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My first impression of this movie titled Kung Fu Panda (2008), honestly speaking, was not an illustrious one. In my mind, I imagined an animated film laden with adolescent humour, ‘cutesie’ characters and with a plot as thin as air, targeted mainly at the young. Watching the show has certainly proved how wrong I was. Although it was no mega-blockbuster, Kung Fu Panda (2008) was a pot full of laughs and enjoyable entertainment for everyone in the family.

The star of the show is, of course, ‘Kung Fu Panda’ himself – an obese and melancholic panda named Po leading a mundane life of selling noodles, voiced by funnyman Jack Black. This panda is in love with kung-fu, and he dreams about learning kung-fu and becoming like the local martial arts heroes The Furious Five. The Furious Five are composed of the Tigress, Crane, Monkey, Snake and Mantis; they are the revered martial arts exponents tutored by the widely respected Masters Shifu and Wugui.

The sudden reappearance of Tai Lung the evil snow-leopard, who was Master Shifu’s previous apprentice who went rogue, forced Master Shifu and Master Wugui to choose a legendary Dragon Warrior from the masses. Through a series of freak but hilarious circumstances, Po was selected by Master Wugui. This came as an offending shock to the fraternity as Po was clumsy, lazy and had no aptitude for kung-fu at all, and it was an especially difficult blow for Tigress as it was widely believed she would be the Chosen One. With the selection, began the arduous task of training and imparting skills to Po. As the time ticked away, Po began to pick up kung-fu and even began to impress Master Shifu and the Five. Eventually, Tai Lung reached the city and so, begins the showdown between Po and the evil Tai Lung.

This show is worth the watch. Why? The first thing is that this show is simply funny. Granted, this is a kid’s show, you will not find intellectual punchlines that will blow you away. However, this flick will keep you smiling or giggling away for the better part of an hour, especially at Po’s antics during his training. Some scenes had me doubling over in laughter, like the time when Po was dueling Master Shifu for a dumpling. Another good reason to catch Kung Fu Panda is that it is visually arresting. Po is irresistibly cute while the other characters like Tai Lung and Tigress are so artfully created that it exudes an aura of authority, fear and respect. Furthermore, this is a kung-fu flick and naturally you can expect attractive fight scenes. Although it is computer-generated, the fight scenes are explosive and beautifully choreographed. Each fight was more exciting and pulse-racing than the one before.

It would be unfair to say that Kung Fu Panda (2008) is devoid of a plot or storyline. It does, albeit a very predictable and boring one. However, we do have to bear in mind that this is a kid’s show and we cannot expect a plot too complicated, and it is true that the merits more than make up for this in the visual department. The one qualm I have is that the other characters seem under-developed. The entire crew of superstars voicing the Five seemed under-utilized. Jackie Chan played the goofy but good-natured Monkey but he could not have spoken for than ten lines in the whole show. The movie revolved too much on just Po.

This movie will not blind you by its ‘awesome-ness’ but it is definitely worth the money for your ticket.

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Good Luck Chuck (2007) is a romantic comedy about how a man tries to break and overcome a childhood voodoo curse to win over the girl of his dreams and finally find true love. Sounds corny? You bet it is, but this is a romantic comedy and nonsensical plots have more often than not reared its ugly head in this genre of movies. However, this movie is not without its merits and it is still a decent film to catch.

The film starts off with 10-year old Charlie Logan playing a game of 'spin the bottle' with his group of friends. He then refuses to kiss and make out with a crazed goth-girl as per the game rules dictate, and the girl casts some sort of hex on him out of spite. 25 years later, Charlie has established himself as a successful dental surgeon. He has plenty of luck with women looking for fun; however he has no luck with finding the true love that he so fervently seeks. Eventually it dawned upon him that he was still under a curse - whichever woman that sleeps with him, will find true happiness and marital bliss with the next partner. Goaded on by his obnoxious childhood friend Stu Kaminsky, he goes on a sex romp (supposedly doing community a service), sleeping with hordes of eager women who want to eventually find true love, albeit by having sex with Charlie first.

