R.I.P.D. never had a ghost of a chance

The latest dud to hit our screens is the special-effects-driven comic-book tale “R.I.P.D.”, about a mismatched pair of lawmen from the ghost world. They are out to capture malevolent spirits who refuse to cross over from the world of the living.
Ryan Reynolds stars as a smart-aleck young Boston cop who is killed in the line of duty. He’s immediately snapped up by the Rest in Peace Department. The rookie is partnered up with a Wild West gunslinger. He’s played by Jeff Bridges, who seems to be combining his characters from “The Big Lebowski” and “True Grit”.
To add to the confusing world of this movie, in real life the lawmen no longer look like themselves – Reynolds appears to be veteran Chinese-American actor James Hong while Bridges is a leggy blonde Victoria’s Secret supermodel.
Other stars include Kevin Bacon as Reynolds’ Boston police partner and Mary-Louise Parker brings her usual spark as Reynolds’ new police chief in the ghost world.
It’s directed by Robert Schwentke, who scored a major hit with “Red”. The box-office flop of “RIPD” suggests he should have stuck with the better-performing “Red 2” instead.
It’s in 3D in some cinemas.

Also opening
“The Liability” – This might be a better bet than “RIPD”, especially if you like British gangster movies like “Snatch” or “Performance”. After a 19-year-old smashes up his stepfather’s BMW, he’s assigned to pay off his debt by driving around an ageing hitman – a very grumpy-looking Tim Roth. It’s a darkly comic journey that takes the kid (Jack O’Connell) into a nightmarish world of murder, sex trafficking and revenge.

“The Big Wedding” – Robert DeNiro and Diane Keaton are a divorced couple who pretend to still be married in this romantic comedy. The ruse is all for the sake of their adopted son, who is getting married in a strict Catholic ceremony. Other stars are Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Topher Grace and Ben Barnes. Robin Williams is the priest. A remake of a 2006 French film, “Mon frere se marie” (“My Brother is Getting Married”), it’s not actually very funny, critics say, their consensus being the star-studded cast is totally wasted.

“Yam Yasothon 3” – Actor-director Petchthai “Mum Jokmok” Wongkamlao and his comedy kin return for a third outing of hayseed hijinks that hark back to the colorful era of rural Thai movie musical romances of the 1960s and ’70s. It follows the first entry in 2005 and the 2009 sequel.

“Chennai Express” – India has its share of huge blockbuster movies too, though they still rely purely on star power rather than special effects. Superstar Shah Rukh Khan and Deepika Padukone reunite for the first time since their 2007 mega-hit “Om Shanti Om”. Read more about “King Khan” at left. It’s in Hindi with English and Thai subtitles at Major Cineplex Sukhumvit and Rama III.

Sneak preview
“The Purge” – One night a year, for a 12-hour period, you can commit all the violent crimes you want. And one family in this dystopian society seems to be attracting all the psychos. Will they survive the night? While the blockbusters have been flopping like fish on the deck, smaller-budget horror flicks like this one have been raking in the dough this season. It’s in sneak previews from around 8 nightly in most multiplexes before opening wider next Thursday.

Also showing
The Friese-Greene Club – The month of documentaries continues at Bangkok’s private cinema club. Tonight, it’s “Streetwise”, about street children in Seattle. Tomorrow, it’s “Anvil! The Story of Anvil”, about a real heavy metal band that could well have served as the inspiration for the made-up group Spinal Tap. Sunday offers another classic by the great Frederick Wiseman, “Basic Training”. Next Wednesay is Errol Morris’ “The Fog of War”. Shows are at 8pm. Reservations are recommended. For details, check www.FGC.in.th.

“Changement d’adresse” (“Change of Address”) – Next Wednesday at 7.30pm, the Alliance Francaise Bangkok will show this 2006 comedy by Emmanuel Mouret. It’s about the trials and tribulations of a young musician and his roommate.