Over the Hedge

Just whose backyard is it, anyway?

Spring has sprung, and Verne and his woodland friends awaken from their long winter's nap to discover that a tall, green "thing" has mysteriously cropped up right through the middle of their home. Enter RJ, an opportunistic raccoon, who explains that the world beyond the hedge is the "gateway to the good life" where peculiar creatures called humans live to eat, rather than eat to live.

Suspicious and even a little jealous of RJ, the ever-cautious Verne wants to keep his blended family safely on their side of the hedge. But, proving the adage that one man's garbage is another man's—or rather animal's—treasure, the manipulative RJ tries to convince the woodland band that there is little to fear and everything to gain from their over-indulgent new neighbors. Eventually, RJ and Verne form an unlikely friendship as they learn to co-exist with—and even exploit—this strange new world called suburbia.

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 25 May 2006 (Thursday)
Time: 09:10pm
With: Kossy

Chicken Little

This time the sky really is falling.

Walt Disney Feature Animation adds a whole new dimension to its legacy for memorable characters, great storytelling, and technical innovation with “Chicken Little,” the Studio’s first fully computer-animated feature film. A pioneer in using computers in animation since the early 1980s, Disney brings its distinct filmmaking style and approach to this exciting medium, along with a host of technical innovations. The result is a film that captures the very best qualities of Disney animation with a look and feel that audiences have never seen before. Adding to the excitement, “Chicken Little” is being presented in select theatres across the country in Disney Digital 3D, a revolutionary new true three-dimensional digital experience. Disney teamed with effects powerhouse Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) to render the movie in 3D, and the film will be shown using specially installed Dolby Digital Cinema systems.

The sky’s the limit in Walt Disney Pictures’ “Chicken Little,” a delightful computer-animated comedy-adventure that gives a sophisticated and satirical twist to the classic fable. It is now one year after the “unfortunate acorn incident” when Chicken Little caused big-time havoc in his hometown of Oakey Oaks by proclaiming that the sky was falling after being conked on the head by what appeared to be an acorn. Down but not out, the plucky chicken joins the local baseball team in the hopes of reviving his reputation and winning the respect of his father, Buck Cluck. When he leads the town to an upset victory, he becomes the toast of the town. But no sooner has the champion chicken redeemed himself when he is hit on the head one more time. And this time the sky really is falling! Fearful of once again being labeled crazy, he is reluctant to tell anyone what has happened. Instead, he enlists the help of his closest pals -- Runt of the Litter, Abby Mallard (aka Ugly Duckling), and Fish Out of Water -- in an attempt to save the day without sending the town into a whole new panic.

A stellar cast of talented actors and actresses lend voice to the animated stars of “Chicken Little.” Zach Braff, star of the hit NBC series “Scrubs” and the director of last year’s critically acclaimed feature, “Garden State,” brings offbeat humor, a sense of determination, and lots of explosive energy to the likeable little title character. Veteran director and all-around funnyman Garry Marshall (“Pretty Woman,” “The Princess Diaries”) provides the distinctive voice of Buck Cluck, frustrated father of Chicken Little and a former baseball star. Actress Joan Cusack adds warmth and comedy to the vocal performance of Abby Mallard (aka Ugly Duckling), a beautiful friend who has no shortage of advice to share. Steve Zahn (“Sahara,” “Happy, Texas”) takes on the big role of Runt of the Litter, a skittish 900-pound porker who is the smallest in his family. Dan Molina, the film’s editor, creates the non-verbal sounds for Fish Out of Water, aided and abetted by a five-gallon bottle of water and a drinking straw. Chicken Little’s nemesis, Foxy Loxy, is voiced by Amy Sedaris, the popular star of such programs as “Sex and the City” and “Strangers with Candy.”

