SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds in "The Proposal"

Margaret Tate (Sandra Bullock) works for Golden Book as the chief editor. When she finds out that she is being deported back to Canada, she forces her assistant Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds) to marry her. An immigration officer is suspicious of their marriage and warns them on conducting a fraud.

As Andrew accepts Margaret’s idea of marriage and a quicky divorce to follow, he makes her to promote him to the position of editor and have his manuscript be published.

They spend their weekends in Andrew’s hometown, Sitka, Alaska to celebrate the 90th birthday of Andrew’s grandmother Gammy (Betty White). Andrew announces his plan to marry Margaret in front of many friends and family members, everyone rejoices except Andrew’s father and ex-girlfriend Gertrude (Malin Akerman).

Andrew’s mother and grandmother insist to have Margaret and Andrew marry in the barn at their house in conjunction with Gammy’s birthday.

As Margaret is overwhelmed by the reception she receives from Andrew’s family, she decides to tell Andrew’s family about the truth and walk off from the wedding. Gammy fakes a heart attack in order to get Andrew to the airport. However, when Andrew reaches the airport, Margaret’s plane has already departed. Margaret has 24 hours to leave The United States of America as soon as she lands in New York. Andrew finds Margaret packing in her office and announces his love for Margaret in front of the entire office.

Overall, the movie is surprisingly entertaining with numerous satirical jokes. The chemistry between Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock is amazingly matching despite their age gap and position level in the film. While Ryan Reynolds is well-known for his sarcastic jokes, Sandra Bullock who is also the executive producer of the film, manages to pull this off as an attractive but arrogant boss that everybody hates.

My ratings: 8 out of 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Isla Fisher in "Confessions of a Shopaholic"

Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) works in an unpopular magazine publishing company in Manhattan as a journalist and she has a strong urge to shop for clothes, bags and shoes all the time. When she sees a beautiful green scarf which she doesn’t have enough money nor credit limit to buy, she cheats her way into buying all the hotdogs from a man with a check in exchange for cash and hotdogs by telling everyone she needs to buy a scarf for her dying aunt. A man from the street purchases a hotdog and gives Rebecca the $20 dollar she needs to buy the scarf. When she goes for an interview with Alette magazine, she is told that the position has been filled and the person who has taken the position, Alicia (Leslie Bibb) walks by. Rebecca is disappointed but admit Alicia has long legs. As she leaves while telling Allon, Dante West’s receptionist she purposely buys the green scarf for the interview, Allon introduces her to a job at Successful Saving. When Rebecca goes for a job interview with Luke Brandon, the editor of financial magazine Successful Saving, she realizes he is the man from who she had borrowed the money.

Feeling disappointed at not getting the job at Alette magazine, Rebecca writes drunken letters to Alette magazine and Successful Saving, but she has wrongly posted them the one another. Impressed by her "out of the box" thinking, Luke Brandon hires her on the spot and she is given another assignment. Instead of completing the assignment, she goes to a clothes sale and ends up with bags of clothes and shoes. After realizing the expensive cashmere pullover she has bought is only 5% cashmere and the rest acrylic, she writes an article about it and uses an anonymous nickname "The Girl with the Green Scarf" and not long, she becomes an instant hit when readers send letters, TV shows invites her for a talk show and even the boss, Edgar West (John Lithgow) calls in to compliment.

Impressed by her success, Luke invites Rebecca to a conference and an important ball in Miami. In the process of picking up the clothes for Luke for the ball, Rebecca finds out that Luke’s mother is none other than the famous socialite Eleonor Sherman and his parents were divorced when he was young.

During a "Live" TV show, Rebecca is publicly humiliated by the debt collector, Derek Smeath who has been chasing her for the debts for almost a year. Luke is hurt to know Rebecca lies to him all this while but he still finds her as a source of inspiration.

When Rebecca goes back to New York, a debt collector arrives at her doorstep. Her housemate, Suzy (Krysten Ritter) warns her through a phone call and she has to enter her apartment through the backdoor. Suzy recommends Rebecca to join a Shopaholic Anonymous group.

Rebecca decides to sell all of her clothes with the help of the Shopaholic Anonymous participants. She hesitates to sell the green scarf but a blonde woman buys it for $300. With the successful sale, she manages to repay her debt and she turns up at Derek Smeath’s office with the $9,000 she owes all in jar of coins.

Rebecca bumps into Luke in the street and Luke gives her back the green scarf revealing he’s the man behind both bidders and Rebecca ends up working for Luke’s new magazine.

Overall, Confessions of a Shopaholic is quite amusing and Isla Fisher who plays the adorable copygirl in Definitely, Maybe plays her role well. Worth watching for the laughs and the satisfaction is almost like when you shop for something using credit card. The feeling is so complete and happy.

My ratings: 7 out of 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Dev Patel in "Slumdog Millionaire"

Jamal Malik is interrogated by the police for cheating as he has made it through to the final question in the Indian version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? because he is just an 18-year-old "Chaiwalah" (tea boy) who is neither knowledgeable or lucky.

