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Singapore Movie Guide |
11 Jul 2006 |
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to the Editor Ahoy, me lads and ladies!
Welcome aboard our great grand pirates' ship where we
be tellin' ye once again bout them movies in our
cinemas. What floats, what sinks and what deserves to
stay at the bottom o' the sea with the souls o' dead
men — we have all the reviews o' them new movies
openin' this week.
Now weigh anchor! Hoist the mizzen!
First stop, Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest which stars our ole mateys Johnny Depp and Orlando
Bloom. Aye, and not forgettin' the lovely Kiera
Knightley, whose beauty is spoken of from Spain to
Africa to Singapore.
Well... is this yarn any good? Aye, of course, me hearties! It's got pirates innit. Anythin' with pirates innit is good to us. With non-stop action and adventure, it will hook yer arse to yer seat fer two-and-a-half hours. Yo ho ho! |
 
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READ
Fridae People: Exclusive Interview!
4:30 director Royston Tan tells Fridae about his plans
to make a full-fledged gay movie and a movie about women |
And even though it's shallow on plot and
characterization, we pirates be not complainin'.
Swashbucklin' on the high seas is what we want, and
swashbucklin' on the high seas is what we get!
Now me hearties, make no mistake. We gentlemen o'
fortune don't just watch pirate shows. We like them
sports shows too. And this week, there's a grand
Oscar-nominated sports documentary called Murderball,
which takes an inspirin' look at quadriplegic
sportsmen who play contact rugby on wheelchairs.
Aye, we pirates certainly know what it's like to be
handicapped, for some of us wear eye patches and have
steel hooks for hands. We tip our hats off to them men
who don't let their handicaps stand in the way o'
sportin' achievements!
Finally, there's Basic Instinct 2, which stars queen
o' the coast Sharon Stone. Avast! This sex thriller is
dreadfully dull! With its plodding pace and
unbelievable dialogue, we were sleeping peacefully
like barnacles under a boat.
We be too bored to even notice Miss Stone decked out
in designer jewels and gold — and ye know how we
pirates love them jewels and gold!
Well, that's it mateys! We bid ye farewell for now,
and hope we'll meet again when the moon is full and
winds are howlin'. Yarrrrgh!
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HOW MUCH DO YOU LOVE THE MOVIES?
As much as we do?!
Then join us at the Fridae Private
Preview of How Much Do You Love Me? (Combien tu M'aimes?) next week. This highly provocative French comedy about beauty, seduction, sex and romance hails from director Bertrand Blier (Too Beautiful for You) and stars Gérard Depardieu and the mesmerising screen beauty Monica Bellucci.
To receive invitations to these free previews and other goodies,
all you have to do is to become a member of the Fridae
Arts & Entertainment Mailing List. Tickets are limited and Perks members get priority. >> Sign
up here!
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Murderball |
Directors: Henry-Alex Rubin, Dana Adam Shapiro
Cast: Mark Zupan, Keith Cavill, Andy Cohn, Scott Hogsett and The US and Canadian Paralympics Rugby Team
Audience Award and Special Jury Prize for Documentary, Sundance Film Festival
Best Documentary, Gotham Awards
Audience Award and Jury Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Sutherland Trophy - Special Mention, London Film Festival
Audience Award, Indianapolis International Film Festival
Golden Space Needle Award for Best Documentary<, Seattle International Film Festival
Cowboy Award for Best Documentary and Best Sports Action, Jackson Hole Film Festival
Only at The Picutrehouse |
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The most wonderful and amazing film to open this week
is Murderball, a terrific Oscar-nominated documentary
about quadriplegic men who have limited mobility in
all their four limbs due to accidents or illnesses.
Despite their enormous handicap, they still aspire to
sporting glory by playing full-contact rugby in
wheelchairs for the US Paralympics rugby team.
Director Henry Alex Rubin and Dana Adam Shapiro track
the lives of these sportsmen for more than three
years, between the 2002 World Championships in Sweden
and the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. They examined
everything — from the men's personalities to their
relationships and even their sex lives.
Amazingly, the picture that emerges is not a
depressing or sentimental one. Rather, it is an
arousing and inspiring portrait of strength and
determination. How these men try to lead normal,
active lives despite the discrimination and
marginalization they continuously face holds important
lesson for us LGBTs.
We queers may feel that being gay, bisexual or
transsexual is tough, but our problems will seem small
compared to what these quadriplegics go through.
Indeed, it is these quadriplegics — and not Superman
or X-Men — who are the real superheroes of our screen
right now.
Watch Murderball and be amazed. |
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Pirates of the Carribeans 2 |
Director: Gore Verbinski
Cast: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgard, Bill Nighy, Jack Davenport, Kevin R. McNally, Jonathan Pryce |
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Aging heartthrob Johnny Depp had never looked gayer
than in his role as a pirate in 2003's Pirates of the
Caribbean. Flouncing about in swishy clothes and thick
mascara, his campy, fruity performance actually nabbed
him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. (Straight
actors in fruity roles always seem to get the
Academy's attention...)
Pirates of the Caribbean became one of 2003's biggest
box-office successes, so it was inevitable that a
sequel got made. In fact, even as the new Pirates of
the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest opens this week,
director Gore Verbinski and the cast are making the
third movie scheduled for release next year.