The film’s supporting cast includes performances from some top comic talents. Don Knotts, the intrepid deputy sheriff Barney Fife from “The Andy Griffith Show,” gets a promotion to Mayor Turkey Lurkey in “Chicken Little.” Comic actor Harry Shearer (“The Simpsons,” “This is Spinal Tap”) reports for vocal duty as the play-by-play canine commentator at the big baseball game. Patrick Stewart gives a sheepish performance as the humorless high school teacher, Mr. Woolensworth. Wallace Shawn is heard as high-strung high school principal Fetchit. Fred Willard and Catherine O’Hara team up for laughs as concerned alien parents, Melvin and Tina, on a mission to find their missing kid, Kirby. Adam West turns in a commanding performance as the voice of Ace, Hollywood’s version of Chicken Little in the movie version of his life. Patrick Warburton, who delighted audiences as the dim-witted Kronk in “Emperor’s New Groove,” provides a memorable cameo here as the alien cop.

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date:
Time:
With: Kossy

The Da Vinci Code

Seek the truth

The Da Vinci Code involves a thrilling murder investigation that unearths the biggest cover-up in human history.Famed symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is called to the Louvre museum one night where a curator has been murdered, leaving behind a mysterious trail of symbols and clues. With his own survival at stake, Langdon, aided by the police cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), unveils a series of stunning secrets hidden in the works of Leonardo Da Vinci, all leading to a covert society dedicated to guarding an ancient secret that has remained hidden for 2000 years.

The pair set off on a thrilling quest through Paris, London and Scotland, collecting clues as they desperately attempt to crack the code and reveal secrets that will shake the very foundations of mankind.

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 23 May 2006 (Tuesday)
Time: 06:10pm
With: Sheri

Take the Lead

Never Follow.

Antonio Banderas stars in Take the Lead, a drama inspired by the true story of Pierre Dulaine, an inspirational Manhattan dance teacher and competitor who volunteers his time to teach ballroom dancing to a diverse group of New York inner-city high school students serving detention.The students are initially skeptical of Dulaine, especially when they learn what he’s there to teach them, but his unwavering commitment and dedication slowly inspire them to embrace his program. In fact, they even take it one step further and combine Dulaine’s classical dance with their unique hip-hop style and music to create a high-energy, unique fusion. As Dulaine becomes a mentor for his students, many of whom haven’t had much to strive towards in their lives, he inspires them to hone their craft for a prestigious city ballroom competition, and in return they share with each other valuable lessons about pride, respect and honor.

Joining Antonio Banderas in the talented ensemble cast are Rob Brown (Coach Carter, Finding Forrester), Yaya DaCosta (UPN’s “Top Model”), Dante Basco (Biker Boyz), John Ortiz (Narc) Laura Benanti (Nine), Marcus T. Paulk (UPN’s “Moesha”), Jenna Dewan (Tamara), and Alfre Woodard (Beauty Shop, ABC’s “Desperate Housewives”).

Location: Causeway Cathay
Date: 01 May 2006 (Monday)
Time: 09:50pm
With: Kossy

Ice Age 2

The chill is gone.

In ICE AGE: THE MELTDOWN, the sub-zero heroes from the worldwide blockbuster CGI film “Ice Age” are back – Manny the woolly mammoth, Sid the sloth, Diego the saber-toothed tiger, and the hapless prehistoric squirrel/rat known as Scrat. In the new film, from director Carlos Saldanha and the Academy Award winning creators of “Ice Age” and “Robots,” the Ice Age is coming to an end, and the animals are delighting in the melting paradise that is their new world.

Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Denis Leary return to voice our three heroes: Manny, Sid, and Diego. New cast members include Academy Award nominee Queen Latifah (“Chicago”), Seann William Scott (the “American Pie” trilogy), late night talk show king Jay Leno, Will Arnett (“Arrested Development”) and Josh Peck (“Drake and Josh”).

Our trio is still together and enjoying the perks of their now melting world. Manny may be ready to start a family, but nobody has seen another mammoth for a long time; Manny thinks he may be the last one. That is, until he miraculously finds Ellie (voiced by Queen Latifah), the only female mammoth left in the world. Their only problems: They can't stand each other – and Ellie somehow thinks she’s a possum!

