Rabu, 9 April 2014

The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

'Spider-Man' spin-off 'Sinister Six' gets a director
Scarlett Johansson scores big at box office last weekend
J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars Ep VII' has started filming

'Spider-Man' spin-off 'Sinister Six' gets a director

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:20 PM PDT

The movie featuring Spidey's villains is about to become a reality.

Drew Goddard is closing a deal to direct Sinister Six, the Spider-Man spin-off that he is writing for Sony Pictures.

Sony hired the co-writer and director of The Cabin In The Woods to write a script about the villains in Spidey's world last December when the studio announced the project.

At the same time, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Ed Solomon were named as the writing team on another Spider-Man spin-off, Venom, which Kurtzman will direct.

Goddard was at that time seen as having a shot at directing the film, and on Monday sources close to the project confirmed that he is the choice. His deal is not closed, however.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2, starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx, opens May 2. The Amazing Spider-Man 3 is scheduled for June 2016, with the fourth film in the franchise is due in May 2018.

Goddard, Orci, Kurtzman and Solomon will work with Spider-Man producers Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach – and Amazing Spider-Man 2 director Marc Webb – to create and coordinate a pantheon of superheroes and villains that Sony hopes will populate the franchise with spin-off films for years. — Reuters

Scarlett Johansson scores big at box office last weekend

Posted: 07 Apr 2014 10:30 PM PDT

The actress' two films – Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Under The Skin – topped US box office charts.

Scarlett Johansson pulled off an impressive double-play at the box office this weekend.

While Disney's Marvel superhero sequel Captain America: The Winter Soldier – in which she plays the Black Widow – was soaring to US$96.2mil (RM307mil) in its domestic (US) debut, Johansson scored big at the specialty box office, too.

The R-rated sci-fi movie Under The Skin, in which she plays a gorgeous but man-eating alien in Scotland, recorded the second-best limited debut of the year.

The A24-distributed thriller took in US$140,000 (RM448,000) from four theatres. That's a US$35,000 (RM112,000) per-screen average, the highest of any specialty release this year, with the exception of The Grand Budapest Hotel, which averaged US$202,792 (RM648,934) in its four-theatre March opening.

Under The Skin is the first movie from director Jonathan Glazer (Sexy Beast) in a decade. Produced by James Wilson and Nick Wechsler, it was written by Glazer and Walter Campbell and is an adaptation of Michel Faber's 2000 novel of the same name.

Johansson plays a sexy alien in Under The Skin.

Under The Skin built some momentum on the festival circuit, screening in Venice (Italy), Toronto (Canada) and in Telluride in Colorado, US.

Its premiere last month in Los Angeles was the first screening in 25 years at the historic United Artists Theater at the downtown Ace Hotel. And it has a strong 86% positive rating on review aggregation site Rotten Tomatoes.

With Captain America: The Winter Soldier averaging roughly US$23,000 (RM73,600) from its 3,938 locations, Johansson's movies had the two top per-screen averages in the marketplace.

Elsewhere in the speciality market, the Jude Law comedy Dom Hemingway brought in US$32,000 (RM102,400) for Fox Searchlight. Richard Shepard wrote, directed and produced the film with Jeremy Dawson. Richard E. Grant, Emilia Clarke and Demian Birchir co-star.

The Halle Berry drama Frankie And Alice opened on 171 screens and brought in US$350,000 (RM1.12mil) for Lionsgate's Codeblack Films. Frankie And Alice stars Berry as a go-go dancer in the 1970s who struggles with multiple personality disorder and has a seven-year-old and a white supremacist as alter egos. Stellan Skarsgard, Phylicia Rashad and Chandra Wilson co-star in the film, which is directed by Geoffrey Sax. It received a brief awards-qualifying run in 2010, and Berry was nominated for a Golden Globe, but never had a wide release.

The CBS Films horror movie Afflicted was making its biggest mark via downloads rather than at the theatres. Derek Lee and Clif Prowse wrote, directed and star in the micro-budgeted found-footage thriller, which brought in US$68,300 (RM218,560) in 44 locations..

However, it was No.1 on the iTunes Horror Chart, above two other debuting films, Alien Abduction (No. 2) and Stage Fright (No. 17). It was 25th on the overall iTunes charts, above every other limited/VOD release. — Reuters

J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars Ep VII' has started filming

Posted: 07 Apr 2014 10:20 PM PDT

However, Disney can't confirm any actors linked to the new movie just yet.

Disney chairman Alan Horn has confirmed that Star Wars Episode VII has started filming, even if casting isn't totally complete.

Though Horn would not confirm which actors had already been signed for J.J. Abrams's production, plenty have been linked with the seventh Star Wars film.

