For up to date local cinema links and day-by-day listings of what’s showing on local screens every week visit the Virtual-Lancaster Cinema Page. Read on for the weekly round-up, and reviews.
Six new releases make it to the screen this period. There is adult comedy with Mike and Dave need Wedding Dates (15) and Maggie’s Plan (15). There is family comedy with Nine Lives (PG) and Disney adventure in Pete’s Dragon (PG). Finally there is the mystery/suspense Nerve (15) and horror with The Neon Demon (18).
The movies Central Intelligence and The Legend of Tarzan are no longer being screened. Also Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie and Ice Age: Collision Course are coming to the end of their screening. However we do see the return of the horror The Conjuring 2.
Films scheduled for release later this month include comedy with David Brent: Life on the Road and family adventure in Get Squirrely
Drama includes the spy adventure Jason Bourne; mystery with Nerve; science fiction action in Star Trek Beyond and superhero adventure with Suicide Squad. In addition there is the drama/documentary The Hard Stop.
Adult comedy comes with Absolutely Fabulous: The movie; Ghostbusters; Maggie’s Plan; Men & Chicken and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
There are two horror films being screened this week, the return of The Conjuring 2 and the psychological horror The Neon Demon.
Family entertainment is very well represented with Finding Dory; Ice Age:Collision Course; Kung Fu Panda 3; Pete’s Dragon; The Angry Birds Movie; The BFG and The Secret Life of Pets.
High culture comes with Globe: RIchard II and RIchard III: Encore. In addition there is the biopic of Miles Davies with Miles Ahead.
Reviews
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie
Director: Mandie Fletcher
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Jennifer Saunders Joanna Lumley, Julis Sawalha, June Whitfield, Jane Horrocks
It was 1992 when Absolutely Fabulous first appeared on the TV and
twenty four years later Patsie and Eddy finally make it to the big
screen. The couple are blamed for a major incident involving Kate Moss
at a fashionable launch party. To escape the paparazzi and poor
publicity, they flee, penniless, to the French Riviera, where they
concoct a plan to regain their fortune. The film retains the cast of
the TV series and a number of major celebrities also make cameo
appearances. This is a hilarious film, that maintains the character of
the original TV series. Excellent entertainment.
Finding Dory
Director: Andrew Stanton, Angus MacLane
Certificate: U
Cast Includes: Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Hayden Rolence
Pixar’s sequel to the 2003 movie ‘Finding Nemo’. Dory (DeGeneres), who
helped reunite Nemo (Rolence) with his father Marlin (Brooks) in the
first movie, has a flashback in which she remembers her own family. She
decides to look for them despite her problems with a faulty memory.
Marlin and Nemo agree to help and the three swim to California to start
the search. Dory is caught and held in a marine life institute aquarium
for shipping to Cleveland. However with the help of Hank (O’Neill),
the octopus she escapes back to the ocean and finds her parents Charlie
and Jenny. Now she has to come to the aid of Marlin and Nemo who are
also imprisoned in the institute aquarium. The movie is essentially the
same plot as the original, but provides impressive animation and
contains some emotional scenes. However this is ultimately a fun ‘happy
ever after’ sort of film that will delight people of all ages.
Ghostbusters
Director: Paul Feig
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones, Chris Hemsworth, Neil Casey
It has been thirty-five years since the original Ghostbusters movie.
Now, finally there is a remake where women take the leading parts. Erin
Gilbert (Wiig) and Abby Yates (McCarthy) are co-authors of a book which
postulated that ghosts are real. When supernatural forces invade
Manhattan, Gilbert and Yates team up with a nuclear engineer Jillian
Holtzmann (McKinnon) and subway worker Patty Tolan (Jones) to combat the
malicious demon Rowan (Casey) and a legion of ghouls. The movie pretty
much follows the plot of the original, but the actors provide great and
extremely funny performances. A terrific movie full of good hearted
fun.
Ice Age: Collision Course
Director: Mike Thurmeier and Galen T Chu
Cast includes: Simon Pegg, Roy Romano, Jennifer Lopez, Queen Latifah, Hohn Leguizamo, Denis Leary, Chris Wedge
A computer animation family adventure film. This is the fifth
instalment in the Ice Age series and the sequel to Continental Drift.