Ellie comes with some excess baggage in the form of her two possum “brothers”...Crash and Eddie (voiced by Seann William Scott and Josh Peck), a couple of daredevil pranksters and cocky, loud-mouthed troublemakers.

Manny, Sid, and Diego quickly learn that the warming climate has one major drawback: A huge glacial dam holding off oceans of water is about to break, threatening the entire valley. The only chance of survival lies at the other end of the valley. So our three heroes, along with Ellie, Crash and Eddie, form the most unlikely family -- in any “Age” -- as they embark on a mission across an ever-changing, increasingly dangerous landscape towards their salvation.

The film also presents the continuing adventures, or misadventures, of Scrat, who has an even larger role this time.


Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 06 April 2006 (Thursday)
Time: 05:15pm
With: Kossy

TransAmerica

TRANSAMERICA tells the story of Bree (Felicity Huffman), a conservative transsexual woman who takes an unexpected journey when she learns that when she was a he, she fathered a son (Kevin Zegers), now a teenage runaway hustling on the streets of New York.

Bree is a highly educated, conservative, transsexual woman who passes as a G.G. (a genetic girl), living in a poor section of Los Angeles and working two jobs to save money for her final sexual reassignment surgery. When she receives a phone call from Toby, a jailed teenage runaway looking for his father, she’s shocked to discover that a heterosexual encounter during her life as a man resulted in a son. Bree wants no part of Toby, but her therapist insists she must confront her past, and withholds legal permission for Bree’s final operation until she has met the boy.

Bree grudgingly dips into her precious operation fund and flies to New York to bail Toby out of jail. Released to her without explanation, Toby assumes from Bree’s conservative appearance that she’s a Christian missionary who rescues street people and converts them to Jesus. Not ready for parenthood, Bree seizes her chance and encourages Toby’s misconception. When she learns that the rebellious, disheveled Toby intends to skip bail and hitchhike to L.A. to break into X-rated videos and search for his real father, Bree panics. She doesn't want him to interfere with her plans for a safe, quiet new life. She offers him a ride cross-country, secretly plotting to abandon him with the stepfather he ran away from.

As each lies to and manipulates the other, Bree and Toby find themselves on an unexpected and transformative journey – TRANSAMERICA.

Location: Orchard Cineleisure Cathay
Date: 23 March 2006 (Thursday)
Time: 10:10pm
With: Kossy

Constant Gardener

Location: Orchard Cathay Cineleisure
Date: 09 February 2006 Thursday
Time: 09.30pm
With: Leech & Kossy

King Kong

Triple Academy Award winner PETER JACKSON, whose The Lord of the Rings trilogy made motion picture history, now brings his sweeping cinematic vision to one of the screen’s most enduring classics and one of the greatest filmic adventures of all time: King Kong.

Assuming directing, producing and co-screenwriting duties, Jackson turns his attention to the iconic tale immortalized in 1933 by adventurers-turned-filmmakers Merian C. Cooper and co-director Ernest B. Schoedsack, who first conjured the indelible image of the gigantic ape atop the Empire State Building, protecting his human companion from an onslaught of attacking biplanes. Jackson refashions the tragic beauty-and-the-beast love story -- infusing the spectacle of the tale with propulsive action and a poignant humanity -- and gives us a Kong never before thought possible through the combined efforts and visual effects wizardry of the multiple-Oscar-winning Weta Digital Ltd. and Weta Workshop Ltd.

King Kong is the culmination of the filmmaker’s near-lifelong dream -- taking the best elements of the original story and adrenalizing them with up-to-the-minute effects magic and the alchemic talents of a superlative group of filmmakers, cast and crew.

Jackson retains key members of the team behind The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He is joined once again by longtime collaborators FRAN WALSH and PHILIPPA BOYENS, co-writing the motion picture with three-time Oscar-winning partner Walsh and their The Lord of the Rings co-writer, Academy Award winner Boyens. JAN BLENKIN, CAROLYNNE CUNNINGHAM, Walsh and Jackson produce the film under their WingNut Films banner.

