Isnin, 17 Februari 2014

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Dozens arrested as Thai police raid protest site

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 06:19 PM PST

BANGKOK: Dozens of Thai opposition protesters were arrested Tuesday during a police operation to seize back besieged state buildings in the capital Bangkok, sparking a tense standoff near the government headquarters.

It was the first time that so many protesters have been detained since mass rallies seeking to overthrow Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra began more than three months ago.

About 100 demonstrators were arrested at an energy ministry complex on charges of violating a state of emergency, National Security Council chief Paradorn Pattanatabut told AFP.

"There was no resistance," he said. "They were overwhelmed by the police forces."

Riot police with batons, shields and helmets were also deployed near the government headquarters, after protesters returned to areas around the complex following a similar police operation on Friday to reclaim the building.

The two sides were locked in a tense confrontation across barbed wire barricades, with demonstrators rejecting a police demand to leave the area around Yingluck's offices within one hour.

"The government cannot work here anymore," said a spokesman for the anti-government movement, Akanat Promphan.

"The arrests don't affect us. The will of the people is still strong. The government is trapped. It has no way forward."

On Monday, demonstrators poured buckets of cement onto a sandbag wall in front of a gate to Government House.

The protesters are demanding Yingluck resign and hand power to a temporary, unelected government that would carry out reforms to tackle corruption and alleged misuse of public funds before new elections are held. 

Years of rival protests

Thailand has been periodically rocked by mass demonstrations staged by rival protest groups since a controversial military coup in 2006 that ousted then-premier Thaksin Shinawatra - Yingluck's brother.

Eleven people have died and hundreds of others have been injured in political violence linked to the latest round of rallies, which have been targeted by a series of grenade attacks and drive-by shootings by unidentified perpetrators.

Demonstrators have blocked major intersections in a self-styled "shutdown" of the capital, although attendance has dropped sharply compared with December and January when at the peak tens, or even hundreds, of thousands of people took to the streets.

So far the authorities have not announced any plan to clear those road junctions in the retail and commercial centre.

Yingluck's government held a general election on February 2 in an attempt to defuse tensions, but the opposition boycotted the vote, saying it would not end the kingdom's long-running political crisis.

Demonstrators prevented 10,000 polling stations from opening in the election, affecting several million people.

Yingluck's opponents say she is a puppet for her brother Thaksin, a billionaire tycoon-turned-politician who fled overseas in 2008 to avoid jail for a corruption conviction.

Pro-Thaksin parties have triumphed at the ballot box for more than a decade, helped by strong support in the northern half of the kingdom.

But many southerners and Bangkok residents accuse Thaksin and his sister of using taxpayers' money to buy the support of rural voters through populist policies such as a controversial rice farm subsidy scheme.

Thaksin is also hated by many in the kingdom's royalist establishment who see him as a threat to the monarchy, at a time of anxiety over the health of 86-year-old King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Some observers say that behind the street protests, a clash is unfolding over who will be running the country when the revered but ailing monarch's more than six-decade reign comes to an end.

The deployment of security forces has revived memories of a military crackdown on mass pro-Thaksin "Red Shirt" rallies in 2010 under the previous government that left dozens dead.

Yingluck's government has so far been reluctant to use force to disperse the latest protests while the military - traditionally a staunch backer of the anti-Thaksin establishment - has said that it does not want to be drawn into the standoff.

At the same time the army chief has refused to rule out another coup, while the United States has urged the military not to seize power again. -AFP

Student tragedy in S. Korea as building collapse kills 10

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 05:32 PM PST

SEOUL: At least 10 people were killed and more than 100 injured when an auditorium packed with students collapsed at a resort near the southern South Korean city of Gyeongju, officials said Tuesday.

More than 560 college students participating in a freshman orientation were believed to have been attending a concert in the building when the roof caved in on Monday - apparently under the weight of heavy snow - around 9:15 pm (1215 GMT).

"Ten people are confirmed dead, two were seriously injured and 101 others suffered bruises and cuts", a spokesman from the Ministry of Security and Public Adminstration told a press briefing in Seoul.

All the students were believed to be accounted for, but rescuers were still searching the site Tuesday morning for anyone still trapped inside.

Nine of the dead were college students, police said, adding that an event organiser was also killed.

A general view shows the scene of a collapsed building at the Mauna Resort in Gyeongju, in South Korea's south eastern Gyeongsang Province, on February 17, 2014.

More than 1,400 rescuers and workers, backed by heavy equipment, worked throughout the night under arc lights to clear the debris and snowfall to reach the victims.

Fire officials said the collapse appeared to have been caused by the weight of the snow which had piled up on the roof.

The auditorium was a pre-engineered building, assembled with rigid frames and side walls - of a type normally used for storage houses and aviation hangars. 

Shouting and screaming

"The ceiling came crashing down at the front near the stage," one student told the YTN news channel.

"Then pandemonium broke out and everyone started rushing towards the exits, shouting and screaming," he added.

Footage broadcast on YTN and pictures taken at the site by the Yonhap news agency showed fire officials searching by torchlight for people trapped in the twisted metal of the buckled building.

In one shot, rescuers could be seen trying to free a young woman pinned by a metal sheet.

The ground around the building was covered with a thick blanket of snow, which continued to fall throughout the night, hampering the rescue efforts.

The auditorium was part of the Mauna Ocean Resort, which had been hosting the freshman orientation event for close to 1,000 students from a foreign language college in the southern city of Busan.

Fire officials said they had difficulty reaching the resort which was in an area that has experienced unusually heavy snowfall of more than 50 centimetres (20 inches) in the last week.

The resort owner, Kolon business group, issued a public apology over the disaster, promising full compensation and support for the victims.

Yonhap cited police officials as saying they would open an investigation once the rescue work had been completed.

The investigation is likely to focus on whether snow had been cleared from the roof of the auditorium and whether the building was an authorised structure that met safety standards.

The city of Gyeongju is a popular tourism spot for both Korean and international travellers. Once the capital of the Silla kingdom, it boasts numerous historical sites and is located at the southern fringe of the Taebaek mountains.

