Movies releasing today: Aliens, demons & that Bieber kid
If you're not in the mood for a 3D Justin Bieber (God help us all), a local rugby drama, a mother-daughter AIDS tale or the latest improv experiment from Mike Leigh, then let me direct you to the 2 most high profile, geek-friendly movie releases of the weekend.
Battle: Los Angeles: This sci-fi action film, also known as World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles, pits the US military against a massive alien invasion. Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodriguez head up the cast, while South African director Jonathan Liebesman has promised Battle: LA is no Independence Day, despite the obvious similarities. Rather, it's intended to be a gritty urban war movie - like Blackhawk Down - where the enemy just happens to be extraterrestrial.
Profiled as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday here, Battle: Los Angeles is currently a mediocre 37% on review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes. Evidently the film is a prime example of "sound and fury signifying nothing" - where the special effects and action scenes are prioritised ahead of character development, decent dialogue and plot. Viewers with a love for video games however should have a blast, as positive comparisons to FPS like Call of Duty abound.
The Rite: Supposedly based on a true story is this horror film - or, rather, supernatural drama - about a skeptical young priest (Colin O'Donoghue) sent to Rome for exorcism courses when the Catholic Church re-embraces the practice. Still doubting the links between demon possession and evil human behaviour, the young priest is assigned to battle-worn veteran exorcist Anthony Hopkins. Alice Braga and Rutger Hauer round out The Rite's cast.
The Rite is a rare religion-themed movie that has actually pleased the Catholic Church. Apparently the film probes issues of faith and evil with respectful intelligence. This hasn't however saved the movie from a weak 20% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Although Hopkins has been praised for his work and The Rite is a handsome looking film, according to critics - and judging by the trailer - the otherwise dreary project succumbs to overblown silliness in its last 30 minutes, like most horror flicks.
Battle: Los Angeles: This sci-fi action film, also known as World Invasion: Battle Los Angeles, pits the US military against a massive alien invasion. Aaron Eckhart and Michelle Rodriguez head up the cast, while South African director Jonathan Liebesman has promised Battle: LA is no Independence Day, despite the obvious similarities. Rather, it's intended to be a gritty urban war movie - like Blackhawk Down - where the enemy just happens to be extraterrestrial.
Profiled as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday here, Battle: Los Angeles is currently a mediocre 37% on review aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes. Evidently the film is a prime example of "sound and fury signifying nothing" - where the special effects and action scenes are prioritised ahead of character development, decent dialogue and plot. Viewers with a love for video games however should have a blast, as positive comparisons to FPS like Call of Duty abound.
The Rite: Supposedly based on a true story is this horror film - or, rather, supernatural drama - about a skeptical young priest (Colin O'Donoghue) sent to Rome for exorcism courses when the Catholic Church re-embraces the practice. Still doubting the links between demon possession and evil human behaviour, the young priest is assigned to battle-worn veteran exorcist Anthony Hopkins. Alice Braga and Rutger Hauer round out The Rite's cast.
The Rite is a rare religion-themed movie that has actually pleased the Catholic Church. Apparently the film probes issues of faith and evil with respectful intelligence. This hasn't however saved the movie from a weak 20% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Although Hopkins has been praised for his work and The Rite is a handsome looking film, according to critics - and judging by the trailer - the otherwise dreary project succumbs to overblown silliness in its last 30 minutes, like most horror flicks.
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