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No one has ever seen his face… Until now…

In conjunction with Festive Films, The UrbanWire is giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the preview of K-20. To win, simply email your full name, NRIC and contact number to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com. Don’t miss Takeshi Kaneshiro in his leading role as Heikichi Endo in this thrilling story based on the novel by Soh Kitamura.

Contest ends Feb 5.

Preview screening details

Date: Feb 6, Friday
Venue: Golden Village Plaza Singapura, Hall 8
Time: 8.45pm 

About the movie 

In the fictional capital “Teito” where the aristocrats continue to thrive since the 19th Century, there are rumours about a mysterious thief, who only steals from the rich and aids the poor.

People call him K-20, (The Phantom Thief with 20 faces). Heikichi, a circus acrobat was conned and mistaken as K-20 and subsequently arrested by Detective Akechi, In the midst of clearing his name, Heikichi rescued Yoko, the Duchess, Detective Akechi’s betrothed fiancée. In the non-stop battle with K-20, the true identity of the thief may finally be revealed!

Movie details

Release on: Feb 12
Runtime: 137 min
Version: Japanese with English and Chinese subtitles
Theatres: TBA
Genre: Action, Adventure
Director and Screenplay: Shimako Sato
Cast: Takeshi Kaneshiro, Takako Matsu, Toru Nakamur

In conjunction with Shaw Organisation, UrbanWire is giving away 5 posters and 5 pairs of Shaw movie passes to the upcoming epic movie Defiance starring Daniel Craig of James Bond fame (Quantum of Solace, Casino Royale).

Defiance, directed by Academy Award®-winning producer Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond), also boasts an Oscar® nomination for its music score, composed by 7-time Oscar®-nominated composer James Newton Howard, which also features the celebrated violinist Joshua Bell. The film received a nomination for the Golden Globe Best Original Score – Motion Picture.

This is one film not to be missed.

For the full list of Oscar® nominees, click here.

5 Pairs of Defiance Movie Passes and Posters for Grabs

Simply answer the following question and email the correct answer with your full name, NRIC, contact number to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com.

“This epic tale of family, honour, vengeance and salvation is directed by the Academy Award®-winning producer Edward Zwick.”

True/False?
 

About Defiance

Based on an extraordinary true story, “Defiance” is an epic tale of family, honour, vengeance and salvation in World War II. 

The year is 1941 and the Jews of Eastern Europe are being massacred by the thousands. Managing to escape certain death, 3 brothers take refuge in the dense surrounding woods they have known since childhood. There they begin their desperate battle against the Nazis.

Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber (The Painted Veil) and Jamie Bell (Billy Elliot) star as brothers who turn a primitive struggle to survive into something far more consequential – a way to avenge the deaths of their loved ones by saving thousands of others. 

As a brutal winter descends, they work to create a community, and to keep faith alive when all humanity appeared to be lost.

Release Details

Date: Feb 5
Rating: PG (Some Violance)
Running time: 136 min
Chinese Title: 圣战家园

Directed by: Edward Zwick
Starring: Daniel Craig, George MacKay, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, Allan Corduner

The results of the nominations for the 81st Annual Academy Awards are here at last.

And so once again, we are gripped by the Oscar® fever with this 81st Annual Academy Awards looking set to be a rip-roaring one with A-listers like Sean Penn, Brad Pitt, Anne Hathaway and Angeline Jolie amongst the top nominees contending for the awards of best lead actor and best lead actress.

Photo credit: Alex Oliveira / ©A.M.P.A.S.®

(Read more)

Two beers or not to beers. That is the question.

It’s coming back.

We’re not just talking about the Lunar festive holidays coming up (and the gatherings and parties you’re attending).

Rather, we’re talking about Get Your Sexy Back’s fun and festive roving along Orchard Road this Jan 17.

(Read more)

Fans of Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl), look out for his upcoming movie, The Haunting of Molly Hartley.

