Movies releasing 23rd and 30 December
Well, since I'm possibly going to take a break from blogging for the next week or so (although I now have a handful of film reviews to write), here's what opens in South African cinemas on the Fridays of 23rd and 30th December.
23 December:
The Adventures of Tintin: Screening in 3D and 2D is this CGI-animated adaptation of Herge's beloved comic book series. Steven Spielberg directs this family action-adventure and the likes of Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost provide the motion captured performances of Tintin, Captain Haddock and co. Plot-wise, the film is based on a combination of The Crab With the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure and sees the intrepid young ginger journalist, and his canine companion Snowy, caught up in a globe-trotting treasure hunt.
You can read my initial thoughts on the film, and watch the trailer here. Despite not being a Tintin fan I'm looking forward to the film, which has clocked up an aggregated Rotten Tomatoes rating of 75% Fresh. Apparently the film is a rousing crowd-pleaser in the vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, although some critics have complained that the film is too boisterous, leaving character and plot development in the dust.
The Ides of March: If your movie tastes are a bit more "mature" this Christmas, your best bet is this award-nominated political drama - written, produced, directed by and starring George Clooney. Clooney plays a charismatic, if not exactly squeaky clean, politician who is campaigning to become the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Ryan Gosling is the ambitious young campaign manager trying to smother all scandal relating to his boss. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright round out the cast.
The Ides of March is 86% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has been praised for its intelligence and confident delivery in all departments. It's highly entertaining and well-acted even if it offers no new insights into the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the American electoral process.
30 December:
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Profiled on this blog earlier this week, A Game of Shadows is the highly anticipated sequel to the hit 2009 Sherlock Holmes reimagining. Robert Downey, Jr. is back playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic English sleuth, or, rather, a version that is equal parts brawn and brain. This time disguise- and drugs-loving Holmes - along with his trusted partner Dr Watson (Jude Law) - face their greatest adversary, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Fortunately, this time Noomi (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Rapace is also on board as a gypsy fortune teller who helps the boys.
Viewers expecting subdued mystery-solving will probably be disappointed in action- and explosion-packed Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The film has a middling Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59% Fresh, meaning it's split critics pretty equally. Once again Downey Jr. and Law have been praised for their comical camaraderie, although the jury is out whether A Game of Shadows is weaker than, supersedes or is on par with its predecessor.
I Don't Know How She Does It: For romantic and/or domestic fluff over the next fortnight, look no further than I Don't Know How She Does It, based on the chick lit novel of the same name. Sarah Jessica Parker plays a modern woman trying to juggle it all - a high pressure job, motherhood and marriage to Greg Kinnear. Fortunately she has friends like Christina Hendricks to keep her sane because increasingly she has to choose her priorities: family life or a bigger, better job alongside dashing Pierce Brosnan.
I Don't Know How She Does It, which released in North America back in September, has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 18% Fresh. Apparently the film isn't as awful as its trailer suggests, but still flails around in dated sitcom territory, avoiding the really tough, realistic decisions for its supermom star.
Midnight in Paris: Again, if you're in the mood for movies this festive season and are looking for something a bit more adult, there's Woody Allen's latest - showing in limited release on the local art film circuit. Owen Wilson stars as a screenwriter whose fantastic, Era-leaping experiences after midnight in Paris cause him to re-examine his impending nuptials to Rachel McAdams. Other famous faces in the cast include Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Tom Hiddleston and Michael Sheen.
The multi-award nominated Midnight in Paris is regarded as a major return to form for Allen. A critical and commercial hit, the film is 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It's been called whimsical, charming, frequently insightful and touching. The movie's detractors however have called it amiable but disappointingly shallow.
23 December:
The Adventures of Tintin: Screening in 3D and 2D is this CGI-animated adaptation of Herge's beloved comic book series. Steven Spielberg directs this family action-adventure and the likes of Jamie Bell, Andy Serkis, Daniel Craig, Simon Pegg and Nick Frost provide the motion captured performances of Tintin, Captain Haddock and co. Plot-wise, the film is based on a combination of The Crab With the Golden Claws, The Secret of the Unicorn and Red Rackham's Treasure and sees the intrepid young ginger journalist, and his canine companion Snowy, caught up in a globe-trotting treasure hunt.
You can read my initial thoughts on the film, and watch the trailer here. Despite not being a Tintin fan I'm looking forward to the film, which has clocked up an aggregated Rotten Tomatoes rating of 75% Fresh. Apparently the film is a rousing crowd-pleaser in the vein of Raiders of the Lost Ark, although some critics have complained that the film is too boisterous, leaving character and plot development in the dust.
The Ides of March: If your movie tastes are a bit more "mature" this Christmas, your best bet is this award-nominated political drama - written, produced, directed by and starring George Clooney. Clooney plays a charismatic, if not exactly squeaky clean, politician who is campaigning to become the Democratic Party's presidential candidate. Ryan Gosling is the ambitious young campaign manager trying to smother all scandal relating to his boss. Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood, Marisa Tomei and Jeffrey Wright round out the cast.
The Ides of March is 86% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. The film has been praised for its intelligence and confident delivery in all departments. It's highly entertaining and well-acted even if it offers no new insights into the behind-the-scenes shenanigans of the American electoral process.
30 December:
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows - Profiled on this blog earlier this week, A Game of Shadows is the highly anticipated sequel to the hit 2009 Sherlock Holmes reimagining. Robert Downey, Jr. is back playing Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic English sleuth, or, rather, a version that is equal parts brawn and brain. This time disguise- and drugs-loving Holmes - along with his trusted partner Dr Watson (Jude Law) - face their greatest adversary, Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris). Fortunately, this time Noomi (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) Rapace is also on board as a gypsy fortune teller who helps the boys.
Viewers expecting subdued mystery-solving will probably be disappointed in action- and explosion-packed Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows. The film has a middling Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59% Fresh, meaning it's split critics pretty equally. Once again Downey Jr. and Law have been praised for their comical camaraderie, although the jury is out whether A Game of Shadows is weaker than, supersedes or is on par with its predecessor.
I Don't Know How She Does It: For romantic and/or domestic fluff over the next fortnight, look no further than I Don't Know How She Does It, based on the chick lit novel of the same name. Sarah Jessica Parker plays a modern woman trying to juggle it all - a high pressure job, motherhood and marriage to Greg Kinnear. Fortunately she has friends like Christina Hendricks to keep her sane because increasingly she has to choose her priorities: family life or a bigger, better job alongside dashing Pierce Brosnan.
I Don't Know How She Does It, which released in North America back in September, has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 18% Fresh. Apparently the film isn't as awful as its trailer suggests, but still flails around in dated sitcom territory, avoiding the really tough, realistic decisions for its supermom star.
Midnight in Paris: Again, if you're in the mood for movies this festive season and are looking for something a bit more adult, there's Woody Allen's latest - showing in limited release on the local art film circuit. Owen Wilson stars as a screenwriter whose fantastic, Era-leaping experiences after midnight in Paris cause him to re-examine his impending nuptials to Rachel McAdams. Other famous faces in the cast include Marion Cotillard, Kathy Bates, Adrien Brody, Tom Hiddleston and Michael Sheen.
The multi-award nominated Midnight in Paris is regarded as a major return to form for Allen. A critical and commercial hit, the film is 93% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. It's been called whimsical, charming, frequently insightful and touching. The movie's detractors however have called it amiable but disappointingly shallow.
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