Maybank Platinum Visa Credit Card - Promotion

Low 15% interest rate
No annual fee (conditional waiver of quarterly service fee)
Limited 1-for-1 movie deals
24 free movies at Cathay Cineplexes while stocks last

The Maybank Platinum Visa is a practical credit card to own. It boasts of a lower-than-usual interest rate of 15% per annum, and brings along benefits such as promotions at Popeyes, Shaw Theatres and online merchants including Asos, Zalora, iTunes and Qoo10. For party-goers there is also an attractive list of privileges at Attica & Attica Too and Le Noir. Maybank charges a quarterly service fee of $20 for the card but this is waived if you charge any amount to the card once every 3 months. All monthly statements are online, and a supplementary card is available free of charge. Plus you get tr’eats Points every time you charge to your card and travel insurance coverage of up to $500,000.

Details of dining & retail benefits:

• At Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen outlets (excluding Changi Airport Terminal 3 and Singapore Flyer), purchase any Combo Meal and get 2-piece Bonafide™ chicken free, limited to 250 redemptions per month
• Enjoy 1-for-1 movie deal at Shaw Theatres (except Century), limited to first 60 redemptions per Monday to Sunday week
• 1-for-1 tr'eats Points at Asos, Chic Kiss Love (and enjoy 10% discount on items), iTunes, Qoo10 and Zalora
• Priority access and various privileges at Attica & Attica Too and Le Noir in Clarke Quay

Now for the first 5,000 new customers, enjoy 24 free movies at any of the 7 Cathay Cineplexes (in the form of E!Pass by Maybank) when you apply for a Maybank Platinum Visa Card, Family & Friends Platinum MasterCard or Horizon Platinum Visa Card and CreditAble. Go on and charge S$50 to your new Maybank Card within the first month, and, also within the first month of approval, utilise S$50 from your new CreditAble Account to enjoy this offer! A three year fee waiver is valid for new applicants. To find out more about the promotion, visit Maybank - Platinum Visa Card.

NOTE:

• As with other credit cards, applicants must meet nationality, age and income requirements
• Card account must be maintained in good standing for interest rate to be at 15%; unless a clean payment record of 6 months duration is maintained, a 24% per annum interest rate will apply instead
• Minimum repayment rate is 3% of outstanding balance or S$20, whichever is higher, plus any outstanding amount due from previous statements
• Click on the link to access full terms and conditions
• Additional terms and conditions governing the 24 free movie promotion and the use of the E!Pass by Maybank apply

Maybank Family & Friends Platinum MasterCard - Promotion

5% cash rebates at top merchants

3 year annual fee waiver

24 free movies at Cathay Cineplexes

The Family & Friends Platinum MasterCard gives you cash back for every dollar spent at an impressive list of merchants. It offers a generous 5% cash rebate at some of our most familiar and frequented stores - such as NTUC FairPrice, Cold Storage, POPULAR Bookstores, Watsons and Toys "R" Us. Additionally, it also extends to the delivery services of Canadian Pizza, KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut. Your groceries, beauty products, magazines, night cravings and items for your little ones would be well worth your dollar. A 0.3% rebate is applicable for all other purchases made with the credit card.

Out of Singapore, the rebate can also be enjoyed at the LEGOLAND® Malaysia resort. And if you frequently drive to neighbouring Malaysia, you would be pleased that the rebate also applies to all BHPetrol, Caltex, Petron, Petronas and Shell petrol stations in Malaysia, as well as the stores of all leading hypermarts there such as AEON BIG, Giant, TESCO and Pacific Hypermart.

Exclusively for the first 5,000 new customers, enjoy 24 free movies at Cathay Cineplexes (in the form of E!Pass by Maybank) when you apply for a Maybank Platinum Visa Card, Family & Friends Platinum MasterCard or Horizon Platinum Visa Card and CreditAble. Charge S$50 to your new Maybank Card within the first month, and, also within the first month of approval, utilise S$50 from your new CreditAble Account to enjoy this offer! A three year fee waiver is valid for new applicants; the annual fee thereafter is S$80 for a principal card, and also comes with a free supplementary card.