Thankfully, the producers managed to persuade most of
the original cast to return to their roles. In this
new movie, Johnny discovers that he owes a blood debt
to a legendary ghost (Bill Nighy) whose beard is a
tangle of octopus tentacles. If Johnny does not pay
his debt in time, he will be doomed to eternal
damnation.
Meanwhile, lovebirds Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightley
have problems too. They are about to be married when
Orlando is thrown into jail for helping Johnny escape
prison (in the first movie). Somehow the trio is
reunited for some more spiffy swashbuckling
misadventures.
With action sequences from start to finish, Pirate of
the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest will keep you
entertained for most of its 2-1/2 hour duration. What
made the first film so memorable was its surprising
twist in the middle: The pirates turned out to be
ghosts. Here in the second film, there are no big
surprises — just terrific old-fashioned thrills and
spills. Johnny, however, is as loopy as ever. Don't be
surprised if his frantic comic performance gets
another Oscar nod. |
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Basic Instinct 2 |
Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Cast: Sharon Stone, David Morrissey, Charlotte Rampling |
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Fourteen years ago, Sharon Stone attained instant
stardom/notoriety when she flashed her privates and
tongued a sexy woman in a thrashy thriller called
Basic Instinct. Overnight, the world crowned her as
the fantasy goddess/bitch/actress whose quips and
dress sense were deemed to be as murderously sharp as
the ice pick she wielded in the movie. These days, the
press may still rave about what a hot mamma she still
is. And the fact is, age has been kinder to Sharon
Stone than it has been/will be to many of us.
However, the film camera is one of the unkindest
instruments there is. When her current visage is
projected on a 6m-high silver screen, the lines and
wrinkles show. And suddenly, it looks ridiculous for
Sharon Stone to strut about in a movie trying to
seduce anything that movies, as she does in Basic
Instinct 2. Because frankly, she just doesn't have it
anymore.
Returning to the role of a bisexual nymphomaniac
novelist, the movie begins bizarrely with her being
fingered to orgasm by a soccer star as she speeds down
the streets of London. The car skids off the road and
crashes into a river, the man dies, and Sharon is
slapped with murder charges. A pale-faced psychiatrist
(David Morrissey) is assigned to assess her mental
health. But as you would expect, he quickly becomes
obsessed with her.
Watching Basic Instinct 2 makes you feel like you are
caught in a time warp. The dialogue, acting,
production design and camerawork have the amazing
ability of taking you back to 1980s and early 1990s.
The psycho-babble that David and his colleagues spout,
for instance, feels very old. And Sharon's methods of
seduction just look embarrassingly dated.
Sharon, honey, you've had your day in the sun. But
it's time to let go of privileges of youth and start
to age gracefully. |
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Boo |
Director: Anthony C Ferrante
Cast: Trish Coren, M Steven Felty, Josh Holt |
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The title sucks, and the premise of a haunted hospital
is anything but new. But believe us, this horror film
actually delivers some mighty fine scares. Working on
a small budget and a cast of unknowns, writer-director
Anthony C Ferrante obviously knows his way around the
genre. He borrows and steals many standard scares in
horror history, and twists them slightly just so that
they seem original.
The story begins when a bunch of teenagers decide on
Halloween night to visit a hospital that is rumored to
be haunted. Of course, there is no smoke without fire.
And the teenagers soon find to their great shock and
horror that all the rumors are true.
The film was shot in a real-life abandoned hospital— not a set — so the place does look authentically
creepy and raw. There are certain gags and characters,
like the elevator and the clown, that will scare the
bejesus out of you. Horror fans should catch this. In
an age of CGI effects, it is good to know that some
low-budget horror movie can still scare you with a few
classic tricks. |
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Unforgiven |
Yongseobadji Mothan Ja
Korean with English subtitles
Director: Yoon Jong-Bin
Cast: Ha Jung-Woo, Suh Jang-Won, Yoon Jong-Bin |
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The Unforgiven is a compelling Korean drama about a
feminine-looking young man (Suh Jang-Won) who is
drafted into the army for
compulsory national service. He has great difficulty
adjusting to military life until he meets Ha Jung-Woo,
one of the senior officers who was a former schoolmate
of his. The two men become very close to each other.
The emotionally-fragile Suh soon becomes very
dependent of Ha, seeing him as more than just a big
brother...
Written and directed by first-time helmer Yoon
Jong-Bin, the film won several awards at the 10th
Pusan International Film Festival (arguably the
biggest in Asia). Critics and audiences were impressed
by Yoon's sensitive portrayal of male friendship and
life in the barracks. The two lead characters, Suh and
Ha, are exceptionally well-drawn and believable. |
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Thank You for Smoking |
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Aaron Eckhart, Maria Bello, Cameron Bright, Adam Brody, Sam Elliott, Katie Holmes, David Koechner, Rob Lowe, William H Macy, J K Simmons, Robert Duvall
[Fridae Private Preview] |
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Spin is the art of manipulating public opinion through
the clever use of words. Thank You for Smoking is a
first-rate satire on the women and men who make a
living out of supplying the words to fool the public.
Aaron Eckhart plays the spokesman for the Academy of
Tobacco Studies who denies the cancerous effects of
smoking and insists that cigarettes are good for you.
As he floats his lies through a sea of crusading
politicians, wily media personnel and conscientious
lobbyist, Thank You for Smoking offers a very amusing
and relevant satire on the art of spinning.
