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.
Only two new releases make it to the local cinemas during this period. There is family adventure with the re-release of The Jungle Book (PG) and modern day horror with Friend Request (15).
Drama is represented at the moment with Eddie the Eagle and Eye in the Sky whereas horror comes with 10 Cloverfield Lane; The Boy and The Witch.
Science fiction or fantasy movies include Batman v Superman Dawn of Justice; High Rise; Midnight Special and The Huntsman: Winter’s War.
For family entertainment there is Kung Fu Panda 3; The Good Dinosaur; The Jungle Book and Zootropolis.
High culture during this period comes with Margueritta and the return of The Danish Girl.
Reviews
Deadpool
Director: Tim Miller
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Ryan Reynolds, T L Miller, Morena Baccarin
Another Marvel comic super-hero makes the big screen. Wade Wilson
(Reynolds), a mercenary, is diagnosed with cancer. He agrees to take
part in an experimental cure and this gives him super powers but leaves
him disfigured. He escapes from the laboratory but feels he can no
longer return to his girlfriend and his previous life. Taking advice
from his best friend Weasel (Miller), he decides to become a masked
vigilante and subsequently is invited to join the X-Men. He finds that
his girlfriend Vanessa (Baccarin) has been kidnapped and so seeks her
safety and his revenge. Made on a low budget, this is an enjoyable
movie. It makes fun of the super-hero movie genre and does not take
itself very seriously. Full of wise cracks, one liners and excessive
violence this is still a very entertaining film.
The Danish Girl
Director: Tom Hooper
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Ben Whishaw
The film is based on a novel by David Ebershoff and inspired by
the lives of Dutch artists Lili Elbe/Einar Wegener (Redmayne) and Gerda
Wegener (Vikander). Set in the mid 1920’s Geida is a portrait painter,
but a sitter is late for an appointment. Hence Geida gets her husband
Einar to stand in for the missing female sitter. This has consequences.
Einar has been harbouring a drive to become a female and the finished
portrait attracts favourable attention from art dealers. Einar decides
to become his alter ego Lili Elbe and becomes one of the first people to
received a surgical sex realignment procedure to change from a man to a
woman. The movie follows both the artists as they come to terms with
the change from Einar to Lili. A serious movie, well acted and well
received that highlights the issues of gender reassignment.
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.
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.