About the Movie

In this rare PG horror thriller which stars some of today’s fastest rising young stars, The Haunting of Molly Hartley unfolds like a teen drama initially as Molly (Haley Bennett, Music and Lyrics) bravely tries to start her life all over again after surviving her mother’s bizarre attack on her.

Now, in her posh new private school, Molly is finally starting to fit in, as she draws the thrilling attention of super popular rich-kid, Joseph (Chace Crawford, “Gossip Girl”). But even as she is thrust into a realm of hot parties and hallway gossip, she is haunted by creepy visions and eerie experiences that have her wondering just what is really happening to her. 

How to win Posters and Complimentary Passes

5 lucky UrbanWire readers stand to win a pair of complimentary Shaw movie passes* and a US poster of The Haunting of Molly from Shaw Organisation.

Simply watch The Haunting of Molly Hartley, opening on Jan 15 at any Shaw Theatre and write in to us about your thoughts on the film and email us with the inclusion of your full name, NRIC number and contact number to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com for your chance to win.

This contest ends Jan 25.

*Movie passes are for use at any Shaw cinema and may be used for all films released at the Shaw cinemas.

“Eden Lake was inspired by the idea that there’s a horror movie being played out on our streets, seemingly every day”, says James Watkins in a statement about his directorial debut.

About the subject of his film, he explains, “On the one hand, we still think of them as innocents, in need of protection against the dangers posed by the adult world. On the other, they are knife-wielding demons. I wanted to tell a story that explored the tensions between these two conflicting views of childhood.”

Not wanting to write a “social realist drama”, Watkins says, “What I really wanted to do was dramatise in a visceral way just how scary it all is and approaching it like a horror movie felt like the right way to do that.”

Win Tickets to the Preview

In conjunction with Festive Films, we are giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the preview screening of Eden Lake on Jan 12.

Simply answer the following question with the right answer along with your full name, NRIC and contact number and email us at contest.urbanwire@gmail.com by Jan 11.

“The gang leader, Brett, that the couple encounters owns a dog which was killed in an accident.” True or False?

Preview Screening Details

Date: Jan 12, Monday
Venue: Cineleisure Orchard Hall 6 
Time: 7:15PM
Runtime: 90min
Rating: TBA
Language: English 
 

About Eden Lake
 

A horror movie that’s not monsters or zombies but on home turf, and hopefully with a modern resonance beyond the twists and turns of the story.  - James Watkins, Director of Eden Lake

Primary school teacher Jenny (Kelly Reilly, “Pride & Prejudice”, “Mrs Henderson Presents”) and her boyfriend Steve (Michael Fassbender, “300”), head out of London for a weekend break at a beautiful secluded lake. Steve has chosen the romantic spot, and is waiting for the perfect moment to surprise Jenny with a marriage proposal.

They pitch a tent, go swimming, sunbathe, and enjoy the peace – until it is shattered by a group of rowdy, threatening teenagers. When Steve confronts the group about their behaviour, a fight breaks out, and Steve accidentally kills gang leader Brett’s dog.

Suddenly the couple’s idyllic getaway turns into a survival nightmare, as they are forced into the forest to escape the vengeance of their pursuers. Separated from Steve, Jenny has to draw on unknown reserves of strength– and mercilessness – to survive.

Finally breaking free from the forest and her young pursuers Jenny makes it to the apparent sanctuary of the town. And meets the parents.

In conjunction with Festive Films, we are giving away 5 pairs of tickets to the preview screening of Transporter 3 on Dec 19.

Simply answer the following question with the right answer along with your full name, NRIC and contact number and email us at contest.urbanwire@gmail.com by Dec 18.

“Frank Martin, in film Tranporter 3, is played by actor Jason Statham.” True or False?

Preview screening details

Date: Dec 19, Friday
Time: 9:30pm
Runtime: 100min
Venue: Golden Village, Plaza Singapura, Hall 2.
Rating: TBA
Language: ENGLISH
 

About the movie

A superb cast, suspense, action, adventure and romance against a backdrop of fast cars and beautiful scenery in the third installment of the Transporter franchise.

