US Releases

Sucker Punch

Studio – Warner Bros. Pictures (Previous Film: Red Riding Hood)

Director - Zack Snyder (Previous Film: Legend Of The Guardians: Owls Of Ga'Hoole)

In a nutshell....

Baby Doll is put in a mental asylum by her stepfather where she's to go under lobotomy in 5 days' time. In her imaginary world, Baby Doll joins forces with four other female inmates to escape the facility. Reality and fantasy mix and merge as the five girls battle enormous creatures and enemies to retrieve five items they need to help them escape the clutches of the captors.

I cannot imagine any other director at the helm of this film as Zack Snyder is the perfect choice to direct films like Sucker Punch that tap the fantasy and fictional worlds as well as deal with reality in the parallel. He made reality look like fantasy in 300, and fantasy like reality in Watchmen; and both those films were fascinating. Therefore, this film, without a doubt, has to be very good. The story's interesting, it has an all attractive girls cast, it has a lot of action, it's releasing worldwide, and is in 3D. This film will set the cash registers ringing and perhaps be the biggest film of 2011, thus far. Certainly my pick of the week.

Runtime - Unknown

Genre - Action/Fantasy/Thriller

Rated - PG-13

Principal Cast

Abbie Cornish – Sweet Pea (Last seen in: Limitless)

Vanessa Anne Hudgens - Blondie (Last seen in: Beastly)

Emily Browning - Baby Doll (Last seen in: The Uninvited)

Jamie Chung - Amber (Last seen in: Grown Ups)

Jena Malone - Rocket (Last seen in: The Soloist)

Principal Crew

Zack Snyder, Steve Shibuya - Writers

Larry Fong - Director of Photography

William Hoy - Editor

Tyler Bates, Marius De Vries - Music Directors

Film’s USP

Zack Snyder + Genres

Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU4ReVEemN0&feature=fvst

Anticipation Rating - 4.5/5

---

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid - Rodrick Rules

Studio – Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (Previous Film: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son)

Director - David Bowers (Previous Film: Astro Boy)

In a nutshell....

George and Rodrick Heffley's parents want their kids to bond well as they return to school after holidays. Now, the kids have to tackle and deal with their parent's misguided attempts to get them together.

The first Wimpy Kid film looked like a sitcom and this one doesn't look different either. But who cares when you enjoy the film with some funny situations and comical characters who make you and your family laugh. The first film did a nice job on the box office which also encouraged the makers to come up with a sequel. Besides, this book adaptation gets better as the director of Flushed Away and Astro Boy has called the shots. Thus I expect this film to tickle my funny bone more than the first one did. Certainly a family watch for this weekend.

Runtime - Unknown

Genre - Comedy

Rated - PG

Principal Cast

Zachary Gordon – Greg Heffley (Last seen in:Four Christmases)

Devon Bostick - Rodrick Heffley (Last seen in: Diary Of A Wimpy Kid)

Robert Capron - Rowley Jefferson (Last seen in: The Sorcerer's Apprentice)

Principal Crew

Gabe Sachs, Jeff Judah, Jeff Kinney (Book) - Writers

Jack Green - Director of Photography

Troy Takaki - Editor

Ed Shearmur - Music Director

Film’s USP

Sequel

Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZbqqYuG1TCM

Anticipation Rating - 3.5/5

---

Miral

Studio – The Weinstein Company (Previous Film: Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son)

Director - Julian Schnabel (Previous Film: Astro Boy)

In a nutshell....

Miral is sent by her father to Hind Husseini's orphanage after the death of her mother. Brought up safely inside the institute's walls Miral is unaware of the real outside world. At 17, she is assigned to teach at a refugee camp where she learns about the plight of the Palestinian refugees. When she falls for Hani, a political activist, she is torn between deciding what is right; the teachings of Husseini or the activist's way of doing things.

I don't know how bankable an actor Freida Pinto is to carry the burden of an entire feature film as the leading lady, but I sure know that she's received a lot of undue attention for a role any small time Bollywood actress could've pulled off with as much ease. But now is the time for her to prove that she's worth all the attention she got with Slumdog Millionaire. This much hyped about actress plays the lead role in this film which puts it in a spot of bother, and it's only because people expect a lot from her. But here we're talking about a director who knows his job well and that is what makes this film worth watching. Besides, it touches upon a subject that is unusual and also interesting. It also looks well shot and has an appeal of the festival circuit type of cinema. So I hope Freida's done well in and as Miral. If not so, I fear her Hollywood dreams might crash because she was almost negligible in You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger.

Runtime - 112 mins

Genre - Drama

Rated - R

Principal Cast

Willem Dafoe – US Colonel Eddie (Last seen in: Cirque Du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant)

Freida Pinto - Miral (Last seen in: You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger)

Hiam Abbass - Hind Husseini (Last seen in: Everyday Is A Holiday)

Omar Metwally - Hani (Last seen in: Munich)

Principal Crew

Rula Jebreal - Writer

Eric Gautier - Director of Photography

Juliette Welfling - Editor

Film’s USP

Julian Schnabel + Freida Pinto

Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXfVtgSv-TQ

Anticipation Rating - 3/5