The Mauna Ocean Resort is a sprawling holiday complex nestled on a mountainside complete with holiday villas and a golf course. -AFP

One dead, 77 hurt in riot at PNG immigration centre

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 04:12 PM PST

SYDNEY: One person was killed and 77 injured as tensions boiled over during a second night of violence at an Australian immigration detention centre on Papua New Guinea's Manus Island, officials said Tuesday.

Thirty-five asylum-seekers broke out of the same facility on Sunday evening, with several hurt, as unrest flared about their fate under the Australian government's hardline policies.

Australian Immigration Minister Scott Morrison would not be drawn on exactly what happened on Monday but said claims that locals and police broke into the facility were "not correct".

But he did admit there had been a rolling series of largely peaceful protests, starting a few weeks ago, that culminated in the violence of the last two nights.

"The news of a death is a great tragedy," he said, adding that the man died from a head injury en route to hospital.

"This is a tragedy but this was a very dangerous situation where people decided to protest in a very violent way and to take themselves outside the centre and place themselves at great risk."

Of the 77 injured, 13 were in serious condition, including one with a fractured skull and another suffering gunshot wounds to the buttock. They are both due to be evacuated to Australia for treatment.

Manus Island is one of two remote Pacific camps used by Canberra in its punitive offshore detention policy.

Under the scheme, aimed at deterring people-smugglers, any asylum-seeker arriving by boat or intercepted at sea is transferred to Manus or Nauru for processing and permanent resettlement outside Australia.

Morrison said that despite the unrest, the immigration centre had not been destroyed, with most of the injuries happening after the asylum-seekers "breached internal and external perimeter fences". He said it was possible some were still missing. 

'Fled for their lives'

Ian Rintoul from the Refugee Action Coalition said tension with groups of locals, who oppose the camp, had been building throughout the day and that the attacks began after power was cut to the detention centre.

He claimed the perimeter fences were breached, after staff were evacuated, by locals armed with machetes, pipes, sticks and stones who carried out "savage attacks".

"If there are asylum-seekers outside the perimeter fence it's because they've fled for their lives late last night from those attacks," Rintoul told ABC television.

"It must be clear now that asylum-seekers cannot live safely on Manus Island. They should never have been taken there. Asylum-seekers must be brought to Australia," he added.

This account was denied by Morrison, who said security contractor G4S "have advised that there was no one who came from outside and sought to disrupt or attack people on the inside which lead to the perimeter fence being breached".

Morrison also rejected reports that PNG police were involved and cautioned against "unsubstantiated reports that may be put into the public domain".

"We don't know what occurred outside the centre and that obviously will be the subject of an investigation into that person's death," he said.

The riots follow a tense meeting between detainees and officials from Papua New Guinea's immigration and citizenship authority (ISCA) to discuss their fate if they were found to have a genuine refugee claim.

They were informed they would be resettled in PNG and "a third country option will not be offered".

"They will have frustrations about being in a centre they don't wish to be in because they wanted a very different outcome than being in either Manus Island or Nauru," Morrison said.

"There will be those who will seek to take down our policies, to take down our processing centres, to try and destroy the regime we have put in place."

The United Nations refugee agency has condemned the Manus and Nauru camps as "harsh" facilities that "impact very profoundly on the men, women and children housed there". -AFP

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews


The 1980s called – they want their movies back

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

MOVIEGOERS of a certain age may be experiencing a weird deja vu moment right about now, as the lineup of studio releases opening this week looks eerily familiar.

RoboCop, starring Joel Kinnaman as the Detroit police officer with the cyborgian makeover, hits screens. The original RoboCop, with Peter Weller in the title role, opened in 1987.

There's About Last Night, which finds its all-black cast – Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant – treading where Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi, and Elizabeth Perkins went before. In 1986.

In Endless Love, Gabriella Wilde is the daughter who falls for the handsome lad played by Alex Pettyfer (pic) – much to the consternation of her stern dad (Bruce Greenwood). Back in 1981, it was Brooke Shields who was head-over-heels for Martin Hewitt, much to the disapproval of her pop (Don Murray). Franco Zeffirelli directed that one. Shana Feste (in the guilty pleasure Country Strong) is responsible for the redo.

Um, like Dan O'Herlihy's Old Man said in that first RoboCop: "Maybe what we need here is a fresh perspective." – The Philadelphia Inquirer/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Robert Luketic the accidental director

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Robert Luketic isn't exactly the poster boy of a Hollywood mentor.

HE'S been making movies for nearly 13 years, and despite enjoying a breakout hit with his first Hollywood studio movie, Legally Blonde, Robert Luketic has tried valiantly to stay true to his personal art form with a commercial incline.

Maybe he should be allowed that indulgence. After all, he graduated to the big league with his first movie – and has maintained a relatively stable resume to date.

He has a mixed bag of credits – Win A Date With Tad Hamilton, Monster-In-Law, 21, The Ugly Truth, Killers, and last year's Paranoia.

Now that he has had a few certified hit movies, Luketic has reason to think big. But that doesn't stop the director-producer-writer from thinking small.

Maybe he does have some wisdom to share.

"Don't get me wrong. I love commercial success, and I certainly love making money. I think, however, one must stick to one's personal convictions and not sell out for the sake of commercial success," Luketic says.

The director, who was in Penang recently as one of the judges for the South-East Asia edition of Tropfest, is a big fan and supporter of short films.

"Making short films changed my life, and it was how I was discovered," he reveals. "Tropfest for me represents the opportunity for the next generation of filmmakers, regardless of which discipline – movies, documentaries, television shows, commercials – they choose to be involved in. Also, the energy of the audience is very stimulating. Tropfest is different from any other film festival in the world."

There's usually a momentous turning point in everyone's life when a shot of inspiration spurs a career path. For Luketic, that moment of truth happened when he literally fell off a horse.

"I was riding through the swamp when a rattlesnake bit my horse, and I fell off and fractured by leg," recalls the 40-year-old boyish looking Australian native.

He was holed up in bed for almost two years. He couldn't go out to play with other kids, so his father bought him a Super 8mm camera – and he started shooting.

