THEPHUKETNEWS.COM FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013
FILM 13
FRIDAY, JUNE 7, 2013
IN BRIEF
Hair of the dog Hangover III
FILM REVIEW Tim Newton editor@classactmedia.co.th
DIRECTOR: Todd Phillips STARS: Zach Galifianakis Bradley Cooper Ed Helms Ken Jeong RUNS: 100 minutes
F
rom the get-go, Hangover III is exactly what you expect it to be. The movie posters promise that this is ‘the end’ of the franchise, and indeed it seems most of the carnage does get neatly cleaned up and brought to some kind of resolution by the close of this third and final outing of the Hangover series. For those unfamiliar with what the first two Hangovers were all about, well … four guys end up in some extraordinary situations brought about through excessive alcohol and substance abuse, end up missing a few fingers and teeth, and meet some outrageous characters along the way. The first Hangover was set in Las Vegas, the second in Thailand (apparently you get from Bangkok to Phuket by driving down Khao San Road, turning right and there you are!), while the third starts in Bangkok and then heads back to Las Vegas and Mexico, neatly tying in the previous locations. It’s easy to dismiss these as mere “bachelor party” movies (or “bucks’ night” movies, for Australian readers) but – despite critical maulings – the series has been a huge box office success: the first Hangover earned a staggering US$467 million and was the tenth most popular film around the world in 2009. Hangover III is set two years after the last outing, with the “Wolfpack” of Bradley Coo-
per, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis reprising their familiar roles, along with Ken Jeong returning as Chow, the sort-of-friend-youshould-avoid, and the addition of John Goodman as a baddie trying to find lost loot. Galifianakis gets the best of the funny lines and has created a memorable character in Alan. We all know someone like Alan: just when things start getting normal again, Alan can destroy the situation with a single line. And he often does. Phil, played by Bradley Cooper, is Alan’s perfect foil (Cooper seems to be getting very good at playing “Bradley Cooper”), while the third member of the core trio, Stu (played by Ed Helms), is battling to rescue his neat life disintegrating around him. Of course, he fails. Sadly, Jeong, who was drop-dead funny as the Chinese gangster Chow in the first two films, becomes just plain annoying in this last edition, although he does redeem himself at the very end (it’s worth sticking around for the credits). Indeed, the second half seems to run out of gags and turns into more of a chase movie. But just when you think it’s all over, you’re treated to just one last, incredible prank. The critics haven’t been too kind to the third and final Hangover. But don’t take the criticisms too seriously: the producers and investors are laughing all the way to the bank. And you’ll laugh too.
‘After Earth’ breaks Will Smith’s Midas touch
W
ill Smith’s new film After Earth has flopped in the US, breaking the star’s box office winning streak amid accusations the scifi action flick is no more than a “130 million-dollar ad for Scientology.” The movie features Will Smith and his son Jaden as a father and son astronaut team stranded on Earth thousands of years in the future. Smith’s star power is such that every blockbuster he’s starred in the last 20 years has debuted at number one. But After Earth earned an underwhelming US$27 million on its opening weekend – limping into third place behind Fast and Furious 6 and the ensemble heist movie Now You See Me. ‘After Earth’ has also taken a pounding from critics, who’ve typically labelled it a “bomb” or a “catastrophe” – while a reviewer in the Wall Street Journal asked “Is After Earth the worst
movie ever made?” Many critics have focused on the lackluster acting from the movie’s father and son stars. “Director M. Night Shyamalan drains the spark from both their performances,” wrote Joe Neumaier in the New York Daily News. “Will’s natural charm is lost in space; in its place is a stern, distant-father manner that makes him as warm as an android ... Jaden, meanwhile, has been directed to convey fear, an emotion that is the movie’s true “villain,” by
SFX Coliseum Phuket (Central Festival) Epic (3D/E) [G] Fast & Furious 6 (E) [15+] Fast & Furious 6 (T) [15+] The Hangover Part III (E) [15+] The Hangover Part III (E/F) [15+] Now You See Me (E) [13+] Now You See Me (E/F) [13+] Young Bao (T/E sub) [18+]
13:20, 18:40 12:20, 15:00, 17:40, 20:20 11:30, 14:10, 16:00, 16:50, 19:30, 21:20, 22:10 11:20, 13:30, 15:40, 17:50, 20:00, 22:10 16:30, 21:15 10:50, 12:15, 14:45, 17:15, 19:45, 22:15 13:45, 18:45 11:10, 13:50, 16:30, 19:10, 21:50
jerking his head to and fro and crinkling his brow.” Critics have also commented on similarities between the plot and themes of After Earth, and the writings of Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard. Amongst the similarities are a focus on the self, overcoming emotions, and a conflict between man and nature. The motif of an erupting volcano, central to the Scientology mythos, features heavily in the climax of the film and in its promotional material. Smith senior, who co-produced After Earth, is evasive about his links to the Scientology movement. Although he says he is just a “student of world religion”, he has donated large sums to several Scientology organisations, and with his wife opened a private school based on Hubbard’s teachings.
