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Powerful Pack by Linh


AWESTRUCK AVENGERS: Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Captain America (Chris Evans) prepare for the battle ahead in the film The Avengers. Image: Marvel Studios.


The latest blockbuster action film from Marvel is The Avengers also called Avengers Assemble in the United Kingdom, which is based on the comic book with minor alterations made for the film adaptation. Joss Whedon (Serenity, The Cabin In The Woods) directed and co-wrote The Avengers with most of his vision for the film’s premise realised, and the cast assembled to portray the team of superheroes are superb. Whedon, who is mostly known for his television credits for the television series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, brings together a group of individuals who all manage to work as a team on the screen. All the superhero characters have already appeared in films leading up to this film’s release, which makes it easier to attract an audience and create a larger fanbase.


HULK HORROR: Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) escapes the rage of the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) in the film The Avengers. Image: Marvel Studios.


In The Avengers, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) of the spy agency S.H.I.E.L.D, is experimenting with the special cube of unlimited sustainable energy called the Tesseract, when he is rudely interrupted by Loki (Tom Hiddleston). Loki uses his sceptre to “cast a spell” on Dr. Selvig (Stellan Skarsgård) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), making them his followers, then destroys S.H.I.E.L.D headquarters as he departs with the Tesseract. Nick Fury sends out orders to his spy agents Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to enlist the help of Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.) and Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) respectively. Meanwhile, Nick Fury convinces Steve Rogers/ Captain America (Chris Evans) to join the fight against Loki. After the team have captured Loki in Stuttgart, Germany, Thor (Chris Hemsworth) drops in to take Loki and the Tesseract back to Asgard. The team warns him that Loki has sent an army to destroy Earth and the Tesseract is missing, so he agrees to holding Loki in custody until they find the Tesseract. However, Loki’s plans of ultimate power and control look likely until the team of superheroes can work together to stop the invaders on land and in the air.

HOTSHOT HAWKEYE: Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) makes a perfect hit as he leaps through the air in the film The Avengers. Image: Marvel Studios.


The battle scenes look spectacular and are brilliantly edited so the action from the air and on the ground blend and move smoothly from one character’s fight scene to another. The hand-to-hand combat and fight scenes leading up to the big battle in Manhattan are excellent; Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye give each other powerful punches and kicks before calming down to a brief emotional moment of shared history from their past; the forest fight scene between Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man and Chris Hemsworth’s Thor is a comical masculinity-contest and seems to help establish an understanding of how they can use their powers “with” instead of “against” each other.

HEROIC HEAT: Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Captain America (Chris Evans) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) fight off a fiery foe in the film The Avengers. Image: Marvel Studios.


Throughout the film, there seems to be an underlying message of “power” and “unity”, which involves the superheroes assembling as a group without losing their own individuality, and the idea of how power can be corruptive and destructive as well as easily shared to assist humanity. The “power” which Nick Fury and Tony Stark/Iron Man seek pertains to an energy source that is clean, unlimited and sustainable which can provide power for everyone’s daily needs. The “power” which Loki craves is the control or domination over others and a desire that they must serve him as their ruler. In an ironic plot-twist, the power of the Tesseract is used to unleash destructive forces upon Manhattan, New York, prompting the superheroes to use their powers to fight back.

AGILE AVENGER: Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) lies low as Bruce Banner unleashes The Hulk in the film The Avengers. Image: Marvel Studios.


The film uses a variety of special effects in audio and visual depictions, including motion-capture technology for Mark Ruffalo to physically portray The Hulk. In the past, the giant green monster was usually computer generated and voiced by Lou Ferrigno. The film’s visually stunning and breath-taking action sequences are some of the best work for the Marvel comic book film franchise. The Avengers has already exceeded expectations at the box office in Australia, and will soon open in other countries across Europe, North America and Asia. It is a fun, exciting and fast-paced film where every scene counts.

The Avengers screens at cinemas in 2D and 3D formats.