Adam Driver (Girls) and Lupita Nyong'o (12 Years A Slave) have both been linked to the production, while several names have been mentioned in relation to a leading role: Jesse Plemons (Breaking Bad), Ed Speleers (Downton Abbey), John Boyega (Attack The Block), and theatre actors Matthew James Thomas and Ray Fisher.

(The Hollywood Reporter reported that Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the earlier films, will make a 'return' in Episode VII.)

But the Disney chairman wasn't to be drawn on casting specifics, speaking at the Loyola Marymount University School of Film & Television during an event hosted by The Hollywood Reporter's Stephen Galloway.

"We're actually shooting some of it now," Horn explained. "We're up against it. This is Episode VII, so it takes off where VI left off, and that's 35 years ago by the time this is released in December 2015."

"It's all about the screenplay, it has to be. Larry Kasdan co-wrote it with J.J. Abrams, and the early draft was done by a guy named Michael Arndt, who wrote Toy Story 3. We have a lot of (the cast), it's just not completely done. I'll give you the same line as I did in Vegas: 'Patience you must have!'," he joked. — AFP Relaxnews

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

HBO renews 'Game Of Thrones' for two more seasons
Benedict Cumberbatch to play King Richard III
Can Will Graham make it out of the darkness?

HBO renews 'Game Of Thrones' for two more seasons

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 08:40 PM PDT

The popular TV show premiered its fourth season earlier this week.

The HBO fantasy epic Game Of Thrones has been renewed for two more seasons, the premium cable network said on Tuesday, two days after the show's season four premiere drew the network's biggest audience in seven years.

The series about civil war, nobility, mythical creatures and treachery was seen by an average of 6.6 million viewers on Sunday in the US, topping its all-time high audience of 5.5 million.

It was the biggest audience for Time Warner Inc-owned HBO since the 2007 finale of mafia drama, The Sopranos, which drew 11.9 million viewers.

Emmy-winning Game Of Thrones is adapted from author George R.R. Martin's A Song Of Ice And Fire novels. It stars Emilia Clarke, Peter Dinklage and 16-year-old Maisie Williams.

The series averages a gross audience of 14.4 million per episode, which includes viewers who record the show to watch later, a popular option for the network's viewers.

The season four premiere saw the Stark family coming to terms with the slaughter of main family members in the epic Red Wedding episode of the previous season. Audiences saw the young Arya Stark, played by Williams, take a dark, cruel turn as she exacts revenge for her family. — Reuters

Benedict Cumberbatch to play King Richard III

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 11:05 PM PDT

The actor will play the British monarch in a TV movie produced by Sam Mendes for BBC Two.

Benedict Cumberbatch, best known for playing the title role in Sherlock, will play Machiavellian tyrant King Richard III in a made-for-TV production adapted from William Shakespeare's Richard III.

The project will be the latest addition to the BBC Two's The Hollow Crown series, which features TV adaptations of the famous playwright's works on British monarchs. Since June 2012, the channel has aired adaptations of Richard II, Henry IV and Henry V in which the historic kings were played respectively by Ben Wishaw, Jeremy Irons and Tom Hiddleston.

Cumberbatch, who has appeared with increasing frequency on the silver screen lately (12 Years A Slave, The Fifth Estate, The Hobbit), will take a break from film in summer 2015 to topline the Barbican Theatre's production of Shakespeare's Hamlet. Coincidentally, his Sherlock co-star Martin Freeman is also heading to the stage to play a monarch. In a play at Trafalgar Studios from this July to September, the actor will portray none other than Richard III. — AFP Relaxnews

Can Will Graham make it out of the darkness?

Posted: 07 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

Tremendous pressure and excitement going into second season for show creator.

IN a strange twist of events, the first season of Hannibal ends with FBI criminal profiler extraordinaire Will Graham (Hugh Dancy) sent to a dungeon cell at the Baltimore Psychiatric Hospital on murder charges, while Hannibal Lecter (Mads Mikkelsen) remains a free man.

This cell looks very much like the one occupied by Dr Hannibal Lecter in The Silence Of The Lambs, a film based on the book written by Thomas Harris.

This TV show, which is a reinterpretation of Harris' series of suspense novels featuring Hannibal Lecter, has given nods to the award-winning movie starring Anthony Hopkins. Still, it is a surprise when one of the promotional pictures for the series' second season has Will in a restraining mask not unlike the one worn by Hopkins in that film.

In a transcript with creator Bryan Fuller, courtesy of AXN, he acknowledged that there is tremendous pressure and excitement going into the second season because of how the series ended its first.

