Saturday, 9th February 2008 - 00:00CET

Films on release

CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER
drama

On the eve of the Chong Yang Festival, golden flowers fill the Imperial Palace. The Emperor (Chow Yun Fat) returns unexpectedly with his second son, Prince Jai (Jay Chou). His pretext is to celebrate the holiday with his family, but given the chilled relations between the Emperor and the ailing Empress (Gong Li), this seems disingenuous.

For many years, the empress and Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye), her stepson, have had an illicit liaison. Feeling trapped, Prince Wan dreams of escaping the palace with his secret love Chan (Li Man), the imperial doctor's daughter.

Meanwhile, Prince Jai, the faithful son, grows worried over the empress's health and her obsession with golden chrysanthemums. Could she be headed down an ominous path?

The emperor harbours equally clandestine plans; the imperial doctor (Ni Dahong) is the only one privy to his machinations. When the Emperor senses a looming threat, he relocates the doctor's family from the palace to a remote area. While they are en route, mysterious assassins attack them. Chan and her mother, Jiang Shi (Chen Jin) are forced back to the palace.

Their return sets off a tumultuous sequence of dark surprises. Amid the glamour and grandeur of the festival, ugly secrets are revealed.

SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET

thriller

Johnny Depp and Tim Burton join forces again in a big-screen adaptation of Stephen Sondheim's award-winning musical thriller Sweeney Todd. Mr Depp stars in the title role as a man unjustly sent to prison who vows revenge, not only for that cruel punishment, but for the devastating consequences of what happened to his wife and daughter. When he returns to reopen his barber shop, Sweeney Todd becomes the Demon Barber of Fleet Street who "shaved the heads of gentlemen who never thereafter were heard from again". Joining Mr Depp is Helena Bonham Carter as Mrs Lovett, Sweeney's amorous accomplice, who creates diabolical meat pies.

The cast also includes Alan Rickman, who portrays the evil Judge Turpin, who sends Sweeney to prison, Timothy Spall as the judge's wicked associate Beadle Bamford and Sacha Baron Cohen, a rival barber, the flamboyant Signor Adolfo Pirelli.

BALLS OF FURY

comedy

In the unsanctioned, underground and unhinged world of extreme ping-pong, the competition is brutal and the stakes are deadly. Down-and-out former professional ping-pong phenomenon Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler) is sucked into this maelstrom when FBI agent Rodriguez (George Lopez) recruits him for a secret mission. Randy is determined to bounce back and recapture his former glory, and to smoke out his father's (Robert Patrick) killer ? one of the FBI's Most Wanted, arch-fiend Feng (Christopher Walken).

But, after two decades out of the game, Randy can't turn his life around and avenge his father's murder without a team of his own. He calls upon the spiritual guidance of blind ping-pong sage and restaurateur Wong (James Hong), and the training expertise of Master Wong's wildly sexy niece Maggie (Maggie Q), both of whom also have a dark history with Feng.

All roads lead to Feng's mysterious jungle compound and the most unique ping-pong tournaments ever staged. There, Randy faces such formidable players as his long-ago Olympics opponent, the still-vicious Karl Wolfschtagg (Mr Lennon). Can Randy keep his eye on the balls? Will he achieve the redemption he craves for while wielding a paddle? Is his backhand strong enough to triumph over rampant wickedness?

ANNO DOMINI XXXIII

drama

We have heard, read and watched the story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection a number of times. Anno Domini XXIII, written by Renzo Bonello, details how Jesus managed to be victorious over the "bad" despite having the Jews against him.

It is the first time such a production has been put up locally. The cast includes Rennie Schembri, Mario Camilleri, Maria Cassar Inguanez, Jolene Micallef, Jonathan McCay, Gordon Bonello, Joe Zepp Camilleri, Joe Quattromani, Louis Gatt, Pierre Bugeja, Frankie Borg, Renato Dimech.

â€¢ All films are released by KRS.