Charlie's promiscuous perspective of life makes a drastic change when he meets Cam (played by the lovely Jessica Alba), a clumsy and accident-prone zookeeper with an obsession with penguins. In order not to lose her to her next partner, Charlie has to remain celibate, which obviously is a challenging feat for Charlie (especially when it's Jessica Alba!). After Charlie mistakenly assumes that the hex is broken, he finally lets loose and enjoys a night of passion with Cam. To his horror, as a result of Stu's deceit, the hex was not broken and he risked losing Cam to the next man she meets. Charlie then races against time to break the curse and eventually Cam, touched by his sincerity, accepts him and they got married in Antarctica (or North Pole, or wherever penguins populate).

This movie drew tremendous amounts of flak when it aired in USA, and it was easy to comprehend why. The humour was slapstick and at numerous points you would find yourself rolling your eyes to the jokes rather than laughing like you're supposed to. This movie is full of sexual content, basically an entire parade of topless females. The difference between Good Luck Chuck and the popular American Pie series is that the former tries too hard to display more depth and plot to shrug off the stereotype of a brainless sex-laden flick. At this, Good Luck Chuck is an unmitigated disaster. In contrast, American Pie does not seek to distinguish itself and actually excels at being a value-less, watch-and-laugh-and-forget sex comedy, which is why it is rather well-accepted. Jessica Alba's character Cam was an outdated movie cliché the bungling and clumsy female lead character was funny five years ago.

As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, this movie is not without several redeeming factors. Dane Cook and Jessica Alba put in some decent acting as the lead characters and I felt that the plot did not do any justice to their efforts. Dane Cook, in particular, did a good job as the charismatic Dr Logan. This was the main saving grace as to why I rated this movie 3 and not anything lower. Other than this, there were actually some sincere bits towards the ending of the movie, when Cam gets so suffocated by Charlie's protectiveness that she tries to break away.

Watch Good Luck Chuck (2007) if you do not have anything else better to watch in the romantic comedy department, but stock up on popcorn. You will at least have something to do when the perpetual bad humour fails to crack you up. Oh, and nobody ever calls him Chuck anyways.

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Horror and gore are the pet genres of Thailand's filmmakers. 'Shutter (2004)' was a massive hit not only in Asia, but in America and Europe as well. 'Shutter' was recently released in the USA, but it was a different English version shot and produced in America. Ever since Shutter, I pinned similar expectations on Thai horror films that I watch, and this most recent one has indeed lived up to expectations.

Body #19 (2008) was released in January this year to a rather muted response. I felt that this was a misrepresentation of the quality of this movie and I felt that I should take this opportunity to introduce this movie. The story revolves around a Thai engineering student named Chon haunted by recurring dreams and inexplicable visions about an unnamed female stranger. The dreams become increasingly violent and he ends up witnessing the woman being murdered. He then experiences hallucinations of himself being dissected and chopped up like the woman and out of fear and frustration he consults a psychotherapist.

Amidst all his fears, he feels that it is the woman's spirit trying to ask him for help. He then enlists the help of his sister to assist him to uncovering the truth behind the murder. As he delves deeper into the truth, the malicious spirit manifests itself and actually killed the people that he talked to, people who try to help him uncover the truth. A man gets burned alive by acid poured forth from the ghoul's body and a woman getting lacerated and asphyxiated by a tightening coil of barb wire; Chon fears for his life and his sister's and becomes increasing hysterical and frantic.

Since this movie was produced by the same studio that produced 'Shutter' and 'Alone', it would be likely that it offers a dramatic late twist in storyline. How right I was, but how wrongly did I guess. In retrospect, this was a brilliant twist, comparable to the ones in the 'Saw' series. For the sake of people who still do want to catch this movie, I will not be shedding any spoilers.

Although I am not a horror fanboy, I must say that I am inclined to praise this movie. This is one of the better horror flicks that I have watch to date. Story-wise, it was commendable. It was nothing groundbreaking but it was enough to make me sit back and appreciate the twist in storyline. Apart from the plot, my favourite aspects of the movie were the computer-generated effects as well as the music. The CG effects was so meticulously detailed that the gore was absolutely revolting. The hacking of the corpse of the woman was crafted so realistically that it did threaten to upend my stomach. Also, the sound design was excellent. The opera-style theme song transited from being classy to eerie and to downright bone-chillingly spooky. In horror movies, sound is an instrumental tool in enhancing the scares and this, Body #19 does to brilliant effect. Coupled with well-designed graphic displays, this show's 'boo' moments will always jolt you.

