Ten in 2010: Movies to see next year

By Nicholas Chow, MSN, Updated: 14/12/2009

Yup, it has been an incredible year for flicks. Financial woe seems to have made the industry try harder. Now that 2009 is drawing to a close, we bring you the ten most anticipated movies due to hit a screen near you in the coming year. Sit back and let MSN Entertainment prep you for another year at the movies.

THE TWILIGHT SAGE: ECLIPSE

Photo courtesy of Tayangan Unggul

Tentative release date: June 2010

What’s it about: The third installment of the cult movie/book series Twilight continues with Bella and Edward reuniting but their forbidden relationship is threatened to be torn apart again, with evil vampire Victoria still seeking her revenge. Bella is forced to choose between her true love for Edward and her friendship with Jacob Black, as the battle between vampires and werewolves continues. Bella also has to choose between her humanity and immortality?

What you need to know: Yes, Twihards, Hollywood's golden trifecta is back. Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner as well as Kristen Stewart will be reprising their roles as Edward Cullen, Jacob Black and Bella Swan (respectively) in the third instalment. However, Rachelle Lefevre – who played evil vamp Victoria in the first two movies – has been let go due to scheduling conflicts and will be replaced by Terminator Salvation star Bryce Dallas Howard, injecting some star power into the franchise.

IRON MAN 2

Photo courtesy of Fox/ Image.net

Tentative release date: May 2010

What’s it about: The man in that cool iron suit is back for another round of cool-fest! Iron Man 2 is set six months after the events of the first film. Tony Stark is out in the open, having revealed his identity as Iron Man and the public attention has taken its toll on him. Meanwhile, things aren’t looking too good at Stark Industries; as the government is working to co-op his infamous armour. A powerful competitor named Justin Hammer also threatens Tony’s business, and a new enemy named Whiplash is hot on his tail.

What you need to know: Both Robert Downey Jr. and Gwyneth Paltrow reprise their roles as Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. Mickey Rourke will be playing baddie Whiplash and the sexy starlet Scarlett Johansson dawns the role of Black Widow. But the coolest bit about this movie is that the equally-awesome War Machine, an Iron Man look-alike/sidekick will be joining forces with our favourite hero to whoop some nefarious butt!

ALICE IN WONDERLAND

Photo courtesy of Disney

Tentative release date: March 2010

What’s it about: In this upcoming Tim Burton feature, sweet little Alice, now 17, returns to Wonderland to find that the Red Queen has overthrown her sister. The creatures of Wonderland – the Cheshire cat, Tweedledee and Tweedledum and the March Hare – are ready to revolt and they are waiting for Alice to help them. With the support of the White Queen, the Mad Hatter and the Caterpillar, Alice starts seeing flashbacks of her last visit, back when she was younger.

What you need to know: This is not the Alice in Wonderland you knew from your Disney-filled youth. Like most Tim Burton movies, it is a lot darker and scarier. The film will use a technique of combining live action, motion capture technology, and stop motion. It will be released in the 3D format as well. Hollywood A-listers Johnny Depp and Anne Hathaway will be playing the Mat Hatter and the White Queen, respectively. Newcomer Mia Wasikowska beat out actresses Amanda Seyfried and Lindsay Lohan for the role of Alice and Helena Bonham Carter will play the Red Queen.

NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET

Photo courtesy of Image.net

Tentative release date: April 2010

What’s it about: Sure to excite, and render sleepless your nights. The new Nightmare on Elm Street is a re-imagining of the horror icon Freddy Krueger, the serial-killer who wields a four-bladed glove and attacks his victims in their dreams.

What you need to know: The new Nightmare on Elm Street will be produced by Michael Bay (of Transformers fame), so we're expecting over the top explosions and a drastically different Krueger depicted on screen. All The King’s Men star Jackie Earle will be donning the deadly gloves this time, succeeding the role made famous by Robert Englund. Rising starlet Rooney Mara takes over the role of Nancy Thompson, originally portrayed by Heather Langenkamp.

JONAH HEX

Tentative release date: June 2010

What’s it about: Jonah Hex is the story of a scarred bounty hunter from the wild west who hunts zombies for a living. When a voodoo practitioner becomes hell-bent on raising an army of the undead, Jonah (Josh Brolin) and his pretty partner-in-crime Leila (Megan Fox) must do everything in their power to stop the evil practitioner from turning the Wild West into a zombie wasteland.