"We subverted the Hannibal Lecter legacy by putting Will Graham where Hannibal Lecter should be ... so that gives us a whole new playing field where we get to play with the iconography of Hannibal Lecter in the institution but it is actually Will Graham and he is an innocent man whom no one believes and he's out to get justice and also a little bit of revenge," Fuller said.

In the guise of being Will's psychiatrist and friend in the first season, Hannibal engaged the troubled FBI profiler in a number of mind games which concluded with Will getting framed for all the murders Hannibal has committed.

"At the end of the first season, Will Graham has a moment of clarity for the first time over the entire arc of the show. Up until that point, he is a very confused, tortured, tormented man and then we give him this moment of clarity – that Hannibal Lecter did this to me – so Season Two is really about him coming out swinging. What is his strategy? How is he going to get justice? How is he going to bring Hannibal down and it's going to take the entire course of the season to find out.

"Will was the hunted in the first season and now he is a bit of a hunter trying to figure out how he can trap Hannibal Lecter from the confines of a mental institution, which is no small task. So he has to have a plan and carry it through very meticulously in order to pull it off because no one in the world believes him."

The second season explores how Will is going to do just that when he is trapped within the four walls of the institution. Also, Hannibal is not a man who is easily rattled – he has always managed to turn any obstacles to his advantage.

"The challenge for the second season was how to keep Will Graham active, how to keep him integrated into the story in a way that has him driving it from a place of seclusion and also containment," said Fuller.

"So that was a challenge that I think we rose to the task of seeing how Will Graham is going to be able to manipulate not just Hannibal Lecter but all the characters in the piece to get to the ultimate goal of proving that Hannibal Lecter did this to him."

Catch new episodes of Hannibal every Tuesday at 10pm on AXN (Astro Ch 701). From May 8 onwards, Hannibal will air every Thursday at 10pm.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates

Knife-wielding student wounds 22 in Pennsylvania school
Move to oust Thai PM more than just a walk in the park for protesters
More funds sought for Bangladesh factory collapse victims

Knife-wielding student wounds 22 in Pennsylvania school

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 08:10 PM PDT

MURRYSVILLE, Pennsylvania (Reuters) - A 16-year-old student wielding two knives went on a stabbing rampage in the hallways of a Pittsburgh-area high school on Wednesday, wounding 22 people before he was tackled by an assistant principal, officials said.

The attacker moved furtively through the halls of Franklin Regional High School in Murrysville, stabbing his victims in the torso and slashing their arms and faces, students and officials said. Some of the injured taken to nearby hospitals were listed in critical condition.

Alex Hribal, a 16-year-old sophomore, was taken into custody, said Captain Rob Liermann of the Murrysville Police Department.

Charged as an adult, Hribal faces four counts of attempted homicide and 21 counts of aggravated assault, Liermann said, and was ordered to face a preliminary hearing in seven to 10 days.

Students described a scene of panic, with the school hastily evacuated after a fire alarm was pulled.

"He did it so stealthily that at first no one knew what was happening," freshman Josh Frank said. "We heard a girl scream bloody murder. Then two seniors were running down the hall and we followed them out of the school."

The attacker, described by a classmate as a quiet boy who kept to himself, began the stabbings at around 7:13 a.m. EDT (12.13 p.m. British Time), walking along the hallways to several classrooms at the school in Murrysville, 20 miles (32 km) east of Pittsburgh, officials said.

Assistant Principal Sam King tackled the boy, who was armed with two straight knives about 8 to 10 inches (20 to 25 cm) long, and an armed security officer handcuffed him with help from King, said Murrysville Police Chief Thomas Seefeld.

HEROES

Twenty-one students and a security officer were stabbed in the incident, said Dan Stevens, a spokesman for Westmoreland County emergency management. Two other students suffered minor injuries trying to get out of the school, Stevens added. He said

the teenage suspect was not counted among the wounded.

The suspect was also being treated for injuries to his hands, Seefeld said. By late afternoon, he said, one or two of the victims were "still pretty critical."

Among those praised for heroics during the incident was Nate Scimio, the student who pulled the fire alarm and helped shield classmates, witnesses said.

"There's not enough words to describe how much of a hero he is," classmate Trinity McCool posted on Facebook.

The victims, most of them 14 to 17 years old, were transported to area hospitals, four by medical helicopters. Several had life-threatening injuries, hospital officials said.

Dr. Louis Alarcon of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center operated on a 17-year-old student and said he had "a large injury to his abdominal wall." The knife "went through his liver, diaphragm and major blood vessels," he said. "Fortunately for this young man, the knife missed his heart and his aorta."

While the United States has seen a number of large-scale school shootings in recent years, mass stabbings are less common.