Jason Statham (Collateral, Snatch) stars as Frank Martin, the daring deliveryman pressed back into service from his retirement on the French Riviera. Robert Knepper (Prison Break) is the ex-Delta Force operative trying to keep Frank chasing shadows, while Francois Berleand (Tell No One), plays Tarconi, the gastronomic French detective, who provides invaluable support. Sultry Slav newcomer Natalya Rudakova rides shotgun and eventually persuades Frank to loosen his tie.

From the Riviera to the Baltic Sea, via Stuttgart and Budapest, Frank races to dodge ruthless hit men, outwit a criminal mastermind and prevent an ecological catastrophe.

This movie opens in Singapore on Jan 1, 2009.

The rain may be erratic, and sure, the weather seems to be getting colder these days. But while it feels like the usual year-end monsoon is certainly hitting us, nothing’s going to dampen the spirits of the good people at Heineken, who are prepping us to get into the season of celebration and festivities this December.

With less than 10 days to Christmas and ZoukOut 2008 just over, what about gathering your buddies and heading down to Singapore’s most happening nightspot? Here, at the heart of Clarke Quay, you certainly can’t miss the lights of Heineken’s Lite Peg Greeting Wall in the Fountain Area.

This first if its kind wall here in Singapore, which is similar to an LED screen, lets you create your own greetings by pegging in small ‘Lite Pegs’ on the special wall surface.

Put your own special greeting up

How innovative! This UrbanWire writer was definitely enthralled by the idea of creating a personalised greeting on the wall and snapping photos of it and posting it up on Flickr and Facebook for all to see. If only one had more hands to speed up the process… But then again, that’s the point of bringing friends along to work on this little ‘holiday’ project if you’ve run out of fun ideas after a day out together.

Be seen on UrbanWire

Send in your pictures of you and your friends at the Heineken Lite Peg Greeting Wall and we’ll have them up right here for all to see. Spread the love and joy this festive season.

Simply email your greeting pictures to urbanwire2.0@gmail.com with: your name, age and contact details (contact details will not be published) from now to Jan 5, 2009 and you just might see yourself published right here.

And check this: You’ll be able to count down to Christmas right down to the precise second here and even join everyone else around the world in counting down with the various clocks synced to other global cities’ time. What’s more, this wall not only display a countdown to Christmas, it will reset itself to countdown to New Year’s Day, doubling the celebration as well as to usher in 2009 with a bang.

This piece is part of the UrbanWire’s Christmas New-Year supplement.

You’ve read the Stephanie Meyer novel (in fact, the whole series), you’re smitten with the attractive lead character, absolutely taken by the romance and you’re eagerly anticipating the movie’s release here on Dec 18.

Well if you understood just what exactly I’m getting at up there, you’d be thinking “Oh give me the details on how to get my hands on those Twilight premiums already!”

That’s right, we’re calling out to fans of the latest movie-novel craze in town this Christmas season. (Read more)

 

In the world of six billion people, it only takes one to change your life.

Together with Festive films, the Urbanwire is giving away 5 pairs of tickets to preview screening of The Visitor, on Dec 5, at Golden Village Plaza Singapura.

Simply answer the following question and stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to the screening. Email your answer with your full name and NRIC to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com by 5 December, 12 noon.

“The young immigrant couple who moved in with Walter are Tarek, who is Senegalese, and his girlfriend Zainab who is Syrian” True/False?

Screening Details
Date: Dec 5, Friday
Time: 9:10pm 
Runtime – 104min
Venue: Golden Village, Plaza Singapura, Hall 4
Rating: TBA
Language: English, French Arabic and Russian with English subtitles

About the movie

“You can live your whole life and never know who you are until you see the world through the eyes of others.”

A college professor becomes embroiled in the lives of a young immigrant couple living in New York City and stumbles into an unexpected romance as a result. As these strangers struggle to deal with their individual lives in a changed world, their shared humanity is revealed in awkward, humorous and dramatic ways.

This poignant film about rediscovering happiness in the least expected places stars a disillusioned Connecticut economics professor whose life is transformed by a chance encounter in New York City.