What you need to know: Guys, rejoice! The ever-so-sexy Megan Fox will be taking a break from Shia LaBeouf and Bumblebee to play Leila, Jonah Hex’s OMG-she’s-so-freakin'-sexy partner and love interest. No Country for Old Men star Josh Brolin will be playing the lead role after beating out The Punisher star Thomas Jane. We're a little creeped out by the age difference between Brolin, 41, and Fox, 23. Saving you the trouble of doing the math, that's 18 years - a whole other consenting adult. I guess there's hope for every uncle out there!

SALT

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Tentative release date: July 2010

What’s it about: A (somewhat) new twist on the classic spy flick, Salt revolves around renegade CIA agent Evelyn Salt who is on the run from authorities after a defector accused her of being a Russian sleeper spy. Having sworn an oath to duty, honour, and country, Evelyn must use all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture, protect her husband and clear her name before the world's most powerful forces erase any trace of her existence. Fun!

What you need to know: Sexy action star Angelina Jolie, who's made quite the career out of playing deadly femmes, will take on the role of super-spy Evelyn Salt. X-Men star Liev Screiber will star alongside her. We just can’t wait to see if Angie's still got it, doing what she does best – kicking baddie a** in style!

THE KARATE KID

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Tentative release date: July 2010

What’s it about: In yet another re-boot of a popular movie franchise, the new Karate Kid tells the story of a young kid named Dre who, with his mother, moves to Beijing. However, things are not well for Dre as he encounters a bully situation in his new locale. Dre then seeks the help of Mr. Han, a martial art master who teaches him the art of kung fu to fend for himself against the bullies.

What you need to know: Well, it comes as no surprise that Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan was cast to play Mr. Han, the martial arts master. However, it was quite the shocker when Will Smith’s son, Jaden Smith, was cast to play Dre – the equivalent to the Daniel LaRusso character in the original Karate Kid movie. But we'd be foolish to write the young Jaden off. Jackie Chan has already praised Jaden's martial arts skills, insisting the 11-year-old is better at kung fu than his own son.

THE GREEN HORNET

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Tentative release date: June 2010

What’s it about: The legendary Green Hornet is getting a makeover! Based on the popular 1966 TV series, The Green Hornet revolves around Britt Reid, a newspaper publisher by day and a masked vigilante called the Green Hornet by night. After the co-founder of a San Francisco newspaper is shot in his home, Britt promises his father, the other co-founder of The Sentinel that he won't rest until he brings the murderer to justice.

What you need to know: Funnyman Seth Rogen (Knocked Up, Pineapple Express) agreed to lose a considerable amount of weight to play the Green Hornet. Taiwanese singer Jay Chou, who replaced Stephen Chow, will be playing The Green Hornet's trusty sidekick Kato. A-Lister Cameron Diaz will appear in the film as a love-interest/reporter. Christoph Waltz, who replaced Nicholas Cage, has been cast as Chudnofsky, the Green Hornet's nemesis.

LEGION

Photo courtesy of Sony Pictures

Tentative release date: January 2010

What’s it about: Trust us when we tell you that this is going to be one epic movie. Legion revolves around a group of strangers in an eatery who become the first line of defense when God, believing the human race is no longer worthy of Him, decides to end their existence. The group's only ally? A fallen archangel named Michael who voluntarily falls to Earth to save the savior of mankind.

What you need to know: The man who played Silas in The Da Vinci Code, Paul Bettany, will be playing fallen angel Michael and starring alongside him will be a list of big name stars, which includes the likes of Dennis Quaid, Lucas Black, Kate Walsh and Tyrese Gibson. After seeing Hollywood's version of the wrath of mother earth (in 2012), we can only imagine how they envision the wrath of God!

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HOLLOWS

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros

Tentative release date: July 2010

What’s it about: The final chapter of the ultra-successful Harry Potter franchise, the Deathly Hallows picks up where the Half-Blood Prince left off. Following the death of Dumbledore, the evil Lord Voldemort has completed his ascension to power and gains control of the Ministry of Magic. Our heroes Harry, Ron, and Hermione drop out of school so that they can find and destroy Voldemort's remaining three Horcruxes, in a bid to stop the Dark Lord from creating more havoc.