If your IQ is higher than 120, this is a must-see. |
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The World's Fastest Indian |
Director: Roger Donaldson
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Jessica Cauffiel, Saginaw Grant
[Fridae Private Preview] |
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Based on a true story, Anthony
Hopkins plays an extraordinary 67-year-old man
in New Zealand named Burt Munro who dreams of racing
his Indian Scout motorcycle on Utah's Bonneville Salt
Flats. Though suffering from a weak heart and a bad
prostrate, he takes part in a race against much
younger men with more modern motorbikes.
Played with verve, warmth and eccentricity, Burt is
Anthony's best role in years. Director Roger
Donaldson, who hails from New Zealand too, is better
known for
thrillers like No Way Out and Dante's Peak. But this
material is clearly close to his heart,
and the care and attention to details show in every
frame.
A great movie to treat your Dad and Granddad to. |
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Re-Cycle |
Gwai Wik
Mandarin with English subtitles
Directors: Oxide Pang Chun, Danny ang
Cast: Angelica Lee Sinje, Ekin Cheng, Lawrence Chou, Lau Siu-Ming, Rain Li |
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Directing brothers Oxide and Danny Pang made a name
for themselves with their region-wide horror film The
Eye, which turned Angelica Lee into an overnight star.
Re-Cycle sees the three reuniting to make another
slick and well-imagined horror film. This time,
Angelica plays a popular romance writer who
decides to write a horror novel for a change. Holed up
in her apartment, she finds the world and characters
she imagines slowly coming to life.
Re-Cycle shows how far Oxide and Danny Pang have come
in the industry. While their earlier movies like
Bangkok Dangerous and The Eye had minimal use of
special effects, Re-Cycle is chock-full of CGI images.
Though Re-Cycle is somewhat short on narrative logic,
this CGI-fest should please younger moviegoers. |
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Mistress of Spices |
Director: Paul Mayeda Berges
Cast: Aishwarya Rai, Dylan McDermott, Ayesha Dharker, Nitin Chandra Ganatra, Sonny Gill Dulay |
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Breathtakingly beautiful Bollywood star Aishwarya Rai
may hold the record for the person with the most
number of websites dedicated to her. But her
English-speaking turn in Mistress of Spice lacks all
the ingredients of a good performance.
In it, she plays a psychic woman who runs a magical
spice shop in San Francisco. Her spices can cure any
form of ailments, as long as (a) she never uses them
for her own gain and (b) she never falls in love. Of
course, everyone falls in love in movies. So as you
can expect, the sudden appearance of Dylan McDermott,
a handsome architect, in her life means that she is in
trouble.
Based on a novel by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, the
movie tries to translate the already complex genre of
magical realism onto screen, but fails. |
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Havoc |
Director:
Barbara Kopple
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Bijou Phillips,
Mike Vogel, Laura San Giacomo, Michael Biehn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,
Matt O'Leary
[Fridae
Private Preview] |
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In her most provocative role to date, Anne Hathaway
plays a rich, bored and lonely teenager whose parents neglect her.
After visiting a dangerous Latino neighborhood to score some drugs,
she becomes fascinated with the wild side. She befriends a cool
Latino drug dealer (Freddie Rodriguez) who introduces her to a world
of guns, group sex and crack cocaine.
This movie is semi-notorious because Anne goes topless a few times
and shares some lesbian-tinged moments with actress Bijou Philips.
But Anne gets away with it because of her surprisingly strong and
assured performance. The script is written by Stephen Gaghan of
Traffic and Syriana fame, and the movie is directed
by Barbara Kopple, who helmed several episodes of the gritty cop
show Homicide: Life On The Streets.
Worth watching — especially for lesbian viewers who are madly
in love with the impossibly beautiful Anne Hathaway. |
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Superman Returns |
Director:
Bryan Singer
Cast: Brandon Routh, Kate Bosworth,
James Marsden, Frank Langella, Eva Marie Saint, Parker Posey,
Sam Huntington, Kal Penn, Kevin Spacey |
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Bryan Singer, an openly gay director, stirred up
quite a bit of controversy when he was asked to direct Superman
Returns. For months, homophobic netizens speculated that he
would turn the Man of Steel into a Man of Steel Magnolias. But as
it turns out, there is nothing sissy about Bryan's vision of Superman.
Yes, the superhero is more sensitive and romantic than any of his
previous screen incarnations. But that only lends soul, depth and
emotionality to the new Superman character.
The story begins with Superman (Brandon Routh) returning to Earth
after going AWOL for five years. Superman, you see, has been flying
to every corner of the universe in search of his real home. But
now that he's back, he is shocked to discover that the love of his
life, Lois (Kate Bosworth), has a son and a fiance (James Marsden).
Not only that, Lois had -- in Superman's absence -- written
a scathing column titled Why the world doesnt need Superman.
But she is wrong. Superman's arch nemesis Lex Luthor (Kevin Spacey)
has a dastardly plan. It is up to Superman to save the world once
again...
Superman Returns delivers almost everything that you would
expect from a big-event movie -- stunts, special effects, sass,
spunk and most importantly, soul. |
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4:30 |
Director:
Royston Tan
Cast: Xiao Li Yuan, Kim Young
Jun, Jung, Zhang Xiao Wu |
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Without a doubt, Royston Tan is a gifted visual
stylist who can compose images (with the help of his regular cinematographer
Lim Chin Leong) better than any filmmaker in Singapore. The distinctive
use of colors, the hyperkinetic MTV-style editing and the bold choice
of subject matter make him works refreshingly urgent and youthful.
