Movies releasing today: Santa, stars, stuntmen and screaming
The South African Summer school holidays kick off today with a glut of new movies. Of the 4 high profile new releases, there's something for everyone, from the kiddies to the cool kids; romcom fans to horror aficionados.
From Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation comes festive-themed CGI comedy Arthur Christmas, screening in 2D and 3D. James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Bill Nighy provide some of the voices for the film, which centres on the bumbling younger son of Santa Claus and his attempts to prove himself as a viable head for the family business.
I confess I had zero interest in Arthur Christmas until the release of this hilarious teaser trailer. My attention was then completely hooked when the film achieved a surprisingly stellar Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% Fresh (i.e. 92% of critics reviewed the film positively). Apparently Arthur Christmas takes the tired topic of holiday spirit - done to schmaltzy death by Hollywood - and freshens it up with wit, intelligence and a surprisingly strong story. Not perfect but pleasantly charming.
Profiled as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday feature, Drive is a highly acclaimed (to the point of over-hype!) crime drama that straddles the line between character-driven indie flick and pulpy, hyper-stylised actioner. Ryan Gosling stars as an unnamed stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. The driver's life gets considerably more complicated when his feelings for young mother Carey Mulligan cause him to become involved in a heist that goes horribly wrong. Now he must extricate himself from the situation and protect those he loves.
While evidently not for all tastes, Drive has been clocking up awards nominations and wins, and has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93% Fresh. Viewers expecting Fast and the Furious-style car chases and explosions may be put off by the film's cool, meditative nature, but those with a tolerance for slow Art house cinema, and graphic violence, are evidently in for a treat.
Star-studded ensemble comedy New Year's Eve opens today in South Africa and North America. Essentially a follow-up to last year's Valentine's Day (my review) - both films are directed by Garry Marshall - New Year's Eve is set in New York and consists of a dozen interconnected stories about people galvanised by the approaching new year to change their lives for the better. The cast includes Halle Berry, Robert De Niro, Jessica Biel, Hilary Swank, Ludacris, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron and many more.
At the time of writing this post, New Year's Eve was 6% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (Valentine's Day was 18% Fresh). Ow! Adjectives critics have been tossing around include "contrived", "painfully unfunny", "flat", "manipulative" and "ridiculously sentimental". New Year's Eve is the movie equivalent of a greeting card apparently. You have been warned.
2011 has certainly been a big year for haunted house movies. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is another one, based on an old made-for-TV horror film that has developed a cult following over the decades. Written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark sees a young, dysfunctional family (played by Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes and Bailee Madison) terrorised by nasty goblin-like creatures while restoring an old manor house.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59% Fresh, which is pretty solid for a horror film. According to reviewers, young Madison delivers a cracker of a performance and the film is appropriately atmospheric. However, the creepiness never blossoms into full-blown terror and hardcore horror fans are unlikely to be scared at all.
From Aardman Animations and Sony Pictures Animation comes festive-themed CGI comedy Arthur Christmas, screening in 2D and 3D. James McAvoy, Hugh Laurie, Jim Broadbent and Bill Nighy provide some of the voices for the film, which centres on the bumbling younger son of Santa Claus and his attempts to prove himself as a viable head for the family business.
I confess I had zero interest in Arthur Christmas until the release of this hilarious teaser trailer. My attention was then completely hooked when the film achieved a surprisingly stellar Rotten Tomatoes rating of 92% Fresh (i.e. 92% of critics reviewed the film positively). Apparently Arthur Christmas takes the tired topic of holiday spirit - done to schmaltzy death by Hollywood - and freshens it up with wit, intelligence and a surprisingly strong story. Not perfect but pleasantly charming.
Profiled as part of this blog's Trailer Tuesday feature, Drive is a highly acclaimed (to the point of over-hype!) crime drama that straddles the line between character-driven indie flick and pulpy, hyper-stylised actioner. Ryan Gosling stars as an unnamed stunt driver who moonlights as a getaway driver. The driver's life gets considerably more complicated when his feelings for young mother Carey Mulligan cause him to become involved in a heist that goes horribly wrong. Now he must extricate himself from the situation and protect those he loves.
While evidently not for all tastes, Drive has been clocking up awards nominations and wins, and has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 93% Fresh. Viewers expecting Fast and the Furious-style car chases and explosions may be put off by the film's cool, meditative nature, but those with a tolerance for slow Art house cinema, and graphic violence, are evidently in for a treat.
Star-studded ensemble comedy New Year's Eve opens today in South Africa and North America. Essentially a follow-up to last year's Valentine's Day (my review) - both films are directed by Garry Marshall - New Year's Eve is set in New York and consists of a dozen interconnected stories about people galvanised by the approaching new year to change their lives for the better. The cast includes Halle Berry, Robert De Niro, Jessica Biel, Hilary Swank, Ludacris, Katherine Heigl, Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashton Kutcher, Michelle Pfeiffer, Zac Efron and many more.
At the time of writing this post, New Year's Eve was 6% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes (Valentine's Day was 18% Fresh). Ow! Adjectives critics have been tossing around include "contrived", "painfully unfunny", "flat", "manipulative" and "ridiculously sentimental". New Year's Eve is the movie equivalent of a greeting card apparently. You have been warned.
2011 has certainly been a big year for haunted house movies. Don't Be Afraid of the Dark is another one, based on an old made-for-TV horror film that has developed a cult following over the decades. Written and produced by Guillermo del Toro, Don't Be Afraid of the Dark sees a young, dysfunctional family (played by Guy Pearce, Katie Holmes and Bailee Madison) terrorised by nasty goblin-like creatures while restoring an old manor house.
Don't Be Afraid of the Dark has a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 59% Fresh, which is pretty solid for a horror film. According to reviewers, young Madison delivers a cracker of a performance and the film is appropriately atmospheric. However, the creepiness never blossoms into full-blown terror and hardcore horror fans are unlikely to be scared at all.
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