Hear ye, hear ye!

We have an important announcement to make. Because of some unusual alignment of the stars and planets this week, there is not one, not two — but three terrific new movies that you absolutely must watch, and one art film that might interest die-hard movie buffs.

What all these four movies have in common is that their stories unfold in some strange and extraordinary universe, that attest to the power of the imagination.

So cancel your blind dates and skip all planned excursions to Taboo, Water Bar, Mox, Happy, or wherever. Instead, head to the cinema and escape into a foreign world.

Top on the list is Wong Kar Wai's eagerly-awaited futurama 2046, with its dazzling array of divas and dashing men — namely, Faye Wong, Zhang Ziyi, Tony Leung Chiu Wai, Takuya Kimura, Carina Lau, Chang Chen and Gong Li. Also a must-watch is the solidly entertaining Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow — a retro-chic adventure movie starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Angelina Jolie and Bai Ling.

Last but certainly not least, there is the extraordinary Korean movie, Old Boy. This ultra-violent movie competed with 2046 at this year's Cannes Film Festival. But the jury, headed by Quentin Tarantino, ignored 2046 and gave Old Boy the prestigious Grand Jury Prize. So you mustn't miss this.

And if these three titles cannot satisfy your hunger for good movies, we also recommend the challenging futuristic romance Code 46, directed by the acclaimed Michael Winterbottom.

Wong Kar Wai took four years to conceive and film this gem. And even after he sent it to Cannes in May this year, he was still dissatisfied with it, so he shot more scenes when he got back to Hong Kong.

All we can say is that it is worth the wait. Even though the movie didn't win any prize at Cannes, many esteemed critics say it was the best film there.

A sequel to In The Mood For Love, it follows journalist-turned-science fiction writer Chow Mo Wan through his romances with several beautiful women and a female android.

Did these affairs actually took place or were they imagined by the Chow the writer? You decide.

2046 is a ravishing film about memories, dreams, solitude and intimacy. And like In The Mood For Love, it is boosted by a first-rate cast, a gorgeous soundtrack (Quizas, Quisaz, Quisaz again!) and jaw-dropping cheongsams. Wong Kar Wai is, indeed, the reigning god of cinema.

This is the stylish film that the head of this year's Cannes' jury, Quentin Tarantino, could not stop raving about. (Considering what a motor-mouth he already is, you probably wouldn't want to be there.)

Director Park, who made the excellent political drama Joint Security Area, returns with another intelligent mystery-drama. The story revolves around a man who was imprisoned for 15 years without him knowing why.

When he is finally released, he is hell-bent on getting to the root of the mystery. But the answers he find are nothing short of bizarre and devastating.

Not only did Old Boy receive Cannes' Grand Jury Prize, the director was also nominated for the Golden Palm award — the top prize. The movie won five South Korean Grand Bell Awards in its home turf last year, and was one of the country's top 10 box-office hits of the year. Simply put, you have to see it.

You may have seen the trailer and think this is a fun movie for kids — but you're wrong.

Kerry Conran's debut film is an adventure roller-coaster of the highest order. It combines retro-chic designs, comic-book techniques, old movie heroics and sci-fi savvy to please almost anyone who loves movies.

The story opens with giant robots attacking New York in 1939. Gwyneth Paltrow is the plucky journalist who tries to get the story and promptly lands into trouble. The only man who can save the city — and her — is the dashing pilot, Sky Captain (Jude Law). Angelina Jolie plays a fellow ace pilot with a silver eye-patch. Watch this with your friends and have a blast.

Michael Winterbottom (the acclaimed director of 24-Hour Party People and Welcome To Sarajevo) is back with another provocative film.

This futuristic romance stars Tim Robbins as psychic private investigator and Samantha Morton as a lab worker who fall for each other. Little do they know that — at a time where cloning is common — they are genetically twins. If you're a science-inclined brainiac, you might enjoy this. Be warned though — the movie is entirely devoid of colour and humour.

If you've seen Vanilla Sky in 2001 with Tom Cruise, watching this would be deja vu — pun intended. Vanilla Sky is a remake of this 1997 Spanish film, written and directed by Alejandro Amenabar.

The gorgeous Eduardo Noriega plays a wealthy playboy whose jealous ex-girlfriend (Penelope Cruz) tries to kill him by crashing his car. From then on, nothing is what it seems in this slick and mind-boggling thriller, which is far superior to its remake.

There's no cuter date movie on screens right now than this romance about a sweet Chinese boy who sells pirated VCDs, who falls for a Malay girl who loves Wong Kar Wai and John Woo films.

The shy lead actor Ng Choo Seong has a charming boy-next-door appeal, and would probably remind you of someone you've liked in school. (If you fancy poly boys, you'd looove Ng.) Meanwhile, lead actress Sharifah Amani is a lovely girl with tomboyish traits — reminiscent of Jun Ji-Hyun in My Sassy Girl.

This less-than-scary prequel to the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist (featuring Linda Blair's gruesome projectile vomitting) may be short on storyline but it's tall on computer-generated special effects. It tells the story of Father Lankester Merrin in his younger days as he battles Satanic forces in Turkana, Kenya, in 1949.

The movie boasts some gorgeous CGI sequences — think huge swarms of flies and magnificent sandstorms — but it never conveys the atmosphere of dread and fear that is so crucial to horror movies.

Mira Nair did a splendid job in her last hit drama, Monsoon Wedding, but her adaptation of William Thackeray's period novel leaves something to be desired. Ms Legally Blonde, Reese Witherspoon, plays a penniless orphan who slowly climbs her way up the social ladder in 19th century England. But whereas Thackeray invented his character as a cold-hearted bitch, Nair is much too nice — depicting Becky as a victim of circumstance.

Okay, so this high school comedy is not as fabulously campy as Mean Girls or Legally Blonde. But it does have a cute gay subplot, and a cute lead actress, Jena Malone.

Jena — who's the kind of the sweetie-pie all you girl readers would love to bring home — plays a devout Christian girl whose boyfriend thinks he's gay. Hoping to turn him straight so he won't commit sodomy — a dark and terrible thing, it seems — she has sex with him and promptly becomes pregnant.

Twinkish Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal delivers a strong performance as a young Ernesto Guevara — who will later become the communist icon Che Guevara — in this critically-acclaimed film.

It follows the motorcycle journey of Ernesto and his buddy in their student days over the vast landscape of South America. The experience helped Ernesto shape his revolutionary ideas. Lyrical, profound and exquisitely shot by cinematographer Eric Gautier, it offers a sumptuous and satisfying movie-going.

Jackie Chan, Asia's biggest action superstar, returns to his role as Inspector Wing in the fifth instalment of his wildly popular Police Story franchise. Expect big-bang set pieces and breathtaking action choreography, coupled with studs Daniel Wu, Nicholas Tse and sweetie-pie Charlene Choi. If you love action, you won't go wrong with this.

Here's another action-engorged movie to satisfy the tough-chick/macho-top crowd. Leggy supermodel Milla Jovovich plays a no-nonsense heroine with big guns battling huge armies of zombies. With shocks and special effects aplenty, this movie is a rollercoaster ride of rip-roaring action. Remember to leave your brain at the door, and you'd be guaranteed a good time.

Sparks fly — as do balls and rackets — in this pleasant romantic comedy set in the competitive world of professional tennis. The gorgeous Kirsten Dunst plays an ambitious tennis champ in mini-skirt who falls for the not-so-gorgeous but good-hearted player, Paul Bettany. The movie boasts some spiffy tennis action, so if you're a tennis fan, don't miss it.