His new film, however, sees him moving away from the hip and brash
aesthetics which he's become known for. 4:30 is quiet and
contemplative film about a lonely young boy (Xiao Li Yuan) who develops
an obsession for the handsome Korean man (Kim Young Jun) who shares
the same apartment. The boy often breaks into the man's room to
watch him sleep or rummage through his personal belongings. Over
time, however, the man develops a tacit bond with the boy...
Gentler and quieter than 15, but no less hypnotic to watch.
READ
Fridae People: Royston Tan tells Fridae about his
plans to make a full-fledged gay movie and a women's movie
|
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King and the Clown |
Wang-Ui Namja
Korean with English subtitles
Director: Lee Jun-Ik
Cast: Jeong Jin-Yeong, Kam Woo-Seong,
Lee Jun-Gi, Kang Seong-Yeon, Jang Hang-Seon
[Fridae
Private Preview] |
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The movie that's been called "Korea's Brokeback
Mountain" is finally here. When King and the Clown
was released in South Korea earlier this year, it shocked everyone
by becoming the biggest box-office hit in the country's history.
No one thought that a film about a gay love triangle would have
such a massive mainstream appeal.
Set in 16th Century Korea, King and the Clown stars Kam
Woo-Seong and Lee Jun-Gi as two traveling clowns who are arrested
for making fun of the king in their performances. But after making
the king (Jeong Jin-Yeong) laugh at their antics, the two clowns
are pardoned and allowed to become court jesters.
Of the two, Kam is accustomed to playing the male roles, while
slender and effeminate Lee usually takes on the female roles. But
Lee's female impersonations are so convincing that the king starts
to fall for him. This makes Kam jealous, because the male/female
personas of the two clowns extend beyond the stage and into their
bedroom...
King and the Clown is a beautifully-written and -directed
film. Director Lee Jun-Ik weaves lush period detail, historical
saga and strong characters into an impressive tapestry of human
drama.
READ
Fridae Lifestyle Movie Review
READ
Fridae Lifestyle Movie Review (Chinese)
READ
Fridae Feature on historical anecdotes and the
making of King and the Clown (Chinese)
|
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The Road to Guantanamo |
Directors:
Michael Winterbottom, Mat Whitecross
Cast: Riz Ahmed, Farhad Harun,
Waqar Siddiqui, Ewan Bailey
Silver Bear for Best Direction, Berlin
Film Festival
Only at Golden Village cinemas
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The Road to Guantanamo is a truly bold
and important film that exposes the lies that America tells the
world about its treatment of its prisoners in Guantanamo Bay. This
re-enactment of true-life accounts will open your eyes to the injustices
committed by the Bush administration. It also helps you understand
why it is so important to join the international chorus of voices
demanding the closure of Guantanamo camps.
The excellent British filmmaker Michael Winterbottom, in collaboration
with Mat Whitecross, chronicle the true lives of three innocent
British men who go to Afghanistan to help innocent civilians injured
in the bombings by American soldiers. There, the three are suddenly
arrested by American soldiers just because they have dark skins
and Muslim names. The men are sent to prison in Guantanamo Bay,
where they are repeatedly tortured in the most inhuman way and forced
to confess to ridiculous crimes.
As political-aware LGBTs who believe in the basic human rights
for all, you must not miss this film. |
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C.R.A.Z.Y. |
French with English subtitles
Director: Jean-Marc Vallee
Cast:
Michel Cote, Marc-Andre Grondin, Danielle Proulx Best
Canadian Feature Film, Toronto International Film Festival
Best Canadian Film, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor, Best
Supporting Actress, Vancouver Film Critics Circle
Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor, Best
Supporting Actress, Golden Reel and Award and 5 other awards,
Genie Awards
Only at Cathay cinemas |
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Aaaah, a gay film! We've been starved of these for
awhile.
But the wait has been worth it. This bittersweet coming-of-age
gay movie, with its perfect blend of comedy and drama, is just what
we need to sate us. It is so perfect, in fact, that we recommend
all LGBTs who've come out to their parents to bring their folks
to the movie.
Michel Cote plays the sweet Catholic father of a sexually-confused
boy (Emile Vallee) who would rather play with dresses instead of
trucks. Afraid that his son might turn gay, Michel does everything
to make sure that the young boy grows up to be a man's man. Similarly,
the boy loves his Dad so much that he prays to God that he doesn't
become a "fairy". But Mother Nature, as we LGBTs know, always gets
her way. And the boy soon matures into a handsome teenager (now
played by Marc-Andre Grondin) who can no longer hide or deny his
attraction to men...
Folks, we absolutely love this film. Everyone -- straight
or gay -- will enjoy the terrific soundtrack, striking cinematography
and engaging performances by the lead actors.
READ
Fridae Lifestyle Movie Review
READ Fridae Lifestyle Movie Review
(Chinese) |
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Silent Hill |
Director: Christophe Gans
Cast:
Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean, Laurie Holden, Deborah Kara Unger,
Kim Coates, Tanya Allen, Jodelle Ferland [Fridae
Private Preview] |
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In this creepy horror film, Radha Mitchell plays
the mother of an adopted girl (Jodelle Ferland) who often goes sleepwalking.