Click to find out more: Maybank - Family and Friends Platinum Mastercard

NOTE:

• Applicants must meet nationality, age and income requirements for successful application
• Annual fee is waived if cardholder spends at least S$12,000 per annum
• Minimum spend of $S500 per calendar month at the designated merchants is required in order to enjoy the 5% rebate; otherwise, the rebate amount will be 0.3%
• The maximum cash rebate earned is capped at S$600 per calendar year; thereafter the rebate amount will be 0.3% for subsequent purchases
• Please click the link above to access the list of participating merchants, eligibility requirements and full terms and conditions

LOCAL PARTICIPATING MERCHANTS FOR 5% REBATE

Supermarkets: Cold Storage (less Cold Storage Specialty), FairPrice, FairPrice Finest, FairPrice X-tra
Health, beauty & wellness: Unity NTUC Healthcare, Guardian, Watsons
Learning & retail: BORDERS, FOX Kids & Baby, Mothercare, POPULAR Bookstores, POPULAR Online Store, Toys “R” Us, Yamaha Music (less course fees)
Fast food delivery: Canadian Pizza, KFC, McDonald's, Pizza Hut

Singapore’s Yeo Yann Yann scores award at “The Oscars of Asia” – 8th Asian Film Awards

The 8th Asian Film Awards (AFA) award ceremony, dubbed the “Asian Oscars”, was held on 27 March 2014 at the House of Dancing Water Theatre in the City of Dreams, Macau. The 8th AFA was jointly organized by the AFA academy (AFAA) and its constituent partners – Busan Film Festival, Tokyo Film Festival and Hong Kong Film Festival.

Yeo Yann Yann (Ilo Ilo) won Best Supporting Actress at the 8th AFA

Actress Yeo Yann Yann and director Anthony Chen (Ilo Ilo) arrives together at the red carpet

Yeo Yann Yann won the Best Supporting Actress title for her role in the film Ilo Ilo against other strong contenders.Yeo’s success at the 8th AFA adds to her already outstanding number of illustrious awards she has won for her role in the film. “In modern life, when we encounter a lot of difficulties, our family members give us the biggest strength. So I hope you all can have this strength,” she said as she expressed her thanks, especially to her husband.

Singapore’s director Anthony Chen also scored a Best Director nomination with his story of a humble Singaporean family in his first feature film Ilo Ilo. This nomination bodes well for the future of Singaporean cinema in the international arena.

The Grandmaster walked away with the most awards this evening, bagging seven awards: Best Film, Best Director for Wong Kar Wai, Best Actress award for Zhang Ziyi, Best Production Designer and Costume Designer for William Chang Suk Ping, and Best Cinematographer for Phillipe Le Sourd.

In her speech, actress Zhang Ziyi spoke of one of the martial arts directors that was on the MH370, the missing Malaysian flight. Director Wong Kar Wai received the Best Film award on behalf of the crew and dedicated his speech to the missing director. He offered his deepest condolences and called on the Malaysian government for more transparency in clarifying the situation soon.

Amidst a standing ovation, Taiwanese actor Hou Hsiao Hsien received the top honour of Lifetime Achievement Award for his outstanding contribution to Asian cinema throughout his 30 year career. “I’m receiving this award because I am an old man,” he joked. He expressed that he is motivated to continue making new films.

Irrfan Khan, lead actor of Indian romance film The Lunchbox, beat other nominees for the Best Actor award (including Tony Leung and Lee Kang Sheng) to win the award. “I'm honoured and delighted that I have been nominated with such great actors, actors which I've watched and which I'm in love with,” he said.

Isabelle Huppert, one of Europe’s top actresses, was named as the first honorary member of the AFAA. Top French fashion designer agnès b of her self-named label presented the Best Costume Designer and Best Production Designer Awards at the AFA award ceremony.

