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     Volume 6 Issue 20 | May 25, 2007 |


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New Flicks

There is Misfortune only where there is Wealth

Imran H. Khan

Today's animation has taken new heights with games such as Final Fantasy and Halo. Put such graphics on the silver screen, you end up with the likes of Ice Age, Finding Nemo and Barn Yard. Perhaps one of the most successful genres of CGI (computer generated imaging) today is Shrek the Third, the green monster from the fairytale books. One of the basic ingredients to go into today's animation pot is the voice of the character, which has to be star-studded. It is no wonder that Shrek the Third bagged $122 million in its first weekend, breaking the franchise's own record for best debut ever for an animated film. The previous record was at $108 million. This animation was the third-biggest debut ever, coming in behind the $151.1 million haul of this month's Spider-Man 3 and the $135.6 million gross of last summer's Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.

Shrek features the voice of the talented Mike Myers (Shrek), the verbose Eddie Murphy (Donkey), the beautiful Cameron Diaz (Princess Fiona) and the lithe Antonio Banderas (Puss in Boots). Justin Timberlake, Julie Andrews, John Cleese, Rupert Everett and Larry King also gave their voices into the production of this third sequel. The story starts off from where it left. Shrek and Fiona are happily married and they are living their fairytale lives until one day, the king (Fiona's father) falls sick, and Shrek is quickly passed the crown, much to his dismay. Now it's left to the prickly ogre who smells like swamp gook to find a suitable replacement. His only hope lies in Fiona's long-lost cousin Artie, an underachieving high schooler. While Shrek leaves for his quest, his nemesis Prince Charming returns to the kingdom of Far Far Away. With his mind set on revenge, it's up to Shrek, Fiona, Donkey, Puss in Boots and the rest of the fairytale characters to stop him and make sure that the story ends Happily Ever After. The folks at DreamWorks Animation did a wonderful job with the first two animations and the third franchise is sure to be phenomenal as well.

Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan and Felicity Huffman (from Desperate Housewives) star in the next movie of the week Georgia Rule. This Romantic Comedy shows the echelon of three generation of a family. When the uncontrollable rebellious teenager Rachel (Lohan) breaks the final rule of the house, her mother Lily (Golden Globe winner Huffman) sends to the last resort possible: her grandmother. Matriarch Georgia (two-time Oscar winner Fonda) is not your typical sweet and doting grandma. Her life is led by a number of unbreakable rules, and she demands anyone who shares her home do the same. When the three women are put under the same roof, it brings about a transformation in all of them. Rachel learns compassion and patience, and her journey leads all three women to reveal buried family secrets. An invisible bond begins to take shape amongst the trio - and an understanding that-regardless of what happens - the ties that bind a family can never be broken.


Top at the Box Office

1. Spider-Man 3

The battle within.
Genre: Action / Adventure
Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Thomas Haden Church, Topher Grace

2. 28 Weeks Later

It All Begins Again
Genre: Horror / Sci-Fi
Starring: Catherine McCormack, Robert Carlyle, Amanda Walker, Shahid Ahmed

3. Georgia Rule

In this family, attitude doesn't skip a generation.
Genre: Comedy / Romance
Starring: Jane Fonda, Lindsay Lohan, Felicity Huffman, Dermot Mulroney

4. Disturbia

Every killer lives next door to someone.
Genres: Thriller
Starring: Shia LaBeouf, Carrie-Anne Moss, David Morse, Sarah Roemer

5. Delta Farce

G.I. Joke
Genres: Action / Comedy
Starring: Larry the Cable Guy, Bill Engvall, D.J. Qualls, Keith David


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