Movies releasing today
Seven new movies open in South Africa today. Before I get to my picks of the weekend, here's a quick rundown of the rest.
Ra.One: Releasing to coincide with Diwali, is Bollywood's most expensive movie, a 3D blockbuster that sounds like Tron: Legacy - and has Shahrukh Khan caught up in sci-fi superhero action. Track the film's aggregated Rotten Tomatoes review score here.
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil: Hoodwinked, that wacky CGI-animated mix of Red Riding Hood and The Usual Suspects, receives a sequel with more genre-splicing shenanigans. Screening in 2D and 3D. A dire 11% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Reunion: Get your Z-grade action kicks with this WWE Studios-made tale of 3 feuding brothers (John Cena, Ethan Embry, Boyd Holbrook) drawn together for a cross-border bounty hunting adventure. Beware! The Reunion is just 9% Fresh.
Skeem: A South African black comedy crime caper about wannabe gangsters who have to defend their million rand score against greedy holiday makers at the dilapidated resort where they're hiding. In the mould of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and a film festival winner.
State of Violence: Another South African crime tale, this time a dour drama about a successful black businessman who is forced to confront his violent Apartheid era past when his wife is murdered. A regular on the festival circuit and opening movie of this year's Durban International Film Festival.
In the meantime, my top 2 movie picks for the weekend are:
In Time: I've profiled this science fiction thriller before. From Gattaca and Lord of War writer-director Andrew Niccol comes this tale of a future where the human race stops aging at 25 and overpopulation is managed by turning time into a currency. When you're "broke," you die. Justin Timberlake is a poverty-stricken young man who sets out to destroy the unjust social system - where the rich hoard time and can potentially live forever, and the poor are left as wage slaves living literally day to day. Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy and Olivia Wilde co-star.
Like many of Niccol's other efforts, In Time mixes science fiction with eerily credible social commentary. Unfortunately though, by the sound of things, the filmmaker's latest effort is stronger in concept than executed plot and overall subtly. This said, cinemagoers who crave smarts and intrigue should still find something to entertain themselves here. In Time is currently a so-so 39% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
30 Minutes or Less: I must confess that until writing this blog post I knew absolutely nothing about this comedy, which reteams Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer with star Jesse Eisenberg. As it turns out, here Eisenberg plays Nick, a bungling pizza delivery boy who is kidnapped by a pair of low-grade thugs (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) and forced to rob a bank. With no one else to turn to, Nick enlists his former best friend (Aziz Ansari) to help pull off the robbery.
30 Minutes or Less is a middling 44% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, having split critics. Apparently the film is tonally unbalanced and only sporadically funny, resorting to too many lowbrow gags. However, the entire project benefits from its high energy, escalating ridiculousness and talented comedic cast. 30 Minutes or Less balances out then as a watchable but forgettable movie.
Ra.One: Releasing to coincide with Diwali, is Bollywood's most expensive movie, a 3D blockbuster that sounds like Tron: Legacy - and has Shahrukh Khan caught up in sci-fi superhero action. Track the film's aggregated Rotten Tomatoes review score here.
Hoodwinked Too! Hood vs. Evil: Hoodwinked, that wacky CGI-animated mix of Red Riding Hood and The Usual Suspects, receives a sequel with more genre-splicing shenanigans. Screening in 2D and 3D. A dire 11% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Reunion: Get your Z-grade action kicks with this WWE Studios-made tale of 3 feuding brothers (John Cena, Ethan Embry, Boyd Holbrook) drawn together for a cross-border bounty hunting adventure. Beware! The Reunion is just 9% Fresh.
Skeem: A South African black comedy crime caper about wannabe gangsters who have to defend their million rand score against greedy holiday makers at the dilapidated resort where they're hiding. In the mould of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, and a film festival winner.
State of Violence: Another South African crime tale, this time a dour drama about a successful black businessman who is forced to confront his violent Apartheid era past when his wife is murdered. A regular on the festival circuit and opening movie of this year's Durban International Film Festival.
In the meantime, my top 2 movie picks for the weekend are:
In Time: I've profiled this science fiction thriller before. From Gattaca and Lord of War writer-director Andrew Niccol comes this tale of a future where the human race stops aging at 25 and overpopulation is managed by turning time into a currency. When you're "broke," you die. Justin Timberlake is a poverty-stricken young man who sets out to destroy the unjust social system - where the rich hoard time and can potentially live forever, and the poor are left as wage slaves living literally day to day. Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy and Olivia Wilde co-star.
Like many of Niccol's other efforts, In Time mixes science fiction with eerily credible social commentary. Unfortunately though, by the sound of things, the filmmaker's latest effort is stronger in concept than executed plot and overall subtly. This said, cinemagoers who crave smarts and intrigue should still find something to entertain themselves here. In Time is currently a so-so 39% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
30 Minutes or Less: I must confess that until writing this blog post I knew absolutely nothing about this comedy, which reteams Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer with star Jesse Eisenberg. As it turns out, here Eisenberg plays Nick, a bungling pizza delivery boy who is kidnapped by a pair of low-grade thugs (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson) and forced to rob a bank. With no one else to turn to, Nick enlists his former best friend (Aziz Ansari) to help pull off the robbery.
30 Minutes or Less is a middling 44% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, having split critics. Apparently the film is tonally unbalanced and only sporadically funny, resorting to too many lowbrow gags. However, the entire project benefits from its high energy, escalating ridiculousness and talented comedic cast. 30 Minutes or Less balances out then as a watchable but forgettable movie.
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