-heavy prologue" that was devised outside of Tolkien's original narrative. "For the sake of spectacle, this unnecessary pre-title sequence recalls set pieces from the second and third Lord Of The Rings movies, as if to assure fans they can expect more of the same," DeBruge said. Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter said the film makers "have created a purist's delight" by translating "every comma, period and semicolon in the first six chapters" of the book. FREEMAN "THE PERFECT BILBO" The film follows the epic fantastical journey of hobbit Bilbo Baggins, played by Martin Freeman, as he travels with a band of dwarves to steal treasures from the dragon Smaug. The film also stars Richard Armitage and Benedict Cumberbatch, while Ian McKellen, Cate Blanchett and Elijah Wood reprised their Rings roles. Reporter Neala Johnson of Australia's The Herald Sun said British actor Freeman, best known for his roles in TV shows The Office and Sherlock, is "the perfect Bilbo - equal parts wide-eyed wonder, fearful bumbling and dry humor." ScreenCrush's Jordan Hoffman said Freeman played Bilbo "charmingly and effectively." Jackson chose to shoot the 3D film using the 48 frames-per-second format as opposed to the normal technique of 24 frames per second. But the New Zealand Herald reported on Monday that fans attending advance screenings claimed they felt nauseous and dizzy from the higher frame rate. Rozen said the film's look was "so hyper-realistic that it is both jarring and, ironically, serves to make scenes look fake." DeBruge said 3D effects caused "odd, eye-boggling moments," and the higher frame rate led to "an overblown, artificial quality in which the phoniness of the sets and costumes becomes obvious." The Hobbit, produced by MGM and Time Warner Inc |
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