THE HOBBIT Has New Titles And Release Dates Announced As Well!

New Line Cinema, Warner Bros. and MGM have announced the titles and release dates for Peter Jackson's two-part movie adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's THE HOBBIT.

The first movie will be titled as THE HOBBIT: AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY, and scheduled to hit theaters on December 14, 2012.

The second movie will be titled as THE HOBBIT: THERE AND BACK AGAIN, and scheduled to hit theaters on December 13, 2013.

Both movies are set in Middle Earth sixty years before the event of THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy, in which Peter Jackson has previously brought to the big screen from 2001 to 2003. Both movies are also being shot consecutively in digital 3D using the latest camera and stereo technology. Filming is taking place at Stone Street Studios, Wellington, and on location around New Zealand.

Uhh.... Here's SPY KIDS 4: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD Trailer If You May

Looks like director Robert Rodriguez is not done yet with his SPY KIDS franchise after three movies already, which are frankly, become inferior on subsequent sequels. But like it or not, here's a fourth entry entitled SPY KIDS 4: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD. Watch the trailer below, and be your own judge.

Here's the synopsis via Movieweb:

On the surface, Marissa Cortez Wilson (Jessica Alba) has it all...married to a famous spy hunting television reporter, a new baby and intelligent twin step kids. But in reality, trying to mother Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook), who clearly don't want her around, is her toughest challenge yet. Also, her husband, Wilbur (Joel McHale), wouldn't know a spy if he lived with one which is exactly the case - Marissa's a retired secret agent.

Marissa's world is turned upside down when the maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) threatens to take over the planet and she's called back into action by the head of OSS, home of the greatest spies and where the now-defunct Spy Kids division was created. With Armageddon quickly approaching, Rebecca and Cecil are thrust into action when they learn their boring stepmom was once a top agent and now the world's most competitive ten year olds are forced to put their bickering aside and rely on their wits. With a little help from a couple of very familiar Spy Kids, Carmen (Alexa Vega) and Juni Cortez (Daryl Sabara), and some mind-blowing gadgets, they just may be able to save the world and possibly bring their family together while they're at it.

SPY KIDS 4: ALL THE TIME IN THE WORLD hit theaters in U.S. on August 19, 2011. The movie stars Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Rowan Blanchard, Mason Cook, Antonio Banderas, Alexa Vega and Daryl Sabara.

Get Bloody With KL GANGSTER Trailer!

Actor/director Syamsul Yusof is currently one of the most sought-after young directors in Malaysia right now, with back-to-back success of 2008's EVOLUSI: KL DRIFT and 2010's EVOLUSI: KL DRIFT 2.

Now he is back with a new action movie called KL GANGSTER, a story revolving around Kuala Lumpur's violent gang scene. Below is the synopsis for the movie.

KL GANGSTER is about two brothers who get involved in the world of gangsterism. The older brother Malek (Aaron Aziz) was imprisoned for five years after being betrayed by his own gang which was started by Shark (Syamsul Yusof), the step brother of the most influential gangster in Kuala Lumpur, King (Ridzuan Hashim). Malek who leads a normal life after being released, is pulled back into the world he left behind after all those years. Especially since his younger brother Jai (Adyputra) is influenced by the gangsters and decides to work for Shark bringing everything down in chaos.

In the meantime, check this exciting trailer below. I must say those action scenes rivaled the production from Hong Kong and Thailand!

KL GANGSTER will be unleashed into our local theaters on June 9, 2011. The movie stars Syamsul Yusuf, Ridzuan Hashim, Aaron Aziz, Adyputra, Zizan Raja Lawak, Sheera, Shoffi Jikan and Adam Corrie. It is written and directed by Syamsul Yusuf.

THE HANGOVER PART II (2011)

RATING: 2.5/5

Let's get things straight. Comedy sequel, especially those in high-concept comedy sequel, hardly gets better. Either they are more of the same or worst, an inferior entry to the more successful predecessor. Case in point: HOME ALONE 2: LOST IN NEW YORK (1992). Okay, that one is not a R-rated comedy but you'll get the point.

And here it is, the inevitable sequel of THE HANGOVER (2009) is bound to happen one way or another. After all, the first movie was an unexpected box-office smash -- grossing at a whopping $277 million in the U.S. alone, making it as the highest-grossing R-rated comedy of all-time. However, in THE HANGOVER PART II, it's more of the same as co-writer and director Todd Phillips and screenwriters Scot Armstrong and Craig Mazin chooses to stick to the formula. And that means from A to Z cliches. As Phil (Bradley Cooper) puts it in the opening scene, "It happened again." Yup, take it or leave it.

What about the plot? It's a total carbon copy, except that instead of Doug's (Justin Bartha) wedding and a bachelor party in Las Vegas, it's now centers on Stu's (Ed Heims) wedding and a bachelor party in Bangkok. Two years after the unlikely event in Vegas, Stu is learning his hard way not to repeat the same mistake again when his marriage with her beautiful Asian gal Lauren (Jamie Chung) is about to take place. He is getting married in Thailand, and likewise, his best friends -- Phil, Doug and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) -- are expecting the tradition of a bachelor party even though Stu isn't really interested anymore. On the other side, Stu is facing a heat with Lauren's sarcastic father who obviously dislikes him the moment he has a relationship with his daughter. His soon-to-be father-in-law loves to praise how smart and hopeful Lauren's little brother, Teddy (Mason Lee) is, as a 16-year-old concert cellist who's about to start a pre-med program at Stanford. Then of course comes the night when Phil, Stu, Doug, Alan and Teddy are together at the beach toasting with their bottle of beers. So, it's just beers -- what's worst that could have happen?