It is 1933, and vaudeville actress Ann Darrow (Oscar nominee for 21 Grams, NAOMI WATTS) has found herself -- like so many other New Yorkers during the Great Depression -- without the means to earn a living. Unwilling to compromise and allow herself to sink into a career in burlesque, she considers her limited options while aimlessly wandering the streets of Manhattan. When her hunger drives her to unsuccessfully try to steal an apple from a fruit vendor’s stall, she is rescued -- literally -- by filmmaker and multiple hyphenate Carl Denham (JACK BLACK of The School of Rock).

It seems that the entrepreneur-raconteur-adventurer is no stranger to theft, having that day lifted the only existing print of his most recent and unfinished film from under his studio executives’ noses when they threatened to pull his completion funds. Carl has until the end of the day to get his crew onboard the Singapore-bound tramp steamer, the S.S. Venture, in hopes of completing his travelogue/action film. With that, the showman is certain he will finally achieve the personal greatness he knows awaits him around the corner…and although the crew believe that corner to be Singapore, Denham actually hopes to find and capture on film the mysterious place of legend: Skull Island.

Unfortunately for Carl, his headlining actress has pulled out of his project, but his search for a size-four leading lady (the costumes have all been made) has, fatefully, led him to Ann. The struggling actress is reluctant to sign on with Denham, until she learns that the up-and-coming, socially relevant playwright Jack Driscoll (Oscar winner for The Pianist, ADRIEN BRODY) is penning the screenplay -- the fees his friend Carl pays for potboiling adventure are a welcome supplement to Driscoll’s nominal income from his stage plays.

With his newly discovered star and coerced screenwriter reluctantly onboard, Denham’s “moving picture ship” heads out of New York Harbor ... and toward a destiny that none aboard could possibly foresee.

Joining Watts, Black and Brody is an accomplished ensemble cast from around the globe. German star THOMAS KRETSCHMANN (U-571) portrays Captain Englehorn, commander of the Venture, who allows Denham and his ever-increasing bribes to persuade him to endanger the lives of his crew by searching for Skull Island. COLIN HANKS (Orange County) is Preston, Denham’s put-upon assistant and unwitting moral compass, who attempts to keep his boss in check and the production from spiraling out of control. Young actor JAMIE BELL (Billy Elliot) plays Jimmy, the youngest crew member, whose experiences onboard the Venture prove more fantastical than any old salt’s seafaring yarn. EVAN PARKE lends his talents to the role of first mate Hayes, keeping a watchful eye on young Jimmy and serving as Englehorn’s conscience. KYLE CHANDLER takes on the character of Bruce Baxter, a “B”-movie-level leading man cast opposite Ann Darrow in Denham’s adventure movie. ANDY SERKIS (who performed the role of the CGI character Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy) provides both on-set performance reference and motion-capture performance for the “Eighth Wonder of the World”…the title character of King Kong; he also appears onscreen as the eccentric sailor in charge of the Venture’s galley, Lumpy the Cook.

Location: Plaza Singapura Golden Village
Date: 23 December 2005
Time: -
With: Enci, Eve, Chewwen, Geok Ni

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Location: Orchard Cathay Cineleisure
Date: 16 November 2005 Wednesday
Time: 06.40pm
With: Kossy & Sheri

Corpse Bride

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 30 September 2005 Friday
Time: 11.05pm
With: Kossy

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka (JOHNNY DEPP) and Charlie Bucket (FREDDIE HIGHMORE), a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory.

Most nights in the Bucket home, dinner is a watered-down bowl of cabbage soup, which young Charlie gladly shares with his mother (HELENA BONHAM CARTER) and father (NOAH TAYLOR) and both pairs of grandparents. Theirs is a tiny, tumbledown, drafty old house but it is filled with love. Every night, the last thing Charlie sees from his window is the great factory, and he drifts off to sleep dreaming about what might be inside.

