Movies today, SA!
Five new films hit South African cinemas today, offering a little something for everyone.
First up, and my personal pick of the week is horror film Drag Me To Hell, director Sam Raimi's long-awaited return to the horror genre. You see, although his Spider-Man trilogy has produced the biggest hits of his career, Raimi made a name for himself with the quirky Evil Dead movies (which admittedly have always left me stone cold).
Anyway, Drag Me to Hell stars one of my favourite young actresses, Alison Lohman as an ambitious young loan officer Christine who finds herself cursed by an old gypsy woman when her refusal to help costs the woman her home. As Christine's life becomes a living hell, she becomes willing to do anything to break the curse.
Drag Me To Hell is 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and is generally described as a lot of goofy, frightening fun. I suspect it may be something of an acquired taste but I'm still willing to give it a shot (on a half-price movie day).
Definitely designed for a much wider audience is the political thriller State of Play, with its all-star cast that includes Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren. The film comes from Last King of Scotland director Kevin Macdonald.
In State of Play, Crowe stars as a Washington DC investigative journalist who becomes embroiled in a deep political conspiracy when the mistress of his friend, a popular young congressman (Affleck), is found murdered.
I have to admit State of Play slipped under my radar completely, but by the sounds of things it's an intelligent, swift paced and twisty film for adults. And apparently it tackles interesting issues like the influence of traditional print media in the age of 24-hour online news and blogging. 85% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Adventureland is a coming-of-age comedy about a college graduate James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) in 1987 who is forced to take a medial job at a rundown amusement park when his parents can no longer subsidize his big European vacation. Despite the long hours, bad pay and irritating visitors, James discovers the park is full of life-changing experiences and even love. Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds and Bill Hader also appear in the film.
Having watched the trailer for Adventureland last week, I felt it pretty much outlined the entire film. Still though Adventureland is a surprisingly 88% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes - where it seems to be considered a sweet, smart tale, made even more appealing by its talented cast and realistic focus. Superbad this one apparently ain't. (Thank God!)
Sunshine Cleaning is a quirky comedy starring the appealing leading lady duo of Amy (Enchanted) Adams and Emily (The Devil Wears Prada) Blunt. A hit on the indie film festival circuit, Sunshine Cleaning centres on a single mom and her slacker sister who turn to the crime scene clean-up business to make some money and turn their lives around.
Sunshine Cleaning apparently is a lot like Little Miss Sunshine in terms of its deft handling of comedy and drama, and deeper message about the importance of family, no matter how dysfunctional it is. Hell, Little Miss Sunshine's Alan Arkin even stars as the sisters' unconventional father.
Sunshine Cleaning is 71% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Strong performances are apparently the film's big selling point - the script is supposed to be derivative and predictable.
Finally this week, in very limited release, is Missing Lynx (originally known as El lince perdido), an award winning CGI-animated film from Spain. Obviously dubbed into English, The Missing Lynx comes from a production studio co-founded by Antonio Banderas.
I didn't find much about the film during my brief online search this morning, but here's an interesting interview with the film's director Raúl GarcÃa, a former Disney animator. The Missing Lynx focuses on a group on animals, led by the intrepid Felix, who band together to avoid capture by a hunter working for an environmentally concerned millionaire called Noah. I expect The Missing Lynx to be a solid family film with an environmental focus.
First up, and my personal pick of the week is horror film Drag Me To Hell, director Sam Raimi's long-awaited return to the horror genre. You see, although his Spider-Man trilogy has produced the biggest hits of his career, Raimi made a name for himself with the quirky Evil Dead movies (which admittedly have always left me stone cold).
Anyway, Drag Me to Hell stars one of my favourite young actresses, Alison Lohman as an ambitious young loan officer Christine who finds herself cursed by an old gypsy woman when her refusal to help costs the woman her home. As Christine's life becomes a living hell, she becomes willing to do anything to break the curse.
Drag Me To Hell is 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, and is generally described as a lot of goofy, frightening fun. I suspect it may be something of an acquired taste but I'm still willing to give it a shot (on a half-price movie day).
Definitely designed for a much wider audience is the political thriller State of Play, with its all-star cast that includes Russell Crowe, Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Robin Wright Penn, Jason Bateman, Jeff Daniels and Helen Mirren. The film comes from Last King of Scotland director Kevin Macdonald.
In State of Play, Crowe stars as a Washington DC investigative journalist who becomes embroiled in a deep political conspiracy when the mistress of his friend, a popular young congressman (Affleck), is found murdered.
I have to admit State of Play slipped under my radar completely, but by the sounds of things it's an intelligent, swift paced and twisty film for adults. And apparently it tackles interesting issues like the influence of traditional print media in the age of 24-hour online news and blogging. 85% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Adventureland is a coming-of-age comedy about a college graduate James Brennan (Jesse Eisenberg) in 1987 who is forced to take a medial job at a rundown amusement park when his parents can no longer subsidize his big European vacation. Despite the long hours, bad pay and irritating visitors, James discovers the park is full of life-changing experiences and even love. Kristen Stewart, Ryan Reynolds and Bill Hader also appear in the film.
Having watched the trailer for Adventureland last week, I felt it pretty much outlined the entire film. Still though Adventureland is a surprisingly 88% Fresh at Rotten Tomatoes - where it seems to be considered a sweet, smart tale, made even more appealing by its talented cast and realistic focus. Superbad this one apparently ain't. (Thank God!)
Sunshine Cleaning is a quirky comedy starring the appealing leading lady duo of Amy (Enchanted) Adams and Emily (The Devil Wears Prada) Blunt. A hit on the indie film festival circuit, Sunshine Cleaning centres on a single mom and her slacker sister who turn to the crime scene clean-up business to make some money and turn their lives around.
Sunshine Cleaning apparently is a lot like Little Miss Sunshine in terms of its deft handling of comedy and drama, and deeper message about the importance of family, no matter how dysfunctional it is. Hell, Little Miss Sunshine's Alan Arkin even stars as the sisters' unconventional father.
Sunshine Cleaning is 71% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Strong performances are apparently the film's big selling point - the script is supposed to be derivative and predictable.
Finally this week, in very limited release, is Missing Lynx (originally known as El lince perdido), an award winning CGI-animated film from Spain. Obviously dubbed into English, The Missing Lynx comes from a production studio co-founded by Antonio Banderas.
I didn't find much about the film during my brief online search this morning, but here's an interesting interview with the film's director Raúl GarcÃa, a former Disney animator. The Missing Lynx focuses on a group on animals, led by the intrepid Felix, who band together to avoid capture by a hunter working for an environmentally concerned millionaire called Noah. I expect The Missing Lynx to be a solid family film with an environmental focus.
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