Again, as Stu puts it in one of the scenes where he cries out, "I can't believe this is happening again", it's all deja vu experience. The following day, they find themselves waking up in a seedy Bangkok motel. Teddy is missing and there are clues laying around -- a severed finger with a ring, a monkey who wears a Rolling Stones denim vest, Alan's head is shaved, Stu's face gets tattooed exactly like Mike Tyson's, and again -- there's a naked Mr. Chow (Ken Jeong), an Asian criminal we last saw in the first movie lying under the rug. Mr. Chow is the only one who can tell what happened the night before, and they are relieved to hear that. But right after Mr. Chow takes a sniff of a drug, he passes out and drops down. Phil feels no pulse on him at all, and assumes he's already died. They know they can't go to the police and decide to hide Mr. Chow's dead body inside the ice box. Next stop: Phil, Alan and Stu roams around the city of Bangkok to search for clues while trying to locate the missing Teddy.

Like any sequel these days, it's about "more, more and more". And in this case of THE HANGOVER PART II, director Todd Phillips favors for something raunchier and louder. How raunchier? Let's just say there's a scene where Stu meets a transsexual stripper named Kimmy (Yasmin Lee) whom they have a night of you-know-what. And how about louder? Oh, they shout a lot. Particularly Stu who often screams like a bitch, and at some point, Alan cries like a 5-year-old kid.

As for the whodunit-like storytelling approach, those element of surprises work so well in the first movie, doesn't really cut it this time. Still, THE HANGOVER PART II remains a fun experience to watch for, particularly for those die-hard fans who love the first one. All the returning cast are as energetic as ever, with Ken Jeong gets a bigger role this time as Mr. Chow. Both Heims and Galifianakis remain the limelight here. Speaking of Heims, he has a memorable moment where he parodies Billy Joel's "Allentown" while plucking the acoustic guitar. ("Well we're living here in Allentown, and he's driven our lives into the ground. When we woke up, we're wasted and drunk. Phil got shot, we got beaten by a monk. I was happy and my life was good. Getting married like a dentist should. Roasting marshmallows on a stick. I got f**ked in the ass by a girl with a d**k. "Hahaha i remember that!" And we're living here in Allentown, but they're taking Teddy's finger now. And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna lose my shit, and shoot Allen in the face. And shoot myself!").

And as usual, stick around during the end credit to find out what's going between them that night.

THE HANGOVER (2009)

RATING: 2.5/5

Ever wonder what happened when a bunch of guys didn't realize they had a hardcore bachelor party and ended up not remembering things the next day except for a series of bad hangovers? That interesting question inspires director Todd Phillips and screenwriters Jon Lucas and Scott Moore with a high-concept comedy that is outrageously creative -- something you don't really get to see in the R-rated comedy genre these days. No doubt that THE HANGOVER is certainly one-of-the-kind cinematic experience you'll be having a great time.

Here's how the plot sounds like: Doug (Justin Bartha) is about to get married with Tracy (Sasha Barrese) in two days' time. And of course, a plan for bachelor party is inevitable. That is where his best friends, schoolteacher Phil (Bradley Cooper) and dentist Stu (Ed Heims), along with Tracy's socially awkward Alan (Zach Galifianakis), decide to treat Doug to a night in Vegas. Everything goes well at first -- from booking a fantastic suite in a Caesars Palace to having a toast on a rooftop.

But then, something unexpected happens. They wake up with a series of bad hangovers and find themselves lying in a suite completely messed up. No sooner they find a growling tiger in the bathroom, a baby in the closet, a hospital band on Phil's wrist, a wedding ring on Stu's finger, a missing tooth in Stu's mouth and their groom-to-be Doug is missing. Worst, none of them remember what happened the night before. Time is running out for the wedding countdown. Now Phil, Stu and Alan must figure out to find Doug before it's too late.

The novelty of the premise is certainly entertaining enough. Jon Lucas and Scott Moore's screenplay is filled with surprises within its whodunit-like storytelling approach played for laughs. Those particular sense of discoveries are especially fun to watch for, which will keep you guessing what actually happened to them the night before as the movie goes on. In the meantime, director Todd Phillips keep the pace frantic and the jokes raunchy (especially with all those male-butt jokes).

The cast are gamely playful enough and each of them (especially Bradley Cooper, Ed Heims and Zach Galifianakis) are bound to be A-list breakout stars. But of all, Galifianakis (man, his last name is really hard to pronounce) is a scene-stealer each time he appears.

As original and entertaining as it looks, THE HANGOVER remains quite a missed opportunity to be among the best R-rated comedy in recent memory. Most of the raunchy jokes are minor giggles at best, and the laughs aren't as hilarious as one might thought. This is especially wasted, considering a R-rated comedy can actually get as far as the filmmakers could to push the envelope. The ending, in the meantime, is kind of too sappy for its own good. Oh, by the way, stick around during the end credit as a series of photo montages will revealed what happened to them the night before.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGERS TIDE (2011)

RATING: 2/5

Earlier this year, when I caught the first of the few trailers of the heavily-promoted PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGERS TIDE, I couldn't help but feeling like a sour aftertaste. That instantly reminded me how I last felt after I watched the ill-fated PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END back in 2007. So here, I'm sorry to say that this long-awaited fourth installment of the lucrative franchise has officially lost most of the creativity and refreshing angles already peaked in the first two movies. Instead, like the third entry, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGERS TIDE is a bloated mess that are both uninspired and soulless piece of entertainment.