For nearly fifteen years, no one has seen a single worker going in or coming out of the factory, or caught a glimpse of Willy Wonka himself, yet, mysteriously, great quantities of chocolate are still being made and shipped to shops all over the world.

One day Willy Wonka makes a momentous announcement. He will open his famous factory and reveal "all of its secrets and magic" to five lucky children who find golden tickets hidden inside five randomly selected Wonka chocolate bars.

Nothing would make Charlie's family happier than to see him win but the odds are very much against him as they can only afford to buy one chocolate bar a year, for his birthday.

Indeed, one by one, news breaks around the world about the children finding golden tickets and Charlie's hope grows dimmer. First there is gluttonous Augustus Gloop, who thinks of nothing but stuffing sweets into his mouth all day, followed by spoiled Veruca Salt, who throws fits if her father doesn't buy her everything she wants. Next comes Violet Beauregarde, a champion gum chewer who cares only for the trophies in her display case, and finally surly Mike Teavee, who's always showing off how much smarter he is than everyone else.

But then, something wonderful happens. Charlie finds some money on the snowy street and takes it to the nearest store for a Wonka Whipple-Scrumptious Fudgemallow Delight, thinking only of how hungry he is and how good it will taste. There, under the wrapper is a flash of gold. It's the last ticket. Charlie is going to the factory! His Grandpa Joe (DAVID KELLY) is so excited by the news that he springs out of bed as if suddenly years younger, remembering a happier time when he used to work in the factory, before Willy Wonka closed its gates to the town forever. The family decides that Grandpa Joe should be the one to accompany Charlie on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure.

Once inside, Charlie is dazzled by one amazing sight after another. Wondrous gleaming contraptions of Wonka's own invention churn, pop and whistle, producing ever new and different edible delights. Crews of merry Oompa-Loompas mine mountains of fudge beside a frothy chocolate waterfall or ride a translucent, spun-sugar, dragon-headed boat down a chocolate river past crops of twisted candy cane trees and edible mint-sugar grass. Marshmallow cherry creams grow on shrubs, ripe and sweet. Elsewhere, a hundred trained squirrels on a hundred tiny stools shell nuts for chocolate bars faster than any machine and Wonka himself pilots an impossible glass elevator that rockets sideways, slantways and every which way you can think of through the vast and fantastic factory.

Almost as intriguing as his fanciful inventions is Willy Wonka himself, a gracious but most unconventional host. He thinks about almost nothing but candy – except, every once in a while, when he suddenly seems to be thinking about something that happened long ago, that he can't quite talk about. It's been said that Wonka hasn't stepped outside the factory for years. Who he truly is and why he has devoted his life to making sweets Charlie can only guess.

Meanwhile, the other children prove to be a rotten bunch, so consumed with themselves that they scarcely appreciate the wonder of Wonka's creations. One by one, their greedy, spoiled, mean-spirited or know-it-all personalities lead them into all kinds of trouble that force them off the tour before it's even finished.

When only little Charlie Bucket is left, Willy Wonka reveals the final secret, the absolute grandest prize of all: the keys to the factory itself. Long isolated from his own family, Wonka feels it is time to find an heir to his candy empire, someone he can trust to carry on with his life's work and so he devised this elaborate contest to select that one special child.

What he never expects is that his act of immeasurable generosity might bring him an even more valuable gift in return.

Location: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Date: 16 August 2005 (Tuesday)
Time: 12.20pm
With: Sheri

Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith

The Saga is Complete

Sometime during Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith, Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker will make a fateful decision. Faced with a choice between losing the one he loves or giving up his soul to gain the power to save her, Anakin will fall prey to the seductive temptations of the dark side of the Force.

Just what Anakin's decision is, why he makes it and how it leads him to don a frightening suit of black armor have been the stuff of Star Wars legend. After nearly 30 years of waiting and speculating, moviegoers will learn the truth when Revenge of the Sith opens in theaters around the world.

