The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies
The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies |
| Posted: 09 Apr 2013 03:42 AM PDT FANS of French cinema, art and culture, take note. Alliance Française de Kuala Lumpur (AFKL) and the Embassy of France to Malaysia with the support of the Institute Francais are proud to present the 12th edition of The French Art and Film Festival (FAFF). The FAFF will take place between April 25 and May 12 in Kuala Lumpur and from May 16 to May 26 in Penang. The movies will be screened at GSC Movies' International Screens – Pavilion, Mid Valley Megamall and 1 Utama in the Klang Valley, and Gurney Plaza in Penang. It will feature 15 of the latest offerings in French cinema. Selections include three Juliette Binoche films, animated fairy tale Kerity la maison des contes (Elenor's Secret) and Comme Un Chef (The Chef) starring Jean Reno. French art aficionados can also look forward to a photography exhibition featuring the works of Françoise Huguier and two street theatre sessions. There will also be a wine tasting session and a French market that showcases some of the best culinary and lifestyle products the country has to offer. FAFF 2013 is presented by Martell, with TNT Express, Crown Worldwide, BNP Paribas, Intermovers, DCNS, Lafarge, Escatec, Total, L'Occitane, The Westin Kuala Lumpur, Air France and MFCCI as partners. For more information, log on to www.faff.com.my. |
| Posted: 09 Apr 2013 03:41 AM PDT In Codename: Jackal, a professional assassin has to kill her favourite K-pop idol. This proves to be the hardest assignment of her career. WELL-LOVED by K-pop fans for his good looks as well as vocal and dance talent, South Korean heart-throb Kim Jae-joong (also known as Yeong-woong or Hero) initially started off as a member of South Korean boy band TVXQ and then joined another boy band JYJ. It isn't often that fans get to see him get down and dirty, grovel and groan, break down and become a total wreck. But now, Kim, who was named best new actor at the 2012 MBC Drama Awards for his role in Dr Jin, will surprise fans with his new movie – the action comedy titled Codename: Jackal, also known in Korean as Jakalyi Onda (literally meaning The Jackal Is Coming). Released in South Korea late last year, this movie is directed by Bae Hyoung-jun (Too Beautiful To Lie, 2004) and produced by Nomad Film. The movie, which has been sold to six countries – Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei, became the talk of the town in South Korea for Kim's side-splitting comedic performance. In the movie, Kim plays Choi Hyun, the country's top celebrity. But his days are numbered as Bong Min-jung (Song Ji-hyo), a top-notch killer, has been hired to kill Choi as her final assignment before retirement. The fun begins after Bong succeeds in abducting Choi. It turns out that she is a big fan of the handsome Hallyu star, making her rather sloppy and careless with the knife. Quite alarmed, Choi pretends he is not the arrogant, stuck-up celebrity. First order of the day: hide his six-pack abs. Meanwhile, a detective Chief Ma (Oh Dal-soo) and an FBI-trained special agent Captain Shin (Han Sang-jin) go on a stake out at a hotel after they receive information on the whereabouts of Bong. Events spiral out of control when Choi's sponsor, Angela, (Kim Sung-ryoung) also goes to the hotel to look for the guy. Code Name: Jackal will be showing at GSC International Screens starting April 11. |
| Posted: 09 Apr 2013 03:39 AM PDT Singer turned actor, Sein tries his hand at directing. WITH his boyish good looks, most of us know him as singing sensation Sein of Ruffedge, and lately as drama actor. Now Sein, whose real name is Syed Hussein Syed Mustafa, is all set to wow fans with his directorial debut in the gangster flick Langgar. Langgar tells the story of Nizam (Adi Putra), who seeks justice for the death of his beloved pregnant wife, Aina. It is Nizam's solemn promise to himself that everyone involved in the rape-murder must be wiped from the face of earth. In his quest, Nizam is introduced to Radzi (Nam Ron) and his gang by Khairul (Bell Ngasri), an old friend. Nizam joins Radzi's gang as a debt collector. Among the names listed in the file are Aina and her father, under debtors who have failed to pay. Nizam is now convinced that he is on the right track for his revenge. Directing big names such as Nam Ron, Adi Putra and Hans Isaac was no small feat for 30-year-old Sein, but he took it all in stride. "I remember when I was told the names of the cast members, I was very excited and nervous, of course," Sein said. "But I was also very enthusiastic because it was a great opportunity to be given the best (actors) for my directorial debut." Budgeted at RM1.7mil, the movie also features other big names such as Khir Rahman, Zul Huzaimy, Natasha Hudson and Nadia Heng. Sein added that all the actors were professional during filming and supportive of him as a director. "As you know, I started my career in this industry with a passion in music and later acted in some dramas. Now I have a bunch of experienced actors and actresses to back me up in my very first cinematic production. They are one of the main reasons why I was so motivated to give my best to the film. I only have one word to describe this – grateful!" Sein also added that his colleagues Isaac and Nam Ron, who have directed movies as well, gave him some pointers during the filming of Langgar which took 37 days to complete. "Hans and Nam Ron were very helpful to me throughout the shooting. They provided me creative ideas that made the whole filming process much easier than I expected." He also expressed relief as only two scenes were cut by the Film Censorship Board (LPF), although Langgar is classified as 18 PL. Being a first-time director was hard enough but as Sein found out, filming an action flick made it even more challenging. "My biggest challenge while filming was time management. I had to crack my head to handle different aspects of the production and try to complete the shooting on schedule. "I remember I couldn't wait to step onto the film set during the first day of shooting. It's my first movie anyway," recalled Sein. And now that the movie is ready for release, Sein is understandably nervous and excited. "But most of all, I'm thrilled to have these great figures from the industry to help make this film possible. People like Hans, Nam Ron, Khir Rahman and Zul Huzaimy had helped me since they are experienced directors. I respect them a lot." For lead actor Adi Putra working with new director Sein was no different from working with more established directors. "The protocol on movie-making is all the same. As an actor, my job is to deliver what Sein needed from me the best I possibly could," said the 32-year-old actor. "My character Nizam is a guy who can't accept the fact that his wife and unborn child were brutally murdered by a group of gangsters. The way he is handling his anger and grief is to turn it into revenge; to kill every single man who is responsible for his wife's death. In his focus to exact revenge, he gets involved in the world of gangsters, which then gets him deeper in the underworld. For actor-director Nam Ron, 44, working with Sein was a pleasant experience. "I decided to be a part of Langgar because it has an interesting storyline. And the thing about working with a young director like Sein is that he has so much energy (during filming)," Nam Ron said. "While working on the film, he gave more than 100 % commitment. He basically did what most directors would do (while directing) which was - he ate and slept with the movie in his mind. You know, he was a bit psycho, but a nice kind of psycho, really," Nam Ron joked. Isaac, 42, whose recent directorial effort Lawak Ke Der 2 released in March, stars as Jimmy, one of the gangsters in Langgar, The handsome actor praised Sein for his professionalism and courageous attempt on the action genre. "Throughout filming, Sein showed his passion and seriousness. This is his story and, as professional actors, our job is to help him with his work and we never questioned him. We understand that we must put our egos aside and give our full support to a new director in this industry," Isaac said. Langgar will be released in cinemas nationwide on April 11. |
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