Empire of the Wolves/L'empire des Loups (Action/Thriller/Science Fiction, 132 minutes). Starring Jean Reno, Jocelyn Quivrin, Arly Jover, Laura Morante. Directed by Chris Nahon.
Director Nahon seems to consider merging Seven, Silence of the Lambs and La Femme Nikita to be a good idea.
The sci-fi atmosphere that builds up as the movie begins plunged into a horrible thriller. A few scenes have cool details of lighting and angles but the ever-raining Paris set is definitely a huge mistake. * (out of *****)
Dealova (Drama, 105 minutes). Starring Evan Sanders, Jessica Iskandar, Benjamin Joshua, Rizky Hanggono. Directed by Dian Sasmita.
Yet another highschool blues (sigh). Dealova is the movie version of the bestsellng Indonesian chicklit novel with the same title. The story has many loose ends and heaps of stereotypes, but is probably very widely anticipated by the book's fans. *
Transporter 2 (Action/Crime/Thriller, 89 minutes) Starring Jason Statham, Alessandro Grassman, Amber Valetta, Kate Nauta, Matthew Modine. Directed by Louis Leterrier.
The producers of The Professional and La Femme Nikita do it again. Leading the U.S. box office since its release, this is an action-packed adrenaline rush -- forget the plot.
With a "lingerie assassin" (model Nauta) sure to fulfill every anime-geek's dream, wide shots of Statham doing his own stunts and reckless driving involving Audis and Lamborghinis, well, break out the popcorn, sit back and enjoy the ride.
A Sound of Thunder (Fantasy/Drama/Sci-fi, 103 minutes) Starring Ben Kingsley, Edward Burns, Catherine McCormack. Directed by Peter Hyams.
Based on the short story by award-winning SF writer Ray Bradbury, A Sound of Thunder is set in Chicago in the year 2055, when time travel is a commercial franchise for the wealthy. Great premise, but the production is full of plot-holes and pitfalls.
Go for laughs at the hilarious, totally outdated special effects and the tried-and-tested cliches of filmmaking, plus some solid, tongue-in-cheek character work by Kingsley. Do NOT go if you're a Bradbury fan. *
-- The Jakarta Post