LIST OF WINNERS

Lifetime Achievement
Hou Hsiao-Hsien

Best Film
The Grandmaster

Best Director
Wong Kar-wai, The Grandmaster

Best Actor

Irrfan Khan, The Lunchbox

Best Actress
Zhang Ziyi, The Grandmaster

Best Newcomer
Jiang Shuying, So Young

Best Supporting Actor
Huang Bo, No Man’s Land

Best supporting actress
Yeo Yann Yann, Ilo Ilo

Best Screenwriter
Ritesh Batra, The Lunchbox

Best Cinematographer
Philippe Le Sourd, The Grandmaster

Best Production Designer
William Chang Suk Ping, Alfred Yau Wai Ming, The Grandmaster

Best Composer
Nathaniel Mechaly, Umebayashi Shigeru, The Grandmaster

Best Editor
Shin Min-kyung, Cold Eyes

Best Visual Effects
Jung Sung-jin, Mr Go

Best Costume designer
William Chang Suk Ping, The Grandmaster

ABOUT ASIAN FILM AWARDS

The annual Asian Film Awards was established in 2007 as the first awards to recognize cinematic talents across Asia. The only awards ceremony in the world that brings together the region’s cinematic elites, the AFA has garnered well-deserved attention from both industry professionals and movie fans alike.

This year's Asian Film Awards spanned 12 industry experts on the jury, 73 nominations, 26 films, and 14 award categories from 13 countries. The awards were jointly organised by the powerhouses of Asian cinema, comprising of the AFA Academy and its constituent partners – Busan International Film Festival, Hong Kong Film Festival Society and Tokyo International Film Festival.

The AFA strives to promote cultural exchange between film professionals from all across Asia with the ambition of propelling Asian films to greater heights.

Official website: http://www.asianfilmawards.asia/

8th Asian Film Awards on 27 March 2014

Celebrating excellence in Asian cinema

This year's AFA sees 26 nominated films and will be held in Macau

The 8th Asian Film Awards takes place on
 27th March, at City of Dreams, Macau

Now into its 8th year, the awards ceremony for the annual Asian Film Awards (AFA) will happen on Thursday, the 27th of March this year. It will take place at the magnificent Dancing Water Theatre within Macau's City of Dreams, which is a casino and tourist resort. The AFA - which is often regarded as the Asian equivalent of the Oscars - was first introduced in 2007, and recognises the cinematic achievements of filmmakers within Asia.

7th AFA last year, held at the Hong Kong
Convention and Exhibition Centre

Celebrity guests Andy Lau and Sylvia Chang at the 7th AFA

From more than a thousand films, 26 of them were successfully nominated for the 14 different award categories this year; these nominations come from 13 countries and regions. The categories celebrate and honour the achievements of various groups of people, such as actors, screenwriters, cinematographers, and costume designers, among others. Six entries were nominated for this year's Best Film award: No Man's Land, The Grandmaster, The Great Passage, The Lunchbox, Snowpiercer, and Stray Dogs. The winners will be determined by a panel consisting of distinguished professionals in the film industry. Peter Ho-Sun Chan will head the panel, and his panel is joined alongside martial artist and filmmaker Donnie Yen, actress Carina Lau, and together with a number of judges from across the region. This includes Singapore film director Eric Khoo. Meanwhile, Jeon Do-yeon, who has won many awards including Best Actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival, has been appointed as the ambassador for the 8th AFA.

The Grandmaster, released 10 Jan 2013
The film is nominated for 11 awards

Ilo Ilo, which premièred on 19 May 2013
The film is nominated for two awards

The Grandmaster, written and directed by Wong Kar-wai, is nominated in 11 out of the 14 categories, only missing out Best Newcomer as well as Best Supporting Actor and Actress. It is a martial arts-themed action drama film and staring Tony Leung and Zhang Ziyi. Positively received - both critically and commercially - it has won five Golden Horses and also received two nominations at the 86th Academy Awards.

Just as noteworthy, the Singaporean family film Ilo Ilo bagged two nominations - namely 29 year old Anthony Chen for Best Director, and Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann for Best Supporting Actress. Ilo Ilo was presented with the Camera d'Or award at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, and subsequently took home four awards at the 50th Golden Horse Awards.

This is the first time the AFA will be held in a city other than Hong Kong. The 8th Asian Film Awards is organised by the Asian Film Awards Academy. The official website is www.asianfilmawards.asia.

