Choosing a film to watch this weekend is going to be fraught with difficulties given the embarrassment of riches. After mind-altering works from Martin Scorsese (“Shutter Island”) and Tim Burton (“Alice in Wonderland”) last week, it is now time to dig into some popcorn.
There are the further adventures of Carrie Bradshaw and her fabulous girlfriends in “Sex and the City 2” (SATC2). And If Manolo Blahniks and Chanel aren't your thing, you could wade into Ridley Scott's action adventure “Robin Hood”.
Not into testosterone-driven medieval adventures? Don't fret for there is a dash of Kung Fu with “The Karate Kid.” This reimaging of 1984 hit film is directed by Harold Zwart. It shares some plot points with its predecessor, including the big tournament in the climax. The major departures are the film is set in Beijing and instead of Karate, Kung Fu is the bone of contention in the film.
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Dre Parker is a happy 12-year-old in Detroit. His life changes when he moves with his mum to Beijing. He falls for his classmate and incurs the wrath of the school bully.
All turns out well in the end with some help from the mysterious Mr. Han who is a Kung Fu teacher in secret. Will Smith's son, Jaden Smith plays Dre (how time flies!) while the always-watchable Jackie Chan plays the gifted Mr. Han.
From the time the “SATC” movie came out and surprised everyone by doing well, there has been talk of a sequel. And now all the fan girls can clap their manicured hands in glee as it is finally here.
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Second coming
The film is directed by Michael Patrick King, who helmed the first movie as well as the super popular television series the films are based on. The sequel apart from starring the girls, Sarah Jessica Parker (Carrie), Kim Cattrall (Samantha), Kristin Davis (Charlotte) and Cynthia Nixon (Miranda) and the men Chris Noth (Mr. Big), David Eigenberg (Steve), Evan Handler (Harry) and Jason Lewis (Jerry Smith) sees the return of John Corbett (Aidan). Guest stars include Liza Minnelli, Miley Cyrus and Penelope Cruz.
The film takes off two years after the events of the earlier film. Carrie and Mr. Big are finally married, Charlotte has her two little girls, Miranda is still balancing work and family while Samantha continues to sail through life with the right accessories and hormone therapy.
Samantha inveigles an invitation for an all-expense paid trip to Abu Dhabi and the resultant culture clash provides the humour.
With Patricia Field (she designed for the series and the film) designing costumes and if the stills are anything to go by, a lot of eye candy by way of costume is guaranteed. In these days of recession, the excesses of “SATC2” might seem a little too much (commentators have called it fashion porn). We would have to wait for Friday to see how much is too much.
Ridley Scott, the man who told us no one can hear us scream in space (“Alien”) and gave us the ultimate girl power movie, “Thelma and Louise,” moved into sword-and-sandal territory with “Gladiator”. Scott seems to have found his muse in history and Russell Crowe.
Making a merry mark
“Robin Hood” is Scott's fifth collaboration with Crowe after “Gladiator”, “A Good Year”, “American Gangster” and “Body of Lies.” The story broadly remains the same. Robin Hood returns to Nottingham after fighting for King Richard. In Nottingham, he encounters the evil sheriff and the spirited widow (that's new) Marion, played by Cate Blanchett.
Robin and his band of merry mercenaries set about teaching the sheriff a thing or two. The film was extensively rewritten by Brian Helgeland (he won an Oscar for his work in “L.A. Confidential”) as Scott wanted the character of the Sheriff to be more conflicted.
Robin Hood only brings to mind the hilarious Mel Brooks film, “Men in Tights” with the moving mole. Being a Ridley Scott film, you can be assured of high-octane action and with a cast that includes Oscar winners Crowe and Blanchett, there should be acting of the highest calibre.
So there you have it boys and girls — either learn some Kung Fu from Mr Han, do a crash course in consumerism with Carrie and her gal pals or hop on to a time traveller and learn a thing or two about how to aim the crossbow from Robin.