Police and the FBI were searching the suspect's home, situated at the end of a quiet cul de sac. Neighbours said both parents work, and the teen has a brother who also attends Franklin Regional High School.

'A SHADOW IN THE HALLWAYS'

Pennsylvania Governor Tom Corbett said he had ordered state police to help local law enforcement respond to the incident. The FBI also said it had deployed agents to work with local officials.

The high school will be closed for the next two to three days while police conduct an investigation, officials said.

"I don't know him really well, but he's always said 'hi'," said neighbour Lori Renda, 47, who said he played with her own children. "The family is so nice. Very, very nice."

As they were reunited with parents near the hilltop high school in the relatively affluent Pittsburgh suburb with a population of about 20,000, teens spoke about the incident.

Michael Float, an 18-year-old senior, described running down a staircase and finding a friend badly wounded.

"There was a pool of blood," Float said. "He had blood pouring down the right side of his stomach," and a teacher was applying pressure on the wound.

Zak Amsler, a 17-year-old junior, said the attack occurred just before his first class was about to begin.

"I saw a girl with blood running out of her sleeve," Amsler said as he waited to pick up his younger sister, a student at the nearby middle school. "It was pretty mind-blowing."

On Wednesday evening members of the community held candle-light vigils for the wounded.

Kaitlyn Pepper, holding a candle in front of Calvary Lutheran Church, said that she now attends another high school but knows the suspect from her time at Franklin.

"He was literally a shadow in the hallways. They said he had a girlfriend who goes to another school, but I don't know. No one really knew of him. But they know him today." Pepper said.

(Additional reporting by Jonathan Allen in New York, Dave Warner in Philadelphia and Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Writing by Scott Malone and Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Gunna Dickson, Prudence Crowther, Lisa Shumaker and Ken Wills)

Move to oust Thai PM more than just a walk in the park for protesters

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 08:00 PM PDT

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Two months ago, Piyavadee Boonmak was living comfortably at home. But she quit her job as a civil servant and now works as a volunteer cleaning toilets at Lumpini Park, the new focal point of anti-government protests in the Thai capital.

Piyavadee now lives in a khaki tent in the central Bangkok park, once a haven for joggers but now a temporary home for more than 10,000 supporters of a movement that has been trying for five months to oust Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra.

Their aim is also to rid Thailand of the influence of her billionaire brother, ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra.

"Everyone has to do their part," said Piyavadee, 50, who spends her days cleaning the park's portable toilets. "We're like one big family. We're all here for the same reason: to get rid of that lying, cheating bastard, Thaksin."

The protesters took over Lumpini Park last month after moving blockades that had clogged Bangkok intersections, a tactical retreat they said was to "give Bangkok back".

Yingluck remains in office, albeit as head of a weakened caretaker government, despite the best efforts of protesters that included huge street rallies, sit-ins at state offices and a promise to disrupt a February 2 election.

Piyavadee's humble new job is a good sign that the People's Democratic Reform Committee (PDRC), as the main anti-government group is known, is in it for the long haul. They have set up six "villages" in the park, equipped with showers, portable toilets, washing machines, a medical centre and even a part-time school.

To keep unwanted guests out, there are 2,300 weather-beaten security volunteers from far-flung provinces who take turns in manning checkpoints and rummaging through bags for guns and other contraband. If trouble breaks out, a rapid deployment team of "elite guards" is available, too.

The PDRC says the rules for its on-duty muscle are simple: No alcohol, no drugs.

"People from all over the country are camped in this park. We're an example that Thais can live together harmoniously," said Thaworn Senniem, a protest leader who heads PDRC security. "But with so many people under one roof issues are bound to crop up, which is why we have security guards."

Things are not always as rosy as protest leaders might suggest. Twenty-four people have been killed and scores wounded since the protests began, some in clashes with security forces and others in mysterious bombings and shootings.

PADDLE BOATS AND JOGGERS

The signs that once pointed the way to Lumpini's tennis courts and paddle boats have been replaced by a new one at the western entrance that makes clear the PDRC is in charge.

Thailand has been locked in a bitter political conflict since a coup ousted Thaksin in 2006. He now lives abroad to avoid a graft conviction he says was politically motivated, but parties he controls have won every election since 2001.

His supporters - mainly from the populous rural north and northeast - say he was persecuted by a jealous elite and middle class in Bangkok. The PDRC and other critics accuse Thaksin of overseeing an era of unbridled corruption and nepotism.

After weeks of street action without major results, the protesters in Lumpini say victory is near. They are banking on any one of a number of legal challenges against Yingluck that could finish her off within weeks.