When found, the girl would scream, "Silent Hill! Silent Hill!" --
which is the name of an abandoned town. Thinking that her daughter
may be suppressing the memory of some unpleasant incident that occurred
before the adoption, Radha decides to take her to the town to help
her remember it. But when they arrive, they discover a macabre fourth
dimension from which there is no escape...
The mood and atmospherics of this film are terrific. A sense of
surreal paranoia and gloom pervades this film, replete with man-eating
cockroaches and ashen zombie-ghosts. There are some truly nightmarish
sequences and terrifying creatures, even though the second half
of the film is bogged down by too much dialogue. It's not the perfect
horror film, but it is certainly more original and intriguing than
The Omen. |
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Campus Ghost Stories |
Ikisudama
Japanese with English subtitles
Director: Toshiharu Ikeda
Cast: Yuichi Matsuo, Koji Matsuo,
Hitomi Miwa, Asumi Miwa
Only at Cathay cinemas |
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The most mysterious thing about this horror movie
is that it was released in Japan in 2001 to poor reviews and equally
poor box-office reception. But somehow, it has managed to worm its
way into our cinemas five years later.
This uninspired scarefest begins with the story of a creepy girl
who is able to be at two places at the same time. When she develops
a crush on a boy called Ryoji, other girls who happen to flirt with
Ryoji usually find themselves in deep trouble. Yet, before this
particular story can find a resolution, the movie suddenly switches
to an entirely different story about a haunted house, causing great
confusion for the audience. |
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Cars |
Director: John Lasseter
Voice
Cast: Paul Newman, Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, "Larry
the Cable Guy", Cheech Marin, George Carlin, Richard Petty,
Michael Keaton |
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Digital animation company Pixar is on a champion
streak. After the smash success of Toy Story, Toy Story
2, Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and The
Incredibles, it races forth with its enjoyable new cartoon
Cars. Though the plot is somewhat predictable, the hyper-realistic
look of the CG cartoon is utterly gorgeous. There is simply more
eye-candy here than a Victoria's Secrets catalogue (for the girls)
or a Bel Ami video (for the boys).
Comedian Owen Wilson provides the voice of Lightning, the hottest
new sensation on the racing circuit. Loud and arrogant, Lighting
is a one-car show who is too selfish to make friends. All he wants
is fame and fortune. But these fancy dreams grind to a halt when
he takes a detour to a small, sleepy town while on his way to another
race. |
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Scary Movie 4 |
Director:
David Zucker
Cast: Anna Faris, Regina Hall,
Craig Bierko, Leslie Nielsen, Carmen Electra, Shaquille O'Neal,
Dr Phil, Bill Pullman, Chris Elliot |
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This isn't really a movie. Rather, it is a string
of sketches that make fun of big movie hits from War of the
Worlds to Saw to Brokeback Mountain to The
Grudge. And although some of the jokes are pure toilet humor,
other jokes are actually rather funny.
The movie opens with basketball star Shaquille O'Neal and talk-show
host Dr Phil re-enacting the famous scenario from the horror movie
Saw, where two men wake up in a strange room and are forced
to cut off their own limbs. Subsequently, Charlie Sheen addresses
the problem of Viagra overdose while Anna Faris gets chased by ghosts
from Japanese horror movies.
Very messy but occasionally fun. |
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Just My Luck |
Director: Donald Petrie
Cast:
Lindsay Lohan, Chris Pine, Faizon Love, Missi Pyle, Samaire
Armstrong |
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It's just Lindsay Lohan's luck that she picked such
a bad, bad script this time. After all, she was sensational in Freaky
Friday and Mean Girls. And she's not a bad singer
at all. But Just My Luck is possibly the worst thing she
has ever done.
Lindsay plays a golden girl who has everything going for her: great
job, great apartment and great. On the other hand, Chris Pine is
the kinda guy who does everything wrong. He gets wet in every rainstorm,
falls into every manhole and slips on every banana peel. But at
a masked ball, the two meet and end up kissing so hard that --
whaddayano -- their fates switch. He suddenly becomes the luckiest
bastard in town while she loses her job, her apartment and her droolworthy
wardrobe.
Ridiculous plot, saggy pace and lame gags. |
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U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha |
Xhosa with English subtitles
Director: Mark Donford-May Cast:
Pauline Malefane, Andile Tshoni, Lungelwa Blou,
Andries Mbali Golden Bear Award, Berlin
International Film Festival
World Cinema Selection, Cannes International Film Festival |
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Ok, this is very strictly for those arty-farty fags
who love the opera. George Bizet's classic opera Carmen
from 1875 has been moved from its original setting of Seville to
a shantytown in Cape Town, South Africa where the story of obsessive
love and its tragic consequences plays out beautifully with the
magnificent Pauline Malefane in the role of Carmen, a strong and
wilful woman who brings about the downfall of a policeman (Andile
Tshoni) who loves her too much.
First-time director Mark Donford-May makes fine use of the colorful
setting of Cape Town, with the drama unfolding nicely in pool halls,
courtyards, factories and the like. He also manages to get his actor-singers
to shine both in the vocal and acting departments. The mixing of
Bizet's classical score with the infectious rhythms of South Africa
results in some brilliant musical moments. U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha
won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival last year. |
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She's the Man |
Director: Andy Fickman
Cast:
Amanda Bynes, Channing Tatum, Laura Ramsey, Robert Hoffman,
Jonathan Sadowski |
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With a title like that, any fag, drag or dyke instantly
knows that the plot centers on cross-dressing. And if you're short
on LGBT entertainment this week, then She's The Man might
just offer you some cheap thrills and spills.