"My parents thought that I could be creative and expend my energy in other ways if I couldn't play sports. I grew up watching a healthy diet of classic Italian movies – everyone from Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, to Luchino Visconti – because my mother, who grew up in an Italian family, had a love for movies. That was the real connection."

By the time Luketic was in his mid-teens, his career as a filmmaker was already starting to take shape. His first short film, Death Through A Child's Eyes, had an unusual twist about a young boy's perception of how the journey would be. The short film won the Best Film award at the Atom Film Festival.

Perhaps inspired by this win, Luketic went on to study at the prestigious Victorian College of Arts – School of Film and Television.

For his graduation project, he directed a short film, Titsiana Booberini, a musical comedy that won awards and earned rave reviews at film festivals where it was screen, including the Sundance Film Festival. It also won the Best Film award at the Aspen Shortsfest.

"All the praise and acclaim, but no cigar," scoffs Luketic. "There were no job offers, and I had debts to pay. I ended up working for the Australian Film Commission answering phones."

When he finally came to the realisation that he would have to go to Hollywood to make his mark, he took some bold measures. He fired his agent, and signed on with Madonna's agent. That move led to Legally Blonde.

"Living and working in Hollywood demands a delicate balance," Luketic suggests. "What disturbs and fascinates me about Hollywood is that you're just one movie away from feast or famine. I love making movies my way, but I also have a financial obligation to the movie's money suits.

Luketic's big break came when he was task to direct Reese Witherspoon in the comedy Legally Blonde.

Luketic's big break came when he was tasked to direct Reese Witherspoon in the comedy Legally Blonde.

Despite his measured success, Luketic still mourns the loss of mid-level movies.

"Some of this year's critically acclaimed movies like Nebraska and Philomena will not go wide because of their limited appeal," he says. "But then, look at what's happening in television. There are brilliant shows like Breaking Bad and Homeland, and snob-appeal ground-breaking mini-serials and made-for TV movies that are winning awards and reaching out to the masses."

For Luketic, making a movie is a marathon, waking up at 5am, getting two hours of sleep, and attending to 100 calls before 9am. It's one of the reasons why he isn't an assembly-line director.

"I usually take two to three years off between movies to relax, re-connect with people, and enjoy all that life has to offer."

Relaxation for Luketic is flying his Ambracer Phenom 100 to near and faraway places. He also cooks, mostly Asian dishes, which explains why he loves coming to Asia. (He's visited Kuala Lumpur a few times and Penang once before this year's Tropfest.)

For a relatively newcomer, Luketic has succeeded in working with some of the world's biggest box-office movie stars – from Jane Fonda, Kevin Spacey, Reese Witherspoon to Harrison Ford. Luck or persistence?

"I always manage my expectations," he offers. "I believe in the collaborative process. Actors must be free to express themselves. I have a particular vision before production starts on a movie. Sometimes, things change and I have to make adjustments. That's why I never watch my movies after they're completed. My vision versus the end product is not always the same."

Luketic's not complaining, though. He's been linked to several dream projects, none of which have been green-lit as yet. During the interview, Luketic – very timidly – let slip that he's close to signing on to direct a big-budget movie.

"It'll be wonderful to work in the mainstream and still be somewhat subversive. I'm really interested in combining those extremes. My real goal is to make movies that enlighten the human condition. We may come from different places and cultures, but we're all really the same."

Luketic may not be a household name yet, but give him time. He's already starting to stamp his footprints on the way to global success with a solid thump. And to think it all started with a Super 8mm camera!

Get the (block) party started on 'The Lego Movie'

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Will Arnett makes Batman funny in The Lego Movie.

WILL Arnett is certain he had the easiest job of any of the voice talent who worked on The Lego Movie because he takes on the one character most people will recognise: a pint-sized version of Batman.

Asked about the inspiration, Arnett says he read the Old Testament repeatedly. After getting the desired laugh, he offers a more serious answer. Finding the voice started during the first meetings with The Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

"We came up with the idea of looking at all of the Batmans who have come before – back to the Batman before the original dinosaurs – and trying to see what would make us laugh," Arnett says. "The first couple of (recording) sessions we spent a lot of time finding that voice and what was working and what wasn't working."

The fun of playing the role for Arnett was getting to change the rules when giving voice to the traditionally dark and brooding character and creating a version of Batman that doesn't follow a typical path. What Arnett and the directors decided was that the more serious Batman tried to take himself, the funnier the character became.

One of the ways they made Batman funnier was to have Arnett sing a Batman song. Arnett sarcastically says it was "a treat" to do because he doesn't have what's considered a traditional singing voice.

Arnett, who is chiefly known for his on-screen work – from Arrested Development to his current CBS comedy series, The Millers – has plenty of voice work experience. Along with The Lego Movie, he's the voice of the squirrel Surly in the film The Nut Job. He's also been a voice talent in The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, The Secret World Of Arrietty, Despicable Me, Sit Down Shut Up, Monsters Vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space and Ratatouille. Arnett also has a new animated series in the works for Netflix.

Voice work was a way Arnett could pay the bills when he was starting out. Now, it's become what Arnett calls "a fancy second job" he looks forward to doing.

"It's such a fun world. I love doing voice work because it's such a fun process," Arnett says. "I like it because you can go and be in a different world."

The worlds couldn't be much different with the two movies now in theaters, where he goes from self-centered squirrel to self-confident superhero. And both voice jobs are much different than the work he's doing on the CBS sitcom The Millers, where he plays a newly single television reporter whose mother (Margo Martindale) moves in with him.

The comic chemistry between Arnett and Martindale has helped make The Millers a top-rated new comedy. Arnett says the series just happened to have the right cast and writing to give him a hit.

Not only does voice work help pay the bills, but being in The Lego Movie has won him some added adulation from his three-year-old son.

"He keeps calling it The Lego / Batman Movie," Arnett says. – The Fresno Bee/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

>The Lego Movie is currently playing in cinemas nationwide.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


Final salute to 'Army Wives'

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

LIFETIME has set the premiere date for its retrospective special, Army Wives: A Final Salute, for Sunday, March 16. The two-hour special will reunite cast members and production crew to look over Lifetime's longest-running series.