The Avengers/Avengers Assembled Film Trailer (courtesy of Marvel Studios):



Director: Joss Whedon

Writers: Joss Whedon (story, screenplay), Zack Penn (story), Stan lee (comic book), Jack Kirby (comic book)

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Samuel L. Jackson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård, Cobie Smulders, Clark Gregg, Gwyneth Paltrow, Alexis Denisof, Jenny Agutter, Powers Boothe, Harry Dean Stanton, Stan Lee, Donald Li, James Eckhouse, Lou Ferrigno (voice), Paul Bettany (voice)

Producers: Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Alan Fine, Patricia Whitcher, Jeremy Latcham, Louis D’Esposito, Avi Arad, Kevin Feige, Victoria Alonso

Cinematographer: Seamus McGarvey

Original Music: Alan Silvestri

Film Editor: Jeffrey Ford, Lisa Lassek

Production Designer: James Chinlund

Costume Designer: Alexandra Byrne

Languages: English, Russian and Hindi with English subtitles

Running time: 2 hours and 20 minutes
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Poster artwork for the film Love In The Buff.


Lingering Love by Linh

Love In The Buff is the sequel to hit romantic comedy Love In A Puff and sees the return of lovers, cosmetic salesgirl Cherie Yue (Miriam Yeung Chin Wah) and advertising executive Jimmy Cheung (Shawn Yue), but this time we see them living together and problems arise as workaholic Jimmy fails to keep his appointments with Cherie. He misses out on her mother’s birthday dinner and a party with her friends. When Jimmy is given a lucrative deal to work in Beijing, Cherie finally decides to leave him and stays over at her mother’s house. On the plane to Beijing, a sexual harassment prank on flight attendant Shang You-you (Mini Yang) goes wrong, and Jimmy is called upon by You-you to be her witness in formal charges. They exchange mobile phone numbers and soon Jimmy and You-you begin dating.

While Jimmy is in Beijing, Cherie’s boss informs her all the Sephora cosmetic stores in Hong Kong are closing and they will be re-locating to Beijing. When she arrives in Beijing, Cherie is heartbroken but resilient after finding out Jimmy has already found a new love. Soon after, her friend Brenda (June Lam) arranges blind dates for her. When waiting with Brenda for her blind date to arrive, Cherie feels desperate to go to the toilet. While in the cubicle making a call, she accidentally drops her phone and it falls into the toilet. The toilet door lock becomes jammed and Cherie is stuck inside the cubicle. Sam (Zheng Xu) hears her cries for help and he releases the lock, then retrieves her phone from out of the toilet. They soon become friends and begin dating.

Although Jimmy and Cherie appear to have found the perfect partners, they could not let go of each other emotionally. They begin secretly text messaging each other and rendezvous at night for dinners or meet during the day.

TOILET TRICK: Jimmy (Shawn Yue) shows You-you (Mini Yang) his dry-ice smoke in the toilet trick in the film Love In The Buff. Image: Media Asia Films.


Love In The Buff has differences that makes it better than the first film in developing the story, fleshing out the characters and also incorporates Cantonese and Mandarin film/music celebrities into the storyline. Director Pang Ho-Cheung may have transported the characters and the drama from Hong Kong to China, but the Cantonese humour and irreverence remains in the characters and the narrative. He places more emphasis on the dialogue to drive the story in this film more than in Love In A Puff. The first film took place over seven consecutive days, but Love In The Buff spans many months to suggest that time may help heal a broken heart as the two lead characters struggle to forget each other while in new relationships. The music in this film is more emotive and reflects more on the characters' feelings, and Cherie even quotes lyrics from one of her favourite Chinese songs “Don’t Ask Me Who I Am”. The film’s main song “Drenched”, also featured in the film trailer, is representative of the enduring love between Cherie and Jimmy.

The cast in the sequel is mostly the same as the original, with some new faces and a few cameos from familiar Chinese celebrities of the 1980s and 1990s. Miriam Yeung Chin Wah is beautiful and even more engaging as the purple-tinted haired Cherie in this sequel than in the first. Shawn Yue is more laid back and gets laid often as the smart but sensitive Jimmy. Mini Yang is sensual and seductive in her portrayal of You-you and Zheng Xu is so charismatic as the divorced Sam.

ROCKY ROMANCE: Cherie (Miriam Yeung Chin Wah) calls it quits again with former love Jimmy (Shawn Yue) in the film Love In The Buff. Image: Media Asia Films.