What you need to know: The Deathly Hallows will be released in two parts: part one of Deathly Hallows will premiere sometime in July 2010 and part two is scheduled for release in 2011. Directors extraordinaire M. Night Shyamalan and Guillermo del Toro initially expressed some interest in the films, but producers stuck with director David Yates.

Article from Entertainment MSN Malaysia

A V A T A R : MOVIE OF THE CENTURY

OUTSTANDING!

Watched 2 times, 3rd time 3D!
Words cannot describe  how emotional i am over this movie.
LOVE IT LONG TIME!

He is the man!

BRUNO

BRUNO is so KuaCheong!

tsk..tsk...

Movies Banned in Malaysia

Not suitable for your viewing pleasure

For those of you who were waiting to see the next installation of Halloween on screens this week, prepare to be disappointed as the slasher-flick has now been deemed too violent and sexually explicit for gentle Malaysian audiences. Keep reading to find out which other films ended up getting the snip and why.

Halloween 2

Looks like we won’t be seeing Michael Myers cause havoc in Haddonfield this time round. Rob Zombie’s horror sequel to Halloween has been banned by the Lembaga Penapisan Filem Malaysia for being “too violent and containing sex scenes”. For some, this may come as a relief. It's about time someone finished off the dude in the hockey mask. We just never thought it'd be the local Film Censorship Board. Looks like a serial killer was no match for an expurgator. Still, with no blood, gore or violence on offer this Raya season, what are we supposed to do for entertainment? I guess there's always “Momok the Movie”.


* can't remember if i've watched this before. dunno why, i dont really fancy jamie lee curtis.

Zoolander

Our dear countrymen got touchy when this film’s plot put a pretty male model on a course to assassinate "the prime minister of Malaysia." In Ben Stiller's cult fav, the world’s 2nd best male model, Derek Zoolander, is brainwashed and programmed to assist in a plot to keep the exploitation of child labour going in Malaysia, for the sake of the fashion industry. Zoolander was deemed unsuitable by our film censorship board despite it having minimal sex or violence. The film went on to become one of Stiller’s biggest hits and remains Malaysia's claim to fame amongst thick and uncultured Westerners. We have trouble deciding on whether it was the assassination plot or the child labour that did Zoolander in. Neither helped but we thank Hollywood for the dishonourable mention.

*LOVEeeee Ben Stiller! Enjoyed the movie and do not mind watching again.

Bruno & Borat

This one doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Not only is Bruno incredibly blithe when it comes to losing his clothes but he is also arguably the campest character on screen. Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno was banned in the Ukraine on the grounds that the film had ‘unjustified’ showing of genitals and featured homosexual sex. Our film board didn't even bother explaining, sending Bruno the way of Borat. A few years earlier when a certain Kazak reporter took the world by storm through over the top sexual references and an overall disregard of political correctness, his worldwide success stopped short of our shores as the Lembaga Penapisan Filem axed Borat's entire movie. Perhaps Malaysians really aren’t ready to see two nude men wrestle each other but then again, who is? Still, it's a shame to deprive us all of the comedic genius that is Sacha Baron Cohen.

* Ali G is the man! Watched Borat and loved it. Just recently got an uncensored DVD of Bruno and what can I say? It's controversial and LOUD! But its a dem good movie, everyone should watch it!

Brokeback Mountain

Homosexuality as subject matter really won't win you any favours with our local censorship board, despite what you might have heard. Ang Lee’s epic film about two gay cowboys was almost instantly given the red flag. It was a huge shame that Malaysians were forced to miss critically acclaimed performances by Jake Gyllenhaal and the late Heath Ledger, as well as the film's award winning cinematography. But its homosexual nuances were seen as unsuitable for our local audiences. Oscar winning or not, we prefer our cowboys dreary!

* I can't believe that I didnt watch this before. The movie title has become a jargon now, people would say "So brokeback lar". I need to get a copy soon!

Babe

If you thought this children’s film about a sheep-herding pig seemed perfect harmless, think again. In 2005 the movie Babe was banned due to controversy over its title and subject matter not bein

g “halal”. The similarity of the word ‘Babe’ to the Malay word for pig, ‘Babi’, was too close for comfort. Pigs (which are considered ‘haram’ animals) being portrayed in a positive light was frowned upon by local censors. Although this prevented the film from being shown on the big screen, the decision to ban the film altogether was overturned a year later, and it was released to video. It has subsequently been shown on TV here as well. That's another win for the lovable...you know...guy.