Stars Kim Delaney, Sally Pressman, Brigid Brannagh, Wendy Davis, Sterling K. Brown, Brian McNamara, Terry Serpico, Drew Fuller and Jeremy Davidson return to reveal behind-the-scenes stories from the show.

They'll be joined by executive producer Jeff Melvoin and Tanya Biank, who authored the book the series was based on: Army Wives: The Unwritten Code Of Military Marriage.

Produced by ABC Studios and Hodder, the special also features commentary from real-life military wives, many of whom presumably related to the drama's portrayal of the challenges and joys of women and their families living on a military base.

With A Final Salute, Lifetime makes good on its promise of one last hurrah for the series' fans when it canceled the series last September after seven seasons. – Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The 1980s called – they want their movies back

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

MOVIEGOERS of a certain age may be experiencing a weird deja vu moment right about now, as the lineup of studio releases opening this week looks eerily familiar.

RoboCop, starring Joel Kinnaman as the Detroit police officer with the cyborgian makeover, hits screens. The original RoboCop, with Peter Weller in the title role, opened in 1987.

There's About Last Night, which finds its all-black cast – Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant – treading where Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi, and Elizabeth Perkins went before. In 1986.

In Endless Love, Gabriella Wilde is the daughter who falls for the handsome lad played by Alex Pettyfer (pic) – much to the consternation of her stern dad (Bruce Greenwood). Back in 1981, it was Brooke Shields who was head-over-heels for Martin Hewitt, much to the disapproval of her pop (Don Murray). Franco Zeffirelli directed that one. Shana Feste (in the guilty pleasure Country Strong) is responsible for the redo.

Um, like Dan O'Herlihy's Old Man said in that first RoboCop: "Maybe what we need here is a fresh perspective." – The Philadelphia Inquirer/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Robert Luketic the accidental director

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Robert Luketic isn't exactly the poster boy of a Hollywood mentor.

HE'S been making movies for nearly 13 years, and despite enjoying a breakout hit with his first Hollywood studio movie, Legally Blonde, Robert Luketic has tried valiantly to stay true to his personal art form with a commercial incline.

Maybe he should be allowed that indulgence. After all, he graduated to the big league with his first movie – and has maintained a relatively stable resume to date.

He has a mixed bag of credits – Win A Date With Tad Hamilton, Monster-In-Law, 21, The Ugly Truth, Killers, and last year's Paranoia.

Now that he has had a few certified hit movies, Luketic has reason to think big. But that doesn't stop the director-producer-writer from thinking small.

Maybe he does have some wisdom to share.

"Don't get me wrong. I love commercial success, and I certainly love making money. I think, however, one must stick to one's personal convictions and not sell out for the sake of commercial success," Luketic says.

The director, who was in Penang recently as one of the judges for the South-East Asia edition of Tropfest, is a big fan and supporter of short films.

"Making short films changed my life, and it was how I was discovered," he reveals. "Tropfest for me represents the opportunity for the next generation of filmmakers, regardless of which discipline – movies, documentaries, television shows, commercials – they choose to be involved in. Also, the energy of the audience is very stimulating. Tropfest is different from any other film festival in the world."

There's usually a momentous turning point in everyone's life when a shot of inspiration spurs a career path. For Luketic, that moment of truth happened when he literally fell off a horse.

"I was riding through the swamp when a rattlesnake bit my horse, and I fell off and fractured by leg," recalls the 40-year-old boyish looking Australian native.

He was holed up in bed for almost two years. He couldn't go out to play with other kids, so his father bought him a Super 8mm camera – and he started shooting.

"My parents thought that I could be creative and expend my energy in other ways if I couldn't play sports. I grew up watching a healthy diet of classic Italian movies – everyone from Vittorio De Sica, Federico Fellini, to Luchino Visconti – because my mother, who grew up in an Italian family, had a love for movies. That was the real connection."

By the time Luketic was in his mid-teens, his career as a filmmaker was already starting to take shape. His first short film, Death Through A Child's Eyes, had an unusual twist about a young boy's perception of how the journey would be. The short film won the Best Film award at the Atom Film Festival.

Perhaps inspired by this win, Luketic went on to study at the prestigious Victorian College of Arts – School of Film and Television.

For his graduation project, he directed a short film, Titsiana Booberini, a musical comedy that won awards and earned rave reviews at film festivals where it was screen, including the Sundance Film Festival. It also won the Best Film award at the Aspen Shortsfest.

"All the praise and acclaim, but no cigar," scoffs Luketic. "There were no job offers, and I had debts to pay. I ended up working for the Australian Film Commission answering phones."

When he finally came to the realisation that he would have to go to Hollywood to make his mark, he took some bold measures. He fired his agent, and signed on with Madonna's agent. That move led to Legally Blonde.

"Living and working in Hollywood demands a delicate balance," Luketic suggests. "What disturbs and fascinates me about Hollywood is that you're just one movie away from feast or famine. I love making movies my way, but I also have a financial obligation to the movie's money suits.

Luketic's big break came when he was task to direct Reese Witherspoon in the comedy Legally Blonde.

Luketic's big break came when he was tasked to direct Reese Witherspoon in the comedy Legally Blonde.

Despite his measured success, Luketic still mourns the loss of mid-level movies.

"Some of this year's critically acclaimed movies like Nebraska and Philomena will not go wide because of their limited appeal," he says. "But then, look at what's happening in television. There are brilliant shows like Breaking Bad and Homeland, and snob-appeal ground-breaking mini-serials and made-for TV movies that are winning awards and reaching out to the masses."

For Luketic, making a movie is a marathon, waking up at 5am, getting two hours of sleep, and attending to 100 calls before 9am. It's one of the reasons why he isn't an assembly-line director.

"I usually take two to three years off between movies to relax, re-connect with people, and enjoy all that life has to offer."

Relaxation for Luketic is flying his Ambracer Phenom 100 to near and faraway places. He also cooks, mostly Asian dishes, which explains why he loves coming to Asia. (He's visited Kuala Lumpur a few times and Penang once before this year's Tropfest.)

For a relatively newcomer, Luketic has succeeded in working with some of the world's biggest box-office movie stars – from Jane Fonda, Kevin Spacey, Reese Witherspoon to Harrison Ford. Luck or persistence?

