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What's opening on the big screen: September 10

Ratings: ***** Must See   **** Excellent  *** Entertaining   ** Average    * Dull

"Resident Evil has always been a rich playground for me. I disappeared for a month playing the first two games and emerged from my hatch with a giant growth of beard."  Paul W. S. Anderson

RESIDENT EVIL: AFTERLIFE  (3D)
The fourth installment of the hugely successful Resident Evil franchise is again based on the wildly popular video game series, and will this time be presented in 3-D. It is written, directed and produced by Paul W. S. Anderson, who also wrote, produced and directed the original Resident Evil, as well as writing and producing two earlier sequels.
In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles.
As her battle with the creators of the global plague reaches new heights, Alice finds herself trapped in a burned-out Los Angeles overrun by thousands of the undead, facing a threat she never anticipated.  Read more   Shooting in 3D     The Write Stuff

THE LAST AIRBENDER (3D)  *** 
Master storyteller, writer/producer/director M. Night Shyamalan ("The Sixth Sense," "Signs," "Unbreakable") brings the hit animated series
"Avatar: The Last Airbender" to the big screen, creating an epic, larger-than-life world that explodes with spectacular special effects, great action and exciting adventure.   
For nearly a century, the Fire Nation has waged its deadly campaign for global domination over its fellow tribal nations of Air, Water and Earth.  They offer but one choice to the tribes who fall to their might--complete surrender, or complete annihilation. As the prophesied Avatar--the only one who can control all four of the elements--the young airbender is the lone weapon that can repel the Fire Nation's onslaught and ultimately restore balance to the war-torn world.  Read more       The Write Stuff

Read an interview with Dev Patel

Newcomer Noah Ringer plays the prophesied Avatar and airbender Aang

Young waterbender Katara (Nicola Peltz)  and  her brother Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), and  Dev Patel (Slumdog Millionaire) as the Fire Nation's vengeful Prince Zuko

WIN LAST AIRBENDER KITE
1 lucky moviebuff can win a hamper that includes an Airbender Kite,  Tomb Raifer DVD and Airbender Poster. Tell us who created the animated series and send your answer with your contact details to info@writingstudio.co.za before Sept 17, 2010

DABANGG (Bollywood)
Set in Laalgurj, Uttar Pradesh, Dabangg is a story of Chulbul Pandey (Salman Khan), a totally fearless but corrupt police officer with unorthodox working methods. But even the most fearless at times face a tough fight with their innermost demons. Chulbul has had a bitter childhood. He decides to take control of his destiny and detaches himself from his stepfather and half brother. His sole attachment is his mother. However after his mother's demise and an unsuccessful attempt to mend wounds, Chulbul snaps all ties with his stepfather and half brother. Rajo (Sonakshi Sinha) with her unique perspective of life enters his world and turns life upside down. Chulbul starts to see life more positively and also gets sensitized to the value of a family.But his detractors especially the dubious Cheddi Singh (Sonu Sood) have their own vested interests and emerge as spokes in the wheels, putting one brother against the other. Makhanchan ends up carrying out act oblivious to the consequences. When he realizes he has been used, he turns to Chulbul. Will Chulbul take his extended hand? Will the brothers be able to thwart their detractors? Will this time, Chulbul's fearlessness channel itself positively and reunite him with his family? Directed by Abhinav Kashyap

What's opening on the big screen: sneak preview

WINTER IN WARTIME   Showing from September 17
A Dutch film is about a young boy named Michiel van Beusekom who tries to help the resistance during World War II by helping an English pilot stay out of German hands. Michiel feels resentment towards his father, a mayor, seemingly only interested in maintaining the status quo between the town and the German Army. He worships his uncle Ben, an adventurer in contact with the local resistance. During the winter, Michiel's loyalties are tested. a 2008 Dutch war film directed by Martin Koolhoven. The screenplay was written by Mieke de Jong, Paul Jan Nelissen and Martin Koolhoven and was based on the novel of the same name by Jan Terlouw.The film was hugely successful in the Netherlands out-grossing competing films like Twilight and The Dark Knight. It was the highest grossing film in The Netherlands during Christmas 2008 and the first weeks of 2009.It was also chosen by the Dutch Critics as the best Dutch film of 2008, it won the PZC Audience Award (best movie based on a novel), three Rembrandt Awards and three Golden Calf awards. It was chosen Best Film by the Young Jury (14-18 years) at the Rome Film Festival and was shortlisted (with 8 other movies) at the Academy Awards, in the section Best Foreign Language Film.

GOING THE DISTANCE **  Showing from September 17
Erin's (Drew Barrymore) wry wit and unfiltered frankness charm newly single Garrett (Justin Long) over beer, bar trivia and breakfast the next morning.  Their chemistry sparks a full-fledged summer fling, but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett stays behind for his job in New York City.  But when six weeks of romping through the city inadvertently become meaningful, neither is sure they want it to end.  And while Garrett's friends, Box (Jason Sudeikis) and Dan (Charlie Day), joke about his pre-flight calorie-cutting and his full-time relationship with his cell phone, they don't like losing their best drinking buddy to yet another rocky romance.  At the same time, Erin's high-strung, overprotective married sister, Corrine (Christina Applegate), wants to keep Erin from heading down an all-too-familiar road.  But despite the opposite coasts, the nay-saying friends and family, and a few unexpected temptations, the couple just might have found something like love, and with the help of a lot of texting, sexting and late-night phone calls, they might actually go the distance.

