Movies opening today: Bros, body parts & the Bard
After the release of a glut of Oscar nominees this past month, it's now a quieter few Fridays at South African cinemas. Still, there's a little something on offer for everyone, whether you're in the mood for drama, comedy, graphic horror or Shakespearean fantasy.
Conviction: Drama Conviction tells the real-life tale of Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank), a young single mother who, over the course of a decade, educated herself through high school, college and a law degree so that she found defend her brother (Sam Rockwell), who she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder.
Conviction is a solid 68% Fresh on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Actually, "solid" seems to be a common description for the film. Performances by Conviction's stars have been greatly praised but many critics have also commented that such a remarkable story could have been told in a more compelling, cinematic style. Apparently Conviction feels more like a very good TV movie.
The Dilemma: This comedy drama from director Ron Howard sees Vince Vaughn as best friend and business partner to Kevin James. When Vaughn sees James's wife (Winona Ryder) kissing another man (Channing Tatum), he resolves to get to the bottom of the matter, while trying to work out how to tell his buddy the bad news. Jennifer Connelly and Queen Latifah round out the cast.
The Dilemma is a weak 21% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. While the film on the surface appears to be a dumb crowd-pleasing comedy - especially when you consider the film's male leads - the reality is a messy, unsatisfying mix of slapstick, bromance and surprisingly dark psychodrama, examining the issue of trust and truth in relationships.
Night Drive: A South African horror-thriller about a group of tourists who are stranded during a night drive in a game reserve. Animal attacks are the least of their worries though, seeing as there are reports of a crazed "Hyena Man" in the area, working with poachers to slaughter unsuspecting human visitors for their body parts - always in demand for the most potent "muti"/ witchdoctor medicine.
At first glance, Night Drive could be mistaken for another Rogue or The Ghost & The Darkness. On closer inspection though, the film comes across as darker and more disturbing - even if a tad on the hysterical side. I can't say I'm... er... driven to seek Night Drive out at the cinema, but it looks decent enough. Watch the trailer here. Oh, and don't forget to read about the film's big advertising controversy.
The Tempest: Having already tackled a big screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Titus, visionary director Julie Taymor returns to "The Bard" territory with her feminist take on The Tempest. Love, revenge and magic mix in this tale of a nobleman (here a noblewoman played by Helen Mirren) who is unjustly exiled to a desolate island, and harnesses the supernatural to punish those responsible. Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming and David Strathairn all also appear.
Nominated for Best Costume Design at this year's Oscars, The Tempest is otherwise a very disappointing 26% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. By all accounts the film is not nearly as inventive and engrossing as it should have been, given the mammoth amount of talent involved. Profiled as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday feature here.
Conviction: Drama Conviction tells the real-life tale of Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank), a young single mother who, over the course of a decade, educated herself through high school, college and a law degree so that she found defend her brother (Sam Rockwell), who she believed was wrongly imprisoned for murder.
Conviction is a solid 68% Fresh on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes. Actually, "solid" seems to be a common description for the film. Performances by Conviction's stars have been greatly praised but many critics have also commented that such a remarkable story could have been told in a more compelling, cinematic style. Apparently Conviction feels more like a very good TV movie.
The Dilemma: This comedy drama from director Ron Howard sees Vince Vaughn as best friend and business partner to Kevin James. When Vaughn sees James's wife (Winona Ryder) kissing another man (Channing Tatum), he resolves to get to the bottom of the matter, while trying to work out how to tell his buddy the bad news. Jennifer Connelly and Queen Latifah round out the cast.
The Dilemma is a weak 21% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. While the film on the surface appears to be a dumb crowd-pleasing comedy - especially when you consider the film's male leads - the reality is a messy, unsatisfying mix of slapstick, bromance and surprisingly dark psychodrama, examining the issue of trust and truth in relationships.
Night Drive: A South African horror-thriller about a group of tourists who are stranded during a night drive in a game reserve. Animal attacks are the least of their worries though, seeing as there are reports of a crazed "Hyena Man" in the area, working with poachers to slaughter unsuspecting human visitors for their body parts - always in demand for the most potent "muti"/ witchdoctor medicine.
At first glance, Night Drive could be mistaken for another Rogue or The Ghost & The Darkness. On closer inspection though, the film comes across as darker and more disturbing - even if a tad on the hysterical side. I can't say I'm... er... driven to seek Night Drive out at the cinema, but it looks decent enough. Watch the trailer here. Oh, and don't forget to read about the film's big advertising controversy.
The Tempest: Having already tackled a big screen adaptation of William Shakespeare's Titus, visionary director Julie Taymor returns to "The Bard" territory with her feminist take on The Tempest. Love, revenge and magic mix in this tale of a nobleman (here a noblewoman played by Helen Mirren) who is unjustly exiled to a desolate island, and harnesses the supernatural to punish those responsible. Alfred Molina, Russell Brand, Djimon Hounsou, Chris Cooper, Alan Cumming and David Strathairn all also appear.
Nominated for Best Costume Design at this year's Oscars, The Tempest is otherwise a very disappointing 26% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. By all accounts the film is not nearly as inventive and engrossing as it should have been, given the mammoth amount of talent involved. Profiled as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday feature here.
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