By Yong Shu Hoong

NINE (PG)
Musical/119 minutes
Rating: 2.5/5

THIS homage to Italian film-maker Federico Fellini's 81/2 (1963) by Rob Marshall (Chicago) is pretty to look at - from artsy cinematography to screen sirens like Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz, Nicole Kidman and Sophia Loren playing key women in the glitzy life of film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis).

But even the acting prowess of Day-Lewis and a strong cast that includes Judi Dench fail to inject emotional resonance to this assemblage of music videos.

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