Sandler (who again flexes his writing and producing muscles in this film) stars as Lenny Feder, the popular jock in school who is now a successful agent in Hollywood and has an incredible trophy wife in Roxanne (Salma Hayek). They have a lovely life with cute kids who think shooting hoops can only happen on the Wii. But when Lenny finds out his school basketball coach has died, he suddenly realises what is missing in his life: his four childhood best friends.

So he packs all the family into his luxuriously huge car and heads to the funeral to meet up with his pals. There is Eric (Kevin James) who is the funny fat-guy trying to prove his worth; Kurt (Chris Rock), a stay-at-home father; Marcus (David Spade) who is the single-and-always-ready-to-mingle party boy and finally Rob (Rob Schneider), the new-age hippy who doesn’t discriminate against age when it comes to love.

While not much happens in this film in terms of plot (except for the obligatory cliched lessons-learnt scenes towards the end), a lot happens in terms of comedy. Sandler and his boys are fantastic and together produce enough subtle and obvious jokes to keep all fans of comedy happy. And the women (including Maria Bello and Maya Rudolph) match the guys in laughs as well. Director Dennis Dugan aimed to create a vibe of nostalgia with the film, which he succeeds in doing by trusting the improvisational skills of his actors and their natural chemistry.

This is a funny and tender film with memorable characters and memorable scenes (breast milk anyone?) which will leave you feeling like calling up your old pals and planning a trip away!

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Singapore Date: 25th August 2010 Language: English Running Time: 102 mins Rating: PG Genre: Comedy Tagline: Boys will be boys… some longer than others. Starring: Maria Bello, Salma Hayek, Kevin James, David Spade, Adam Sandler Directed by: Dennis Dugan Company: Happy Madison Productions Singapore Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing International iZone Rating: 6/10 Official Website : Grown Ups

So in that respect this movie is in my wheelhouse but 3D? I couldn’t think of a more useless application (at least until Jackass 3D comes out), but the minute they showed a gorgeous shot of Times Square in 3D I was hooked.

“Step Up 3D” makes the 3D format even more essential, if only because there is no other reason to see it. The plot, about a ragtag group of misfits entering a contest against well-funded jerks has been recycled so many times, you could use it for compost. The actors were clearly hired for their dancing ability, and the whole movie has the feel (and even the fashions) of something from the ’80s’ era.

The magic of the movie is in the dance numbers. In 3D they literally fly off the screen. There is such a high degree of energy and of movement that anyone who enjoys dancing or watching dancing will be fascinated. So if all the fans of “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing With the Stars” buy tickets the movie will be a success.

Director John Chu avoids the blurry, choppy style that mars so much cinematic action these days. He should get some sort of award for that alone.

“Step Up 3D” doesn’t set the world on fire and it’s certainly not a genre defining movie, so if you don’t like these types of films, this isn’t going to change your mind. For the rest of us, it’s a fun ride, with a thumping soundtrack and really is a nice showcase for 3D.

“Step Up 3D” brings the real world into a realm formerly reserved for fantasy and animation. That may not make it a great movie, but it does ensure it a place in the history books as a major technological… well.. step up.

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Singapore Date: 18th August 2010 Language: English Running Time: 107 mins Rating: PG Genre: Drama | Music | Romance Tagline: Take the biggest step of all in 3D Starring: Alyson Stoner, Adam Sevani, Rick Malambri, Sharni Vinson Directed by: John Chu Company: Summit Entertainment Singapore Distributor: Shaw Organisation iZone Rating: 7/10 Official Website : Step Up 3D

Inspired by Nickelodeon’s popular series “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” in which Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko melded elements of martial arts, Japanese anime and relatable young characters. It is neatly transformed by the film’s writer-director, M. Night Shyamalan, into a compelling adventure in which a world’s future rests in the hands of a child.

In this mythical land, the four elements earth, air, fire and water, are represented by different tribes. The most talented members of those tribes have the power to “bend” or manipulate those elements to their will.

The epic qualities of “The Last Airbender” will be familiar to any child who’s seen “The Chronicles of Narnia,” with the young protagonist forced to grow up too fast to fulfill his world-saving destiny. Shyamalan embraces that giant sweep, mounting impressive battle sequences and powerful special effects. But Shyamalan also keeps focused on the human story, drawing natural performances from his young cast.

After many attempts by Shyamalan to make a good movie, I think he did quiet well in this one. We all know this will not be a one-off movie but a franchise at the end which hopefully will get better as the story expands into other elements in the future, do watch it with the family/kids. It’s available in 3D too! You’ll see the effects better. Enjoy!