If you remember the epilogue scene in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END where Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) sets sail with a map in a quest for the Fountain of Youth, this fourth entry continues with his newfound adventure. The movie begins with Jack, who disguised as a judge in the city of London, plans an elaborate escape plan to set his fellow crew, Gibbs (Kevin McNally) from imprisonment. You see, Gibbs is being mistakenly identified as Captain Jack Sparrow since he's a most-wanted pirate after all. Of course, the escape doesn't go as smoothly as planned, and Jack himself ends up getting arrested. There, he faces his old arch-nemesis, Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush) who is now a privateer serving for King George (Richard Griffiths). Apparently Barbossa also wants the map to search the Fountain of Youth, and of course that's not only the case as the Spanish Navy is chasing the same thing as well!

Adding further complications is Jack has unexpectedly encountered his old flame, Angelica (Penelope Cruz) in which he once broke her heart and left without a trace. His situations gets thicker when he finds himself involved with the notorious evil pirate named Blackbeard (Ian McShane) whose daughter coincidentally happens to be Angelica! Like Jack and Barbossa, both Angelica and Blackbeard are also hot on their heels to search for the Fountain of Youth.

However, finding the fountain alone isn't enough to fulfill the destiny. There are few artifacts needed as well, which are two silver chalices from Ponce de Leon's ship and the tear of a mermaid. During the journey, Blackbeard and his zombie crew manage to capture one of the mermaids, whose name is Syrena (Astrid Berges-Frisbey). And he'll do anything to get the tear out of her eye. As usual, a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie would be complete without the inevitable subplot -- and that is an unexpected love story between Syrena and the kindly cleric named Philip (Sam Claflin).

Replacing original director Gore Verbinski who previously helmed all three movies in the past, is Rob Marshall. He is of course, best known for musicals including 2002's CHICAGO and 2009's NINE. At the first glance, he's clearly an interesting choice but the novelty stops there. It's sad to see that Marshall doesn't bring anything new to the well-worn pirate genre other than keeping things as pedestrian as possible.

On the other side, it's a good news that this fourth entry streamlined the narrative confusion previously clogged in the trilogy and even trimmed the length of the movie by a little more than two-hour long. Even so, Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio's screenplay (which also suggested from Tim Powers' novel called On Strangers Tides) remain as convoluted as ever. Okay, their stripped-down approach to tell the story without relying heavily the hodge-podge of supernatural elements is certainly a bravura move but that also a colossal mistake as well. Nevertheless the result is just as bland as a pancake without the maple syrup. Is it really that difficult to tell a story in a faster pace without going the whole nine yards?

In the past, technical aspects as well as the action set-pieces often the least highlights for a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie. Alas, none of them really worth mentioning here. Instead, the action are same old tired swordplay and such while the editing are mostly cut too fast to enjoy the excitement properly. And speaking of tired, the ending fares even worse -- it's like as if the filmmakers completely loses idea and simply wrap things up with a huge whimper.

The cast are more of the same, and they are as strictly caricatures as ever. Not even Johnny Depp's iconic role as Captain Jack Sparrow can save this waterlogged sequel this time. Sure, he has his few amusing moments particularly the one involving his debate of jumping over the high cliff, but too bad there's nothing much about him than you already knew in the first three movies. And I mean him in terms of character development. The rest of the actors are equally forgettable, with Penelope Cruz's typically saucy performance as the feisty Angelica and a largely wasted performance by Ian McShane as Blackbeard. Actually casting Ian McShane as an evil pirate supposed to be a terrific choice but the filmmakers fail to establish his character with solid background. Geoffrey Rush, who is so memorable in the first three movies, has now reduced to thankless role.

If anything worth praising for this otherwise lame fourth entry is the inclusion of the mermaid. It's not your typical family-friendly mermaid you used to see from Disney but something more deadly -- let's just say, femme fatale.

This is clearly an all-time low for a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie, although this fourth entry is slightly an improvement over the hugely bloated third entry. For those who stick around after the end credits, there is an open ending for a possible fifth installment. Should there be a fifth entry, let's just hope the filmmakers spend more time to develop their movie more creatively than just opting for an easy cash cow.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END (2007)

RATING: 2/5

Remember the time when THE MATRIX RELOADED (2003) fused with so much creative energy and all those roller-coasting cinematic experience, only to be a polar opposite a few months later in THE MATRIX REVOLUTIONS? History is repeating itself in PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, a surprisingly disappointed third and possibly the last installment of the highly successful franchise. Whereas DEAD MAN'S CHEST that screened last summer promised enough rip-roaring adventure of pure entertainment and pulpy, if overstuffed mixture of mythology, AT WORLD'S END takes a 180-degree turn: the fun and enthusiasm previously displayed in the first two PIRATES installments are running out of steam. And though credits should goes to the filmmakers for making this third installment a tad darker for what has come before, the result remains misguided, soulless and worst still, tiresome.

Towards the dramatic cliffhanger finale in DEAD MAN'S CHEST (2006), we witnessed Capt. Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) was being swallowed by the monstrous squid, Kraken. Now it's up to Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom), newly resurrected Captain Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush, who appeared in the first installment) and voodoo priestess Tia Dalma (Naomie Harris) setting off to rescue Jack Sparrow. They make a stop in Singapore to retrieve a special map from Captain Sao Feng (Chow Yun-Fat), before proceeding their next journey off the sea, en route to the netherworld of Davy Jones' Locker, in which Jack Sparrow is trapped there.

