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 an excellent period for new releases with nine films making their debut on the local screens. Adult comedy come with Bad Moms (15); Chevalier (18) and David Brent: Life on the Road (15) whereas family comedy is represented by Get Squirrely (U) and Nine Lives (PG). There is docudrama with Bobby Sands: 66 Days (12A) and family adventure in Swallows and Amazons (PG). Finally there is a phycological sci-fi 400 Days (15) and horror with Lights Out (15).
Absolutely Fabulous: the movie and Ice Age: Collision Course have now vanished from the screens. In addition the film Now You See Me 2 is coming to the end of its screening. However we do see the return of the science fiction Independence Day: Resurgence.
Family oriented movies are very well represented this period with Finding Dory; Get Squirrely; Nine Lives; Pete’s Dragon; Swallows and Amazons; The BFG and The Secret Life of Pets.
Adult comedy comes with Bad Moms; David Brent: life on the road; Ghostbusters; Maggie’s Plan and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates.
Science fiction on offer includes the psychological drama 400 Days; Star Trek Beyond and Suicide Squad. Also horror makes an appearance in Lights Out.
For drama there is Jason Bourne; Nerve; Now You See me 2; Poor Cow and Stalker.
There is no high culture on offer during this period. However the Dukes is showing Stanley Kubrick’s tenth feature film Barry Lyndon, the exploits of an 18th century Irish adventurer.
Reviews
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.
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.
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 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.