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Singapore Date: 5th August 2010 Language: English Running Time: 116 mins Rating: PG Genre: Action | Adventure | Family | Fantasy Tagline: Four nations, one destiny Starring: Jackson Rathbone, Dev Patel, Noah Ringer, Cliff Curtis, Nicola Peltz Directed by: M. Night Shyamalan Company: Paramount Pictures Singapore Distributor: United International Pictures iZone Rating: 6/10 Official Website : The Last Airbender

The film tells the story of a woman named Evelyn Salt (Jolie) who works at the CIA. One day, a man walks in, accusing her of being a Russian spy. To avoid being detained and interrogated by her own countrymen, Salt flees, hoping to find her husband whom she knows will be a target. But things aren’t always what they seem, and Salt becomes embroiled in assassination attempts and international espionage.

The script for this film was written by Kurt Wimmer, who blows hot and cold in my book. Wimmer is guilty of giving us the god-awful “Ultraviolet”, so he’s not infallible. I consider him a modern day Shane Black, who has given us both gems and crap in the same career.

Fortunately, “Salt” turns out to be one of the gems. Directed by Phillip Noyce, who has done political action with “Patriot Games” and “Clear and Present Danger” while also delivering more dramatic pieces like “Rabbit Proof Fence”. Noyce loads the film with action, and the excitement moves almost non-stop through the entire second act.

Noyce and Wimmer were in synch with this film. They didn’t take it too seriously, and they didn’t delude themselves into thinking they’re making fine art or brilliant cinema. Instead, they made a fun action ride. And placing Angelina Jolie at ground zero in the film gave them a real focal point to wrap the film around.

“Salt” is a great name for this film because it symbolizes its inherent entertainment value. The powerful action and clean international look to the movie adds some flavor to this somewhat bland month. But I wouldn’t want every movie to be like this or it just wouldn’t taste good.

The movie fits squarely in a genre we’ve seen a lot from in recent years, but it’s one of the more effectively constructed film of the bunch. Where “The International” and even this year’s “Knight and Day” tried too hard and didn”t pack the right punch, “Salt” just works.

Sure, it’s loaded with clichés, the story doesn’t quite work and only an ignoramus would think this would be remotely possible in the real world. But like a good run of AXN’s “Alias”, it’s fiercely entertaining to watch. If only they had found a way to get Jolie in a bikini or two, and we’d have the perfect popcorn movie.

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Official Movie Poster

Singapore Date: 5th August 2010 Language: English Running Time: 100 mins Rating: PG Genre: Action | Thriller Tagline: Who is Salt? Starring: Zoe Lister-Jones, Angelina Jolie, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Liev Schreiber Directed by: Phillip Noyce Company: Columbia Pictures Singapore Distributor: Sony Pictures Releasing International iZone Rating: 7/10 Official Website : Salt

The plot follows the same format as the others, where a crew of street dancers team up with more classically trained performers to win a competition. The only difference is that this is the first dance movie in 3D, ahead of Step Up 3D, which will be released later this year.

Set in London, Street Dance 3D follows a UK street dance crew, who are left in the lurch when their leader, Jay (Ukweli Roach), walks out on them and his girlfriend, Carly (Nichola Burley), just before the national championships. Carly steps up to take the lead, but struggles to keep the team together and find a suitable rehearsal space. A chance meeting with ballet school teacher, Helena (Charlotte Rampling), sees an offer of free studio space, if Carly agrees to let some of the school’s ballerinas join her crew. After a bumpy start, the two teams manage to work together, melding their styles to create a dance piece unlike anything that the national championships have seen before.

The routines are set to a great soundtrack of recent hits, and feature dancers from the TV show Britain’s Got Talent. Street Dance 3D might not put any new wrinkles in the dance movie genre, but its visually impressive dance scenes and bright tone will suit families keen for a feel-good film.

It’s just what you’d expect from this kind of film. And, if you’re impressionable like me, you’ll walk out of the cinema with a spring in your step and groove to your gait. A movie that had stepped up my anticipation for Step Up 3D soon.

Resources: Wikipedia | IMDb | Yahoo! Movies

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Official Movie Poster

Singapore Date: 29th July 2010 Language: English Running Time: 98 mins Rating: PG Genre: Drama Tagline: Defy the Future Starring: Charlotte Rampling, Nichola Burley, Rachel McDowall Directed by: Dania Pasquini, Max Giwa Company: Vertigo Films Singapore Distributor: Golden Village Pictures iZone Rating: 7/10 Official Website : Street Dance 3D