Scratt (Wedge), the sabre toothed squirrel, activates an alien UFO in
his continued pursuit of the acorn. The craft propels Scratt into outer
space and thence causes a planetary collision resulting in the creation
of meteors that threaten to engulf the earth. Manny (Romero) the Wooly
Mammoth, Sid (Leguizamo) the sloth and Diego (Leary) the sabre toothed
tiger hatch a plan with the weasel Buck (Pegg) to save the earth. The
plot is quite unbelievable, but the resulting mayhem is as entertaining
as ever. New characters are introduced as the movie unfolds and the
film a worthy addition to the franchise. Whats not to like?
Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates
Director: Jake Szyanski
Certificate:15
Cast includes: Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Sugar Lyn Beard
Party loving brothers Mike (Devine) and Dave (Efron) are to attend the
wedding of their sister. However their parents insist on their bringing
respectable dates to the event who will keep them under control. The
brothers advertise on Craigslist and select waitresses Tatiana (Plaza)
and Alice (Kendrick) to accompany them, not realising the women are
wilder than themselves. There is just sufficient plot in this movie to
hold the whole thing together and we are entertained with nudity, sex,
drugs and outrageous behaviour. An equal opportunity comedy with
occasional hilarity.
Nerve
Director: Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Emma Roberts, Dave Franco
A science fiction crime thriller based on the 2012 novel of the same
name. High school senior Venus (Vee) Delmonico (Roberts) is coaxed into
being a player in the online reality game of Nerve. Participants can be
watchers who pay to watch and suggest dares, or players who accept the
dares and receive money if they succeed. Vee is paired with another
player Ian (Franco) and they are given challenges that become
increasingly dangerous. However it is not easy to leave the game once
you have started and the climax leads to a shootout. This is an
entertaining movie that gives insight into some the potential dangers to
which the internet could be used. An energetic thriller that will
appeal to teens.
Star Trek Beyond
Director: Justin Lin
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella
This is the thirteenth Star Trek movie and the third in the reboot
series. Kirk (Pine) takes the Enterprise on a rescue mission to the
planet Altamid. However the ship gets ambushed by a force working for
the power mad Krall (Elba). The Enterprise is destroyed and much of the
crew captured. It is up to Kirk, Scotty (Pegg), Spock (Quinto), Chekov
(Yelchin), McCoy (Urban) and a native fighter Jaylah (Boutella) to save
the day. They repair an early generation starfleet vessel that had
crashed on the planet and are able to pursue Krull. This is an action
packed film with impressive special effects and a good number of
impressive battles. The movie harks back to the early days of Star
Trek, retracing old ground. A must see film.
The Conjuring 2
Director: James Wan
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Frances O’ Connor, Madison Wolfe
A sequel to the 2013 film ‘The Conjuring’. Lorraine (Farmiga)
and Ed (Wilson) Warren are psychic investigators. They hear of a
haunting and travel to the UK to help Peggy Hodgson (O’Connor), a single
mother of four, who is plagued by poltergeist activity in her London
council house. However things get worse when Peggy’s youngest daughter
Janet (Wolfe) shows signs of daemon possession. The psychic
investigators come to find themselves in peril. A superior horror movie
which provides plenty of frights and has been well received.
The Secret Life of Pets
Director: Chris Renaud, Yarrow Cheney
Certificate: U
Cast Includes: Louis C.K., Ellie Kemper, Eric Stonestreet, Kevin Hart
A family animation film that follows the lives of pets living in a
Manhattan apartment building during the time their owners leave them
alone. Max (Louis) is a rather spoilt terrier who starts to find himself
neglected when his owner Katie (Kemper) brings home Duke (Stonestreet),
a mongrel, from a dog pound. However the two dogs must put their
rivalry behind them when they are captured by Snowball (Hart) a rabbit
and an army of abandoned pets who are trying to get back at all happily
owned pets and their owners. This is a delightful and energetic
animation movie that is inoffensive and fun for all, young and old.