And there's more: the British East India Tea Company, lead by the merciless and business-minded Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander) is hell-bent to make the world safe by hanging pirates and other accomplices but still can't get rid of the fellow Caribbean he wanted them the most. So he uses Davy Jones (Bill Nighy) and the legendary ghost ship, The Flying Dutchman, to help him eliminate the whole pirates operation once and for all, because he has Jones' heart on his keepsake. Realizing Lord Beckett and his company are setting off an all-out war against pirates, Captain Barbossa and the rest of the gang, including Jack Sparrow they later rescued him, gather together the Nine Lords of the Brethren Court (sort of like United Nations for pirates) in a bid to cooperate each other and defeat Lord Beckett.

If that's aren't bulky enough, there's more plot than you can ever imagined as each characters seem to have personal agendas of their own: Jack Sparrow is particularly very interested on the special map Captain Barbossa have in his possession; there's a backstory behind the curse and the forbidden lovers between Davy Jones and the goddess Calypso, who is being bound in human form and an effort is made to free her, and not to mention the whole twisted "who's-betraying-who" double-triple crosses galore that involves between Jack Sparrow, Will Turner, Elizabeth Swann, Captain Barbossa, Lord Beckett and Davy Jones in favor to get what they want.

Like DEAD MAN'S CHEST, this third installment is crammed with too much plot, subplot and counter-plot that needed badly for proper trimming but director Gore Verbinski, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and screenwriters team Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio simply having their field day elaborating whatever ideas they have compiled and let them rip off wildly off the course.

At the beginning, the multiple twists-and-turns occurred in the middle part of the movie is intriguing but gradually grows tired and annoying, especially when Verbinski and his company doesn't have a single clue when to stop for a breather. The movie is also admittedly a butt-numbing experience. Clocking at 168-minutes, which nearly three-hours long, it's simply overlong and overexposed. The heavily and painfully convoluted story is also taking toll to tie all the loose ends for what has come before, but most of the payoffs are either trite or sketchily-resolved.

Perhaps the biggest problem that separated between DEAD MAN'S CHEST and AT WORLD'S END, and to certain extent, the original PIRATES as well, is absolutely lack of refreshing angle to give audiences something more than just the same old stuff. Other than introducing a group of Chinese pirates lead by Captain Sao Feng, there's nothing really worth writing home about.

The movie also feels somewhat anticlimactic, especially with all the heavy burden audiences have to bear a long hours tolerating bulky plot to get through the finale. If you're expecting an out-of-this-world explosive end, you'll be greatly disappointed: All the filmmakers can think off is an annoying repeat of countless cannonball explosions, lame swordfights and the likes that the supposedly epic battle at the ship in the midst of a maelstrom resulted in a huge whimper.

Despite most of the wrong turns Verbinski and his company has hurt the third installment, the movie still have its moment. Verbinski hasn't losing his touch on comedy department, especially whenever it involves Jack Sparrow. The most hilarious of all is none others than the surrealistic, BEING JOHN MALKOVICH-esque sequence in which Jack and a small army of his own self are talking to each other, and that includes where he encounters a white rock on the wide open white desert, which can actually transformed into a crab-like creature and another one, where he is locked inside the prison. Also worth mentioning, is any shown-stealing performance featured that undead monkey and the parrot. The much-touted cameo appearance of Rolling Stones' guitarist Keith Richards as Jack's dad, Captain Teague is anything but cool.

Too bad most of the cast are obviously showing signs of restraint (cause of exhaustion, perhaps?). Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow is as loony as ever and in fact he's the only saving grace that makes this movie from a complete disaster. Orlando Bloom continues to bore off the screen with his bland expression, while Keira Knightley, who never shorts of stunning, doesn't add much weight either. Not surprisingly though, their on-and-off romance that charted from the beginning of the first film until this one aren't much to care about. And speaking of that, I really hope that the filmmakers could have juiced up the conflicted love triangle between Sparrow, Turner and Swann. Geoffrey Rush, who is so deliciously evil in the first movie, is sadly reduced into mere caricature, while Chow Yun-Fat, who supposedly to provide fresh angle to the installment, is criminally underused and worst, his character is killed off way fast enough before you can even root for him yet. For Bill Nighy's Davy Jones, the less said about him the better because all he does throughout the film is sulking and grumbling you might end up watching him twitching his tentacles instead.

Likewise, the production notes are top-notch, if nothing really eye-popping. With all the creative flairs Verbinski and his company has obviously exhausted entirely in DEAD MAN'S CHEST, what's left here is only a leftover. By the time the movie wraps up into a conclusion, you couldn't have care less about the fate for these characters.

Whether it's ever a good idea to conclude with an open ending (yup, there's a possible door for fourth installment), I suppose that three PIRATES movies are more than enough. That of course, if this third movie make tons of money... If you still care, stick till the end credit where you catch a footage of the needless "10-years later" coda involving Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann and their son. So much for the huge anticipation and all those months of wait after the event of DEAD MAN'S CHEST only ends up little.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST (2006)

RATING: 3.5/5

The term of "bigger and louder" is what returning producer Jerry Bruckheimer, director Gore Verbinski and screenwriters duo Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio clearly aimed to magnify in this first sequel shot back-to-back with PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END, which will due next summer. The good news is, PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST is marginally entertaining than the first one with level of creativity peaked in term of dazzling action set-pieces and swashbuckling novelty. The bad news is, the sequel still suffers more of the same long-winded approach of telling an overstuffed story.