According to The Hollywood Reporter, Love In The Buff de-throned The Hunger Games in Hong Kong recently to be the number one film. This romantic drama comments on modern day romance with depictions of human communications using modern technology, such as texting versus talking on the mobile phone. The discreet nature of texting enables Cherie and Jimmy to meet in secret, or a video on an iPad enables Jimmy to “show” how much he really loves Cherie when he cannot find the words to tell her.

Love In The Buff is a charming and funny romantic drama that makes you care for the characters and enjoy the ride of love between Cherie and Jimmy through to the end. If audiences stay for the end credits, they will be treated to Jimmy’s special surprise for Cherie.

Love In The Buff screens in limited release.


Love In The Buff, Film Trailer (courtesy of Media Asia Films):


Director: Pang Ho-Cheung

Writers: Pang Ho-Cheung (screenplay), Luk Yee-Sum (screenplay), Jody Luk

Cast: Miriam Yeung Chin Wah, Shawn Yue, Zheng Xu, Mini Yang, Sui-man Chim, June Lam, Mia Yan, Vincent Kok, Kristal Tin, Jo Kuk, Yat Nin Chan, Xiao Ming Huang, Roy Szeto, Shawn Yin Yin, Linda Wong, Ekin Cheng,

Producers: Pang Ho-Cheung, Subi Liang, John Chong, Shi Dong Ming, Lorraine Ho, Kenny Chan

Cinematographer: Jason Kwan

Original Music: Alan Ngai Lun Wong, Janet Yung

Film Editor: Wenders Li

Production Designer: Man Lim Chung

Languages: Cantonese, Mandarin with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 50 minutes

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FRIENDLY FEAST: Jean (Guy Bedos), Albert (Pierre Richard), Claude (Claude Rich), Jeanne (Jane Fonda) and Annie (Geraldine Chaplin) share laughs and stories in the film And If We All Lived Together?. Image: Les Films De La Butte, BAC Films.


Self-Sufficient Seniors by Linh

As the world’s ageing population increases, film-makers have been producing films that explore the changing attitudes to older people and their lifestyles. In recent years, the Mike Leigh-directed film Another Year, the action thriller Red directed by Robert Schwentke and John Madden’s latest drama comedy The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, are just a few examples of films finding different ways to represent older people. The aforementioned films have transcended the various stereotypes of the older person, and French director Stéphane Robelin has contributed to the growing list of films about older people.
Robelin’s latest film And If We All Lived Together? (Et Si On Vivait Tous Ensemble?) is his second feature following his debut film Real Movie in 2004, and features a cast of well-known and much-loved French actors, as well as American actor Jane Fonda and German actor Daniel Brühl.

ELDERS ESCAPE: Jean (Guy Bedos), Albert (Pierre Richard), Jeanne (Jane Fonda) and Annie (Geraldine Chaplin) sneak Claude (Claude Rich) out of the nursing home in the film And If We All Lived Together? Image: Les Films De La Butte, BAC Films.


Set in contemporary Paris, a group of five ageing friends who have known each other for over forty years, decide to move in together.
Political activist Jean (Guy Bedos) and his wife and former psychiatrist Annie (Geraldine Chaplin) hold a dinner party and invite their friends the photographer Claude (Claude Rich), the Holocaust survivor Albert (Pierre Richard) and his wife the retired philosophy lecturer Jeanne (Jane Fonda). During the dinner, Jean jokingly suggests that they all move into his large house and live the rest of their lives together. Shortly after, Claude has a mild heart attack while taking the stairs to his lady friend’s apartment, and his son Bernard (Bernard Malaka) puts him in an aged care home. Jean, Annie, Jeanne and Albert visit Claude, and are appalled at the sad and lonely faces of the elderly residents and the facilities, so they sneak him out of the nursing home and into Jean and Annie’s house.
The number of residents in the communal home begins to increase, with Albert bringing his Briard dog Oscar to live with him because his daughter wants to send it to the animal shelter; and an ethnology student named Dirk (Daniel Brühl) is hired as Oscar’s carer/walker before deciding to live in the house in order to study the five seniors for his thesis.