While they wait, the Lumpini Park villagers are making the most of the nightly entertainment put on for them.

"People get very stressed listening to protest speeches all day so it's crucial we offer some light entertainment," said Akanat Promphan, a protest movement spokesman.

Folk music blares from the main protest stage and a cross-dressing performer steps up to dance. There are hoots from the crowd as some sway their hips to a well-known song about the hardships of working-class Thais.

Not everyone is happy that the protesters have moved into the park, with nearby residents complaining about the noise. But the protesters say they'll pack up and leave when they win.

"Besides, we always make way for the joggers," Thaworn said.

Those living in the park are mostly from Thailand's poorest provinces, although the anti-government movement is largely backed by Bangkok's middle-classes.

"I'm a silent backer, dropping by from time to time," said Methenee Jitsomsak, a 49-year-old housewife decked out in jewels. "Would I live here? No. It's much too hot."

There was a similar carnival-like mood in 2010 when pro-Thaksin "red shirts" rallied just a few minutes' walk from the park against what they said was an illegitimate government.

Their protest was cut short when Suthep Thaugsuban, the current PDRC leader who was then a deputy prime minister, sent in troops to break up the red-shirt rally.

More than 90 people were killed in the crackdown.

Suthep faces murder charges for giving that order in 2010, but the Lumpini protesters see him as a rock star.

"We wake up and go to sleep to the sound of Suthep," said Chada Limptapong, 70, who sits in front of her tent selling odds-and-ends including betel nut for 60 baht (1.09 pounds).

The village has its problems, despite the image of harmony protest leaders like to project, and some of the guards have been accused of rowdy behaviour.

Volunteer toilet cleaner Piyavadee said she's concerned about her 18-year-old daughter, who shares her tent. "I tell her to walk back before dark," she said. "Some of the guards can't control themselves."

(Additional reporting by Jutarat Skulpichetrat; Editing by Martin Petty and Paul Tait)

More funds sought for Bangladesh factory collapse victims

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 05:15 PM PDT

BERLIN (Reuters) - Campaigners launched a new effort on Thursday to push Western brands to pay into a compensation fund for victims of the collapse of a Bangladeshi factory almost a year ago that killed more than 1,100 people.

Global trade unions IndustriALL and UNI and labour rights network Clean Clothes Campaign said in a joint statement that a fund set up for the over 2,000 people injured and the families of the dead had raised only a third of its target of $40 million (24 million pounds) to date.

They said only half of the 29 brands that sourced goods from factories in the Rana Plaza complex have contributed to the fund run by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), and want the rest to pay by the first anniversary of the April 24 disaster.

"The workers who survived this catastrophe and the families of those who did not are in desperate need. The last year has seen medical expenses, lack of income and the horrors of that day relived," said Jyrki Raina of IndustriALL.

Some of the brands supplied from the Rana Plaza complex say they will not contribute as their production was outsourced to the factory without their knowledge, or ended some time ago, while others prefer to pursue their own compensation plans.

Ineke Zeldenrust of Clean Clothes Campaign said the 29 brands have combined profits of more than $22 billion a year.

"They are being asked to contribute less than 0.2 percent of these profits to go some way towards compensating the people their profits are built on," she said.

British clothes retailer Primark said last month it would pay an extra $10 million in long-term compensation - $9 million directly to the 580 workers of its supplier in Rana Plaza or their dependants, and another $1 million to the fund.

Other brands to contribute include Canada's Loblaw, Britain's Bon Marche and Premier Clothing, Mascot of Denmark and Spanish chains El Corte Ingles, Mango and Zara-owner Inditex.

Rock-bottom wages and trade deals have made Bangladesh's garments sector a $22 billion industry that accounts for four-fifths of its exports, with around 60 percent of garment exports going to Europe and 23 percent to the United States.

(Editing by Pravin Char/Mark Heinrich)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

'Spider-Man' spin-off 'Sinister Six' gets a director
Scarlett Johansson scores big at box office last weekend
J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars Ep VII' has started filming

'Spider-Man' spin-off 'Sinister Six' gets a director

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:20 PM PDT

The movie featuring Spidey's villains is about to become a reality.

Drew Goddard is closing a deal to direct Sinister Six, the Spider-Man spin-off that he is writing for Sony Pictures.

Sony hired the co-writer and director of The Cabin In The Woods to write a script about the villains in Spidey's world last December when the studio announced the project.

At the same time, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and Ed Solomon were named as the writing team on another Spider-Man spin-off, Venom, which Kurtzman will direct.

Goddard was at that time seen as having a shot at directing the film, and on Monday sources close to the project confirmed that he is the choice. His deal is not closed, however.

