Category: Cinema

A few days back it was reported that Microsoft was looking for a buyer for their just-completed movie script for the best-selling X-Box game “Halo”.

According to TheHollywoodReporter, 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures have teamed up to purchase and put the Microsoft Halo script to film.

Microsoft is expected to make an announcement next week about the deal it has struck with Hollywood to make the movie.

The company caused a stir in Hollywood with its demands of upfront money and creative control over the movie, according to news reports.

Reuters said Microsoft first wanted $10 million and 15 percent of initial box-office sales but settled with Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox on a deal for a $5 million upfront payment and 10 percent of the box office. The movie is expected to be released in 2007.

Hollywood has a history of screwing up with movies based on games, let’s hope they change our minds with this one.

[Sources: Seattle Times, CanMag]

Last night, after having some coffee at Starbucks (Which is testing with a month of free wireless internet btw), I talked my wife and brother-in-law into going to the cinema to see Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

The movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie as a bored married couple who both secretly from each other work as assassins. They only find out when they’re hired to kill each other.

After hearing and reading about the movie, then seeing the trailer, I expected this movie to be a pretty good one. It exceeded my expectations. It was a really great movie.
It was really funny and lots of fun. I truly enjoyed myself watching it.
The humour was really cool, the action was kickin’, the plot was real good and the chemistry between Brad and Angelina was amazing.
In fact, I like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie a lot more after this movie.

This must be one of the best action/comedies of the year. I highly recommend it.
I personally would really like to see it again.

My score for it is: 9/10.

Last night, I finally got to watch Star Wars: Episode 3 – Revenge of the Sith, and what a movie it was!

I’ve been wanting to see the movie ever since it came out, and I knew I’d see it in Jordan, but the thing that kept me from going to see it from day one is that I wanted to go see it with my brothers-in-law as they are both very big fans of Star Wars.

Anyway, back to the movie. It was awesome!! For sure so much better than Episodes 1 and 2. It’s up there with the old Episodes.

The visual effects were amazing, the sound was great, the lightsabers were beautiful, the fight sequences were perfect, the plot was really good…etc.
One of the best movies I’ve seen this year for sure.

My favourite sequences are the following ones:
– At the beginning of the movie, when Obi Wan’s spaceship crashes and he jumps out of it, opens his lightsaber and start fighting.
– The whole transformation of Anakin into Darth Vader.
– The sequences that put everything into place for Episode 4.

George Lucas did a great job with this one, finishing off his story and his cinematic masterpiece.
I don’t think anything as big as Star Wars will come along for a very long time.

I’m itching to see all the 6 movies all over again, once in the order they were released and once from Episode 1 to 6.
I hope they releases a cool DVD package of the movies soon.

My score for it is: 9.5/10.

Last night we went to another movie, this time in Le Royal’s cinema.

The movie was “Hostage” featuring Bruce Willis and Kevin Pollack.

It’s about a failed police negotiator who turns into a small town cop, and then is faced with a situation where he must save the lives of a family held hostage. This draws him into a much more dangerous situation where his own family are also in danger.

The movie starts out pretty slow and a bit boring, but then the pace picks up a bit and the story gets together better making it a pretty decent movie.

It’s not one of Bruce’s best movies, but it’s still ok.
Maybe I had higher expectations, that’s why I didn’t enjoy it fully, but it’s pretty good.

Some people likened it to Bruce’s work on the Die Hard series, but I honestly find those movies a lot better than this one.

My score for it would be: 6.5/10.

Last night we went to Century Cinema again and we saw Kingdom Of Heaven, a Ridley Scott movie featuring Orlando Bloom, Liam Neeson, Ghassan Massoud, Jeremy Irons…etc.

I heard and read a lot of positive reviews about this movie before seeing it, and I was really looking forward to it.
I was not dissapointed at all. It was a great movie.

The movie tells the story of Balian, a former blacksmith turned knight, and how he ended up defending Jerusalem during the Muslim siege of the city in the late 12th century.

Even though there are some small historical inaccuracies here and there, it was a pretty good movie all in all.
Plus, it’s good to see a hollywood movie giving a positive perspective of muslims.

Orlando Bloom does a really good job. After his roles in Lord Of The Rings, Troy and Kingdom Of Heaven, he seems set to becoming one of Hollywood’s A-class actors.

My score for this movie would be: 8.5/10.

Last night we watched The Interpreter (at Century Cinema), a Sydney Pollack movie featuring Nicole Kidman and Sean Penn.

The movie is a drama / thriller about a UN interpreter who overhears an assassination plot and all the political intrigue and deception that follows that.

The story got me hooked from the beginning, the acting was great and the whole movie turned out really good.

If you’re into these types of movies, I do recommend it.

My score for it would be: 8.5/10.

Sibling filmmakers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s “The Child,” about a 20-year-old petty crook suddenly faced with the responsibilities of fatherhood, won top honors at the Cannes Film Festival.

It was the second time a film by the Belgian brothers won the prestigious Palme d’Or, coming six years after their teen drama “Rosetta” took the main Cannes prize.

The award was presented Saturday by Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman, who won Academy Awards in February for Clint Eastwood’s boxing saga “Million Dollar Baby.”

Sounds like a great movie.
Hope I get to check it out soon.

[Source: CNN]

Last night we watched Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, and man did I love it.

I saw the previews and trailers for this movie many times, but never thought it’d turn out this good.

It’s an adventure/comedy/fantasy about three wealthy children whose parents are killed in a fire. When they are sent to a distant relative Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), they find out that he is plotting to kill them and seize their fortune.

It’s based on the first three books in the “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events” book series: The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room, The Wide Window.

The story is very well told, the movie very well made and shot, the acting is great, it’s all just perfect.

All the actors do a really great job, but Jim Carrey does an amazing job in this one. He rocks big time as Count Olaf.
This is one of his best performances to this day. A big bravo to him.

I’ve always liked Jim Carrey and believed in him as a magnificent actor, and it’s roles like this that bring it out of him.

This movie is a must see. I highly recommend it.

My score for this movie is: 9.5/10.

Last night we watched “Meet The Fockers” at last. I liked the first one a lot, so I’ve basically been waiting to see this movie ever since it went into production.

It has all the old characters plus Dustin Hoffman and Barbra Streisand as Greg Focker’s (Ben Stiller) mad parents.

The whole plot is about how all hell breaks loose when the Byrnes family meets the Focker family for the first time. Imagine that?

It’s a fun movie with some really nice funny moments, but “Meet The Parents” still remains a lot better. It’s that whole sequel not living up to the original thingie again.
Anyway, I still think this movie is worth checking out.

My score for it is: 7/10