"I always manage my expectations," he offers. "I believe in the collaborative process. Actors must be free to express themselves. I have a particular vision before production starts on a movie. Sometimes, things change and I have to make adjustments. That's why I never watch my movies after they're completed. My vision versus the end product is not always the same."

Luketic's not complaining, though. He's been linked to several dream projects, none of which have been green-lit as yet. During the interview, Luketic – very timidly – let slip that he's close to signing on to direct a big-budget movie.

"It'll be wonderful to work in the mainstream and still be somewhat subversive. I'm really interested in combining those extremes. My real goal is to make movies that enlighten the human condition. We may come from different places and cultures, but we're all really the same."

Luketic may not be a household name yet, but give him time. He's already starting to stamp his footprints on the way to global success with a solid thump. And to think it all started with a Super 8mm camera!

Get the (block) party started on 'The Lego Movie'

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Will Arnett makes Batman funny in The Lego Movie.

WILL Arnett is certain he had the easiest job of any of the voice talent who worked on The Lego Movie because he takes on the one character most people will recognise: a pint-sized version of Batman.

Asked about the inspiration, Arnett says he read the Old Testament repeatedly. After getting the desired laugh, he offers a more serious answer. Finding the voice started during the first meetings with The Lego Movie directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller.

"We came up with the idea of looking at all of the Batmans who have come before – back to the Batman before the original dinosaurs – and trying to see what would make us laugh," Arnett says. "The first couple of (recording) sessions we spent a lot of time finding that voice and what was working and what wasn't working."

The fun of playing the role for Arnett was getting to change the rules when giving voice to the traditionally dark and brooding character and creating a version of Batman that doesn't follow a typical path. What Arnett and the directors decided was that the more serious Batman tried to take himself, the funnier the character became.

One of the ways they made Batman funnier was to have Arnett sing a Batman song. Arnett sarcastically says it was "a treat" to do because he doesn't have what's considered a traditional singing voice.

Arnett, who is chiefly known for his on-screen work – from Arrested Development to his current CBS comedy series, The Millers – has plenty of voice work experience. Along with The Lego Movie, he's the voice of the squirrel Surly in the film The Nut Job. He's also been a voice talent in The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, The Secret World Of Arrietty, Despicable Me, Sit Down Shut Up, Monsters Vs. Aliens: Mutant Pumpkins From Outer Space and Ratatouille. Arnett also has a new animated series in the works for Netflix.

Voice work was a way Arnett could pay the bills when he was starting out. Now, it's become what Arnett calls "a fancy second job" he looks forward to doing.

"It's such a fun world. I love doing voice work because it's such a fun process," Arnett says. "I like it because you can go and be in a different world."

The worlds couldn't be much different with the two movies now in theaters, where he goes from self-centered squirrel to self-confident superhero. And both voice jobs are much different than the work he's doing on the CBS sitcom The Millers, where he plays a newly single television reporter whose mother (Margo Martindale) moves in with him.

The comic chemistry between Arnett and Martindale has helped make The Millers a top-rated new comedy. Arnett says the series just happened to have the right cast and writing to give him a hit.

Not only does voice work help pay the bills, but being in The Lego Movie has won him some added adulation from his three-year-old son.

"He keeps calling it The Lego / Batman Movie," Arnett says. – The Fresno Bee/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

>The Lego Movie is currently playing in cinemas nationwide.

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One dead, many hurt as asylum seekers riot at PNG detention camp

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 08:55 PM PST

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An asylum seeker was killed and at least 77 injured in the second riot this week at a detention centre in Papua New Guinea used to process asylum seekers, Australia's Immigration Minister said on Tuesday.

One person was in critical condition with a head injury and another sustained gunshot wounds during the clashes on a small island in impoverished Papua New Guinea.

Immigration Minister Scott Morrison says the riot began when detainees forced their way out of the centre, but refugee advocates insist it was sparked when Manus Island residents and police stormed the facility, attacking the asylum seekers.

The facility is part of Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott's tough stance against asylum seekers but it has come under fire over human rights concerns.

"Our sympathies are extended to the transferees - that person's family and friends who would have been in the facility as well," Immigration Minister Scott Morrison said in reference to the dead asylum seeker.

"If people choose to remove themselves from that centre then they're obviously putting themselves at much greater risk and in an environment where there is violent behaviour," he told reporters in the northern Australian city of Darwin.

Canberra's tough stance on asylum seekers, including offshore processing and a blanket ban on people arriving by boat ever settling in Australia, has been criticised by the United Nations and other groups as illegal and inhumane.

Australia uses detention centres at Manus Island and another on the tiny Pacific island of Nauru to process would-be refugees sent there after trying to get to Australia, often in unsafe boats after paying people smugglers in Indonesia.

Refugee advocates say that long-term detention, combined with a lack of clarity on where and when the asylum seekers may be resettled, contribute to a host of mental health problems at the facilities.

Last month, detainees at a centre in the remote Australian territory of Christmas Island sewed their lips together as part of a hunger strike in protest over their treatment.

The latest incident followed an attempted breakout from the Manus Island facility on Sunday night, when 35 asylum seekers briefly escaped. Nineteen were injured and eight arrested in that incident.

Refugee advocates said detainees and staff members had told them that the violence started again when Manus Island villagers armed with makeshift weapons and police stormed the facility after dark and began attacking detainees.

"Locals armed with machetes, pipes, sticks and stones - have bashed and cut asylum seekers. One asylum seeker has been thrown from the second floor of a building; others have suffered machete cuts," the Refugee Action Committee said in a statement.

The Sydney Morning Herald said it had spoken with a man whose brother is in the facility. Ghulam Murtaza told the newspaper he had received a phone call from his brother late on Monday saying villagers had come inside the compound.

"He said, 'they will kill us'. He was in the compound saying 'I am going to run away to save my life'," Murtaza said.

British outsourcing giant G4S, which is responsible for security at the facility, said villagers were not involved.

"Claims that the transferees breached the fence following internal attacks on them by local residents are unfounded," it said in a statement.