One thing that Body #19 could have improved on was the length of the movie. Running at more than two hours long, it could have ended much earlier if the producers did not drag the storyline more than necessary. The trend of scare-moments in Body #19 became predictable after the first hour. Instead of choosing the climax of suspense to insert the jolting scenes, producers chose to insert a lull period after suspense reaches the peak, before unleashing the shocking moment. This was a change from usual horror flicks, but this happened close to every single time in the show, making it rather predictable towards the end.

All in all, Body #19 (2008) is a good show to watch, but make sure you have the stomach to digest the graphic scenes of dismemberment. No doubt, it was a very impressive effort by the production team and worth every penny for the ticket, but it is nothing spectacular.

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For someone who scoffed at the first installment of The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian (2008) seemed an illogical choice for a night out at the theatre. I was readily convinced that the majority of the crowd drawn to this film is female and is watching the show only because of Caspian’s dashing good looks. There were definitely some negative points to the show but contrary to my initial expectations, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008) was a rather entertaining movie for the family.

For those who missed the prequel, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005), you may find the review here. This episode continues the story a year after the Pevensie children stumbled upon the magical world of Narnia through a wardrobe. Although it has been only a year in England for the children, centuries have elapsed in Narnia since the time when they defeated the White Witch with Aslan. In short, the human race of Telmarines invaded and conquered much of the Narnia of old, their oppressive rule driving the natives into the woods and being exiled from the kingdom that the Telmarines have built. They were depicted to be savage and fearsome and were slaughtered to the brink of near-extinction. The dwarf Trumpkin summarizes the entire atmosphere best – ‘you may find Narnia a more savage place than you remember’.

The rightful heir to the Telmarine throne is Prince Caspian X, whose father was murdered by his power-hungry uncle Miraz. On a fateful night, Miraz’s wife give births to a baby boy, a male heir to the throne that Miraz plans to usurp. With help from his professor, Caspian manages to sneak out of the castle and escapes to the woods, rumoured to be the habitat of native Narnians. He ultimately blows the horn of Queen Susan of the old and unknowingly summons the four Kings and Queens of the yore. This causes the four Pevensie children to be magically transported back to Narnia once again.

Caspian had rallied the remnants of the Narnians behind him, offering them their freedom if they grant him their help to regain the throne. Upon Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy’s return, Caspian cedes the leadership to Peter the Magnificent. However, tensions escalate and emotions run wild after a botched preemptive assault on the Telmarine stronghold. The Telmarine army then marches to the Narnians’ stronghold for a dramatic faceoff. Despite Peter besting King Miraz in a one-to-one duel, the Telmarines proceeded to assail the outnumbered Narnians. The valiant Narnians held off their waves of attack but were succumbing to the massive might of the numerous Telmarine forces. At this darkest hour, the mighty Aslan, who mysteriously vanished from Narnia, returns with Lucy to turn Nature against the Telmarines. The Telmarines were thoroughly routed and Prince Caspian is restored to the throne. The remaining Narnians are welcome back into the stronghold to celebrate the coronation of King Caspian X.

From the trailers, it seemed as though Prince Caspian was a Lord of the Rings wannabe, trying to reproduce the epic battles, the alliance of motley characters and the triumph of the underdogs. However, the battle scenes involved are a great improvement from the first installment. This is especially true for the first strike at the Telmarine base. This was almost as good, or even on par with a Lord of the Rings scene. Fights were well-choreographed, relying more on skill of the sword-wielders than flashy camera effects.

One thing that was outstanding in Prince Caspian was the whole plethora of characters from Narnia. From the disgruntled dwarfs, to the magnificent and chivalrous centaurs, to the tiny but proud mouse-knights, to even the hulking, shaggy minotaurs. Although it was heartening to see former foes band together to defend their homeland, at times it seemed too easy for mortal foes like the minotaurs to so readily join Caspian’s band of warriors. It seemed almost convenient, also, that Aslan would mysteriously return from hiding to aid the Narnians to defeat the Telmarine army.