62-year-old Walter Vale is sleepwalking through his life. Having lost his passion for teaching and writing, he fills the void by unsuccessfully trying to learn to play classical piano. When his college sends him to Manhattan to attend a conference, Walter is surprised to find a young couple has taken up residence in his apartment. Victims of a real estate scam, Tarek (Haaz Sleiman), a Syrian man and Zainab (Danai Gurira), his Senegalese girlfriend, have nowhere else to go.

In the first of a series of tests of the heart, Walter reluctantly allows the couple to stay with him.

Friendship blossoms and in time, differences in culture, age, and temperament begin to fall away.

After being stopped by police in the subway, Tarek is arrested as an undocumented citizen and held for deportation. As his situation turns desperate, Walter finds himself compelled to help his new friend with a passion he thought he had long ago lost. When Tarek’s beautiful mother Mouna (Hiam Abbass) arrives unexpectedly in search of her son, the professor’s personal commitment develops into an unlikely romance.

And through these newfound connections with three virtual strangers that Walter is awakened to a new world and a new life.

Win tickets to Angels & Airwaves’ first-ever performance in Singapore

In conjunction with Midas Promotions, the UrbanWire is giving away tickets the AVA concert to 2 lucky readers.

Here’s what you need to do to get a chance at those tickets:

Tell us why you want to be at the AVA concert and share with us your love for alternative music, and send in your response to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com with your full name, NRIC and contact details by Dec 1.

The San Diego-based band, also known as AVA, will be making contact with fans here in Singapore for the very first time this coming Dec 7. It is also right here in Singapore, that their South-East Asia tour kicks off.

Featuring frontman and former Blink-182 guitarist/vocalist Tom Delonge, the band consists of guitarist David Kennedy, drummer Atom Willard, and bassist Matt Wachter.

AVA has certainly been going places since their rise to fame in 2006 after their first album We Don’t Need to Whisper was release. The album went on to top the Billboard 200 chart at No.4. The band has performed at packed venues in the United States (U.S), Canada, Europe, as well as Japan.

Having just concluded their recent U.S tour with Weezer (from Los Angeles), AVA will be here in Singapore with a mission to unify and call to arms all supporters of alternative music.
 

AVA Concert and Ticketing Information:

Date: Dec 7
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: University Cultural Centre Hall, NUS
Tickets*: $85, $100 and $125 

*Tickets are on sale at all SISTIC outlets and check out the promotional site for a chance to meet the band.

Together with Festive films, the Urbanwire is giving away 5 pairs of tickets to preview screening of Cape No 7, on Nov 19, 7pm at Shaw Lido.

Simply share with us when and who you wrote your first love letter/email to and stand a chance to win a pair of tickets to the screening. Email your responses to contest.urbanwire@gmail.com.

(Read more)

The Singapore Hit Awards 2008 had less star power and attracted a smaller crowd at the National Indoor Stadium: Only 2,500 people were present at the event. Nevertheless, those who were there were treated to the energetic performances of local and overseas artistes.

Gloria Kho Yzelman, guest writer for UrbanWire brings you the highlights of this event.

The usual hot favourites like Fahrenheit, S.H.E and Jay Chou were missing. Even local songbird, Stefanie Sun, snubbed at the nominations stage for Best Local Artiste, was too busy to attend the Oct 25 event. Unlike last year, the Singapore Hit Awards was not broadcast live. (Read more)

Together with Festive films, the Urbanwire is giving away 5 pairs of tickets to preview screening of Rabbit Without Ears, on Nov 12, 7pm at Golden Village, Plaza Singapura.

(Read more)

Way ahead of the Christmas season, Orchard Rd will be brimming with festivities as early as November.

But, we’re not talking about Christmas here, at least not yet. We’re talking about the second phase of Get Your Sexy Back for this year.

Look out for the Heeren Festive Event in November, which promises a line-up some exciting performances from talented young artistes – who are also moderate drinking volunteer ambassadors.

What’s that again about getting your sexy back, you say? (Read more)