They will discover for themselves exactly how and why heroic Anakin Skywalker – prophesied to be the Chosen One, the single individual who would bring balance to the Force and ensure peace throughout the galaxy – becomes the dreaded Darth Vader, right hand to the Emperor.

They will learn how Anakin's mentors, the swashbuckling Obi-Wan Kenobi and the diminutive Jedi Master Yoda, managed to survive the fabled destruction of the Jedi Order only to live the rest of their days hiding on distant, hostile planets.

They will learn what turned seemingly benevolent and thoughtful Chancellor Palpatine into the dictatorial leader of the feared Galactic Empire.

They will learn how Anakin's children, Luke Skywalker and Leia Organa, came to be born, then separated ... destined to lead the legendary Rebellion against the Empire.

"The pieces will fall together, the connections will be made," promises writer-director George Lucas, who completes the saga he began in 1977 with Star Wars: Episode IV A New Hope. "Finally, the last chapter will be told."

As Revenge of the Sith opens, the final catastrophic battles of the Clone Wars are taking place galaxy wide – including one in the skies above the city-planet Coruscant, seat of the crumbling Republic and also home to the Jedi Knights. Chancellor Palpatine has been taken hostage by the nefarious General Grievous, leader of the droid army – the mechanized battle troops of the Separatist Alliance.

Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) take on a desperate rescue effort, facing long odds to free Palpatine and destroy Grievous. It's a daring mission, but only the start of the fiercely pitched battles and Jedi action that fill Episode III, the most action-filled of all of the Star Wars movies.

The opening battle sets in motion a series of events that lead up to the moment of truth for Anakin – whose secret always threatens to catch up with him: He is leading a dual life as a Jedi Knight while covertly married to the beautiful Senator Padme Amidala (Natalie Portman). Preying on Anakin's fears of losing Padme, Palpatine reveals to Anakin another side of the Force, one that is forbidden to him, but one that promises to teach him powers he never imagined possible.

Obi-Wan recognizes Anakin's inner conflict, and ultimately must face off against his once-promising Padawan learner in a lightsaber battle on the volcanic planet of Mustafar. "This is, by far, the fastest-paced, most thrilling and most intense of all Star Wars movies," says Sith producer Rick McCallum. "Because Star Wars fans have long known many of the key plot points that drive the movie, George wanted to create an experience that would surprise them and really deliver the goods."

The final lightsaber duel between Anakin and Obi-Wan is just one of many showstopping action sequences in Revenge of the Sith. "It's amazing how much action there is in this movie," says McGregor. "It's no-holds-barred."

One of the highlights is the opening space battle, which recalls the thrilling dogfights of Episode IV A New Hope even though, technically, it doesn't take place in space, but in the outer atmosphere of Coruscant. "That allows us to show really spectacular things like massive explosions, fire and smoke pouring off of the spaceships," McCallum says.

There's also intense hand-to-hand combat between Obi-Wan and Grievous, who is a chilling combination of droid and human, foretelling the ultimate fate of Anakin Skywalker himself.

"During Revenge of the Sith, the Clone Wars are still taking place throughout the galaxy, so everyone is in full battle mode, prepared for anything to happen at any moment," Lucas says.

The action in Revenge of the Sith is also a crucial link to A New Hope, which, as few can forget, opens as Darth Vader and his stormtroopers invade a Rebel spaceship. It is the final episode in a saga that Lucas outlined in the early 1970s. "It was a long back-story outline, mostly about how the characters came to be where they are in Episode IV A New Hope," Lucas says. "Even though I didn't start writing the prequels for another 20 years, the structure of that story has never changed very much; it has always been one epic story of a father who is redeemed by his children."