Picked up where the first movie left off, lovesick Elizabeth Swann (Keira Knightley) and Will Turner (Orlando Bloom) are finally about to tie a knot when they are suddenly arrested by Lord Cutler Beckett (Tom Hollander), representative of British East India Trading Company, on the charge of abetting a notorious pirate by the name of Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). To save themselves from eventual death sentence, Will makes a deal with Beckett: he will try his best to retrieve the compass owned by Jack and bring it back with him. In return, their charges will be dropped. You see, the compass is a crucial device for Beckett to realize his five-year business plan of ruling the high seas.

As Will sets off on his dangerous mission and Elizabeth subsequently plans her own escape from jail to track him down, Jack has a trouble of his own -- apparently, he owes an unpaid debt to legendary captain of the Flying Dutchman Davy Jones (Bill Nighy), a half-man and half-octopus creature whose broken heart is locked away in a buried treasure chest somewhere in an island. Now Jack must get his hand on that chest before Davy does, in order to save himself.

If you think the first one is a butt-numbing experience (depending the way how you look at the storytelling approach), this sequel have a field day stuffing just about everything from subplot to counterplot that screenwriters Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio could spin a TV mini-series instead (clocking at a 151 minutes!). PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN'S CHEST is just like those all-you-can-eat buffet and you know you will end up feeling bloated.

All those flaws aside, the sequel remains enormously entertaining. Again, the special effects (particularly the one involving the giant octopus beast called Kraken) and production values are as top-notch as ever. And the action -- are certainly the highlights of them all. The subplot involving the cannibal-infested island is especially filled with memorable set-pieces: the hilarious bone cage sequence where Will and the pirates tried to swing back and forth across the cliff, and another scene where the terrified Jack falls from the cliff in a series of Rube Goldberg-like spectacular fashions is a must-see to believe. If that's not enough, check out the three-way swordfighting duel between Jack, Will and James (Jack Davenport) that begins amusingly in a sandy beach before continuing atop a rubble deep inside the jungle and end up spectacularly on a rolling mill wheel -- it's one heck of acrobatic stunts that certainly rivaled from Jackie Chan's trademark moves.

Now, here lies the biggest question: Can the next summer's PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLD'S END lives up the promise better than this sequel that already sets the bar high? We can only wait and see.

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (2003)

RATING: 3/5

The curse of making pirate movies are often no better than being resulting into box-office poison. Remember how Roman Polanski's swashbuckling epic PIRATES (1986) went tumbling down, or of course, who can forget one of the most notorious big-budget (at a cost of hefty $70 million) flop of all-time, CUTTHROAT ISLAND (1995), that also saw Carolco Pictures sinked into bankruptcy?

Eight years later, producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinksi are out to prove that this obviously cursed genre has actually a great potential underneath somehow. One of the most highly-publicized, mega-budget Disney gamble ever (at an estimated $125 million to make), PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL is not only the most expensive pirate movies ever produced, it's also stand in the history of being among the longest title ever seen.

The story goes like this: In a flashback sequence, we see the young Elizabeth (Lucinda Dryek), the precious daughter of Governor Swann (Jonathan Pryce), is cruising the ship, commandeered by the British army, lead by Captain Norrington. There, she heard a legendary story of the pirate ship called Black Pearl has plundered merchant vessels and terrorized high seas for the last 10 years. But 8 years ago, her mutinous crew, led by second-in-command Barbossa (Geoffrey Rush), dumped its notorious captain, Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp), on a deserted island and sails off with a chest of Aztec gold medallion that come with a deadly curse: Whoever removes but a single coin is eternally doomed of being immortal. The now-Captain Barbossa and his crew have been long suffered without able to consume food and drinks, all because when the moonlight reveals, they are nothing more than a creepy, crumbling skeletons. On that particular day itself, the young Elizabeth stumbles across an unconscious boy (Dylan Smith) floating adrift at the high sea and the rest of the crew has witnesses broken and sunken ship as well. The crew make their effort to save the boy and goes on to investigate the broken ship. Governor Swann has instructed his daughter to look after the boy and she has find out the boy's name is Will Turner and also has lay her hand on the boy's necklace that comes with a gold medallion, made in a shape of a skull.

Flash forward later, Elizabeth is grown into adulthood (now played by Keira Knightley) and has lived, filled with doubt about the medallion she is still holding after all these years. Not only that, she has two devoted suitors trying to win her heart over: the now-promoted Commodore Norrington, whom she is never loved him before but falling instead to her secret crush, humble-looking blacksmith Will Turner (now played by Orlando Bloom). On the day of Norrington's grand promotion, the sudden arrival of the long-drifted Captain Jack Sparrow make an appearance of attempting to steal a ship but being pursued by the British army. At the same time, he also get to save Elizabeth, who is accidentally fallen over from the high castle and down into the sea because of the tight corset she is lacking of proper breath. Of course, the chase is quickly ensues, which includes an exciting swordfighting duel between Sparrow and Turner, but Sparrow is ultimately defeated in the end. Thrown into the prison and will be sentenced for hanging to death, Sparrow is only waiting for the greatest opportunity to escape.