Morrison said security guards had regained control of the centre, which had not been damaged. He said it was possible some detainees were still missing.

The unrest in Papua New Guinea quickly drew calls from critics to shut the facility. The U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees had already said in a November report it failed to provide "safe and humane conditions of treatment in detention".

(Editing by Paul Tait)

Teargas fired as Thai police and protesters clash in Bangkok

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 08:45 PM PST

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Teargas was fired near Government House in the centre of the Thai capital, Bangkok, on Tuesday as riot police launched an operation to clear demonstrators campaigning to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra, a Reuters witness said.

Live television pictures showed clouds of teargas and police crouching behind shields as officers clashed with protesters near the government's headquarters.

(Writing by Alex Richardson; Editing by Robert Birsel)

China tells police to go nationwide with vice crackdown

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 08:35 PM PST

BEIJING (Reuters) - China's government told police across the country to get tough on prostitution, gambling and drugs following an expose in the "sin city" of Dongguan, where a crackdown on prostitution led to the detention of nearly 1,000 people this month.

The announcement, on the Ministry of Public Security's official website late on Monday, said investigations had begun in several provinces, and police had broken up 73 vice rings and closed down 2410 prostitution and gambling dens over the past week.

China outlawed prostitution after the Communist revolution in 1949, but it returned with a vengeance following landmark economic reforms three decades ago, and has helped fuel a rise in HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.

Gambling is also banned in China with the exception of heavily regulated state-sanctioned lotteries.

While periodic sweeps against vice have been carried out, it has thrived. Law enforcement is often lax.

In a warning to what the authorities call the "protective umbrella" of official collusion, the ministry said officials would be "seriously investigated, and crimes will be resolutely investigated in accordance with the law".

The police chief of the southern city of Dongguan, Yan Xiaokang, who was also vice mayor, was sacked last Friday for dereliction of duty. Another seven Dongguan officials were dismissed in relation to the case.

This year, a raid on a village in Guangdong province, thought to be responsible for producing a third of the country's methamphetamines, led to the arrests of the local party secretary and police chief, the Yangchang Evening News newspaper reported.

This latest crackdown is unusual in that it has garnered extensive coverage in domestic media, with the main state broadcaster, China Central Television (CCTV) airing a half-hour report chronicling what appeared to be extensive and open prostitution in five towns across Dongguan on February 9.

(Reporting By Natalie Thomas; Editing by Robert Birsel)

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MyEG customs project may contribute to its bottom line

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

PETALING JAYA: MyEG Services Bhd will be entitled to a share of tax collections it will carry out for the Royal Malaysian Customs Department (Customs) after the collections hit a certain level.

This was revealed by CIMB Research in a recent report commenting on MyEG's announcement last week that it had signed a letter of award with the Customs to wire up businesses that are required to pay tax to the Government.

According to estimates by CIMB Research analyst Nigel Foo, MyEG will get an effective 20% of revenue collected - above a preset base.

This 20% is based on an understanding that 50% of revenue collected will go to the Government, while the remaining 50% will go to MyEG's consortium which was awarded the project and in which MyEG has a 40% stake.

"Phase 1 of the project's revenue base case is around RM800mil annually, growing 8% to 9% every year," Foo told clients in a report.

The 20% is before operating expenditure and depreciation, he added.

MyEG managing director T. S. Wong did not respond to StarBiz's queries on the matter.

Wong has a direct stake of 8.5% in MyEG.

Last Thursday, MyEG, one of the best-performing stocks last year, said it had landed an RM180mil job to wire up businesses that are required to pay tax to the Government – a project that has been mooted to strengthen the Government's coffers.

The project will entail linking up point-of-sales terminals and cash registers of businesses that are subject to the Customs' tax collection, enabling it to effectively monitor tax collection revenue for the Government.

The tenure of the project is for a period of six years, commencing from April 1.

Foo estimated that the project would start contributing to MyEG's bottom line from financial year ending June 30, 2015.

"If all goes well for the project over the next few months, MyEG will look to implement Phase 2, which is expected to include the retail sector and food and beverage (F&B) outlets that generate less than RM3mil in annual revenue," he said.

The first phase will target F&B outlets (above RM3mil in annual revenue) and entertainment outlets.

MyEG shares closed flat at RM2.95 at yesterday's close.

Bursa Securities queries Datasonic over surge in share price (Update)

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 07:14 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Bursa Malaysia Securities has queried Datasonic Group Bhd over the unusual price rise as it hit an all-time high in the absence of fresh corporate news.

At 11.04am, it was up 13 sen to RM3.30, after adjusting for a one-into-five share split. Turnover was 8.71 million shares done at prices ranging from RM3.20 to RM3.44.

The FBM KLCI fell 1.88 points to 1,825.60. Turnover was 1.26 billion shares valued at RM723.68mil. There were 281 gainers, 341 losers and 305 counters unchanged.

Bursa Securities said investors should take note of the company's reply to the unusual market activity query which would be posted on Bursa Malaysia's website under the company's announcement.

Its share price had surged even before the one-into-five share split on Dec 27. 

The corporate exercise saw the paid-up of its share sub-divided from RM67.50mil comprising of 135 million shares of 50 sen each into RM67.50mil comprising of 675 million shares of 10 sen each.

China’s Jan FDI rises 16.1% on-year

Posted: 17 Feb 2014 07:13 PM PST

BEIJING: China drew US$10.76bil in foreign direct investment (FDI) in January, up 16.1% from a year earlier, the Commerce Ministry said on Tuesday, a sign that confidence in the world's second-largest economy remains firm even as growth cools.

The majority of the new investment, some US$6.33bil, went into China's services sector, while investment in manufacturing fell 21.7%, the ministry said.

Ministry spokesman Shen Danyang told a media briefing that

China's economic reforms, especially in the services sector, helped boost confidence of foreign investors.

"The double-digit growth in FDI in January answered the question of whether China's investment environment remains favourable," Shen said.

"We expect foreign direct investment to maintain sound momentum this year."

China has attracted a steady flow of foreign investment every year since joining the World Trade Organization in 2001, as businesses jumped at the chance to enter the world's most populous country.