Likeable teen starlet Amanda Bynes plays a soccer-playing girl
who is upset when her school drops the girls team and would not
let her play in the boys team. When her twin brother Sebastian ditches
school to pursue his dreams of becoming a rock star, Amanda decides
to cross-dress as Sebastian just so she can play soccer again. The
result is an occasionally entertaining though largely uninspired
film. |
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Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles |
Qianli Zou Danqi
Mandarin and Japanese with English subtitles
Director: Zhang Yimou Cast:
Takakura Ken, Terajima Shinobu, Nakai Kiichi, Li Jiamin, Qiu
Lin Only at The Picturehouse |
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Zhang Yimou's new film, Riding Alone
for Thousands of Miles, sees him returning to his roots as
master director who's attuned to every single nuance of the human
emotion. Zhang came up with this remarkable story with writers Zou
Jingzhi and Wang Bin, about an old Japanese fisherman (Ken Takakura)
who receives news that his estranged son has terminal cancer. As
a gesture of his love for his son, the old man decides to travel
to China to finish the documentary his son was working on.
Zhang proves that how adept he is at capturing raw human emotions
through his miraculous skills as a storyteller. We can't remember
the last time we were this moved and satisfied watching a simple
human drama about ordinary people making amends for the past. We
loved this movie more than any mega-budget, formula-bound spectacle
that Hollywood rolled out this summer. We think you might too. |
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X-Men: The Last Stand |
Director: Brett Ratner
Cast:
Hugh Jackman, Halle Berry, Ian McKellen, Famke Janssen, Anna
Paquin, Kelsey Grammer, Rebecca Romijn, James Marsden, Shawn
Ashmore |
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Unlike the first two films which were directed by
Bryan Singer, the third is directed by Brett Ratner, an action director
best known for Rush Hour. As a result, The Last Stand
delivers the action goods with plenty of wham-bam special effects
but very little soul.
The sprawling storyline revolves mainly around a "cure" that is
said to suppress the mutant genes. Proud mutant villain Magneto
(Ian McKellen), perpetually at war with humans, summons his mutant
army to destroy the "cure" and the boy who carries it in his blood.
It is up to the good mutant Prof Xavier (Patrick Stewart) and his
team to stop the terror and destruction.
Slick and action-packed, but disappointingly superficial and soulless.
READ
Fridae Lifestyle Movie Review |
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Chinese Take Away |
Director: Anna Yen
Cast: Anna Yen
Screening Date: 10 Jul
[Crossroads 2006]
Only at the Arts House |
more>> |
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The Unbearable Lightness of Being |
Director: Philip Kaufman
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Juliette Binoche, Lena Olin
Screening Date: 13 to 29 Jul
Only at the Arts House |
more>> |
|
See How They Fall |
Regarde les Hommes Tomber
French, English, Arabic, Spanish with English subtitles
Director: Jacques Audiard
Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean Yanne, Mathieu Kassovitz, Bulle Ogier, Christine Pascal, Yvon Beck, Yves Verhoeven
Screening Date: 11 Jul
Only at Alliance Francaise |
more>> |
|
No Scandal/Keep It Quiet |
Pas de Scandale
French with English subtitles
Director: Benoît Jacquot
Cast: Fabrice Luchini, Isabelle Huppert, Vincent Lindon
Screening Date: 18 Jul
Only at Alliance Francaise |
more>> |
|
How Much Do You Love Me? |
Combien tu M'aimes?
French with English subtitles
Director: Bertrand Blier
Cast: Monica Bellucci, Bernard Campan, Gerard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Edouard Baer
Release Date: 20 Jul
[Fridae Private Preview] |
more>> |
|
Mortuary |
Director: Tobe Hooper
Cast: Dan Byrd, Stephanie Patton, Alexandra Adi, Denise Crosby, Courtney Peldon
Release Date: 20 Jul |
more>> |
|
Hoodwinked |
Directors: Cory Edwards, Todd Edwards
Cast: Glenn Close, Anne Hathaway, James Belushi, Patrick Warburton, Anthony Anderson, David Ogden Stiers, Xzibit
Release Date: 20 Jul |
more>> |
|
Nacho Libre |
Director: Jared Hess
Cast:
Jack Black, Ana de la Reguera, Hector Jimenez,
Richard Montoya, Peter Stormare Release
Date: 20 Jul |
more>>
|
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Ask the Dust |
Director:
Robert Towne
Cast: Colin Farrell, Salma Hayek,
Donald Sutherland, Eileen Atkins
Release Date: 20 Jul
Only at The Cathay |
more>> |
|
Stay Alive |
Director:
William Brent Bell
Cast: Jon Foster, Samaire Armstrong,
Frankie Muniz, Jimmi Simpson, Wendell Pierce
Release Date: 20 Jul |
more>> |
|
A Scanner Darkly |
Director:
Richard Linklater
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Winona Ryder,
Robert Downey Jr, Woody Harrelson, Rory Cochrane, Marco Perella,
Steven Prince
Release Date: 20 Jul