At that night, the decaying pirates storm the Caribbean island colony and wreck havoc against the people there, while manage to kidnap Elizabeth away. Apparently Captain Barbossa and his crew are so desperately wanted Elizabeth badly is because she has the last coin hanging in her neck that will see them able to return all 882 gold coins to the chest for the sake to break the curse. Commodore Norrington and especially, the more anxious Will Turner are determined whatever they can to bring back Elizabeth in peace. However, Turner is more suggestively to bring along the only person who can lead him back to the Black Pearl's home port: Jack Sparrow. And because of Norrington's ultimate disapproval to let Jack out of prison and he does his search instead along with his crew and his ship, Turner has no choice but to help Sparrow escaped. The unlikely duo: Turner and Sparrow has hard time trying to get along at first but it doesn't take long before they have to help out each other to locate Black Pearl and Elizabeth.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth, whom she simply claimed herself her full name as Elizabeth Turner, Barbossa sees his opportunity and the rest of his crew of finally able to break the curse because he needs the blood of Turner to be dripped over all 882 gold coins in the chest to accomplish everything.

That's when the problem arise: Elizabeth isn't Turner, but to their much surprise, Will Turner is actually supposed the person they really need -- and he is also the only son of the infamous Bootstrap Bill Turner.

The premise is nevertheless breathtaking, and yet potentially fascinating, especially the way how the story is crosses with classic pirate genre and a dash of horror that includes walking skeletons.

But this hokey-jokey script by SHREK scribes Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio whom we see them manage to squeeze in just about every convention of the genre, without being able to polish much about the story. And that is where their problem lies - - they are unable to push their obviously limited element beyond horizon and the story is amazingly overlong (clocking at a whopping 133 minutes!).

The first hour of the film is exciting but by the time the second hour kicks off, there are no more reason than seeing the same old stuff recycled over and over again until the screenwriters are straying far enough to cram in many ending one after another that could have ended half an hour shorter.

While the pace is rather choppy, with just too many ideas splashing all over the place that some of them could have been done in a straightforward manner without being going into round-a-clock detour, this bloated epic doesn't exactly sinking into the bottom of ocean just yet. Blessed with a script that filled of often hilarious and downright sarcastic dialogues, the film also sees the light of its day with an attractive cast that constantly winning everything over.

Johnny Depp, in particular, is the limelight that from the moment of his appearance in this film, he is definitely the guy who is born to play a pirate. Dressed with heavy mascara and a wonderful Cockney accent, Depp's over-the-top performance is often hilarious and the way he slurred his words and his ultimate gesture like a man who spend the rest of his lifetime drinking way too much rum (yup, in this movie, he is proven so) sees him in such winning, flamboyant approach. Geoffrey Rush, on the other hand, is similarly superb, with his idealistically wicked and hissing performance gets downright nasty. The rest of the cast, including the dashing Orlando Bloom and the amazingly gorgeous Keira Knightley are entirely photogenic but can't ultimately matching themselves between Depp and Rush.

The action is fast and exciting, big and bold enough to keep things moving, while the transformation of the decaying pirates of Captain Barbossa and his crew from ordinary-looking human form into a crumbling skeleton is first-rate, special effects wonder. Director Gore Verbinski, who can't do much to bring the pirate genre more-than-meet-the-eyes, still able to maintain the meaning of how such rollercoasting fun a swashbuckling epic could have been (Oh, by the way, this film is based on a Disney's popular theme park ride), while pushing the envelope of high camp without being resulting into sheer silliness. Mega-producer Jerry Bruckheimer is smart and savvy enough to deliver them in such cleverly-packaged, high-tech but nostalgic copy of a glossy version from the real deal.

Audiences will have no doubt relieved that this film is packed with enough fun as long as one never expected much in the novelty. For the rest of the purists, this one isn't ranked close enough to such immortal pirate classics, including CAPTAIN BLOOD (1935) and THE BLACK SWAN (1942) 

Director Albert Hughes Walks Out From AKIRA

After the news broke that Keanu Reeves passed on for the role of Kaneda in Warner Bros.' heavily-anticipated live-action remake of AKIRA, the development of the movie is now suffered for another blow -- director Albert Hughes has grown fed up with the studio's approach and decided to walk out from the project.

With Hughes out of the picture, he is the second director to quit the project after original director Ruairi Robinson passed on earlier in the process.

But Warner Bros. hasn't shut down the project yet as they are on the fast track to look for immediate replacement to continue with the AKIRA one way or another.

Close-Up Look Of A Menacing Lord Voldemort in HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 Character Poster!

Warner Bros. has unveiled a latest character poster of Ralph Fiennes as Lord Voldemort in the highly-anticipated closing chapter of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2, which arrives in theaters on July 16 and July 17, 2011 (local and U.S. releases). Check out the image below.

Another Villain Will Be Surfaced In THE AVENGERS?

Okay, for those who have watched the after-the-end-credit scene in THOR, they will certainly knew who'll be the villain for next year's THE AVENGERS.

But wait, looks like THE AVENGERS team won't be just fighting with one villain! In fact, Latino Review has an exclusive report that they will be facing another villain as well!

And that other villain will be....

THANOS!

Now who is Thanos anyway? Here's the brief description you can read below.

"Debuting in the Bronze Age of comic books, the character has featured in over three decades of Marvel continuity and a self-titled series. The character's name is a derivation of Thanatos, the personification of death and mortality in Greek mythology. One of his more prominent storylines to date-the Infinity Gauntlet series-portrayed him as a mad cosmic tyrant bent on slaying half of all sentiences existing then in Marvel's multiverse in order to appease the Marvel Universe's actual (and more powerful) embodied personification of Death in an attempt to win its love."