As Jamal tells the inspector of how he answered each of the question, there are constantly flashbacks of his childhood in the slums of Mumbai, Dharavi. Jamal and his brother, Salim (Madhur Mittal) were orphans after their mother has died during the Hindu-Muslim riots, they befriended an orphan girl Latika (Freida Pinto). While living in the trash, Maman the gangster offers them two bottles of Coke, but little did they know he collects street children to train them as beggars with Salim being groomed to become part of Maman’s operation.

When Salim realizes how Maman blinded the children who know how to sing and that his brother is a talented singer, he pours acid into one of Maman’s men and the three children try to escape, but only Jamal and Salim manage to escape with Latika purposely left behind by Salim.

The brothers earn a living by selling goods, pretending to be tour guides at Taj Mahal, stealing and pickpocketing. Jamal insists to go back to Mumbai in order to locate Latika. When they find her, she is working as a dancer in a brothel. The brothers attempts to rescue Latika but Maman and his men intrude causing Salim to draw a gun and kill Maman.

As Salim joins a rival gang, Javed, Jamal works in a call centre as an assistant. Jamal enters the popular game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? as he knows Latika will be watching. In the final question, Jamal uses his phone-a-friend lifeline to call Salim, but Latika answers his phone since Salim has earlier given his phone to Latika. Latika does not know the answer but Jamal manages to guess the answer (Aramis) correctly while Salim’s deed is discovered by Javed’s men and is shot to death by Javed’s men after Salim has shot Javed.

Overall, the movie is magnificent and it creates a whole new perspective in the movie arena. Slumdog Millionaire is definitely breathless and simply breathtaking. I think that it can win an Oscar for the Best Picture. It is written.

My ratings: 9 out of 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Brad Pitt and Taraji P. Henson in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button tells a story of Benjamin Button (Brad Pitt), a man who is born as an 86-year-old baby and grows younger each day. Taraji P. Henson plays Queenie, the "mother" who found Benjamin and decides to keep him despite his deformed look. As the people who surrounds Benjamin grows old and dies, Benjamin is left to deal with sadness which comes and goes so often. After spending 16 years at the nursing home, Benjamin leaves Queenie and everyone else behind to travel the world after meeting Captain Mike (Jared Harris). Even though, Benjamin does reconcile with Queenie and then falls in love with Daisy (Cate Blanchett), the end part is simply touching and heart-warming.

While Brad Pitt leads the movie with an ever awe-inspiring performance, actress Cate Blanchett has an equal strong performance as Daisy Fuller, the woman whom Benjamin loves all his life. Taraji P. Henson’s performance as Benjamin’s surrogate mother is simply outstanding.

Overall, even though the movie is 166 minutes long, time moves really quick, just like how Benjamin grows younger. The film is meaningful and affecting while the special effects are seamless, and the actors are just incredible. This is a masterpiece.

My ratings: 9 out of 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Andy Lau and Shu Qi in "Look for a Star"

Sam Ching (Andy Lau) is a business tycoon who owns a number of business (just like Stanley Ho). Sam is admired by the rich but despised by the poor, including Milan Sit (Shu Qi) who works as a croupier in a casino and as a cabaret dancer to make ends meet.

Milan meets Sam but she thinks he’s just a poor gambler. From the way Sam dresses, he doesn’t at all look like a gambler or a poor man at all. Somehow, Milan has that perception Sam is even poorer than her and has lost all his money in the casino. Sam, inadvertently falls in love with Milan. While Milan shares her dreams with Sam, little does she knows Sam is the business tycoon who owns the casino she works at, the night club she dances at, and is a billionaire whom she hates as a child.

When Sam realizes he’s in love with Milan, he confesses to Milan his true identity. Fallen in love against all odds, this mismatched couple soon get married without realizing the consequences which will affect Sam’s business. Due to Milan’s background, the media and shareholders alike have strongly criticized Sam’s decision. In order to save the shareholders and investors, Sam’s mother has proposed to get Milan to sign a prenup agreement. Sam feels it is necessary without thinking about Milan’s feeling. Furthermore, Sam’s third ex-wife has taken one third of his asset when they divorced. Sam’s action has strongly caused an upset in Milan.

As Sam’s chauffeur, Tim (Lam Ka-Wah) and Secretary General, Jo (Denise Ho) both also have problems in confessing their love towards their partners, the three of them including Sam decide to join a Television show in order to confess their love to the world.

While the movie is quite predictable, there are scenes during the Television show which are quite emotional. Zhang Hanyu plays Lin Jiu, a general worker from Shandong who comes to Macao to make ends meet in contrast to Jo, only second to Sam in the huge conglomerate. It seems Lin Jiu and Jo’s love story easily overshadow Sam and Milan. Even Tim’s confession is more touching than Sam and Milan’s love.

The movie is shot mainly in Macao and the filming location is nothing less than spectacular. Macao is a beautiful country with colonial architectures and splendid hotels, casinos and night clubs.

Overall, it’s a good effort by director, Andrew Lau, even though Andy Lau and Shu Qi do not have the sparkle and do not seem to suit each other in a romance movie. Just like the movie, they are mismatched after all.