Scarlett Johansson scores big at box office last weekend

Posted: 07 Apr 2014 10:30 PM PDT

The actress' two films – Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Under The Skin – topped US box office charts.

Scarlett Johansson pulled off an impressive double-play at the box office this weekend.

The R-rated sci-fi movie Under The Skin, in which she plays a gorgeous but man-eating alien in Scotland, recorded the second-best limited debut of the year.

Johansson plays a sexy alien in Under The Skin.

Under The Skin built some momentum on the festival circuit, screening in Venice (Italy), Toronto (Canada) and in Telluride in Colorado, US.

With Captain America: The Winter Soldier averaging roughly US$23,000 (RM73,600) from its 3,938 locations, Johansson's movies had the two top per-screen averages in the marketplace.

J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars Ep VII' has started filming

Posted: 07 Apr 2014 10:20 PM PDT

However, Disney can't confirm any actors linked to the new movie just yet.

Disney chairman Alan Horn has confirmed that Star Wars Episode VII has started filming, even if casting isn't totally complete.

Though Horn would not confirm which actors had already been signed for J.J. Abrams's production, plenty have been linked with the seventh Star Wars film.

(The Hollywood Reporter reported that Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the earlier films, will make a 'return' in Episode VII.)

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business

Tropicana asset monetisation strategy still intact
China March exports fall 6.6% on-year, imports down 11.3%
Japan machinery orders drop sharply, casts doubt on capex

Tropicana asset monetisation strategy still intact

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 09:00 AM PDT

TROPICANA CORP BHD

By UOB Kay Hian

Hold (downgraded)

Target Price: RM1.74

TROPICANA Corp Bhd's asset monetisation strategy is still intact with the most recent being its partial disposal of the Canal City land to EcoWorld, said UOB Kay Hian.

The research house said Tropicana's strategy was to part-monetise its smaller parcels of land and focus on its major developments.

The research house said it expected the sale of three parcels to be completed this year, including the recently announced sale of Canal City land to EcoWorld where the company could make RM170mil in net gains.

Currently, it said Tropicana's balance sheet still carried some prized assets. This includes the Tropicana City Mall along with an adjacent office tower, and Plaza Dijaya, an office tower located within the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur.

The combined value is close to RM800mil.

The company is also in discussions for an en-bloc sale of its W Hotel and Residences.

UOB said it foresaw the company could monetise assets worth in excess of about RM1bil moving forward, with proceeds possibly used to pare down its gearing. The company has a net gearing of 0.55 times as of fourth-quarter 2014.

However, UOB downgraded the stock to "hold" after the recent stellar performance of the share price with an unchanged target price of RM1.74.

It said the target price represented a 45% discount to their fully-diluted revised net asset value per share of RM3.16. This implies a 2015 forecast price-earnings of 13 times.

The research house also highlighted concerns on the recent joint venture with Tebrau Teguh which involves land reclamation in Iskandar Malaysia. This involves a substantial investment. A good entry price would be RM1.40.

AFFIN HOLDINGS BHD

By Hong Leong Investment Bank

Neutral

Target Price: RM4.26

According to Hong Leong Investment Bank (HLIB), Affin Holdings' pre-tax profit is expected to get a RM84mil boost with the acquisition of Hwang Investment on Tuesday.

However, the integration cost of RM54mil spread over 12 to 18 months would mitigate any benefits.

It also noted that the Affin Holdings' management also said it would only hit stability in financial year 2018 with synergies of RM43mil per annum (RM15mil revenue, RM36mil cost and RM8mil "dis-synergies").

HLIB reiterated that it was neutral on the merger and acquisition exercise.

It acknowledged that the acquisition is complementary with potential synergies.

However, it believes this will be negated by dilution to earnings per share (EPS), return on equity and capital ratios (arising from the planned RM1.25bil rights issue which is scheduled to complete in the second quarter) in the interim before the full synergistic process filters through.

Given that Affin Holdings' share price has depreciated by 8.3% since detailing its acquisition, HLIB said its initial EPS dilution estimate of 18% could be larger.

It maintained a target price of RM4.26 based on return on equity at 10% and weighted average cost of capital at 10.8%.

It added that although its potential return was now more than 10%, it was keeping its "hold" rating on the stock. Larger-than-expected dilution from the planned rights issue could potentially affect price performance.

CONSTRUCTION SECTOR

By RHB Research Institute

Overweight (maintained)

RHB Research Institute remains "overweight" on the construction sector due to strong earnings visibility, backed largely by the RM73bil Klang Valley MRT project.

The MRT project, public housing and the East Malaysia/Sarawak Corridor of Renewable Energy (SCORE) will keep players busy until 2021.

