Movies out today: Time to SQUEEE with The Avengers!
Seeing as it's a long weekend in South Africa - and an even longer weekend for some lucky folk with Monday off ! - Friday's new movie releases actually come out today. Three films make their big screen debut... but no guessing as to what's going to be the big box office winner.
The Avengers:
An early contender for the Biggest Blockbuster of 2012 - given how its trailers consistently broke online viewing records - is The Avengers. Screening in 3D and 2D, this superhero extravaganza brings together all the heroes of Marvel's shared Cinematic Universe: Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) under the command of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). These bickering heroes have to overcome their differences when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) initiates a scheme that puts the entire Earth at risk. And it's a threat that no single supe can stop. Joss Whedon writes and directs this 143 minute film.
South Africa, surprisingly, is getting The Avengers a week before the States. Currently the film is sitting with an aggregrated review score of 97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently The Avengers isn't perfect but it still vaults over most of its predicted "Overstuffed Cast" hurdles to present the audience with a wonderfully escapist action adventure. Evidently the witty dialogue is especially good and The Hulk steals the show.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen:
Based on the book club-favourite novel by Paul Torday, this romatic comedy-drama sees Ewan McGregor's British fisheries expert recruited to help introduce salmon fishing in Yemen. Kristin Scott Thomas is the UK press secretary pushing this Anglo-Arab co-operative effort, while Emily Blunt is a sheik's representative overseeing the project. From the director of Chocolat, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Dear John.
It's probably safe to file this low budget British effort under Palatable Date Night Option. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen has been called "charming," "pleasant" and "undemanding." It's detractors meanwhile have labelled it "sentimental," "plodding" and "preachy." 68% Fresh.
A Million Colours:
Of an even more serious nature is this South African drama based on real-life events. A Million Colours examines the behind-the-scenes aftermath of famous 1976 movie, e'Lollipop - an acclaimed tale about interracial friendship. In A Million Colours, e'Lollipop's popular young black and white stars, Muntu Ndebele (Wandile Molebatsi) and Norman Knox (Jason Hartman) grow to adulthood on different sides of the violent Apartheid struggle. (Background story on the film here).
A Million Colours debuted last year at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and has been compared to Slumdog Millionaire in terms of it being an exhilarating, well-crafted examination of life and love in oppressive circumstances. Its ending may be cliched, and the film' s scope a bit too ambitious but A Million Colours seems to be one of the more accomplished local productions. (Read a review here).
The Avengers:
An early contender for the Biggest Blockbuster of 2012 - given how its trailers consistently broke online viewing records - is The Avengers. Screening in 3D and 2D, this superhero extravaganza brings together all the heroes of Marvel's shared Cinematic Universe: Iron Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), Captain America (Chris Evans), the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner) under the command of Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). These bickering heroes have to overcome their differences when Loki (Tom Hiddleston) initiates a scheme that puts the entire Earth at risk. And it's a threat that no single supe can stop. Joss Whedon writes and directs this 143 minute film.
South Africa, surprisingly, is getting The Avengers a week before the States. Currently the film is sitting with an aggregrated review score of 97% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Apparently The Avengers isn't perfect but it still vaults over most of its predicted "Overstuffed Cast" hurdles to present the audience with a wonderfully escapist action adventure. Evidently the witty dialogue is especially good and The Hulk steals the show.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen:
Based on the book club-favourite novel by Paul Torday, this romatic comedy-drama sees Ewan McGregor's British fisheries expert recruited to help introduce salmon fishing in Yemen. Kristin Scott Thomas is the UK press secretary pushing this Anglo-Arab co-operative effort, while Emily Blunt is a sheik's representative overseeing the project. From the director of Chocolat, What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Dear John.
It's probably safe to file this low budget British effort under Palatable Date Night Option. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen has been called "charming," "pleasant" and "undemanding." It's detractors meanwhile have labelled it "sentimental," "plodding" and "preachy." 68% Fresh.
A Million Colours:
Of an even more serious nature is this South African drama based on real-life events. A Million Colours examines the behind-the-scenes aftermath of famous 1976 movie, e'Lollipop - an acclaimed tale about interracial friendship. In A Million Colours, e'Lollipop's popular young black and white stars, Muntu Ndebele (Wandile Molebatsi) and Norman Knox (Jason Hartman) grow to adulthood on different sides of the violent Apartheid struggle. (Background story on the film here).
A Million Colours debuted last year at the Hollywood Black Film Festival and has been compared to Slumdog Millionaire in terms of it being an exhilarating, well-crafted examination of life and love in oppressive circumstances. Its ending may be cliched, and the film' s scope a bit too ambitious but A Million Colours seems to be one of the more accomplished local productions. (Read a review here).
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