Official poster for the 8th Asian Film Awards
"Celebrating Excellence in Asian Cinema"

New GV Bishan to reopen 30 Jan after renovations

After a month of renovation work, the 6-screen GV Bishan at the Junction 8 Mall is expected to be unveiled on Thursday, 30 Jan 2014 in time for the opening of RoboCop.

Golden Village Bishan

Address: Level 4, Junction 8 Mall, 9 Bishan Place, Singapore 579837
Nearest MRT: NS17 CC15 Bishan

Cinema mobile apps for Shaw, Cathay and GV

Shaw Theatres app: cinime

Google Play rating: 3.7 (based on 94 reviews)
App size: 12.30MB
Free to download. For iOS and Android.

cinime app interface

Booking of tickets through cinime
The theatre shown is Lido 1

In addition to allowing users to check movie schedules and book tickets through the app, cinime allows users to unlock rewards and enter contests through a unique in-cinema feature. At the theatre, the cinema screen will prompt users to turn on the app before the commercials. The app will then provide special content, such as interactive contests where users can take part in quizzes shown on the theatre screen through the app in real time. Bonus content can also be unlocked when various commercials are shown, without a need for a 3G or WiFi connection. There is also a feature to scan cinema posters in exchange for "goodies".

With a black background, the app interface is appropriate for use in the dark theatre while the ads are playing, through patrons will be prompted to keep their phones away when the actual movie begins. The latest update even adds a calender reminder feature to the list. This is probably by far the most advanced and interactive cinema app that has been introduced.

To download cinime
Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/shaw-cinime/id686566592
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.yummimedia.shawcinime&hl=en


Cathay Cineplexes app: iCathay
Google Play rating: 3.5 (based on 252 reviews)
App size: 1.56MB
Free to download. For iOS and Android.

iCathay allows users to book movie tickets, view the details of their favourite movies and access the latest promotions at Cathay with the purple-themed app. As with Shaw's cinime and GV's iGV app, users can view the seating plan and select their own seats when booking tickets through iCathay. Users can also submit their feedback and suggestions through the app. The app is simple and requires minimal app permissions when downloaded through Google Play so it sure is a clean cut app.

iCathay app interface

Booking of tickets through iCathay
The theatre shown is The Grand Cathay

To download iCathay
Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/icathay/id427846639
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.csam.cathay.activity&hl=en


Golden Village app: iGV
Google Play rating: 3.2 (based on 239 reviews)
App size: 1.83MB
Free to download. For iOS and Android.

With the iGV app users can book tickets and view information on cinemas or movies conveniently on their phones. It is also integrated with the GV Movie Club loyalty programme as it allows users to log in to their accounts to enjoy discounts. The app is also equipped with a feature that allows patrons at GV City Square to enter the theatres using a QR code that acts as their movie ticket. Together with less than frequent updates for the app, it also appears that some patrons have reported issues booking their tickets through the app.

iGV app interface

Booking of tickets through iGV
The theatre shown is GVmax

To download iGV
Apple App Store: https://itunes.apple.com/sg/app/igv/id293615901
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.innosoft.gvmobile

RoboCop (2014) in cinemas 30 Jan

RoboCop (2014) is a US$120 million reconstruction of the original RoboCop film that was released close to three decades ago. To be released in the United States on 12 February, it is the 4th film in the RoboCop franchise after RoboCop 3 (1993).

"Crime has a new enemy"
Theatrical poster for RoboCop (2014).
The Cuatro Torres Business Area in Madrid, Spain, is in the background.

The two hour film, directed by José Padilha, is set in the year 2028. It is a science-fiction action film with its plot revolving around the organisation OmniCorp and RoboCop (detective Alex Murphy) playing his role in the police squad. Joel Kinnaman, Gary Oldman, Michael Keaton and Samuel L. Jackson form the main cast that are credited on the theatrical poster.

RoboCop (2014) will open in Singapore movie theatres on 30 January, in IMAX and digital format.

Trailers:
5 Sep 2013: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INmtQXUXez8
"When crime is out of control, the only solution isn't human."
7 Nov 2013: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNIxcH-LyaU
"Some creations can't be controlled."