I WANNA DANCE WITH
SOMEBODY Dir: Kasi Lemmons (12A) (120 mins)
A biopic of the supremely gifted Whitney Houston, a pop diva who suffered a tragic end, this tracks her career from her obscure gospel singing beginnings to global stardom. Written by Anthony MacCarten, the scribe behind Bohemian Rhapsody, you can probably expect more of the same – a glossy breeze through her life with all the hits in place. Naomi Ackie takes on the role of Houston – and has the pipes and moves to match – whilst Stanley Tucci is on hand as manager Clive Davis, as the singer battles against the perception of her as a black artist and against her controlling parents, Clarke Peters and Tamara Tunie, who want her to stay on-brand. Ultimately, this leads her to Bobby Brown (Ashton
marriage, but how much the film will deal with her tragedy remains to be seen. Her voice is worthy of celebration, regardless. All together… I will always love yooooooooooouuuuuuuuuu!
Sanders) and a disastrous Out Mon 26 Dec
AVATAR: WAY OF WATER Dir: James Cameron
(12A) (190 mins)
The blue-skinned CGI Na’vi are back in a belated
smash of 2009. Director James Cameron has spent years on this and a proposed further three sequels, expanding the universe of the peoples of Pandora. The original was an eco-thriller with a strong environmental message amongst the groundbreaking computer-generated mayhem, with man exploiting the natural resources of other planets in search of precious resource Unobtanium (still can’t believe they got away with that name). Way Of Water continues the story of Jake Sully (Sam Worthington) and Neyteri (Zoe Saldana) who now have a family together – this, though, explores the ocean world of Pandora more than its rainforests, allowing Cameron a new visual playground of multicoloured creatures to play with. Promising a bigger world with greater character depth and emotional resonance, let’s hope this sequel is another deep dive into a box office tsunami, rather than a disappointing bellyflop.
sequel to Avatar, the blockbuster Out Fri 16 Dec
VIOLENT NIGHT Dir: Tommy Wirkola
(15) (106 mins)
Ever wanted a film where Santa goes Die Hard? Now you’ve got it. David Harbour plays the man in the red suit who dispatches justice to those who are naughty and saves those who are nice in Violent Night, an action comedy destined to jingle some bells. A group of mercenaries, led by John Leguizamo, break into the estate of a super- rich family on Christmas Eve and try and crack their safe. Santa and his reindeer land, about to spread Christmas cheer, but instead he finds himself beating the crap out of various people, taking goons out with Christmas decorations and saving the nice girl at the heart of it all. This looks to be ludicrous and tonally odd, with ultraviolent festive fisticuffs sitting alongside traditional seasonal mainstays, but should be a lot of fun, like a really hardcore Bad Santa. And if you don’t fancy it, just watch a Christmas film instead, like Die Hard.
Out Fri 2 Dec
THE FABELMANS Dir: Steven Spielberg
(12A) (151 mins)
Steven Spielberg returns to the big screen after his excellent adaptation of West Side Story with the most personal entry in his filmography to date. Essentially an autobiographical film about his youth, Spielberg – who co-wrote the script with acclaimed Angels In America writer Tony Kushner – tells the tale of Sammy Fabelman and his family, as Sammy grows up between the ages of seven and 18. The boy, played for the most part by Gabriel Labelle, is intrigued by filmmaking, creating home movies to provide a focus away from his parents and their decaying marriage. Paul Dano and (on award-winning form) Michelle Williams play his parents, with Seth Rogen a sympathetic ‘uncle’ who may be part of the reason the marriage is crumbling. Cinema is an escape, a lifeline, the inspiration to both Sammy and Steven – making this a heartfelt, no doubt deeply personal ode to the movies and to family.
Out Fri 27 Jan
A MAN CALLED OTTO Dir: Marc Forster
(12A) (120 mins)
Tom Hanks finds his inner grump in this American remake of a Swedish film based on Frederik Backman’s bestselling novel, A Man Called Ove. Hanks removes his normally sunny disposition to play cantankerous curmudgeon Otto, happy to dislike people and be disliked. He likes his own company and is rude to all and sundry – until he gets new neighbours, a family with two kids. Their sunny matriarch Mariana Trevino is eager to point out Otto’s many flaws, and forces him to become part of their lives – plus there’s a cat that seems to take a liking to him, against all odds. Will his icy disposition thaw? What do you think? Expect heartwarming vibes and new acting ground broken from an older, craggier Hanks whose presence will hopefully warrant this remake of its enjoyable Swedish predecessor.
Out Fri 6 Jan
BABYLON
Dir: Damien Chazelle (15) (188 mins)
This new offering from Whiplash, La La Land and First Man director Damien Chazelle has epic written all over it: a three-hour-plus running time, the backdrop of the early years of Hollywood, and heavyweight stars including Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, Tobey Maguire, Jean Smart, Olivia Wilde, Eric Roberts to name a few. Diego Calva plays a newcomer to the industry, as it evolves from the silent films of the 1920s to the talkies. He finds himself embroiled in the excesses of Hollywood: cocaine-fuelled parties, debauchery, snake fighting and ruthless ambition are all present and correct via Pitt’s arrogantly amusing leading man, Robbie’s hedonistic actress and a world bursting with seedy energy. This should be a gorgeously shot, jazz-fuelled, sweaty experience – big, brash, bombastic and another evolution for exciting writer/director Chazelle’s moviemaking.
Out Fri 20 Jan
29
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