For more information about Thanos, go to this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanos

Nothing has been actually finalized yet whether Thanos will make an appearance or not. But of course, it'll be swell to see him graced on the big screen.

THE AVENGERS will assembled into theaters on May 4, 2012. The movie is directed by Joss Whedon, and stars Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Samuel L. Jackson, Don Cheadle, Clark Gregg, Tom Hiddleston.

Nostalgia-Inspired SUPER 8 Poster!

Paramount Pictures has debuted their latest poster of J.J. Abrams' highly-anticipated invasion thriller, SUPER 8 which will lands into theaters on June 9 and June 10 (local and U.S. releases). Check out the image below.

The poster sure looks almost identical to Steven Spielberg's (who also produced SUPER 8) 1977 sci-fi masterpiece, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND. Here's how the poster looks like below.

Orlando Bloom Is Back As Legolas In THE HOBBIT!

Orlando Bloom's iconic performance as the relentless archer Legolas need no introduction since he plays one of the pivotal roles in Peter Jackson's THE LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy.

Now, eight years later after the 2003's THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RETURN OF THE KING, Peter Jackson has recently broke the news in his Facebook page that Orlando Bloom is confirmed to return as Legolas in the prequel, THE HOBBIT. Check out the director's entire post below.

"Ten years ago, Orlando Bloom created an iconic character with his portrayal of Legolas. I'm excited to announce today that we'll be revisiting Middle Earth with him once more. I'm thrilled to be working with Orlando. Funny thing is, I look older-and he doesn't! I guess that's why he makes such a wonderful elf."

In addition to Orlando Bloom, he will also joins fellow THE LORD OF THE RINGS cast members Cate Blanchett, Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Ian Holm and Hugo Weaving, who all reprise their roles in THE HOBBIT.

THE HOBBIT comes to theaters on November 2012. The movie is directed by Peter Jackson.

Here's Sean Hayes As Larry On The Set Of THE THREE STOOGES!

A new photo from Just Jared was recently taken from the set of the much-anticipated comedy THE THREE STOOGES, which features the first look at Sean Hayes (TV's Will & Grace) as Larry. Check out the image below.

THE THREE STOOGES is currently filming at Stone Mountain Park in Atlanta, Georgia, which are directed by Bobby Farrelly and Peter Farrelly. The comedy is expected to laugh its way into theaters on 2012, and stars Will Sasso, Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos, Jane Lynch, Larry David, Stephen Collins, Craig Bierko.

Three New Casts Added For TOTAL RECALL Remake!

Looks like the much-anticipated remake of Arnold Schwarzenegger's TOTAL RECALL (1990) are gaining the right momentum especially with the smart choice of casting so far.

Apart from Colin Farrell bagging the lead role as Douglas Quaid (which is previously essayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger), director Len Wiseman has added three new cast members to his TOTAL RECALL remake, with Bill Nighy in talks to star while Jessica Biel and Kate Beckinsale have finalized their deals.

Bill Nighy will play Quatto, the leader of the resistance. If you do remember the original TOTAL RECALL, Kuato was a mutant inside another man, who is played by Marshall Bell.

In the meantime, Jessica Biel will play Melina (previously essayed by Rachel Ticotin) and Kate Beckinsale will play Lori, the wife of Quaid (previously essayed by Sharon Stone).

The screenplay is written by genre specialists Kurt Wimmer, Mark Bomback, and James Vanderbilt. Unlike the original, the remake scrapped the Mars storyline and instead, it is set in the warring nation-states of Euromerica and New Shanghai. Colin Farrell's Douglas Quaid is a character who slowly realizes that he is actually a spy, although he isn't sure of what side he is on.

TOTAL RECALL hit theaters on August 3, 2012.

Eight Candidates Are Up For THE WOLVERINE Directing Job!

According to an exclusive report by Variety, Twentieth Century Fox has been aggressively in search of a new director for the sequel to X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE entitled THE WOLVERINE, especially after the shock departure of director Darren Aronofsky.

Now The studio has revealed that eight directors are being narrowed down as potential candidates to helm the sequel. They are: José Padilha, Doug Liman, Antoine Fuqua, Mark Romanek, Justin Lin, Gavin O'Connor, James Mangold, and commercials director Gary Shore.

Personally I would like to see what directors best known for their indie expertise can do for THE WOLVERINE (e.g. Mark Romanek, Jose Padilha) rather than commercially-minded director like Justin Lin or Antoine Fuqua.

THE WOLVERINE stars Hugh Jackman, and is currently in development. The movie is still aiming for 2012 release.

New HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 Poster Featuring Battle-Scarred Rupert Grint!

From the battle-scarred Daniel Radcliffe's Harry Potter to Emma Watson's Hermoine and now, here's Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley at (yet) another latest character poster for the upcoming closing chapter of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2, which opens on July 14 and July 15 (local and U.S. releases).

Check out the image below.

Move Aside, Megan Fox... Here Comes Rosie Huntington-Whiteley's Sexy Image In TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON!

Paramount Pictures has released a new image of Victoria's Secret model-turned-actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in a sexy-looking pose for the upcoming third chapter of TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON, which is similar the one when Megan Fox was first introduced in TRANSFORMERS (2007). Check them out below for comparison.

