Buzz-worthy upcoming films
Director:Steven Spielberg
Cast:Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig, Eric Bana
Buzz factor:The film recounts the dramatic story of the secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and assassinate 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who led it. Inspired by actual events, the narrative is based on a number of sources, including the recollections of some who participated in the events.
The script is the first feature film written by Tony Kushner, winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Tony Award and many others for his epochal Broadway drama Angels in America as well as its Emmy Award-winning adaptation for HBO.
According to Spielberg, "For me, this movie is a prayer for peace. The biggest enemy is not the Palestinians or the Israelis. The biggest enemy in the region is intransigence."
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. Releasing date: December 23, 2005.
Memoirs of a Geisha
Director: Rob Marshall
Cast: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh
Buzz Factor: In the years before World War II, a Japanese child is torn from her penniless family to work in a geisha house. Despite a treacherous rival who nearly breaks her spirit, the girl blossoms into the legendary geisha, Sayuri. Beautiful and accomplished, Sayuri captivates the most powerful men of her day, but is haunted by her secret love for the one man beyond her reach.
Director Rob Marshall of Chicago fame, took the challenge of making the big screen adaptation of Arthur Golden's bestseller with the same title. The lush landscapes, the talented, high-profile Chinese actresses Ziyi Zhang and Michelle Yeoh looking stunning as the highly regarded geishas in 20th century Japan, have already boosted curiosity about the film among movie enthusiasts around the world.
Ziyi, in the lead role, is as lovely and charming as ever, showing off her dancing skills in a passionate number done on 7-inch lifts, which is the film's unforgettable showstopper.
Releasing date: December 23, 2005.
Compiled by cultural correspondent