CANINE CARER: Daniel Brühl relaxes on set with the Briard dog who plays Oscar in the film And If We All Lived Together? Image: janefonda.com


The film is partly character-driven with a strong narrative, and the performances are wonderful. The secrets and memories of the past begin to emerge as the story progresses with Jeanne hiding the severity of her cancer from her husband Albert; and the forty year old love affair Claude had with Jeanne and at the same time with Annie, causes a rift among the five friends.
Guy Bedos is brilliant as the humanitarian Jean, whose sharp mind and verve for activism is still as strong now as when he was younger; Geraldine Chaplin still radiates warmth onscreen even as her character Annie is gloomy, when she thinks her grandchildren are not visiting often because they no longer love her; the womanising Claude is the comic relief and Claude Rich brings out the sexier side of the older man; and Pierre Richard shows vulnerability and resilience as the bon vivant Albert whose memory begins to fade with the onset of dementia, and he keeps a journal to record his thoughts before he could forget them, so he could read them later.
The non-French actors are equally excellent with Jane Fonda (in fluent French with an American accent) as the feminist, cancer-stricken Jeanne, who makes the most of her final days thinking positively about the future and providing relationship advice to Dirk while walking Oscar in the park. The young German actor Daniel Brühl is fabulous as the ethnology student Dirk, who originally wanted to go to Australia to study the lives of Aboriginal elders, but his girlfriend refuses to leave France. After some advice from Jeanne, Dirk changes his focus to European elders and moves into Jean and Annie’s house.


And If We All Lived Together? is a gentle and charming little gem of a film that does become slightly sentimental at times, but is overall an engaging and entertaining look into older people fighting to maintain their friendships and independence.

SHARING SECRETS: Jeanne (Jane Fonda) explains her terminal illness to Dirk (Daniel Brühl) and makes him promise to carry out her funeral wishes in the film And If We All Lived Together? Image: Les Films De La Butte, BAC Films.


Director: Stéphane Robelin

Writers: Stéphane Robelin (screenplay)

Cast: Guy Bedos, Geraldine Chaplin, Claude Rich, Pierre Richard, Jane Fonda, Daniel Brühl, Bernard Malaka, Gwendoline Hamon, Camino Texeira, Shemss Audat, Stéphanie Pasterkamp, Gustave de Kervern

Producers: Christophe Bruncher, Peter Rommel, Philippe Gompel, Aurélia Grossmann

Cinematographer: Dominique Colin

Film Editor: Patrick Wilfert

Language: French with English subtitles

Running Time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
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Poster artwork for the film House Of Tolerance.


Parisian Pleasures by Linh


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Poster artwork for the animated film The Rabbi's Cat.


Cultured Cat by Linh


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Golden Glory by Linh

TRIUMPHANT: Best Actress winner Meryl Streep and Best Actor winner Jean Dujardin in the press room at the 84th Annual Academy Awards on Sunday 26 February 2012 in Hollywood, California. Image: FameFlynet Pictures.

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Billy Crystal returns for his ninth time hosting the Academy Awards broadcast ceremony in 2012.


Crystal’s Ceremony by Linh


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Shame; drama film review

February 12th 2012 08:51
Secret Shame by Linh

SIMPLY SOCIALISING: Sissy (Carey Mulligan) flirts with David (James Badge Dale) while her brother Brandon (Michael Fassbender) watches disapprovingly in the film Shame. Image:Film4.

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AACTA AWARDS - Part Two

February 1st 2012 04:34
AACTA ACCOLADES by Linh

The inaugural AACTA (formerly the AFI) awards made its debut on the Nine Network last night (31 January) with much anticipation and high hopes. Viewers were treated to pleasant surprises, live entertainment and special appearances from some of Australian film and television stars


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AACTA Awards Arrivals by Linh

The inaugural AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) awards will be presented on Tuesday 31 January at the Sydney Opera House and broadcast on the Nine Network in Australia. The AACTA replaces the AFI (Australian Film Institute) awards with Academy Award winner and co-founder Geoffrey Rush as AACTA President. Geoffrey Rush has recenty been named as the 2012 Australian of the Year. Previously held in November, the awards ceremony will now be held during the traditional awards season to coincide with the American awards season


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