My ratings: 6 out of 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Natalie Portman & Scarlett Johansson in "The Other Boleyn Girl"

King Henry VIII (Eric Bana) could not get a male heir to his throne when his wife Catherine of Aragon (Ana Torrent) gives birth to another daughter. Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk (David Morrissey) and his brother in law Sir Thomas Boleyn (Mark Rylance) has a secret scheme to instate the latter’s elder daughter Anne (Natalie Portman) in the court of Henry VIII as the king’s mistress and potential mother of his son.

During a hunting trip, Henry is injured and is nursed by Mary (Scarlett Johansson) and becomes infatuated with her. Henry sends Mary’s husband away on an assignment in order to get close to Mary, who finds herself falling in love with the king.

When Anne secretly marries nobleman Henry Percy without the King’s consent, she is exiled to France in disgrace.

The Boleyn family’s fortunes seem to be assured when Mary becomes pregnant. However, she is confined to bed for the remainder of her pregnancy when she almost suffers a miscarriage. In order to prevent Henry from wandering to another rival, especially Jane Seymour, the Duke of Norfolk recalls Anne to England to keep Henry’s attention. Anne successfully seduces Henry by revealing herself as a more sophisticated woman. She even manages to convince the king to never to bed his wife or speak to her sister. What’s more, Anne manages to persuade Henry to break from Roman Catholic Church when Pope Clement VII refuses to annul his marriage to Catherine. Thereafter, Henry declares himself the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and divorces his wife, Catherine. Mary assures Henry that Anne and Percy were never married due to her loyalty to her family. Anne weds Henry and becomes the Queen of England.

Despite Anne’s giving birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, Henry is unhappy with Anne’s failure to deliver a son. After she miscarries their second child, a desperate Anne asks her brother George to try to impregnate her. George’s wife witnesses the encounter which leads to the arrest, trial and execution of both George and Anne. Mary pleads for her sister’s life, but Henry refuses to change his mind. He even warns Mary never to come to court again, because her family’s disgrace could endanger her as well. Mary grants Anne’s last wish as she takes care of her infant daughter, Elizabeth who goes on and becomes Queen Elizabeth I.

Overall, the movie is well-adapted despite the complication of the history. Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson performed quite well as their characters of the Boleyn sisters. Still, movie of this caliber does not suit everybody’s taste as some parts of the movie may bore you to death. Maybe Eric Bana can call himself lucky despite the failure of The Hulk movie in 2003 — what’s better than playing the King of England and being surrounded by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson, not forgetting his other mistresses.

My ratings: 7 out of 10.

SPOILER WARNING: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Jang Hyuk, Fann Wong and Jason Scott Lee in "Dance of the Dragon"

Tae Kwon (Jang Hyuk) is fascinated by ballroom dancing since he was a child when his mother brought him to the dance theater. He secretly learns dancing but when his dad finds out about it, he forbids Tae from dancing. Tae’s father teaches him that education is the fundamental of life. Tae plans to go to the university but his father gets him a job in the factory as the family needs the money. He works at the factory for ten years before he finally gets the chance for a dance audition in Singapore.

Tae tells his parents about the audition and decides to take the opportunity despite his dad’s disapproval. Tae meets Emi (Fann Wong), his dance instructor whom gives him the chance to join the class.

Emi has a boyfriend, Cheng (Jason Scott Lee) who works as a martial art instructor. When Cheng comes to find Emi in her dance studio, he sees Emi dances with Tae. He discourages Emi from joining the dance competition by telling her it’s best to retire as a champion rather than being second place or fifth place — as then no students would want to join her classes. Cheng then warns Tae to stay away from his girlfriend and even offers his two thousand dollars to join other dance studio.

When Tae decides not to take Cheng’s money, he goes to find Cheng in his martial art dojo and returns him the money. Cheng, in return, challenges Tae to a duel in 7 days — the winner gets to keep Emi. Tae attempts to learn martial arts but ends up hurting himself. He then finds a book about Shaolin Style Kung Fu and since he is a dancer, he challenges Cheng for a Tai Chi duel instead. During the duel, Tae loses concentration and falls to the ground and thus, has to pack his bag and go back to Korea.

Earlier, Emi has signed up for the dance competition with Tae as her partner. Somewhat, she is left disappointed when she sees Cheng and Tae battling without her knowledge. Tae’s father gives Tae all his life-saving so he can go back to Singapore to realize his dream. Tae manages to reach the dance hall in time by running instead of stuck in a traffic jam. Tae and Emi dance to a slow start but as Emi attempts to do a few rounds of circle, she twists her ankle and falls down. Instead of losing hopes, Tae tells Emi to wake up as it is not about winning but to enjoy their moment of dancing as Emi has once told Tae. They continue dancing and finishes the dance beautifully much to the cheering audience. And Cheng was standing there all along to witness Emi and Tae dance — even he salutes them. And the end credits appear.

Overall, Dance of the Dragon is a great film, not because it is a great dancing film or has superb actors who can dance brilliantly, but it is a great film because it explores the artistic side of the world while still having a great cinematography, excellent performances by the actors and superb music. The movie invites the audience to dare to dream and dare to love as Tae once said, “Only fools dare to dream.” And let us all be fools.

My ratings: 8 out of 10.