FDI inflows into China in 2013 rose to a record US$117.6bil.

In January, investment from 10 Asian countries and regions, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, rose 22.2% to US$9.55bil. Investment from the US rose 34.9% to US$369mil while that from the European Union fell 41.3% to US$482mil.

The investment comes even as China's economy show signs of slowing from the stellar growth rates of years past as the government looks to shift the emphasis to structural reform rather than growth for its own sake.

One pillar of the reform drive is to make the economy driven more by the service sector and consumers, ending its traditional reliance on investment and exports for growth. 

At the same time, the ministry's data showed more Chinese companies are expanding abroad. Outbound FDI in January was US$7.23bil, up 47.2% from a year earlier.

Chinese firms have been quickening the pace of overseas purchases in recent years, with their footprint expanding from Asia to Africa and Europe.

In January alone, computer maker Lenovo Group  spent over US$5bil on two high-profile acquisitions in the US – Reuters. 

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Manila and MILF to sign deal

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

EXCLUSIVE

PETALING JAYA: After 13 years of talks, which nearly broke down at one point, the final agreement of the Malaysia-brokered peace deal for the southern Philippines is ready.

The Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) will be signed between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), with Malaysia being the official witness at the ceremony.

"Everything is ready and waiting to be signed either later this month or in March," said a source with direct knowledge of the matter.

As the facilitator to the peace process, Malaysia had hosted 43 rounds of talks since 2001 to help both parties end one of the world's longest-running insurgencies that had claimed more than 100,000 lives over the past four decades.

The peace process nearly derailed in 2008 when the Philippine Supreme Court overturned an agreement on ancestral domain that both sides had inked, causing armed hostilities to flare up. The talks resumed three years later.

In October 2012, both sides signed a framework agreement in Manila, witnessed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

The framework paved the way for negotiations on four "annexes" or key aspects of a planned fully autonomous region known as Bangsamoro, across the Sabah border.

The annexes are on transitional arrangements and modalities; revenue generation and wealth sharing; power sharing; and normalisation of civil life in a conflict-free environment.

Both parties completed the talks in Kuala Lumpur on Jan 25, clearing the last hurdle to the signing of the CAB.

"The next step will be to complete the drafting of a Basic Law (Constitution) for the autonomous region," said the source, adding it was being drafted by a 15-member Bangsamoro Transition Commis-sion made up of eight MILF representatives and seven from the Philippine government.

Once ratified, a Transitional Authority led by the MILF will take charge of the area until a Bangsamoro government is duly elected in 2016.

Following the election, the Bangsamoro will have a ministerial form of government led by a Chief Minister.

Its govermnment will have powers over ancestral domain and natural resources, land management, budgets and the creation of sources of revenues.

The Philippine central government will be in charge of defence, external security, foreign relations and immigration.

 

Related story:

Peace efforts finally bear fruit

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

It may have taken 13 years, but the Philippine government and MILF are now ready to sign a final agreement.

IN a Kuala Lumpur hotel at about 10pm on Jan 25, negotiators from the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) thrashed out the sticking points on the "annexes" or key aspects of a planned autonomous region in Mindanao.

"There were issues that needed to be resolved right until the final hours of the talks but there was a strong sense of relief by all present that they had finally arrived," said a source.

The conclusion of talks on the annexes, which paved the way for the signing of a final peace agreement, marked a new high in the 13-year peace process that Malaysia had brokered.

Committed to helping bring about peace in the region, Malaysia first became involved as a facilitator in 2001 when the conflict was raging.

A ceasefire agreement was reached in 2003. In the ensuing year, an international monitoring team (IMT) headed by Malaysia started to operate.

The fighting reduced after the IMT was set up, with the number of armed skirmishes dropping from 569 in 2003 to fewer than 20 a year over the next four years.

The peace process nearly derailed in 2008 when the Philippine Supreme Court overturned an agreement on ancestral domain that both sides had inked, causing armed hostilities to flare up. The talks resumed three years later.

An international contact group (ICG), made up of states and non-governmental organisations, was set up in December 2009 to help revive the stalled peace process.

The push that got the ball rolling again came from Philippine President Benigno Aquino and Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

Both took office within a year of each other, with Najib becoming prime minister in April 2009 and Aquino's swearing in as president in June 2010.

The talks resumed in 2011, culminating in the completion of negotiations on the four annexes.

Stabilising a region in which hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced due to conflict could, in the long run, reduce the problem of illegal immigration in Sabah.

There is also the payoff from improved security.

"South-East Asia is a region of stability except for several pockets of conflicts, all of which are potential nests for militants.

"Resolving the conflict in Mindanao means reducing one more potential sanctuary for militants," said the source.

An improved perception of security will help draw in investors, including from Malaysia, into the southern Philippines.

The establishment of the Bangsamoro is planned for 2016, close to the creation of the Asean Economic Community by the end of 2015 that aims to spur the pace of development throughout the region.

"Both sides have been firm in their belief that this is a conflict that cannot be won through arms and the only option is through negotiations," said the source.

The extensive nature of the deal has few peers, the closest being the Northern Ireland Good Friday peace agreement in 1998.

Michael Vatikiotis, Asia regional director for the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue, which is a member of the ICG, said the Mindanao peace process is special because the process was inclusive and reflected a popular will to negotiate a peaceful end to the conflict.

"The agreement itself is as comprehensive as possible and is a model of its kind.

"It builds on the shortcomings of previous agreements and ensures that autonomy is accompanied by demobilisation and monitoring mechanisms to insure against a resort to arms in the future," said Vatikiotis, referring to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) that the Bangsamoro autonomous region will replace.

The ARMM was set up after the Philippine government signed a peace deal in 1996 with the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) – an armed rebel group which the MILF broke away from.

The source said the ARMM was a failed experiment by Aquino's predecessors to force the integration of the region into the Philippine system by creating political, economic and governance structures that was far from the aspirations of the mainly Muslim local population.

"The proposed Bangsamoro autonomous region, on the other hand, is more realistic as it acknowledges the need for an asymmetric relationship where both sides live within the same political body but with different political, governance and economic structures," said the source.

