This week's highlight: The Chaser!

Sorry for the long hiatus, but there isn't any movie exciting enough to harp about in these few weeks, especially with so much more exciting (and scarier) news outside of movies. I would have recommended you try Mamma Mia until I found out that Korea's hit action movie The Chaser is finally coming to our shores. All I know is that it was popular, some critics said it was ok, and Hollywood's planning to adapt it. Opens 25 September.

If your money's not stuck with shares or AIA, you could throw it on Bangkok Dangerous or Babylon A.D. instead, but let the buyer beware.

This week's highlight: WALL·E!

Likely the last good summer movie to arrive on our shores. If you're aware of Pixar's track record, which includes Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and last year's Ratatouille (let's forget Cars for a second), you know this'll be a good one. Critically lauded, box office friendly, cute little robot... still need more convincing?

Elsewhere, we've also got another 3D movie, Star Wars: The Clone Wars. The 2D TV original was great. This new one got thrashed by critics. The animation is made in Singapore, so I'm definitely watching, out of curiosity.

Review: The Mummy - Tomb of the Dragon Emperor

The ideal companion piece to the Beijing Olympics. I'm being sarcastic, by the way.

"You can’t fool the audience by excavating the same mummy thrice (or can you?), so the filmmakers behind the third Mummy moved the supernatural shenanigans to China and made the murderous villain a Chinese Emperor. What perfect timing to release this movie during the Beijing Olympics..."

Read my full review here. Related reviews: The Mummy (1999) and The Mummy Returns.

This week's highlight: Death Race!

Death Race is Resident Evil director Paul W.S. Anderson's remake of the similarly named 1975 futuristic B-movie starring David Carradine and a still-unknown Sylvester Stallone. Strangely, the original seems to be less PC than the new one, where contestants in an automobile race score points by running over innocent bystanders. The new version seems to be more conventional, with Jason Statham playing a wrongfully-accused convict trying his luck in the titular Death Race for a one-way ticket out of prison. What's very interesting is finding Joan Allen of all people playing the prison warden. If this movie's endorsed by her, surely there must be something worthwhile here. I'm crossing my fingers it's not another AvP crap.

This week's highlight: The X-Files - I Want to Believe!

This is a pretty late announcement, and the movie's probably finishing its run by this Wednesday, but I'm reluctant to suggest movies like The Love Guru, Space Chimps, Fate, 12 Lotus or Meet Dave, because their qualities are still highly suspect or for acquired tastes only. Sure, The X-files 2 was pretty much thumbed-down by nearly every critic, but with Roger Ebert, The Flick Filosopher and especially The Infield Fly Rule's endorsements, perhaps this is one of those movies that only fans will appreciate. And being a fan, I'm watching this. Also showing: Clive Barker's Midnight Meat Train, directed by Ryuhei Kitamura (Azumi).