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.
This is a fairly quiet period for the cinema. The films Ghostbusters (12A) and Ice Age: Collision Course (U)
are formally released thought they were previewed last week. Hence the
only new release is the Italian documentary (with English subtitles) Fire at Sea (12A).
No films have been dropped during this period. However Independence Day: Resurgence will soon be coming to the end of its screening. We do however see the return of Captain America: Civil War; High Rise and Mother’s Day.
Movies due to be released later this month include The BFG; Batman: The Killing Joke; Jason Bourne; Finding Dory and Star Trek Beyond. To prepare for the release of the latter, the Vue are offering a Star Trek Triple Bill of Star Trek (2009); Star Trek Into Darkness and an early screening of Star Trek Beyond on 21st July.
Drama this period comes with Adult Life Skills; Me Before You; Mother’s Day; Now You See Me 2; The Legend of Tarzan and The Nice Guys. In addition there is horror with The Conjuring 2 and science fiction in Captain America: Civil War and Independence Day: Resurgence
For comedy this period, there is Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie; Bad Neighbours 2; Central Intelligence; and the female version of Ghostbusters.
Family entertainment is well represented with Ice Age: Collision Course; The Jungle Book; The Secret Life of Pets; When Marnie Was There and Zootropolis.
Two films of note are the documentary on David Bowie in David Bowie Is … and a chance to view the ‘visual poem’ Koyaanisqatsi.
High culture this period comes with Almeida Theatre Live: Richard III and Globe: Measure for Measure.
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.
Bad Neighbours 2
Director: Nicholas Stoller
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Seth Rogen, Rose Byrne, Chloe Grace Moretz, Zac Efron
A sequel to the 2014 Bad Neighbours. Mac Radner (Rogen) and his
wife Kelly (Byrne) are expecting their second child. They are in the
process of selling their old house when a newly established female
sorority, Kappa Kappa Nu led by Shelby (Moretz), moves into the house
nextdoor. Excessive partying on the part of the sorority makes life a
nightmare for the Radner’s and will jeopardise the sale of their house.
Their requests for the girls to keep the partying quiet lead to an all
out war. Teddy (Efron) from the previous film has not done well outside
of college and he is enlisted by the Radner’s to be their ally in the
battle with the sorority. This movie is little more than a re-run of
the first Bad Neighbours, but the film still has more than its share of
very funny moments. Good entertainment.
Central Intelligence
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Dwayne Johnson, Kelvin Hart
Robbie Wierdicht (Johnson) was bullied at high school. On leaving, he
changed his name to Bob Stone, developed an impressive physique and
became a CIA operative. Calvin Joyner (Hart) was his friend at high
school and had a career in accounting. At the time of their high school
reunion, Bob starts to work with Calvin to stop the illegal sale of
satellite codes by a mystery agent Black Badger. Calvin however is
approached by the CIA and told that Bob is actually delusional. Yet
Calvin continues to help his friend and the two of them face fights, gun
battles and car crashes to track Black Badger. The movie is a fast
paced buddy action comedy. Johnson and Hart work well together and the
fast talking dialogue from Hart goes a long way to carrying the film.
Expect some slapstick and a great deal of humour.
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?
Independence Day: Resurgence
Director: Roland Emmerich
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Liam Hemsworth, Jeff Golgblum, Bill Pullman, Brent Spiner, Judd Hirsch
In the 1996 film ‘Independence Day’ the earth underwent alien invasion
but this was finally repulsed and the attackers were defeated. In the
aftermath, earth spent time understanding the alien technology and
developing a global defence program with military based on the Moon,
Mars and a moon of Saturn. Now twenty years later, the aliens return,
with a larger and much more powerful battle fleet. Again earth must
fight for its independence. This is a fast moving film with everything
bigger and better than the original, thought the plot is a little
lighter. Some of the old characters return to provide continuity though
Will Smith is absent. A fun, action packed, visually impressive and
entertaining movie.
Mother’s Day
Director: Garry Marshall
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Jennifer Aniston, Shay Mitchell, Kate Hudson, Britt Robertson, Julia Roberts
Set in Atlanta, the film follows the lives of a number of middle
class mothers as mother’s day approaches. These include Sandy
(Aniston) a mother of two boys who is now divorced but finds her ex is
about to marry a younger woman Tina (Mitchell). There is a writer
Miranda (Roberts) who gave her only baby Kristen (Robertson) up for
adoption. However, when grown her daughter decides to try to find her
birth mother. Yet more people give rise to a bewildering set of
sub-plots that play out leading to a climax on Mother’s Day. Despite a
star studded cast, and some gags that work, this comedy drama never
really takes off and the movie has received poor critical review.
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. The 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 Jungle Book
Director: Jon Favreau
Certificate: PG
Cast includes: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Ben Kingsley, Idris Elba
Based on Rudyard Kipling’s works, this is a reworking of a the
well known classic using live action and CGI. Mowgli (Sethi) is an
orphaned boy raised by a wolf and thence by Bagheera (Kingsley) a black
panther. Mowgli alienates the Bengal tiger Shere Khan (Elba) and so
must make his way to humankind for safety, meeting the well known
characters Baloo and Kaa on the way. Subsequently he returns to the
jungle to face Shere Khan. The movie is a good example a remake that
improves on the original. An excellent movie that will entertain all
ages.
The Legend of Tarzan
Director: David Yates
Certificate: 12A
Cast includes: Alexander Skarsgard, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz, Djimon Hounsou, Samuel L. Jackson
The film is set about a decade after Tarzan left the jungle and became
John Clayton III or Lord Greystoke to live in the UK with his wife Jane
(Robbie). Meanwhile the African Congo has been divided between Belgium
and the UK, and the Belgian government has sent an emissary Captain
Leon Rom (Waltz) to develop the mineral wealth of the land. Rom makes a
pact with Mbonga (Hounsou) a chief and Tarzan’s old enemy to give him
Tarzan in exchange for diamonds. Rom captures Jane and uses her to lure
Tarzan to him During the film we have flashbacks of Tarzan’s origins
to help set the plot and the film benefits from splendid scenery, lavish
special effects and grand fight sequences. However, despite solid
performances from the actors, the movie has not managed to inspire the
critics. An enjoyable, but ultimately average adventure film.
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.
Zootropolis (Zootopia)
Director: Byron Howard, Rich Moore, Jared Bush
Certificate: PG
Cast includes: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman
This is a comedy animation set in the city of Zootropolis which
is populated by animals. Judy Hopps (Goodwin) is a rabbit rookie police
officer. She parters with a con-artist fox Nick Wilde (Bateman) to
solve the mystery of a missing husband. An excellently made fun movie
that will appeal to a wide range of ages.