The research house's top picks for the sector are Gamuda Bhd, Protasco Bhd and Hock Seng Lee Bhd.

RHB Research has a "buy" call on Gamuda with a target price of RM5.45 due to its MRT exposure.

It said the Klang Valley MRT project was the main pillar of support for the current upcycle, given its massive contract value of RM73bil.

The multiplier effect is tremendous. It will reverberate through the sector's entire value chain, creating a demand for management, general and specialist contractors, building materials with a long construction period until 2021.

Meanwhile, the provision of public housing has become a lucrative business for the private sector, thanks to the RM1bil allocation for the Housing Facilitation Fund under Budget 2014.

Hence, RHB Research has a "buy" call on Protasco with a target price of RM2.18 because the company has thus far secured the highest number of public housing contracts.

It believes Hock Seng Lee is the best construction proxy to East Malaysia/SCORE. It gives a "buy" call on the counter with a target price of RM2.06.

RHB Research said Sabah and Sarawak would see infrastructure works coming from three main initiatives – SCORE (roads, water supply and port), urbanisation (flood mitigation, waste management and traffic diversion), and rural development (roads, water supply and housing).

China March exports fall 6.6% on-year, imports down 11.3%

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 07:21 PM PDT

BEIJING: China's exports fell 6.6% in March from a year earlier, while imports slipped 11.3%, leaving the country with a trade surplus of US$7.7bil for the month, the Customs Administration said on Thursday.

That compared with market expectations in a Reuters poll of a rise of 4% in exports, a 2.4% rise in imports and a trade surplus of US$900mil. – Reuters

Japan machinery orders drop sharply, casts doubt on capex

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 06:56 PM PDT

TOKYO: Japan's core machinery orders fell sharply in February, casting doubt on the strength of capital spending as early signs suggest the world's third biggest economy may struggle to cope with a sales tax hike that kicked in this month.

Core orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, declined 8.8%, Cabinet Office showed on Thursday.

The fall followed a 13.4 percent jump in January, the quickest gain since March 2013, but was much worse than the 3% drop forecast by analysts in a Reuters poll.

The data joins a recent run of weak economic reports that showed a loss of economic momentum after a solid performance in the first half of last year, which was fuelled by Tokyo's aggressive monetary and fiscal stimulus policies.

However, capital spending, private consumption and exports have lagged recently as the effects of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policies began to fade, raising pressure on the Bank of Japan to provide additional stimulus.

There is also growing concern among analysts that a chill in demand from an increase in the sales tax to 8% from 5% on April 1 will severely crimp growth.

"Companies remain wary of business conditions after the sales tax hike, so growth in capital spending is unlikely to pick up pace at least until this summer when the situation may become clearer," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute in Tokyo.

"Capital spending may underpin the economy but I doubt it could be strong enough to serve as a key drive," he said.

Governor Haruhiko Kuroda dismissed market expectations on Tuesday that the BoJ could ease again soon. The central bank has kept policy steady since last April when it embarked on an unprecedented monetary stimulus.

However, the latest data won't be taken lightly by policymakers.

Indeed, the Cabinet Office cut its assessment of machinery orders, saying the increasing trend is seen stalling, indicating a challenging outlook. Previously, it had said machinery orders were increasing as a trend.

Capital spending has been a weak link in the world's third largest economy as many firms hoard cash and refrain from boosting spending on plants and equipment. They have also been reluctant to raise wages substantially due to the gloomy economic outlook.

The BoJ's tankan showed big firms expect to raise capital spending by just 0.1% in the current fiscal year, against a 0.2% rise seen by economists and a 3.9% gain in planned spending for the fiscal year that ended in March.

In February, orders from manufacturers and the service sector fell 11.9% and 8.4% respectively from the previous month, the Cabinet Office data showed.

Compared with a year earlier, core orders, which exclude those of ships and electric power utilities, grew 10.8% in February, versus a 17.6% rise seen by analysts.

Analysts expect the economy to contract in April-June due to a pullback in consumption after the tax hike, before returning to moderate growth in following quarters. – Reuters

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Scarlett Johansson scores big at box office last weekend

Posted: 07 Apr 2014 10:30 PM PDT

The actress' two films – Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Under The Skin – topped US box office charts.

Scarlett Johansson pulled off an impressive double-play at the box office this weekend.

The R-rated sci-fi movie Under The Skin, in which she plays a gorgeous but man-eating alien in Scotland, recorded the second-best limited debut of the year.

Johansson plays a sexy alien in Under The Skin.

Under The Skin built some momentum on the festival circuit, screening in Venice (Italy), Toronto (Canada) and in Telluride in Colorado, US.

With Captain America: The Winter Soldier averaging roughly US$23,000 (RM73,600) from its 3,938 locations, Johansson's movies had the two top per-screen averages in the marketplace.

J.J. Abrams' 'Star Wars Ep VII' has started filming

Posted: 07 Apr 2014 10:20 PM PDT

However, Disney can't confirm any actors linked to the new movie just yet.

Disney chairman Alan Horn has confirmed that Star Wars Episode VII has started filming, even if casting isn't totally complete.

Though Horn would not confirm which actors had already been signed for J.J. Abrams's production, plenty have been linked with the seventh Star Wars film.

(The Hollywood Reporter reported that Peter Mayhew, who played Chewbacca in the earlier films, will make a 'return' in Episode VII.)

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Baby George has royal play day in New Zealand

Posted: 08 Apr 2014 10:40 PM PDT

Wellington (AFP) - Britain's baby Prince George hosted his first ever official function on Wednesday -- maintaining a regal calm on a play date with a group of New Zealand toddlers, even as some of the others burst into tears.

The eight-month old, whose parents Prince William and Kate began a tour of New Zealand on Monday, met 10 local babies at Wellington's Government House at a play session organised by non-profit childcare group Plunket.

George, who was born on July 22 last year, looked comfortable in the spotlight as his mother gently rocked him in her arms and chatted to his playmates' parents.

The babies sat in a room with a large portrait of George's great-grandmother Queen Elizabeth II looking down from the wall, with cushions and toys scattered on the floor, including a giant blue teddy bear.

There were tears from some of the other infants as introductions were made but George, dressed in dark-coloured dungaree shorts and a white t-shirt, appeared calm even after dropping a toy to the floor.

Plunket president Tristine Clark said the babies were all roughly the same age as George and were born to first-time parents, just like William and Kate.

She said the parents were also selected to reflect the diversity of New Zealand society, including various ethnic groups and a same-sex couple.

"The parents are a spread of all the communities in New Zealand, including Maoris, Samoans, people of Chinese descent and gay couples," she said ahead of the session.

"This is a very multi-cultural country and we wanted the Duke and Duchess (of Cambridge) to meet people from all backgrounds."

Kate wore a simple black and white dress for the occasion, while William opted for an open-necked blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up as he sipped on a soft drink.

Plunket's Wellington manager Tina Syme said the event was designed to be fun for the royals, who said they wanted to meet as many locals as possible as they kick off their three-week tour of New Zealand and Australia.

"We wanted something quite special for the duke and duchess, not just a meet-and-greet and shake hands but something that was actually really enjoyable for them as well," she said.

While the atmosphere was meant to be relaxed, Syme said the parents had been advised to address the royals as "Your Royal Highness" on the first instance, followed by their name after that.

She said the parents had also been told not to hesitate to intervene if a royal row erupted between the prince and some of his pint-sized subjects.

"They said what you do at a normal play group, you can do here. If you're the nearest parent and you need to intervene for a child's safety, then you would."

The New Zealand Republic lobby group said any of the 10 Kiwi babies at Government House would be better qualified as the country's head of state than George, who is third in line to the throne in both Britain and New Zealand.

"Baby George is as cute as any other baby... but unfortunately he cannot be New Zealand's future head of state, not unless he one day migrates to New Zealand and becomes a citizen," it said.

17 deaths reported in Japan after drug injections

Posted: 09 Apr 2014 05:47 AM PDT

TOKYO, April 09, 2014 (AFP) - The Japanese unit of major drugmaker Janssen Pharmaceuticals says 17 people have died after being injected with its drug to treat schizophrenia since it was launched in Japan last November.

The company, an affiliate of US-based healthcare giant Johnson and Johnson, advised medical workers in Japan to use the Paliperidone Palmitate medication with great care even though it was not know whether it had caused the deaths.

The drug, brand-named Xeplion, is estimated to have been used by 10,700 people since it was released in Japan on November 19, according to a notice posted on the Japanese unit's website and seen Wednesday.

The causes of the 17 deaths included cardiac infarction, pulmonary embolism and suffocation due to inhalation of vomit.

In many cases the deaths occured about 40 days after injections of the drug.

The notice advised doctors to "fully understand that the substance remains in the body for at least four months after being injected" and to stay alert for any side-effects.

It also asked them to refrain from using the medicine with other anti-psychotic drugs because the "effectiveness and safety" of such a combined application had not been established.

The use of Xeplion has been approved in 78 countries and areas of the world as of June 2013, the company has said.

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Baby George has royal play day in New Zealand
17 deaths reported in Japan after drug injections
India's mission to Mars crosses half-way mark