In many ways, Lucas says, the events of Episode III will change audiences' perspectives on the story told in A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. "Watching the films starting with Episode I and ending with Episode VI will be a different experience," he says. "What drove me to direct Episodes I, II and III was the larger story about Anakin, who starts out as a good person but who becomes evil – and, ultimately, is redeemed by his children. It's exciting to see it all come together."

Location: Plaza Singapura Golden Village
Date: 18 May 2005
Time: 10:20pm
With: Sheri & Kossy

Swing Girls

Location: Orchard Cathay Cineleisure
Date: 01 April 2005 Friday
Time: 03.20pm
With: Kossy

Howl's Moving Castle

Academy Award®-winning director Hayao Miyazaki ("Spirited Away") takes moviegoers on an amazing new animated adventure that celebrates the power of love to transform and the resiliency of the human spirit in the face of adversity. Brimming with a blend of imagination, humor, action, and romance, "Howl's Moving Castle" recently played to great acclaim at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, and has become one of the biggest blockbusters of all time in Japan – earning more than $193 million at the box office and still counting.

A distinguished cast of actors, under the direction of Pixar's Pete Docter ("Monsters, Inc."), lend their vocal talents to this English-language version of the film. Sophie (voiced by Emily Mortimer), an average teenage girl working in a hat shop, finds her life thrown into turmoil when she is literally swept off her feet by a handsome-but-mysterious wizard named Howl (voiced by Christian Bale), and is subsequently turned into a 90-year old woman (voiced by screen legend and two-time Oscar® nominee Jean Simmons) by the vain and conniving Wicked Witch of the Waste (voiced by screen legend and Oscar® nominee Lauren Bacall). Embarking on an incredible odyssey to lift the curse, she finds refuge in Howl's magical moving castle where she becomes acquainted with Markl, Howl's apprentice, and a hot-headed fire demon named Calcifer (voiced by Billy Crystal). Sophie's love and support comes to have a major impact on Howl, who flies in the face of orders from the palace to become a pawn of war and instead risks his life to help bring peace to the kingdom. Extraordinary characters, inventive imagery, and stunning artistry make this latest masterpiece from the visionary Miyazaki an unforgettable filmgoing experience.

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 24 February 2005 (Thursday)
Time: 12:30pm

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 15 March 2005 (Thursday)
Time: 05:25pm

Kung Fu Hustle

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 24 December 2004 Friday
Time: 10.15pm
With: Kossy & her parents

Christmas with the Kranks

No! Ho! Ho!
In Revolution Studios' new comedy Christmas With The Kranks, based on John Grisham’s best-selling novel Skipping Christmas, Tim Allen plays Luther Krank, a man who decides to skip Christmas and all the surrounding trappings and go on a vacation with his wife Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) instead.

But when his daughter decides, at the last minute, to come home for the holidays, he is forced to put Christmas back together.

After faithfully and happily celebrating Christmas their entire lives, and with their daughter Blair (Julie Gonzalo) in Peru to serve a stint in the Peace Corps, Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora (Jamie Lee Curtis) Krank are facing the prospect of a very lonely holiday.

One blustery Chicago night, Luther glances longingly at an alluring poster in a travel agency window and pictures himself and Nora basking in the glow of the sun on a Caribbean cruise. What if this Christmas there was no tree, no holiday lights, no fruitcakes, no parties, no decorating … no Christmas?

Though Nora is at first reluctant about going away for the holidays, she soon warms to the idea. But when their neighbors up and down Hemlock Street find out, they are aghast, especially local busybody Vic Frohmeyer (Dan Aykroyd). Among the other injured parties are local police officers Salino (Cheech Marin) and Treen (Jake Busey), as well as Luther’s neighborhood sparring partner Walt Scheel (M. Emmet Walsh).

The Kranks are skipping Christmas? Unimaginable. Unthinkable. Unbearable. To make matters worse, Luther refuses to put his illuminated Frosty the Snowman on his rooftop. Every house has a Frosty on its rooftop at Christmas. Hemlock Street is famous for it and has won numerous contests sponsored by the local newspaper for its Yuletide decorations.