TRANSFORMERS: DARK OF THE MOON hit theaters on June 29 and June 30, 2011 (U.S. and local releases). The movie is directed by Michael Bay, and stars Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Josh Duhamel, Patrick Dempsey, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong, Frances McDormand, Alan Tudyk, Tyrese Gibson, John Turturro, Frank Welker, James Avery, and Peter Cullen.

New HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 Poster Featuring -- This Time, Battle-Scarred Emma Watson!

Can't get enough of HARRY POTTER character? Then check out the latest poster from Warner Bros.'s highly-anticipated closing chapter of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 which features Emma Watson as the battle-scarred Hermoine! Take a look at the image below.

HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 will arrive in theaters on July 14 and July 15 respectively (local and U.S. releases).

Megan Fox: A Lead Role For CARRIE Or Broadway!

Looks like Megan Fox really wants to boost her career as a serious actress after all. Well, she did attempt that in the little-seen PASSION PLAY (2011) which suffered both critical and box-office disaster. But she never gives up though, because now she determines to land on her dream role as the tortured teen in MGM's planned remake of 1976 horror classic, CARRIE. The tortured teen is of course once immortalized by Sissy Spacek in the original version.

Here's what a close source to Megan Fox have to say about her wanted the dream role.

“Megan is a huge fan of the original and would love the chance to play the lead. She’s 25 now but she’s sure she could still do justice to teenage Carrie. She’s told her people to make it happen.”

It is believed that if Megan Fox fails to secure her dream role in CARRIE, she will take a break from Hollywood for a starring role on Broadway! Wow, is that so?

New HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2 Poster Featuring Battle-Scarred Daniel Radcliffe!

Warner Bros. has unleashed the latest poster for the highly-anticipated closing chapter of HARRY POTTER AND THE DEATHLY HALLOWS - PART 2, which will arrive in theaters on July 14 and July 15 respectively (local and U.S. releases). Take a look at the image below.

Terror Runs Deep! Here Comes SHARK NIGHT 3D Poster!

Take a look at David R. Ellis's (SNAKES ON A PLANE) SHARK NIGHT 3D poster below.

Well, who needs synopsis when the poster already says it all?

SHARK NIGHT 3D will terrorizes into theaters on September 2, 2011 (no words for local release just yet). The movie stars Sara Paxton, Dustin Milligan, Katharine McPhee and Chris Carmack.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN Teaser Poster And Logo!

Sony Pictures has released the teaser poster and logo for Marc Webb's highly-anticipated superhero reboot, THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, which will hit theaters on July 3, 2012. Check out these new images below.

What do you think, guys? Personally the choice of fonts are kind of too straightforward and generic.

Terrence Malick's THE TREE OF LIFE Wins Palme d'Or At Cannes 2011

On Sunday night, the jury of the 64th Cannes Film Festival has finally picked their most prestigious Palme d'Or winner. And the honor goes to Terrence Malick's highly-anticipated epic meditation on childhood and cosmos, THE TREE OF LIFE.

Producer Bill Pohlad accepted the Palme d'Or in the absence of Terrence Malick during the Sunday's closing ceremony. Pohlad has stated that the director "remains notoriously shy."

Here's what Pohlad has to say about winning the award.

"'Tree of Life' was a long road. About a year ago this time, it seemed even longer. But coming here and having this happen and getting this award tonight has obviously made it all worthwhile."

In the meantime, here are the complete list of winners for the 64th Cannes Film Festival below.

Palme d'Or: "The Tree of Life" (Terrence Malick, U.S.)

Grand Prix (tie): ''Once Upon a Time in Anatolia'' (Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Turkey) and ''The Kid With a Bike'' (Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, France)

Director: Nicolas Winding Refn (''Drive,'' U.S.)

Jury prize: ''Polisse'' (Maiwenn, France)

Actor: Jean Dujardin ("The Artist," France)

Actress: Kirsten Dunst ("Melancholia," Denmark-Sweden-France-Germany)

Screenplay: Joseph Cedar ("Footnote," Israel)

UN CERTAIN REGARD JURY AWARDS

Main prize (tie): "Arirang" (Kim Ki-duk, South Korea) and "Stopped on Track" (Andreas Dresen, Germany)

Special jury prize: "Elena" (Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia)

Directing prize: Mohammad Rasoulof ("Goodbye,'' Iran)

OTHER MAIN JURY AWARDS

Camera d'Or: "Las acacias" (Pablo Giorgelli, Argentina-Spain)

Critics' Week Grand Prix: "Take Shelter" (Jeff Nichols, U.S.)

SHORT FILMS JURY PRIZES

Palme d'Or: "Cross" (Maryna Vroda)

Jury prize: "Swimsuit 46" (Wannes Destoop)

FIPRESCI AWARDS

Competition: "Le Havre" (Aki Kaurismaki, Finland-France)

Un Certain Regard: "The Minister" (Pierre Schoeller, France)

Directors' Fortnight: "Take Shelter" (Jeff Nichols, U.S.)

CINEFONDATION

First Prize: "Der Brief" (Doroteya Droumeva)

Second Prize: "Drari" (Kamal Lazraq)

Third Prize: "Fly by Night" (Son Tae-gyum)

ECUMENICAL PRIZE: "This Must Be the Place" (Paolo Sorrentino, Italy-France-Ireland)

PRIX VULCAIN TECHNICAL AWARDS

Winner: Jose Luis Alcaine ("The Skin I Live In," Spain)

Special mention: Joe Bini and Paul Davies ("We Need to Talk About Kevin," U.K.-U.S.)