Luke Skywalker’s pants sold at auction
The pants worn by actor Mark Hamill in the first Star Wars film have been sold at auction for US$36,100 (B1.08 million). The young Jedi Knight wore the sandcolored regular Levi’s pants throughout the 1977 movie, which launched the Star Wars series by George Lucas. There were 13 bids for the Skywalker trousers, but the auction price failed to reach a presale estimate of up to US$100,000 dollars (B3 million). In October, the Walt Disney Company bought Lucasfilm for US$4 billion and announced plans to make three new movies in the Star War series. Sci-fi and action filmmaker J.J. Abrams – who also directed Star Trek Into Darkness – will direct the first movie in the revived series, Episode VII, which is scheduled for release in 2015.
Assange critiques Wikileaks doco
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has accused an acclaimed filmmaker of “losing objectivity” in a documentary about the whistle-blowing organisation. Assange – holed up the Ecuadorian embassy in London, evading deportation to Sweden over sexual assault allegations – said Alex Gibney’s We Steal Secrets: The Story of WikiLeaks contains “errors of fact, selective editing and misrepresentations.” Gibney, an Oscar-winning documentary maker, responded to the claims by likening Assange to the Wizard of Oz: “that moment where Toto pulls the curtain away and you see a man desperately manoeuvring the levers, trying to burnish his image”. Gibney’s film also includes the claim that Assange demanded a US$1 million (B30 million) payment for an interview with the documentary makers – a figure that WikiLeaks disputes.
US BOX OFFICE TOP 10 Film
Gross
1
Fast & Furious 6
$34.5M
$170M
2
Now You See Me
$28.1M
$28.1M
3
After Earth
$27M
$27M
4
Star Trek Into Darkness
$16.4M
$181M
5
Epic
$16.4M
$65.2M
6
The Hangover Part III
$15.9M
$88.1M
7
Iron Man 3
$8.01M
$385M
8
The Great Gatsby
$6.26M
$128M
9
Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani
$1.6M
$1.6M
$1.2M
$16.9M
10 Mud
SFC Jungceylon Phuket (Patong) Epic (3D/E) [G] Fast & Furious 6 (E) [15+] The Hangover Part III (E) [15+] Iron Man 3 (E) [G] Now You See Me (E) [13+] Star Trek Into Darkness (E) [13+] Young Bao (T) [18+]
Weekend gross
12:15, 14:30, 19:30 11:40, 14:20, 17:00, 19:40, 22:20 11:30, 13:40, 15:50, 18:00, 20:10, 22:15 21:45 12:00, 14:30, 17:00, 19:30, 22:00 16:45 11:20, 14:00, 16:40, 19:20, 22:00
As some movies and movie times change every Thursday morning, after The Phuket News has gone to press, the accuracy of the following information cannot be guaranteed. For up-to-date information, visit sfcinemacity.com, or call the cinemas directly: SFX Coliseum Phuket 076-209000 and SFC Jungceylon Phuket 076-600-555.