For example, while the ARMM is headed by a governor in line with the Philippine republic's system of governance, the Bangsamoro will be self-administered, with a ministerial form of government led by a Chief Minister who has more clearly-defined powers.

Despite the upcoming signing of the comprehensive deal, challenges remain ahead.

There are other smaller groups which remain opposed to the peace process.

They include fighters aligned to former MNLF leader and ARMM governor Nur Misuari, who alleges the Bangsamoro initiative will leave the people shortchanged.

Vatikiotis said the Philippines and MILF are hoping that potential spoilers on the ground will see the benefit of the new Bangsamoro entity and come on board.

"Intensive efforts will surely be needed to ensure other Moro factions, such as the MNLF, are given the opportunity to converge with this agreement," said Vatikiotis.

Major reshuffle in exco expected if Anwar becomes MB

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

KLANG: The possible leadership change in Selangor is expected to result in a reshuffle of the exco line-up with many senior incumbents being dropped.

A senior Pakatan Rakyat insider said one of the exco members who would probably be the first to be axed is Local Government, Study and Research committee chairman Datuk Teng Chang Khim.

He said this was one of the factors why the DAP was backing PKR adviser Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to take over as Mentri Besar from Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim after the March 23 Kajang by-election.

"Teng does not get on well with the DAP leadership and all those linked to the party's top echelon leaders. Efforts to dislodge him from the state as well as an elected representative has been futile. His grassroots' support is very strong and unshakable although his party position is quite weak," he said.

He said Khalid also respected and valued Teng for capability and intellectual compatibility with him.

He claimed that a whispering campaign of sorts had been initiated against Teng by certain groups who accused him of "underperforming".

"But everyone knows Teng has achieved much in only a year. Most importantly, local council officers have grown to respect him for his ability," he said.

He said Teng, together with a few others, had been perceived by some leaders as a potential threat to DAP secretary-general Lim Guan Eng.

Meanwhile, a PKR insider said should Anwar become Mentri Besar, he would appoint someone from his own party to take over Teng's exco post.

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The 1980s called – they want their movies back

Posted: 16 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

MOVIEGOERS of a certain age may be experiencing a weird deja vu moment right about now, as the lineup of studio releases opening this week looks eerily familiar.

RoboCop, starring Joel Kinnaman as the Detroit police officer with the cyborgian makeover, hits screens. The original RoboCop, with Peter Weller in the title role, opened in 1987.

There's About Last Night, which finds its all-black cast – Kevin Hart, Regina Hall, Michael Ealy and Joy Bryant – treading where Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, James Belushi, and Elizabeth Perkins went before. In 1986.

In Endless Love, Gabriella Wilde is the daughter who falls for the handsome lad played by Alex Pettyfer (pic) – much to the consternation of her stern dad (Bruce Greenwood). Back in 1981, it was Brooke Shields who was head-over-heels for Martin Hewitt, much to the disapproval of her pop (Don Murray). Franco Zeffirelli directed that one. Shana Feste (in the guilty pleasure Country Strong) is responsible for the redo.

Um, like Dan O'Herlihy's Old Man said in that first RoboCop: "Maybe what we need here is a fresh perspective." – The Philadelphia Inquirer/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

A simply magical tale in 'Saving Mr. Banks'

Posted: 15 Feb 2014 08:00 AM PST

Saving Mr. Banks is a feel-good Disney film about the making of a Disney film.

DISNEY delves into its own history in Saving Mr. Banks, a movie about the difficult birth of the classic film Mary Poppins, wrenched from a tale by a reluctant British author.

Tom Hanks plays Walt Disney, who used all his sunny Californian charms to persuade writer P.L. Travers, played by Emma Thompson, to allow him to use the story.

Directed by John Lee Hancock (The Blind Side, The Alamo, A Perfect World), the film recounts the two weeks Travers spent in 1961 at Disney Studios, where Walt battled to win her consent for his whimsical adaptation of her work.

Australian-born Helen Lyndon Goff, who changed her name to P.L. Travers after moving to Britain – a nation whose starchy national stereotype she came to embody – began writing her Mary Poppins stories in 1934. For two decades Disney had been trying to secure the rights to her tale about an English nanny who floats into a family's home with the help of a magic umbrella.

Disney had nonetheless already begun the film, and invited Travers to come and work with the screenwriter and composers Robert and Richard Sherman, hoping to win her confidence – never imagining how hostile she could be.

To prepare for the role, Thompson studied everything about Travers.

"Around some corners, you'd find this terrible monster. And around other corners, you'd find a beaten child. She was the most extraordinary combination of things," Thompson said at a press conference in Beverly Hills.

"I suppose that was the scary thing. In films, we often get to play people who are emotionally, or at least morally, consistent, in some way, and she wasn't consistent, in any way.

"You would not know what you would get, from one moment to the next."

The movie is constructed around repeated flashbacks to Travers' childhood in Australia, marked by boundless admiration for her father, a day-dreaming bank manager and chronic alcoholic whose first name was Travers.

The film doesn't claim to depict a historically exact account of events. But it is based on memories of Disney veterans, notably in creating the unforgettable tunes for the 1964 film Mary Poppins starring Julie Andrews.

Richard Sherman, the sole survivor of the musical duo behind the score, was "literally a never-ending fountain of stories, of facts, of anecdotes, and of bits and pieces of everything that had happened," said Hanks.

The actor, who is also a producer, said the new film is a perfect illustration of the ruthlessness a filmmaker must sometimes have to exert in order to get a project completed.

"At this point, Walt Disney was pretty much used to getting his way because everybody loved him and he was the guy who invented Mickey Mouse," he told reporters.

"In the creative process, which is really what this movie is about, you come to loggerheads and you just have to keep the process moving forward, even if that requires jumping on a plane and flying to London.

"It's a good thing. It's fun, otherwise it would be too much work," he added.

Thompson said she was sure what Travers would have thought of Savings Mr. Banks.

"I think what she would say about this is 'This is an absolutely ridiculous film! It has no relationship, whatsoever, to what was happening. But, it's about me. And the clothes were really rather nice.'" – AFP

  • Saving Mr. Banks opens in cinemas nationwide on Feb 20.
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