THE KARATE KID Showing from September 17
12-year old Dre Parker (Jaden Smith) could have been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mothers (Taraji P. Henson) latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate, Mei Ying - and the feeling is mutual - but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully, Cheng. In the land Kung Fu, Dre knows only a little Karate, and Cheng puts 'the karate kid' on the floor with ease. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man, Mr Han (Jackie Chan), who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realises that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life.  Cast: Jaden Smith, Taraji P. Henson and Jackie Chan

THE EXPENDABLES Showing from September 17
A hard-hitting action/thriller about a group of mercenaries hired to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator. Once the mission begins, the men realize things aren't quite as they appear, finding themselves caught in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal. With their mission thwarted and an innocent life in danger, the men struggle with an even tougher challenge - one that threatens to destroy this band of brothers. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) is a man with nothing to lose. Fearless and void of emotion, he is the leader, the sage and the strategist of this tight-knit band of men who live on the fringe. His only attachment is to his pickup truck, his seaplane and his team of loyal modern-day warriors. His is a true cynic who describes what he does as "removing those hard to get at stains." The team behind him is made up of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), former SAS and a savant with anything that has a blade; Yin Yang (Jet Li), a master at close-quarter combat; Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), who has known Barney for ten years and is a long-barrel weapons specialist; Toll Road (Randy Couture), a skilled demolitions expert and considered the intellect of the group; and Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), a combat veteran and an expert in precision sniping who struggles with his own demons. When the mysterious Church offers Barney a job no one else would take, Barney and his team embark on what appears to be a routine mission: overthrow General Gaza (David Zayas), the murderous dictator of the small island country of Vilena and end the years of death and destruction inflicted on its people.  Read more

GREENBERG Showing from September 17
screenwriter/director Noah Baumbach (The Squid and the Whale) brings us the funny, touching and poignant story of two souls adrift in Los Angeles, trying to forge a connection. Florence Marr (Greta Gerwig), an aspiring singer, is struggling to find her place in the world. She works as a personal assistant to the Greenberg family, beginning and ending each day tending to other people's needs. In sharp contrast to the Greenbergs' bustling life in their elegant Hollywood Hills home, Florence lives alone in a tiny studio apartment and sings at open-mike nights. When Phillip Greenberg (Chris Messina) takes his wife and children on an extended trip abroad, Florence is suddenly left more to her own devices. She makes the occasional visit to their home to check up on the family's dog Mahler, and look in on Phillip's brother Roger (Ben Stiller), who has come to L.A. to housesit. Single and fortyish, Greenberg is intelligent, witty, sharp-tongued – and, like Florence, something of a lost soul; he is at a crossroads in his life. He has been working as a carpenter in New York after an early career as a musician in L.A. petered out. Greenberg claims to be "doing nothing" and his most tangible projects include drafting letters of complaint and building a doghouse for Mahler. Roger tries to reconnect with friend and former bandmate Ivan (Rhys Ifans) and old flame Beth (Jennifer Jason Leigh), but they've moved on with their lives while Greenberg has been stuck treading water. In trying to restart his life, Greenberg finds that times have changed and old friends aren't necessarily still best friends. After years of living in New York City, Greenberg doesn't drive and finds himself stranded at his brother's house. His vulnerability immediately endears him to Florence, who helps him navigate Los Angeles and take care of Mahler. What begins as a courtesy to her employer develops into a charmingly eccentric and unexpectedly significant connection. As Greenberg discovers there is only so much "nothing" you can do, the awkward beauty of what he builds with Florence starts to look more and more like a reason to be happy.

LEGENDS OF THE GUARDIANS  Showing from September 23
It is based on the beloved books by Kathryn Lasky, follows Soren, a young owl enthralled by his father's epic stories of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, a mythic band of winged warriors who had fought a great battle to save all of owlkind from the evil Pure Ones. While Soren dreams of someday joining his heroes, his older brother, Kludd, scoffs at the notion, and yearns to hunt, fly and steal his father's favour from his younger sibling. But Kludd's jealousy has terrible consequences--causing both owlets to fall from their treetop home and right into the talons of the Pure Ones. Now it is up to Soren to make a daring escape with the help of other brave young owls.  Together they soar across the sea and through the mist to find the Great Tree, home of the legendary Guardians of Ga'Hoole--Soren's only hope of defeating the Pure Ones and saving the owl kingdoms. Directed by Zach Snyder, with Emily Barclay, Abbie Cornish, Emilie de Ravin, Ryan Kwanten, Jay Laga'aia, Miriam Margolyes, Helen Mirren, Sam Neill, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham



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