Only at The Cathay |
more>> |
|
Friends with Money |
Director:
Nicole Holofcener
Cast: Jennifer Aniston, K C Clyde,
Bobby Coleman, Joan Cusack, Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand,
Jason Isaacs, Scott Caan
Release Date: 20 Jul |
more>> |
|
Dragon Tiger Gate |
Long Hu
Men
Mandarin with English subtitles
Director: Wilson Yip Wai-shun
Cast: Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse,
Shawn Yue, Dong Jie, Li Xiao-ran, Yuen Wah
Release Date: 27 Jul |
more>> |
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Lady in the Water |
Director:
M Night Shyamalan
Cast: Paul Giamatti, Bryce Dallas
Howard, Freddy Rodriguez, Jeffrey Wright
Release Date: 27 Jul |
more>> |
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The Libertine |
Director:
Laurence Dunmore
Cast: Johnny Depp, Samantha Morton,
John Malkovich
Release Date: 27 Jul |
more>> |
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The Lake House |
Director:
Alejandro Agresti
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Sandra Bullock
Release Date: 27 Jul |
more>> |
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The Beat that My Heart Skipped |
De Battre mon Coeur s'est Arrete
French, English, Mandarin, Russian with English subtitles
Director: Jacques Audiard
Cast: Romaine Duris, Niels Arestrup
Release Date: 27 Jul
Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting
Actor, Most Promising Actress, Best Writing, Best Music, Best
Editing, Best Cinematography, Cesar Awards
Best Film not in the English Language, BAFTA Awards
Best Film, Critics Awards, French Syndicate of Cinema Critics
Silver Berlin Bear for Best Film Music, Berlin Film Festival
Only at The Picutrehouse |
more>> |
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Now and Forever |
Yeolliji
Korean with English subtitles
Director:Kim Seong-Jung
Cast:Choi Ji-Woo, Jo Han-Sun
Release Date: 27 Jul |
more>> |
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Helen The Baby Fox |
Kogitsune Helen
Japanese with English subtitles
Director: Keita Kono
Cast: Takao Ohsawa
Yasuko Matsuyuki
Release Date: 27 Jul |
more>> |
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Hard Candy |
Director: David Slade
Cast: Patrick Wilson, Ellen Page,
Sandra Oh, Jennifer Holmes
Release Date: 3 Aug |
more>> |
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Click |
Director:
Frank Coraci
Cast: Adam Sandler, Kate Beckinsale,
Joseph Castanon, Tatum McCann, Christopher Walken
Release Date: 3 Aug |
more>> |
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Forbidden Siren |
Siren
Japanese with English subtitles
Director: Keiichiro Toyama
Cast: Mitsuyoshi Shinoda, Natsuki
Okamoto, Masaki Tachi, Masami Mizuno, Nobuaki Mitsuda
Release Date: 3 Aug |
more>> |
|
Adam Apples |
Adams aebler
Danish with English subtitles
Director: Anders Thomas Jensen
Cast: Ali Kazim, Ole Thestrup,
Nicolas Bro
Release Date: 3 Aug
Best Film Golden Raven Award, Grand
Prize of European Fantasy Film in Silver and Pegasus Audience
Award, Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film
Best Film, Screenplay and Special Effects, Robert Festival
Best Supporting Actor, Zulu Awards |
more>> |
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Pulse |
Director: Jim Sonzero
Cast: Kristen Bell, Tate Hanyok,
Ian Somerhalder, Christina Milian, Rick Gonzalez
Release Date: 3 Aug |
more>> |
|
The Fast and The Furious: Tokyo Drift |
Director:
Justin Lin
Cast: Lucas Black, Bow Wow, Brian
Tee, Sung Kang, Jason Tobin, Nathalie Kelly
Release Date: 3 Aug
Best Film, Screenplay and Special Effects, Robert Festival
|
more>> |
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Sophie Scholl - The Final Days |
Sophie Scholl - Die letzten Tage
German with English subtitles
Director: Marc Rothemund
Cast: Julia Jentsch, Fabian Hinrichs, Gerald Alexander Held, Johanna Gastdorf
Release Date: 10 Aug
Silver Bear Awards for Best Director and Best Actress, and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Berlin International Film Festival
Best Actress, and Audience Award for Best Director and Best Actress, European Film Awards
German Film of the Year Audience Award, Best Actress Gold and Outstanding Feature Film Silver Awards, German Film Awards
Best Narrative Feature Audience Award, Hamptons International Film Festival
Bernhard Wicki Film Award, Munich Film Festival
Best Production, Bavarian Film Awards |
more>> |
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Imagine Me and You |
Director:
Ol Parker
Cast: Piper Perabo, Lena Headey,
Matthew Goode, Celia Imrie
Release Date: 9 Aug |
more>> |
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Umizaru 2: Test of Trust |
Japanese with English subtitles
Director: Eiichiro Hasumi
Cast: Hideaki Ito, Ai Kato
Release Date: 10 Aug |
more>> |
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The Ant Bully |
Director:
John A Davis
Voice Cast: Nicolas Cage, Bruce
Campbell, Zach Tyler Eisen, Paul Giamatti, Regina King, Julia
Roberts, Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin
Release Date: 9 Aug |
more>> |
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My Super Ex-Girlfriend |
Director:
Ivan Reitman
Cast: Uma Thurman, Luke Wilson,
Anna Faris
Release Date: 9 Aug |
more>> |
|
Frostbite |
Frostbiten
Swedish with English subtitles
Director: Anders Banke
Cast: Petra Nielsen, Grete Havneskold,
Emma Aberg, Jonas Karlstrom
Release Date: 10 Aug
Best Film, International Fantasy Film Award, Fantasporto |
more>> |
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Isolation |
Director:
Billy O'Brien
Cast:Essie Davis, Sean Harris,
Marcel Iures, Crispin Letts, John Lynch, Ruth Negga, Stanley
Townsend
Release Date: 9 Aug |
more>> |
|
The Breakup |
Director:
Peyton Reed
Cast: Vince Vaughn, Jennifer
Aniston
Release Date: 17 Aug |
more>> |
|
An American Haunting |
Director:
Courtney Solomon
Cast: Donald Sutherland, Sissy
Spacek, James D'Arcy, Rachel Hurd-Wood, Matthew Marsh
Release Date: 17 Aug |
more>> |
|
Ghost Game |
Laa-thaa-phii
Thai with English subtitles
Director: Sarawut Wichiensarn
Cast: The Academy Fantasia 1 — Pachornpol Jantieng, Thanyanan Mahapirun, Supatsiri Patomnupong, Phongsak Rattanapong
Release Date: 17 Aug |
more>> |
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Crazy Stone |
Mandarin with English subtitles
Director: Ning Hao
Cast: Guo Tao, Liu Gang, Huang Bo, Lian Jin, Fan Bing Bing
Release Date: 17 Aug |
more>> |
|
See No Evil |
Director: Gregory Dark
Cast: Glen Jacobs, Christina Vidal,
Michael J Pagan, Steven Vidler,
Samantha Noble, Penny McNamee,
Craig Horner, Tiffany Lamb
Release Date: 17 Aug |
more>> |
|
Lucky Number Slevin |
Director: Paul McGuigan
Cast: Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Morgan Freeman, Ben Kingsley
Release Date: 17 Aug
Only at Cathay cinemas |
more>> |
|
Beneath Still Waters |
Bajo Aguas Tranquilas
Spanish with English subtitles
Director: Brian Yuzna
Cast: Michael Mckell,
Charlotte Salt, Raquel Meroño,
Patrick Gordon, Pilar Soto, Josep Maria Pou,
Manuel Manquiña
Release Date: 24 Aug
|
more>> |
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Pretty Persuasion |
Director: Marcos Siega
Cast: Evan Rachel Wood, David Wagner, Brent Goldberg, Adi Schnall, Elisabeth Harnois
Release Date: 24 Aug |
more>> |
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Lower City |
Cidade Baixa
Portuguese with English subtitles
Director: Sergio Machado
Cast: Lázaro Ramos, Wagner Moura, Alice Braga, Jose Dumont
Release Date: 24 Aug
Award of the Youth, Cannes Film Festival |
more>> |
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United 93 |
Director: Paul Greengrass
Cast: Christian Clemenson, Trish Gates, Polly Adams, Cheyenne Jackson
Release Date: 24 Aug |
more>> |
|
Snakes on a Plane |
Director: David R Ellis
Cast: Samuel L Jackson,
Byron Lawson, Nathan Phillips
Release Date: 24 Aug
|
more>> |
|
The Devil Wears Prada |
Director: David Frankel
Cast: Meryl Streep,
Anne Hathaway, Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci,
Adrian Grenier,
Tracie Thoms,
Rich Sommer,
Simon Baker
Release Date: 31 Aug |
more>> |
|
Don't Come Knocking |
Director: Wim Wenders
Cast: Sam Shepard,
Jessica Lange,
Tim Roth, Gabriel Mann, Sarah Polley, Fairuza Balk, Eva Marie Saint
Release Date: TBA
Only at The Picturehouse
|
more>> |
|
Tony Takitani |
Japanese with English subtitles
Director: Jun Ichikawa
Cast: Issei Ogata, Rie Miyazawa
Release Date: TBA
FIPRESCI Prize and Special Prize of the Jury, Locarno International Film Festival
Only at The Picturehouse
|
more>> |
|
Lemming |
French with English subtitles
Director: Dominik Moll
Cast: Laurent Lucas, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Charlotte Rampling, Andre Dussollier
Release Date: 31 Aug |
more>> |
|
Fridae Movie Reviews |
READ Fridae Lifestyle movie reviews in English
and Chinese
POST your comments
about the movies after each review! here |
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Film
Festivals and Special Events
>> Please check screening schedules at
the respective links. |
Underneath the Radar: a showcase of documentaries |
Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price, Walking For Life, Life and Debt, 4th World War, The Take
Date: 21 Jul to 18 Aug
Venue: Digital Media Hub ICON Theatre and Alliance Francaise
Presented by Stitch: Initiative Against Sweatshops |
more>> |
|
3rd Singapore Short Cuts |
various local short films
Date:
22 Jul to 12 Aug
Venue: National Museum of Singapore
Presented by National Museum of Singapore, The Substation and the Singapore Film Commission |
more>> |
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European Union Film Festival |
Combat Sixteen,
Offside, ... Date:
13 to 22 Oct
Venue: Golden Village Harbourfront Presented
by The European Union |
more>> |
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Japanese Film Festival 2006 |
various films
from Japan including Kitano Takeshi's work
Date: Jun
Venue: The Picturehouse Presented
by The Picturehouse |
more>> |
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