* Such a cute movie, nothing great to remember except for Babe's pale skin hehehehe

Fiza

This critically acclaimed film by Bollywood director Khalid Mohamed received a great response from all over the world and won numerous awards in India. However the subject matter strayed too far from the usual rolling-down-a-hill-and-dancing-around-a-tree-plot censors were used to seeing from Bollywood. The movie's backdrop and subject matter were deemed too sensitive for Malaysian viewers. According to local authorities, the portrayal of Muslim terrorists in the film would have offended Malaysians and hinged on the sentiments of the public. There might have been a little truth in that but we think the always delightful Hrithik Roshan would've probably smoothed over any sensitive areas explored in the film's plot. You gotta admit it, the man can dance!

* The only time I watch indian movies was when there were not programme on TV1 TV2 TV3, those were the days when there was no Astro. And not forgetting during our green room sessions when we off the volume and imitate the actors in our own language. Classic!

The King & I

The 1956 musical about the lovable Anna and the King of Siam was initially banned in Malaysia. At the time of the film's release, Malaysia went along with Thailand's decision to ban it as the portrayals of the King as well as the Thai people were deemed offensive. Coincidentally, 1999's Anna and The King, was filmed in several parts of Malaysia (as Thailand still thought the subject matter wasn’t suitable for filming in the country) and the film became one of the biggest productions to have been filmed on our shores.

* I still remember I watched this movie when I was very young. Didn't know that it was banned until now. Anyway I have great memory of it as during the remake of Chow Yun Fatt days, they were filming in Ipoh where I grew up. Althou I was already located here in KL then, my schoolmates went to be "kehlehfeh".

Pineapple Express

Well, despite being the film that probably launched Seth Rogen’s popularity into the stratosphere, this film checked all the boxes on the censorship list. “Pineapple Express” refers to a type of super marijuana that lands two guys into a whole lot of trouble. The rolling of super joints and scenes of unnecessary violence did not go down well with our Film Censorship Board, predictably. In a country where the 18 rating has four different flavours: 18SX (sex), 18SG (violence), 18 PA (politics) and 18PL (variety), Pineapple Express unfortunately pushed the boundary a little too far, in the eyes of local censors, even for an audience of adult Malaysians. Totally denied, dudes!

* I've not watched this movie before too. Harold & Kumar is still the best of all time talking about movies with brrrrrr bonging sessions! Nevertheless, shall add this to my list of movie not watched.

The Last Communist

This controversial documentary by local filmmaker Amir Muhammad was initially passed for local released but finally banned by the Home Ministry under the Film Censorship Act 1991, before it made it to a theatre near you. It is inspired by the leader of the former Malayan Communist Party, Chin Peng and is a semi-documentary cum musical. It debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and made its way to the Seattle International and London Film Festivals, receiving a good response from audiences throughout. The controversy though, was mostly on local shores where the film was never commercially released, despite it being a completely local production.

When it comes to our national history and heritage, the powers that be demand a great deal of restraint from filmmakers, writers and artists. It can often impede social progress but it has pushed many to be even more creative in camouflaging discourse. There are those too honest to hide beneath layers, who produce our most frank and upfront work. Work only made available to foreign eyes. As far as standards and practices go, that is a shame. Plus, how dangerous could a documentary/musical really be? (JS)

* This is one movie I've never heard before and I can't wait to find and watch it!

By MSN Malaysia, Updated: 10/09/2009

Carl & Ellie's Love Story

When Carl & Ellie first met

Carl & Ellie's mailbox

UP

Edward got some FOC tickets to watch UP last week!

WoOoO I got so UP-excited

UP

The preview is not a 3D version which I wanted to go for.

Nevertheless, I enjoyed is sO much.

I thought it was one of the best cartoons ever made.

BALLOONS

COLOURS

THE LAND OF THE LOST

ALL MY CHILDHOOD FANTASIES

The Tale

Behind The Scenes

The Characters

Now you can make your own UP House with Balloons!

How Cute!

Download the template here:Disney Printable - UP House with Balloons

Your own Adventure Book!

Even Cuter!

Download the template here: Disney Printable - UP Adventure Book

Found this photo somewhere :)