NEW RELEASES
Deux jours, une nuit (Two Days, One Night): Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s deceptively straightforward film – set in a working-class community in the filmmakers’ native Belgium – is emotionally affecting with a searing performance from Marion Cotillard. **** WP
Magic Mike XXL: A road trip with hot boys in the most perfectly sculpted and taut bodies stripping down while exploring their 50 shades of erotic moves. That’s basically what the movie is about. The story? Well, there’s not one, per se. *** DT
Terminator: Genisys: Old Arnie gives an impressive performance as an aged robot who has to protect Sarah Connor. This time the fight is staged in several pasts and futures demanding that you concentrate. **** MV
ON CIRCUIT
3 Coeurs (3 Hearts): The gently perfumed air of impending doom suffuses this tasteful, mildly intriguing romantic drama from writer-director Benoît Jacquot. *** WP
5 Flights Up: Sweet, charming, if wholly unsubstantial, story about a long-married couple who decide to sell their flat. Understated performances from Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton are what attracts. *** TS
5 to 7: A heavily romanticised story about a would-be writer who embarks on an affair with an older woman that turns into a lesson about writing. *** TS
A Most Violent Year: This measured character study questions whether it is possible for a person to stick to the higher moral ground and never compromise while chasing the American Dream. **** TS
Far From the Madding Crowd: Tom Hardy’s book is turned into a film which explains the main character in a way the source material never made clear. Beautifully filmed and well acted. **** TS
Hollywood in My Huis: Sweet Afrikaans coming-of-age matric dance story about a girl from the wrong side of the tracks who becomes inspired by Charlize Theron winning an Oscar. For the tween and teen in you. *** TS
Inside Out: Beautifully animated return to form for Pixar, this story about 11-year-old Riley and the move to a new city teaches us we are emotional creatures in more ways than one. **** TS
Insidious: Chapter 3: A supernatural horror about a teenager being possessed by a dead spirit living in her apartment building. Deftly directed prequel with engaging characters and plenty of scares throughout. *** DT
Jurassic World 3D: A fun, adrenalin-fuelled ride through a dinosaur theme park where the humans become the food. The loving references to the old films make up for continuity faults. *** TS
La fille mal gardee: Royal Ballet dancing the two-act rural comedy which showcases Frederick Ashton’s signature choreography. (Not reviewed)
Little Chaos: Alan Rickman directs an understated Kate Winslet and a restrained Matthias Schoonaerts in a period drama about the design of the garden around the Versailles Palace in what was then the Paris countryside. *** TS
Pitch Perfect 2: Elizabeth Banks directs a perfectly pitched sequel with more Fat Amy Jokes, lots of music and a bit of a lesson about growing up and facing the world. **** TS
Poltergeist (3D): This reboot might offend purist, but it doesn’t stray too much from the original. It has a more modern approach, plenty of scares and a palatable dose of humour. *** DT
San Andreas: A wasted opportunity to tell a good story about a natural disaster striking California. With a bad script and poor acting from The Rock, the film relies on computer graphics to save itself. ** MV
Seun: Director Darrell Roodt looks at conscription in the 80s for a sad but nostalgic look at what life was like back then. *** TS
Song One: This film’s earnest charm and Anne Hathaway aren’t quite enough to get it beyond the slight and very familiar storyline. *** WP
Spy: Fun and funny, this spy spoof is an excellent vehicle for the combo of actress Melissa McCarthy and director Paul Feig’s irreverent, broad yet still progressive comedy style. **** TS
The Riot Club: Rich spoilt kids at Oxford behaving badly gives us a thinly veiled look at unentitled privilege without truly commenting on it. ** TS
Ted2: Seth McFarlane again voices the foul-mouthed teddy bear who is now married and wants to father children. (Not reviewed)
Treurgrond: Darrell Roodt turns in a beautifully lensed film about South African farm murders which doesn’t tell us who the murderers are or why they do it. Multiple sub-plots are left dangling, but the film will find its audience. *** TS
True Story: Unsettling film about a disgraced journalist who befriends a convicted killer in the name of getting the story, this tries to question mankind’s fascination with true crime stories. *** TS
Wild Card: Jason Statham beats up mobster thugs in a well-lit Las Vegas, while trying to avoid a gambling addiction. Well-choreographed fight sequences and lots of crime, but very few thrills. ** TS