The battle of wits between the Kranks and their neighbors quickly escalates, threatening the harmony of the community and, yes, the spirit of Christmas itself.

Then, without warning, Luther and Nora get a phone call from Blair. She’s coming home for Christmas after all.

Now the Kranks have less than twenty-four hours to get themselves and all the families on Hemlock Street back in the proper Christmas spirit.

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 17 December 2004 Friday
Time: 01.15pm
With: Kossy

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle

Combining the outrageous comic sensibilities of American Pie with the wild open-road adventures of Road Trip, Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle takes the buddy comedy genre to mind-altering new highs.

Harold Lee (John Cho) is stuck in a low-level investment banking job, overworked and definitely under-appreciated by his colleagues, who aren’t shy about handing off their own work for him to finish over the weekend. To make matters worse, he can’t find the courage to talk to his pretty neighbor (Paula Garces) from down the hall at home.

While Harold toils away, his best friend, Kumar Patel (Kal Penn), is doing everything he can to avoid the real world, valiantly upholding his carefree partying ways while making half-hearted attempts to gain admittance to medical school and follow in his family’s footsteps.

Seeking a break from their realities, these two likeable underdogs unwind in front of their TV for a Friday night smoke-out session, which results in an incredible case of the “munchies.” Catching sight of a commercial for White Castle and their mouthwatering hamburgers, Harold and Kumar discover their true mission in life (or at least their mission for this one Friday night) -- they must set out on an unbelievable all-night quest across their home state of New Jersey in search of a White Castle restaurant to satisfy their cravings.

What follows is a comic roller-coaster ride that takes the duo on a twisted tour of the Garden State -- from its finest academic institutions to its scariest backwoods territories, from shady fast-food establishments to, just maybe…the holy grail of White Castle.

Along the way, Harold and Kumar meet an array of crazy characters (not to mention one rabid raccoon and an escaped cheetah on the run...) and overcome some outrageous obstacles. But with every step of the journey, they somehow manage to keep their eyes on the tasty prize -- learning more than they bargained for about themselves and each other in the process.

John Cho (American Pie trilogy) and Kal Penn (Malibu’s Most Wanted) lead an accomplished cast that is peppered with a slew of hilarious cameos, including Neil Patrick Harris (Broadway’s “Assassins”) as himself, Fred Willard (A Mighty Wind) as an Ivy League recruiter, Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie) and David Krumholtz (Slums of Beverly Hills) as Harold and Kumar’s neighbors, Ryan Reynolds (Van Wilder) as a male nurse and Christopher Meloni (TV’s “Law & Order S.V.U”) as the bizarre Freakshow.

Location: Jurong Entertainment Centre
Date: 01 September 2004
Time: -
With: Enci, Eve, Dominic, Chewwen, Geok Ni

Shrek 2

After battling a fire-breathing dragon and the evil Lord Farquaad to win the hand of Princess Fiona, Shrek now faces his greatest challenge: the in-laws. Shrek and Princess Fiona return from their honeymoon to an invitation to visit Fiona’s parents, the king and queen of the Kingdom of Far Far Away. With Donkey along for the ride, the newlyweds set off. All of the citizens of Far Far Away turn out to greet their returning Princess, and her parents joyfully anticipate the homecoming of their daughter and her new Prince. But no one could have prepared them for the sight of their new son-in-law, not to mention how much their little girl had…well…changed.

Little did Shrek and Fiona know that their marriage had foiled all of her father’s plans for her future…and his own. Now the king must enlist the help of a powerful Fairy Godmother, the handsome Prince Charming and that famed ogre killer Puss In Boots to put right his version of “happily ever after.”

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 18 June 2004 Friday
Time: 11.20am
With: Kossy

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Location: Causeway Point Cathay
Date: 05 June 2004 Saturday
Time: 12.20am
With: Kossy & Sheri

50 First Dates

Location: Century Cineplex
Date: 23 April 2004
Time: 05.15pm
With: