Rabu, 4 Disember 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Bangkok calm amid temporary truce

Posted:

BANGKOK: Protesters and police observed a temporary truce as Thailand prepared to mark the birthday of its revered king, after police had stepped back in a dramatic move to calm violent clashes.

In the day's only significant demonstration, hundreds of protesters descended on the national police headquarters in Bangkok's glitzy downtown shopping district, where police allowed them to cut barbed wire and pull away sections of a concrete barrier. The demonstrators withdrew shortly afterwards.

The prevailing mood was calm in the capital, as demonstrators joined Bangkok authorities to clean up the area around Democracy Monument, where tens of thousands have camped out in more than a month of rallies against the embattled government of Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

The area is a focus for the celebrations today for the 86th birthday of King Bhumibol Adulyadej – a date normally observed in a spirit of calm and reverence.

Some debris has been cleared at battle-scarred areas around key government buildings, which saw ugly clashes with police earlier in the week as demonstrators tried to storm them.

Several days of street battles abruptly paused on Tuesday. Protesters instead handed police flowers after officers said they would no longer use force against demonstrators trying to storm Yingluck's offices as well as the city police headquarters.

The unexpected about-turn followed two days of clashes between stone-throwing mobs and police firing tear gas, water cannon and rubber bullets.

Protest leaders say they have not abandoned their campaign to overthrow Yingluck's administration and curb the political influence of her billionaire brother Thaksin Shinawatra, who was deposed by royalist generals in a coup seven years ago. They say he still controls the government from exile.

Authorities were not worried about the gathering at the police headquarters, said Paradorn Pattanatabut, head of Thailand's National Security Council.

"Their movement today is merely to display their power and show that the protests are still continuing," he added.

King Bhumibol, the world's longest-serving monarch, is treated as a near-deity by many and any violence on his birthday would be viewed as a serious sign of disrespect.

He has suffered from a range of ailments in recent years. In August, he left the Bangkok hospital where he had lived for several years and moved to his palace in the seaside town of Hua Hin with Queen Sirikit.

At the main rally site yesterday, protesters began to sweep up rubbish in preparation for the royal festivities.

"We're helping to clean up for the king as it is nearly his birthday," said Palita Nutchoei, 37, wielding a broom at Democracy Monument.

But "we will keep protesting because we feel that we haven't won yet", she added.

The long-running political conflict broadly pits a Bangkok-based elite backed by the military and the palace against rural and working-class voters loyal to Thaksin, a billionaire businessman-turned-populist politician.

The demonstrations, aimed at toppling Yingluck's government and replacing it with an unelected "people's council", are the biggest and most violent since dozens of people were killed in a crackdown on mass pro-Thaksin rallies in Bangkok three years ago.

The current rallies were triggered by an amnesty Bill, since abandoned by Yingluck's ruling party, which opponents feared would have allowed Thaksin to return to his home country. He fled in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction he contends is politically motivated.

Police yesterday raised the death toll in the clashes to five, confirming the remains of a young man were found on a bus set ablaze in a Bangkok suburb over the weekend. — AFP

Passers-by nab theft suspect at market

Posted:

Alert passers-by foiled a theft when a man allegedly tried to steal a fishmonger's takings.

The 50-year-old stall worker, who gave his name as Ye, had been chopping fish yesterday when the thief was said to have snatched about S$200 (RM513) from a container on the counter at Chong Pang Market.

"He stuffed it into a plastic bag, turned around and ran," Ye told Chinese evening paper Shin Min Daily News.

"That's when I shouted for help."

His plea caught the attention of other tenants and passers-by, who caught the 55-year-old man and restrained him with cable ties.

Police have arrested the man. — The Straits Times/ Asia News Network

Mastermind of bomb plot confesses

Posted:

JAKARTA: An Indonesian on trial for a foiled plot to bomb the Myanmar embassy confessed to being the mastermind, saying he was "still at war" with anyone oppressing Muslims.

Sigit Indrajid, 23, testified that he led a group of extremists that networked over Facebook in a plan to attack Myanmar's mission in Jakarta in May.

The group wanted to avenge the harsh treatment of Muslim-minority Rohingya in Myanmar – an issue that has resonated widely in Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation.

"It was my initiative," he told the South Jakarta district court.

Asked by a judge if he regretted his actions, Sigit responded in a raised voice: "No. This was a warning to Myanmar as well as others who treat Muslims as they please."

"I am still at war – as long as there is oppression of Muslims," he said.

Sigit faces three charges under tough anti-terror laws, including possession of weapons or explosive materials, which carries a maximum penalty of death.

He said he became incensed after reading reports on Facebook about the violence against Rohingya in the Buddhist-majority country, many of whom have died in sectarian unrest since last year.

He got the idea to attack the embassy after being invited by a local Muslim group to take part in a protest against the violence in Myanmar.

He said he met up with an accomplice, Separiano, who has also been charged by the same court over the plot.

"I said to him, 'Let's just bomb (the embassy)'. And he agreed," Sigit told the court.

The attack by the group – part of the network Negara Islam Indonesia (The Islamic State of Indonesia) – was foiled on May 2, the day before it was due to take place, when police arrested two men on a motorbike carrying a backpack full of pipe-bombs.

Prosecutors earlier said Sigit met some of his accomplices on Facebook, where he posted messages about the need to avenge the killing of the Rohingya. — AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz


Pass or fail?

Posted:

SOME unlikely films did surprisingly well on the Bechdel test, while some you'd think would pass, failed miserably.

> All the Alien movies pass (the first one is a borderline case though), except for Alien3 which had only ONE named female character. Corpse Newt and Alien Queen Embryo don't count.

> The biggest film franchises of the millennium, Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings, fail.

> White House Down doesn't exactly pass, but fares better than Olympus Has Fallen (which has a strong woman character, the Secretary of State, who unfortunately doesn't talk to the other women characters). Roland Emmerich's flop has multiple named female characters, but they only talk about men; specifically, Channing Tatum. There you go.

> The Wolverine passes (Yukio and Mariko's friendship) while Iron Man 3 doesn't quite make it (Pepper and the Extremis lady only ever talk about Tony Stark and Aldrich Killian).

> James Wan's The Conjuring passes, while his Insidious: Chapter 2 fails.

Related story:

Grading the Bechdel test

New York critics choose 'American Hustle'

Posted:

The movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper is the top choice at an awards ceremony.

The New York Film Critics Circle named American Hustle, a film about 1970s con artists forced to work with the FBI, as best film of 2013 and gave its top acting prizes to Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett in the first major movie honours in the run-up to the Oscars.

British director Steve McQueen won the best director prize for 12 Years A Slave, the historical drama about a free black man sold into slavery and based on the 1853 memoir of Solomon Northup. The awards pit director David O. Russell's American Hustle, which will be released in US theatres later this month, and 12 Years A Slave, the winner of the top prize at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, as early contenders in the race for the Academy Awards.

Redford picked up the best actor award for his solo performance in the survival drama All As Lost, and Blanchett was named best actress for her portrayal of a pill-popping former socialite forced to deal with reduced circumstances in Woody Allen's film Blue Jasmine. Actor Jared Leto won the best supporting actor prize for his role in Dallas Buyers Club as an HIV-positive transgender woman who helps smuggle medication not approved in the United States to AIDS patients.

The New York Film Critics Circle, which announced the awards on Twitter, gave Jennifer Lawrence, last year's best actress Oscar winner for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, the best supporting actress prize for playing the ditzy, bored housewife in American Hustle. The film also won the best screenplay award for Eric Singer and Russell.

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is among the oldest critics groups in the United States. It is made up of members of newspapers, magazines and online publications. Their awards will be followed by the top film prizes from the National Board of Review. The awards are seen as a bellwether for Hollywood's Oscars, the film world's highest honours, which will be awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 2.

The New York Film Critics Circle prize for best foreign language film went to Blue Is The Warmest Color, a French lesbian love story by director Abdellatif Kechiche that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Stories We Tell, a Canadian film directed by Sarah Polley, which delves into storytelling and memories, picked up the best documentary award.

The group awarded Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler's directorial debut about the real-life story of a young, black man shot to death by a white, transit policeman, the best first film prize. Bruno Delbonnel won the best cinematography award for Inside Llewyn Davis, a film by Joel and Ethan Coen about the Greenwich Village folk scene in 1961. The Wind Rises, by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, was named best animated film. — Reuters

'Ilo Ilo' director Anthony Chen gets recognition in Hollywood

Posted:

Singapore's award winning director to be honoured at Palm Springs International Film Festival.

ANTHONY Chen is getting Hollywood's attention.

The Singaporean has been named one of trade magazine Variety's 10 Directors To Watch, in the list announced on Monday.

This year's list has 11 names, including American actor-writer Ben Falcone, who directs his wife Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, 2011) in the upcoming road trip comedy Tammy, and American writer Maya Forbes (Monsters Vs Aliens, 2009), who directs Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo in the upcoming family comedy Infinitely Polar Bear.

British director Clio Barnard was highlighted for The Selfish Giant, her contemporary interpretation of Oscar Wilde's fairy tale which won praise at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

American duo Aron Gaude and Gita Pullapilly, who are married to each other, are on the list for their teen drama Beneath The Harvest Sky.

Chen was named for Ilo Ilo, which has won him a string of prizes at festivals from Cannes to Golden Horse.

The directors will be profiled in Variety's Dec 17 issue and honoured at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Jan 5.

Variety's previous 10 To Watch picks include Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Christopher Nolan and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts Of The Southern Wild, 2012). – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


Thank you for the telly

Posted:

With no turkey or pumpkin pie around, the Spudniks observe the American Thanksgiving holiday by taking stock of what they're most grateful for on television.

ONE of our favourite Thanksgiving TV specials was an episode of Will & Grace called Homo For The Holidays. Will, Grace and Karen are shocked to learn that Jack's mother has no clue that he is homosexual. Grace even says to to Jack, "On some level, your mother has to know you're gay. I mean, she has met you right?"

With the encouragement of his friends, Jack decides to come out of the closet to his mother at Thanksgiving dinner, but as it turns out, his mother had a bigger surprise for him – she doesn't quite know who his real father is!

We don't celebrate Thanksgiving in Malaysia, but in solidarity with all of our American (TV) friends, we've decided to commemorate the day by listing down five things we're most thankful for where TV is concerned.

1. Man's best friend

Indra: Firstly, I am thankful for TV itself. I don't know what my life would be without it. Ok, I probably would get out of the house more and interact with actual people instead of characters on a show. And I'd probably end up spending more money on things I don't need. Oh my God, TV really is my saviour!

Ann Marie: For as long as I can remember television has been a dear, dear friend. Thank you John Logie Baird. When there's nothing else to do, there's always TV. And today, with my media player, I can watch what I want, when I want. I feel so grateful. And to think that one of the leading researchers into television in the 1930s, Issac Shoenberg, told his research team (who had invented the world's first practical TV camera) that they "had invented the world's biggest time-waster of all time"!

2. Partners in crime

Indra: Let's face it, some days (like the past weekend, for example) there is simply nothing worth watching on TV. But even in these dark times, we can be comforted in knowing that on at least one channel, an episode of Law & Order (be it Special Victims Unit, Criminal Intent, or Los Angeles) is airing. And for this, I thank Dick Wolf. Despite running for years (the original Law & Order series holds the record for longest running dramatic show on TV) the show still has great stories to tell and compelling investigations and court drama.

Ann Marie: Indra is right, of course. Many times I've switched from channel to channel only to finally settle for Law & Order. Thanks to Dick Wolf, in the past I had Miami Vice and Hill Street Blues to keep me glued to the TV. But let's not stop there. Any crime series really can whet my appetite – CSI sort of opened the floodgates for me at one point because I even got to choose which city (Las Vegas, Miami, New York) and ensemble I preferred.

Even back in the day, there was so much to choose from – Police Woman, Charlie's Angels, CHiPS, Hunter. There's something about crime dramas, and the fact that they wrap up in an hour, that is strangely soothing. Maybe it is a way of acknowledging that crime exists, but we're doing something about it. That there are there are a few good men and women out there working their butts off to keep us safe and sane.

3. Bang up job

Indra: Sheldon Cooper, Amy Farrah Fowler, Howard Wolowitz, Rajesh Koothrappali, Penny and Bernadette Rostenkowski. Oh, okay maybe even Leonard Hofstadter. I am so thankful for knowing this bunch. Not since Friends has an ensemble endeared themselves to me as much and I can always count on one or all of them to crack me up.

Ann Marie: Yeah, so, does anyone know Penny's surname? What's with that? I love watching Big Bang Theory but I am so behind. Which is a good thing and I am thankful for it because there will be so much happy catching up to do. I am also grateful because it is one of those series that brings people together. You can be a geek, a hipster, an Indian, Jew, intellectual or not, and you'll love it nonetheless. Somehow it has a universal appeal, and what's more, it caters to the discerning laugh-hunter (okay, I stole that phrase from thetvreviewguy.blogspot.com). Thank you, thetvreviewguy, I am thankful for you too.

4. Pease pudding and        saveloys

Indra: Thank goodness for modern-day cooking shows (that includes reality cooking competitions) that are not only entertaining but make cooking and baking look exciting, fun and most of all, possible to do.

Ann Marie: I hate cooking. But since cooking has become so accessible and informative and entertaining, I have been so enthusiastic about being in my kitchen. I remember my son and I trying out a chicken schnitzel recipe after watching MasterChef Junior participants try it out on TV. And the likes of Anna Olson and Michael Smith just make everything seem so darn effortless. Really, I am exceedingly grateful for cooking shows. They have changed my life. I'm no chef, but I no longer have a fear of trying something out and working at it to get it right. They have also, I think, made me a little more adventurous when it comes to tasting food. Thank you Anthony Bourdain for taking me around the world and introducing me to fresh and exciting cuisines.

5. Candy

Indra: Eye candy that is. Where do I even begin? Stephen Amell (Arrow), Gabriel Macht (Suits), Idris Elba (Luther), Jensen Ackles (Supernatural), Simon Baker (The Mentalist), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood), Matt Bomer (White Collar), Sam Palladio (Nashville), Jim Caviezel (Person Of Interest) ... the list goes on and on and on.

Ann Marie: Oooohhh you had me at Idris Elba. Once you go black ... you understand why you need to be thankful. I'll have that hot chocolate now, thanks.

'Kil' wins four top awards at Anugerah Skrin 2013

Posted:

A 'Kil'-ler night for young filmmaker Nik Amir Mustapha.

IT was definitely the night for Kil, a film about a depressed man who hires a quirky assassination agency to help kill himself, which bagged home the Best Film award at Anugerah Skrin 2013 held at Stadium Malawati in Shah Alam, Selangor, last Friday.

Nik Amir Mustapha won Best Film Director and Best Screenplay for his movie 'Kil' at the recent Anugerah Skrin 2013.

Nik Amir Mustapha won Best Film Director and Best Screenplay for his movie Kil.

The movie also won Best Film Director (for Nik Amir Mustapha) and Best Screenplay and Best Film Actress (for Cristina Suzanne Stockstill).

What started as an indie film project two years ago has turned out to be a blessing for 28-year-old Nik, who initially got together with his buddies to make a different kind of movie.

In total disbelief after he won, Nik said that he owed it all to his production team, friends and family and most of all to those who have watched the movie in the cinemas.

For newcomer Cristina, the award for Best Film Actress was a total surprise.

A former cyber café worker and a waitress at a restaurant, Cristina said that the award is God's blessing and she attributed her win to her mother.

Organised by TV3, Anugerah Skrin which has been an annual event since 1995 aimed at giving due recognition to television programmes and films made in Malaysia, as well as the actors and television personalities.

Actor Shaheizy Sam won Best Film Actor award at the Anugerah Skrin 2013 held at Malawati Stadium in Shah Alam last Friday.

Actor Shaheizy Sam with his Best Film Actor award.

The 17th instalment of Anugerah Skrin also saw popular and talented actor Shaheizy Sam bagging the Best Actor award for his role in Sam, while Khir Rahman won Best Supporting Film Actor for Rock Oo and Miera Liyana walked away with Best Supporting Film Actress for Pecah.

In television, Mawar Putih Tanda Perpisahan by Suhan Movies won Best Drama and Best Screenplay.

Prolific director Erma Fatima won Best Drama Director for Aku Bukan Malaikat while her younger sister Datin Paduka Umie Aida took home the Best Drama Actress for the same drama. Veteran actor Wan Hanafi Su bagged Best Drama Actor for Hari-hari Terakhir Seorang Seniman.

Anugerah Skrin was hosted by Awal Ashaari, Faizal Ismail and Nad Zainal.

Anugerah Skrin 2013 winners

Film Category

Best Film – Kil

Best Film Director – Nik Amir Mustapha (Kil)

Best Film Actor – Shaheizy Sam (Sam)

Best Film Actress – Cristina Suzanne Stockstill (Kil)

Best Film Screenplay – Nik Amir Mustapha (Kil)

Best Film Supporting Actor – Khir Rahman (Rock Oo)

Best Film Supporting Actress – Miera Liyana (Pecah)

Drama Category

Best Drama – Mawar Putih Tanda Perpisahan (Suhan Movies & Trading Sdn Bhd)

Best Drama Director – Erma Fatima (Aku Bukan Malaikat)

Best Drajma Actor – Wan Hanafi Su (Hari-hari Terakhir Seorang Seniman)

Best Drama Actress – Datin Paduka Umie Aida (Aku Bukan Malaikat)

Best Drama Supporting Actress – Izreen Azminda (Perempuan Itu Ibuku)

Best Drama Supporting Actor – Hasnol Rahmat (Tunggu Sekejap)

Pantene Promising Artiste – Shasha Al Khred (Kawan)

Best TV Screenplay – Mazlan Manan (Mawar Putih Tanda Perpisahan)

Best Drama Series – Surat Dari Langit Biru (Rashbir Media Sdn Bhd)

Best Comedy Drama – Mentua vs Mentua (Primeworks Studios Sdn Bhd)

Best Drama Videography - Mohd Faizal Mohd Ali (Mawar Putih Tanda Perpisahan)

Production Category

Best Entertainment Show – Anugerah Bintang Popular Berita Harian 2012 (TV3)

Best Reality Show – Maharaja Lawak Mega (Astro Warna)

Best Musical Show – Anugerah Juara Lagu 27 (TV3)

Best News / Special Report – Kanta K-Pop (Buletin Utama, TV3)

Best Documentary/Magazine Show – Salam Muslim (Astro Oasis)

Best Talk Show – Bella (Ntv7)

Low-key affair

Posted:

There were really no surprises at the TVB Star Awards Malaysia 2013 on Sunday night, so, one can pretty much guess who were the biggest winners at the ceremony, which was held at the KWC Fashion Mall in Kuala Lumpur.

TVB summer hit Triumph In The Skies II won the most with 11 trophies, in categories like favourite drama series, favourite lead actor and favourite supporting actress. All six of the show's main stars who were nominated in the "favourite top 15 TVB drama characters" category also won.

As expected, Chilam Cheung who is popular among TVB fans in Malaysia for his flighty portrayal of a playboy pilot in Triumph In The Skies II, nabbed the top award for favourite TVB actor just a day after his headlining act at the "Chi Lam & Friends Live In Genting" show at the Arena Of Stars.

Meanwhile, Kenneth Ma (who won recognition from his TVB peers during Hong Kong's TVB Anniversary Gala in November) and Tavia Yeung (who won My Favourite TVB Actress at Singapore's Starhub TVB Awards in September) took the favourite on-screen couple award for their pairing in The Hippocratic Crush II.

Apart from Cheung, Ma and Yeung, other TVB stars who graced the show were Eric Tsang, Myolie Wu, Linda Chung, Ruco Chan, Ron Ng, Wong Cho Lam, Kristal Tin, Edwin Siu, Nancy Wu, Mandy Wong, Him Law, Eliza Sam, Elvina Kong and Benjamin Yuen.

With many unknown faces taking to the stage to perform, the awards show became a somewhat draggy affair. Fortunately, TVB funnyman Wong Cho Lam had the audience in stitches as the emcee, along with Maria Luisa and Jarvis Chow. Armed with rib-tickling impersonations and side-splitting jokes, Wong poked fun at the nominees in the main award categories.

Formerly known as My Astro On Demand Awards, the TVB Star Awards Malaysia 2013 was organised for the first time by TVB Entertainment News. The awards presentation ceremony was broadcast live to Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Europe, while the United States enjoyed a delayed broadcast.

Widely regarded as the prelude to the TVB Anniversary Awards (set to take place in Hong Kong on Dec 16), the TVB Star Awards Malaysia 2013 gave out a total of 27 awards in 13 different categories. The result was derived from almost 100,000 Malaysian voters during a voting campaign held in November; the polling site racked up 500,000 hits after three weeks of voting activity.

*Log on to thestar.com.my for the list of winners.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Pentagon focused on weapons, data fusion as F-35 nears combat use

Posted:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Lockheed Martin Corp's F-35 fighter jet is making good progress as it nears initial combat use by the U.S. Marine Corps in July 2015, but the company must still finalise the software needed to deliver weapons and fuse data from its many sensors, the Pentagon's F-35 program chief told Reuters.

"Getting to 2015 there's a whole lot of things that have to be put in place, not the least of which is the software on the programme," said Lt. Gen. Chris Bogdan, the Air Force three-star general who took over the helm of the $392 billion (£239 billion) F-35 programme around one year ago.

Software was the programme's No.1 critical issue, he said, noting that the jet alone had more than 8.5 million lines of code, while its related systems had 11 or 12 million more.

Officials have also launched an "earnest effort" to ensure that planes already built for the Air Force and Marine Corps are modified to adjust for issues found in flight testing so they are ready for initial combat use, Bogdan said.

The Air Force has said it plans to start using its conventional takeoff F-35 jets from mid-2016. The Navy will follow suit in late 2018.

Lockheed is building three models of the radar-evading warplane for the U.S. military and eight countries that helped fund its development: Britain, Canada, Norway, Australia, Turkey, Italy, the Netherlands and Denmark. Japan and Israel have also ordered F-35 jets.

Bogdan told a defence logistics conference on Wednesday that the Pentagon's biggest weapons program - which is years behind schedule and 70 percent over initial cost estimates - had a "tragic past," but was now making good progress.

Bogdan said it was time to take "that baggage from the past and put it aside and judge the programme where it is today."

He said Lockheed is on track to deliver 36 jets this year, and the cost of the plane was coming down year after year. Flight testing was about 60 days behind schedule after two separate groundings early this year, but the delay could be absorbed by the margin built into the development program.

At Eglin Air Force Base in Florida on Wednesday, the programme hit a new single-day record of F-35 flights, flying 45 training missions with all three models of the new jet, said Joe DellaVedova, spokesman for the F-35 program office.

The total included 32 flights with the Marine Corp's B-model, which can land like a helicopter, 10 flights with the conventional A-model, and three flights with the Navy's C-model, designed to land on aircraft carriers. In addition, one Dutch F-35 returned to Eglin from Maryland.

In an interview after his speech, Bogdan rejected criticism that the Pentagon is ploughing ahead blindly with a program that is too complex and expensive. He said the government knows "an awful lot" about the airplane and its cost and is doing better holding its manufacturers accountable for their performance.

Bogdan said critics of the F-35 focused on the programme's delays and technical shortfalls, but the U.S. military and its allies were growing more confident in the plane every day.

He said there was growing international interest in the new stealth fighter, and South Korea, Singapore and other countries could place orders in coming years. Such orders were good for all the countries involved because they would drive down the cost of each airplane and associated infrastructure, he said.

By some measure, including the F-35's ability to manoeuvre tight turns, the F-35 is on par or even slightly below that of current fighter planes, Bogdan said.

But the plane's ability to combine data from a host of different sensors and share it with other aircraft made it "a vastly superior airplane" than current warplanes, he said.

"What makes the airplane leaps and bounds better than legacy airplanes," he said, "is the ability to know what's going on around it when it comes to other airplanes and other threats, and its ability to take that information and give the pilot a very clear picture and then give that picture to a lot of other people who don't have the sophisticated sensors that we have."

He declined to give details since some of those attributes are classified, but said testing of the software that would provide the "360-degree situational awareness" was going well.

"Some of that stuff is in the classified realm, so people don't understand it and we can't talk freely about it," he said. "Until we get out there and prove that, people are going to be naturally hesitant because that is a leap above what we have today. It makes everybody in the battlespace smarter."

Bogdan said relations between the government and the prime contractors on the program - Lockheed and engine maker Pratt & Whitney, a unit of United Technologies Corp - had improved sharply since he became deputy director in July 2012.

Just over a year ago, Bogdan described that relationship as the "worst" he had ever seen in decades of working on acquisition programs.

Since then, the Pentagon had dramatically increased its oversight of the program and had become far more vigilant about holding the companies that build it accountable, he said.

But the F-35 program office and the contractors also communicate more often and more openly than before, he said.

"What we embarked on over the last 18 months is constant...'straight talk' with our contractor and our stakeholders," he said, noting that he had spoken three times on Wednesday alone with Lockheed's F-35 program manager, Lorraine Martin. "The communication between the program office and them is much more constructive now than destructive."

"The more we talk and the more we communicate, the more we understand each other's position, we can get past the blame game and get on to finding solutions for things," he said.

Bogdan said the Navy version of the new fighter was also making progress and testing of a redesigned tail hook that allows the plane to land on aircraft carriers would begin in coming months after completion of a critical design review.

(Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Matt Driskill)

Biden says China's airspace zone has caused apprehension

Posted:

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's new air defence identification zone over the East China Sea has caused "significant" unease in the region, U.S. Vice President Joe Biden said on Thursday, adding he had stated Washington's firm objection to the move during talks in Beijing.

Biden had around five hours of discussions with President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, with both leaders laying out their perspective on an issue that has rattled East Asia. The zone, two thirds the size of Britain, covers an area that includes islands at the heart of a territorial dispute with Japan.

In response, China's Foreign Ministry said Biden had been told the zone accorded with international law and that the United States should respect it.

"China's recent and sudden announcement of the establishment of a new air defence identification zone has, to state the obvious, caused significant apprehension in the region," Biden told a gathering of U.S. executives in Beijing.

"I was very direct about our firm position and our expectations in my conversations with President Xi."

Beijing's announcement of the zone on November 23 has triggered protests from the United States, Japan and South Korea.

Under its rules, all aircraft have to report flight plans to Chinese authorities and maintain radio contact.

U.S., Japanese and South Korean military aircraft have breached the zone without informing Beijing. China's military has scrambled fighter jets on at least one occasion to monitor.

Japanese and South Korean commercial carriers have also been told by their governments to ignore the rules. Three U.S. airlines, acting on government advice, are notifying China of plans to transit the zone.

Xi took on board what Biden said, according to a senior U.S. administration official travelling with the vice president.

"From our perspective, it's up to China. And we'll see how things unfold in the coming days and weeks," said the official.

China has repeatedly said the zone was designed to reduce the risk of misunderstandings, and stressed that since it was set up there had been no issues with freedom of flight for civilian airlines.

"During the talks (with Biden) the Chinese side repeated its principled position, stressing that the Chinese move accorded with international law and practice and that the U.S. side ought to take an objective and fair attitude and respect it," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a brief statement.

STAKE IN REGIONAL STABILITY

The United States has made clear it will stand by treaty obligations that require it to defend the Japanese-controlled islands, but it is also reluctant to get dragged into any military clash between rivals Japan and China.

Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, speaking in Tokyo, rebuffed suggestions that Washington's decision not to publicly ask Beijing to rescind the zone meant the United States was out of sync with Japan.

Biden said Washington had an enormous interest in what happens in the region.

"The United States has a profound stake in what happens here because we need, and we are, and we will remain a Pacific power, diplomatically, economically and militarily," he said.

China's stake in regional stability would also continue to grow, Biden added.

"That's why China will bear increasing responsibility to contribute positively to peace and security. That means taking steps to reduce the risk of accidental conflict and miscalculation ... and refraining from taking steps that would increase tension," Biden said.

The official English-language China Daily said the two countries had to address a serious "trust deficit".

"The U.S.' reaction to the (zone) is only the latest reminder of how difficult it is for the two nations to overcome their distrust," it said in an editorial.

But the fact neither Biden nor Xi mentioned the zone in front of reporters on Wednesday was a positive sign that both are "indeed capable of managing their occasionally volatile ties", it noted.

Biden heads to South Korea later on Thursday, but will meet Chinese Premier Li Keqiang before he leaves.

(Additional reporting by Kiyoshi Takenaka in TOKYO; Writing by Ben Blanchard. Editing by Dean Yates)

China says told Biden airspace decision in line with international law

Posted:

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's Foreign Ministry said on Thursday that China told visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden that Beijing's decision to set up an air defence identification zone in the East China Sea accorded with international law.

"During the talks the Chinese side repeated its principled position, stressing that the Chinese move accorded with international law and practice and that the U.S. side ought to take an objective and fair attitude and respect it," ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in a brief statement.

(Reporting by Huang Yan, Hui Li and Ben Blanchard)

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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Pass or fail?

Posted:

SOME unlikely films did surprisingly well on the Bechdel test, while some you'd think would pass, failed miserably.

> All the Alien movies pass (the first one is a borderline case though), except for Alien3 which had only ONE named female character. Corpse Newt and Alien Queen Embryo don't count.

> The biggest film franchises of the millennium, Harry Potter and Lord Of The Rings, fail.

> White House Down doesn't exactly pass, but fares better than Olympus Has Fallen (which has a strong woman character, the Secretary of State, who unfortunately doesn't talk to the other women characters). Roland Emmerich's flop has multiple named female characters, but they only talk about men; specifically, Channing Tatum. There you go.

> The Wolverine passes (Yukio and Mariko's friendship) while Iron Man 3 doesn't quite make it (Pepper and the Extremis lady only ever talk about Tony Stark and Aldrich Killian).

> James Wan's The Conjuring passes, while his Insidious: Chapter 2 fails.

Related story:

Grading the Bechdel test

New York critics choose 'American Hustle'

Posted:

The movie starring Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale and Bradley Cooper is the top choice at an awards ceremony.

The New York Film Critics Circle named American Hustle, a film about 1970s con artists forced to work with the FBI, as best film of 2013 and gave its top acting prizes to Robert Redford and Cate Blanchett in the first major movie honours in the run-up to the Oscars.

British director Steve McQueen won the best director prize for 12 Years A Slave, the historical drama about a free black man sold into slavery and based on the 1853 memoir of Solomon Northup. The awards pit director David O. Russell's American Hustle, which will be released in US theatres later this month, and 12 Years A Slave, the winner of the top prize at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, as early contenders in the race for the Academy Awards.

Redford picked up the best actor award for his solo performance in the survival drama All As Lost, and Blanchett was named best actress for her portrayal of a pill-popping former socialite forced to deal with reduced circumstances in Woody Allen's film Blue Jasmine. Actor Jared Leto won the best supporting actor prize for his role in Dallas Buyers Club as an HIV-positive transgender woman who helps smuggle medication not approved in the United States to AIDS patients.

The New York Film Critics Circle, which announced the awards on Twitter, gave Jennifer Lawrence, last year's best actress Oscar winner for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, the best supporting actress prize for playing the ditzy, bored housewife in American Hustle. The film also won the best screenplay award for Eric Singer and Russell.

Founded in 1935, the New York Film Critics Circle is among the oldest critics groups in the United States. It is made up of members of newspapers, magazines and online publications. Their awards will be followed by the top film prizes from the National Board of Review. The awards are seen as a bellwether for Hollywood's Oscars, the film world's highest honours, which will be awarded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on March 2.

The New York Film Critics Circle prize for best foreign language film went to Blue Is The Warmest Color, a French lesbian love story by director Abdellatif Kechiche that won the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Stories We Tell, a Canadian film directed by Sarah Polley, which delves into storytelling and memories, picked up the best documentary award.

The group awarded Fruitvale Station, Ryan Coogler's directorial debut about the real-life story of a young, black man shot to death by a white, transit policeman, the best first film prize. Bruno Delbonnel won the best cinematography award for Inside Llewyn Davis, a film by Joel and Ethan Coen about the Greenwich Village folk scene in 1961. The Wind Rises, by Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, was named best animated film. — Reuters

'Ilo Ilo' director Anthony Chen gets recognition in Hollywood

Posted:

Singapore's award winning director to be honoured at Palm Springs International Film Festival.

ANTHONY Chen is getting Hollywood's attention.

The Singaporean has been named one of trade magazine Variety's 10 Directors To Watch, in the list announced on Monday.

This year's list has 11 names, including American actor-writer Ben Falcone, who directs his wife Melissa McCarthy (Bridesmaids, 2011) in the upcoming road trip comedy Tammy, and American writer Maya Forbes (Monsters Vs Aliens, 2009), who directs Zoe Saldana and Mark Ruffalo in the upcoming family comedy Infinitely Polar Bear.

British director Clio Barnard was highlighted for The Selfish Giant, her contemporary interpretation of Oscar Wilde's fairy tale which won praise at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

American duo Aron Gaude and Gita Pullapilly, who are married to each other, are on the list for their teen drama Beneath The Harvest Sky.

Chen was named for Ilo Ilo, which has won him a string of prizes at festivals from Cannes to Golden Horse.

The directors will be profiled in Variety's Dec 17 issue and honoured at the Palm Springs International Film Festival on Jan 5.

Variety's previous 10 To Watch picks include Ben Affleck, George Clooney, Christopher Nolan and Benh Zeitlin (Beasts Of The Southern Wild, 2012). – The Straits Times, Singapore/Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Business

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Global chips sales above US$27b in October, highest ever

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Global chips sales rose above the US$27bil mark in October, 2013 which was the record high for the semiconductor industry.

The US-based Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said on Wednesday worldwide sales of semiconductors reached US$27.06bil in October, which was a 7.2% increase from a year ago when sales were US$25.24bil.

The SIA said the October sales were 0.8% higher from September. "October marked the eighth consecutive month of increasing sales and the industry's first-ever month above US$27bil in sales," it said.

The group represents US companies in semiconductor manufacturing and design. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

"Additionally, a new WSTS industry forecast projects that the industry will reach its highest-ever annual sales total in 2013, and continued growth is projected for 2014 and 2015," said the SIA.

Regionally, sequential monthly sales increased in the Americas (3.3%), Europe (1.7%), and Asia Pacific (0.1%), but fell 1.4% in Japan.

The SIA said when compared with October 2012, sales increased in the Americas (20.1%), Europe (8.6%), and Asia Pacific (7.4%), but fell in Japan (-12.1%), in part due to the devaluation of the Japanese yen.  

The association's president and CEO Brian Toohey, commenting on the sales, said with eight straight months of growth and a new monthly sales record in October, the global semiconductor industry was "on track to exceed US$300bil in annual sales for the first time ever in 2013".

He said the industry was projected to maintain solid growth for the remainder of 2013 and into 2014, led largely by the Americas, which has remained well ahead of last year's pace.

Qantas issues profit warning, announces job cuts, shares plummet

Posted:

SYDNEY: Qantas Airways Ltd warned on Thursday it expects to post an underlying pre-tax loss between A$250 million ($225 million) and A$300 million for the first half of the current year, following a "marked deterioration" in market conditions.

Shares in Australia's national flag carrier sank as much as 15 percent after it said the outlook for the second half of the year "remains volatile" and flagged 1,000 job cuts as part of an accelerated cost reduction program.

Qantas, which is waging a bitter battle with domestic rival Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd, declined to provide further guidance, citing uncertainty in global economic conditions, fuel prices and foreign exchange rates.

"The challenges we now face are immense," Qantas Chief Executive Alan Joyce said in a statement. "Since early 2012, there has also been an unprecedented distortion of the Australian domestic market, with Virgin Australia's strategy to seek majority ownership and massive financial backing from foreign government-owned airlines."

Joyce said Qantas would accelerate its cost reduction program, pushing to achieve total savings of A$2 billion over three years.

Measures will include 1,000 job cuts within 12 months, a pay cut for Joyce and the board, a pay freeze and no bonuses for executives and a review of spending with the airline's top 100 suppliers.

Shares in Qantas were down 14.4 percent at A$1.03 in morning trade, after touching a 16-month low at A$1.01.

Qantas has been pressing the Australian government to intervene in the aviation market as Virgin taps its majority owners, Gulf carrier Etihad, Singapore Airlines and Air New Zealand, for A$350 million to add capacity and lift service levels.

Qantas, which earlier this year signed an alliance with Dubai-based Emirates Airlines, claims it is hampered by regulations binding it from seeking significant foreign ownership or government support.

Australian Treasurer Joe Hockey last week gave Qantas some reason to hope, flagging potential changes to allow majority foreign ownership or increased government support.

Acknowledging that Qantas is in "regulatory handcuffs", Hockey sparked speculation about the airline's future by calling for a debate on the Qantas Sale Act, the law that caps foreign ownership of the airline at 49 percent.

The profit warning follows a doubling of Qantas's underlying profit to A$192 million for the most recent financial year as shrinking losses on its international arm offset tougher competition on its lucrative domestic routes. - Reuters

KLCI ekes out marginal gains, TM, HLFG up

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Gains in Telekom Malaysia and HLFG pushed the FBM KLCI marginally higher in early Thursday trade but BIMB Securities Research cautioned investors about downside for local equities.

At 9.12am, the KLCI was up 0.03 of a point to 1,821.93. Turnover was 52.90 million shares valued at RM34.44mil. There were 94 gainers, 76 losers and 140 counters unchanged.

BIMB Securities Research said the KLCI succumbed to some heavy last minute selling as the index dipped 2.39 points at 1,821.90 on Wednesday.

"We noticed that foreign funds selling persisted with another RM164mil net outflow and expect this to continue," it said.

The research house said Malaysia by virtue of strong local buying support was now the most expensive within the Asean region trading at around 17.2 times on 2013 figures and 15.8 times next year.

"In view of this, we believe investors should be wary that the downside of the local bourse very much outweighs that of upside hence we are sticking to our Sell on Strength recommendation. For today, we expect the index to retrace albeit minimal within the 1,815/18 range," BIMB Research said.

BAT was the top gainer, adding 38 sen to RM63.28 with 1,300 shares done. However, Nestle fell 20 sen to RM67.80 and Carlsberg lost 18 sen to RM12.20.

Among banks and finance-related stocks, HLFG rose 28 sen to RM15.54 and Public Bank foreign 16 sen to RM18.54 while insurer LPI added six sen to RM16.96. However, Public Bank lost eight sen to RM18.30 and Hong Leong  Bank six sen lower to RM14.14.

TM added seven sen to RM5.37 while MPI gained five sen RM3.28.

Puncak Niaga shares and its warrants fell 14 sen each to RM3.14 and RM2.14 while KPS lost nine sen to RM1.98.

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The Star Online: Nation

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Revamped ticketing method to cut down waiting time at MATTA fair

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: MATTA will introduce a revamped online ticketing system to cut down the queue for visitors to its coming 2014 fair.

MATTA president Hamzah Rahmat said the improved visitor registration system would make it possible for them to purchase tickets online while still allowing them to retain the option of getting tickets offline.

"We will also include all visitors, not just those who made a purchase, in the running to win attractive prizes," he said.

The new online ticketing system would include a short questionnaire to help organisers collect quality data on visitors so that they can streamline the booths and packages available at future fairs.

"One of the big benefits of online ticketing is to shorten queuing time for visitors collecting their tickets at the fair," said Hamzah at the launch of the new features at Renoma Cafe Gallery here yesterday.

The tickets, he said, would start selling about a month before the fair and be made available on MATTA's website at www.matta.org.my.

"We're looking into ways to encourage people to buy tickets online – perhaps by discounting ticket prices," said Hamzah.

He expected the fair to be attended by about 100,000 visitors, up from 86,867 at the recent MATTA fair in September.

Hamzah said South Korea and Japan were expected to continue being the most popular countries to visit, especially since Japan had removed the need for visitors to obtain a visa.

The 2014 MATTA fair will be held at the Putra World Trade Centre here on March 14 to 16 next year.

Dr M urged to stay on with Petronas

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak hopes Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad will re-consider his decision to step down as Petronas adviser.

Najib said the Government felt that the former prime minister was still able to contribute to Petronas' development and success.

"In respecting Tun's decision, which was made on his doctor's advice, I hope Tun can reconsider.

"The Government welcomes Tun to continue to serve as Petronas adviser," he told reporters after an almost hour-long meeting with Hamas leader Khalid Meshaal at the Putra World Trade Centre here yesterday.

Najib said he had received the resignation letter from Dr Mahathir, in which Dr Mahathir also thanked Najib for visiting him at the National Heart Institute when he was admitted there for chest pains.

"Upon the doctor's advice, he has to reduce his daily routine. As such, he had informed me of his intention to step down as Petronas adviser," he added.

Mahathir confirmed on Monday that he had resigned as Petronas adviser, effective Dec 1, due to age and health factors.

He was appointed to the post after his retirement as prime minister in 2003.

Developer must pay to rebuild candi, says NGO man

Posted:

PETALING JAYA: The company which destroyed the ancient candi in Bujang Valley must pay for the cost of rebuilding it, said NGO Bujang Valley Study Circle chairman Datuk V. Nadarajan.

"The state government must ask the developer to pay for reconstruction because the company knowingly destroyed a candi. They can't deny it. They broke the stones and threw them away.

"The developer must be penalised so that others won't destroy our national heritage throughout the country in future," the lawyer-writer said yesterday.

Nadarajan, 58, who is the author of Lembah Bujang: The Wonder that was Ancient Kedah, also offered his expertise in the rebuilding efforts.

"I can help go through the plans and rebuild it. The developers should also contact Prof Dr Mokhtar Saidin from the USM Centre for Global Archaeological Research and Prof Nik Hassan Suhaimi, formerly of UKM.

"It won't cost much to rebuild as the candi doesn't have an upper area. We can collect the stones, find new ones and reconstruct it."

Nadarajan, the man who exposed the demolition when he lodged a police report on the matter, also criticised the Sg Petani municipal council for approving the housing project despite knowing the existence of the candi.

"They built the road to it. They know tourists go there. At the very least, they could have incorporated the candi into the development plan, built around it and maintained it. But they didn't bother."

He also alleged that more candi and structures had been destroyed but admitted that he "had no proof".

Nadarajan, who is working on his second book – Lembah Bujang- Bujang Valley: Part 2, said he became interested in historical sites after visiting the candi Bukit Batu Pahat (site number 8), with his history teacher when he was 16.

His second book will trace the historical artifacts found in the valley.

Related stories:
Candi destruction shocks former Kedah MB
Lembah Bujang to be gazetted
Readers question delay in gazetting heritage site
Save our vale of ancient history
Preserving Malaysia's rich national heritage
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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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Rita Ora joins 'Fifty Shades Of Grey'

Posted:

The singer has been cast as Christian Grey's adopted sister.

Musician Rita Ora will play Mia, Christian Grey's adopted younger sister, in Universal Pictures and Focus Features' adaptation of the popular novel Fifty Shades Of Grey, an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap.

Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson star alongside Eloise Mumford (Kate), Luke Grimes (Elliot), Victor Rasuk (Jose), Jennifer Ehle (Carla) and Max Martini (Jason). Ora is best known as the chart-topping musician who scored a hit with Hot Right Now, which was the first of three consecutive No.1 singles.

Her debut album ORA also entered the British charts at No.1, and subsequently enjoyed worldwide success. Ora's sophomore album is expected in the spring, with rumoured collaborations with Calvin Harris and many others.

Sam Taylor-Johnson is directing from a script by Kelly Marcel, Patrick Marber and Mark Bomback. Michael de Luca and Dana Brunetti are producing alongside author E.L. James. Universal and Focus will release Fifty Shades Of Grey on Feb 13, 2015.

Ora is an Albanian-born British singer-songwriter who was born in Pristina, Kosovo in 1990. She began singing and acting from a young age, and recently made a cameo appearance in Universal's Fast & Furious 6.

Additionally, she was featured in significant campaigns for DKNY, handpicked by Madonna to be the face of her "Material Girl" fashion line and she has been confirmed as the new face of Rimmel for 2014. Ora is represented by CAA for film, and managed by Sarah Stennett at Turn First Artists. — Reuters

Related stories:

The new Christian Grey

Charlie Hunnam breaks his silence 

Cool as ice

Posted:

Disney gives popular folk tale a cool makeover in Frozen.

Disney has given a chilly makeover to a traditional fairytale in its latest animated release Frozen, which could be in the running for an Oscar.

The movie is based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen – 25 years after Disney's last Andersen adaptation, The Little Mermaid – even if it takes substantial liberties with plot and characters.

The studio's 53rd feature-length film, which has had positive reviews ahead of its release in the United States, brings to fruition a project which was on Walt Disney's wish list although he never made it.

"Walt Disney was passionate about trying to do a version of this," the film's co-producer Chris Buck told at a press conference to present the film at Disney's Burbank, California studios last week.

Fellow co-producer Jennifer Lee added: "Unfortunately, we dug for some original material but nothing really surfaced ... But we knew that this was special for him.

Although the exact reason Disney himself did not make a film of the 1844 Andersen tale, Lee – who co-wrote 2012's Oscar-nominated Wreck-It Ralph – said she was not surprised.

"It's a very hard story, it's very symbolic, the snow queen herself is not clearly drawn," she told reporters.

The makers of Frozen – expected to make the animated feature shortlist for next year's Academy Awards in March – got round the difficulties by making substantial changes.

The two main female roles – the Snow Queen herself, and Gerda – have been transformed into sister princesses Elsa and Anna.

Elsa, the soon-to-be Snow Queen, is voiced by Idina Menzel.

Elsa, the soon-to-be Snow Queen, is voiced by Idina Menzel.

Elsa, who transforms everything she touches into ice, flees her kingdom after mistakenly condemning it to an eternal frozen winter.

Her sister goes searching for her, aided by rugged mountain man Kristoff and a snowman.

"There are a couple of very powerful elements, like this little girl who has nothing but the power of love and who fights the negativity," said Lee.

"Fear is a big thing in our society. So the idea of this little Anna, who's an ordinary person who just has this giant heart, trying to go up against the power of fear to fight her way through and save her kingdom and save her sister at the same time, was so rich."

Elsa is voiced by actress Idina Menzel, who told AFP: "The main thing was to maintain a vulnerability, that no matter how powerful she is, there is a sadness and a loneliness to this character.

"In the beginning, she was written more like a traditional villain and then, when they started working on it, they changed her and made her a much more complicated character and not a svillain at all, just someone that was misunderstood."

Visually the wide-screen CinemaScope film is stunning. Animators travelled to Norway to gain knowledge and inspiration to render the snow-shrouded and ice-encrusted landscape.

As if to order, large swathes of the US were gripped by a major winter storm last week, leaving tens of millions of Americans facing travel chaos as they headed off for Thanksgiving family reunions.

Musically it fits into the Disney tradition of showtune songs, with a score by Robert Lopez, who wrote hit musical comedies The Book Of Mormon and Avenue Q.

Frozen has a 90% positive audience rating on the Rotten Tomatoes movie review website, which describes it as "beautifully animated, smartly written, and stocked with singalong songs."

Frozen is preceded by a short, Get A Horse! by Lauren MacMullan, which combines pastiches of black-and-white Mickey and Minnie sketches before plunging into 3D virtuosity. — AFP Relaxnews

> Frozen is now showing in cinemas nationwide.

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