For a first timer, Ben Barnes acting as Prince Caspian does an admirable job of portraying the teenage heir as a proud and impetuous leader, who is torn by emotions – the feelings and admiration for this father, and simultaneous horror and disgust at his father’s part in invading and destroying Narnia. The four Pevensie children return more mature in this flick. Peter (William Moseley) has lost his schoolboy bewilderment and gamely steps up to assume his namesake (King Peter the Magnificent), somewhat arrogantly and impulsively.

All in all, this sequel is darker and more sinister than the first episode of The Chronicles of Narnia, making it less of a children’s flick. Having said that, I really did enjoy the sequel much more than the previous one. There was plenty of humour and it was quite entertaining watching Prince Caspian and King Peter bicker about their plans. A good family movie nonetheless, and definitely worth the money I paid to watch it.

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Step Up (2006) was arguably one of the most popular chic-flicks that was produced in 2006. Its highly anticipated sequel, Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) released early this year, was welcomed warmly by the public and soared to the top of the box office after it opened. Step Up 2's plot is not directly related to that of its prequel but is actually a spin-off from the storyline of the first.

The second episode focuses on Andie, the 'little sister' of the Tyler Gage, the male lead in Step Up. In the original Step Up, the only real screen time we saw of little Andie was when Tyler was giving some pointers to Andie on street dancing in a basketball court. In Step Up 2, Andie is all grown up, with a mean and rebellious streak. She is a problem teen to her guardian, participating in illegal activities with a street gang called '410'. When Andie's guardian found out that she was involved in a public disturbance case on a train, she decided to send Andie to Texas to start afresh. This is where Tyler Gage makes a cameo appearance - he returns and helps convince Sarah (Andie's guardian) to let her stay, on the condition that she enrolls in the famed, elite Maryland School of Arts (MSA).

As Andie immerses herself into MSA life, albeit reluctantly at first, she meets and makes new friends like the nerdy-looking Moose Alexander and the charming poster-boy Chase Collins. As MSA and her new friends take up more and more of her time, she finds herself drifting from her 410 family. Eventually, she gets expelled by their possessive leader Tuck. She was devastated as she would be outcast by her friends and she would not be able to take part in the renowned street dancing competition known as 'The Streets'. At this point, Chase suggested starting their own dance crew to compete in the streets. Initially skeptical, Andie eventually warms up to the idea after consolidating a crew of eight talented MSA schoolmates.

However, their participation in The Streets earns them the wrath of the influential 410 and in retaliation, the 410 wrecks a pristine dance studio in MSA. Andie is subsequently expelled from MSA for her participation in illicit activities while the entire school is warned. On the night of The Streets, her crew members, led by Chase and Moose, decided to risk everything they had at MSA to compete at The Streets.

One word sums up the entire storyline for this movie: predictable. Being predictable, means the plot is essentially typical and boring. The progression of the plot is largely unidirectional. It was obvious, by the way the story unfolded, that Andie would break away from the 410 and form her own crew. The finale was also not difficult to figure out and it was extremely cheesy, to say the very least. It seemed absurd to me how a volatile and hostile crowd at The Streets could warm up to and even cheer for Andie after a short 20 second speech.

Having said that, nobody watches Step Up 2 for the plot anyway. It definitely will not be winning any awards for originality or creativity, but you will be awed by how entertaining this film is. Who cares about the non-existent plot when you got dance moves like these? If you thought the dancing in Step Up was impressive, think again. Step Up 2 is all about crew-dancing, so you will teams of up to 8 people dancing in unison - break dancing in all its glory. I conclude that the almost-10-minutes-long finale dance scene is the best dance scene I have ever seen. It is the kind of dancing that will start an urge in you to start taking up break dancing lessons.

Another aspect of the show that I really appreciated was the soundtrack. Including songs like the wildly popular 'Low' by Flo-Rida, the soundtrack is absolutely groovy and exciting. Step Up 2: The Streets (2008) was a real visual and audio feast for me, and for me, this is one of the best 'watch-and-forget' shows in recent years.

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