In this one, Henry Brogan (Will Smith) is an elite assassin who becomes the target of a mysterious operative who can seemingly predict his every move. To his horror, he soon learns that the man who’s trying to kill him is a younger, faster, cloned version of himself. It’s evident that this is heavily sci-fi  driven and it’s always cool to see Big Willy back on the big screen (where we prefer him and less so in the music industry…). From an acting point of view, there’s literally nothing this guy can’t do and it would be hard to find any bad movie that has him in it, most if not all of his work is fantastic.

We mentioned 3D+ earlier, we received some cool and fun facts from Ster-Kinekor around that, check them out below:

1.  3D+ is an evolutionary digital format with a frame rate of 60 frames per second – more than double the traditional movie frame rate – giving audiences an amplified, fully-immersive 3D experience.
2. With 60 3D images projected every second, derived from a pristine 120 frames per second master, 3D+ renders images closer than ever before to what the human eye sees, putting the viewer right in the center of the action.
3.  More images mean more depth, allowing viewers to see and experience so much more in the frame.
4. This elevated combination of performance and action sees 3D+ deliver the emotional journey and visual spectacle of a filmmaker’s vision exactly as they intended it.
5. This evolution in visual storytelling gives audiences the most immersive cinematic experience that can currently be enjoyed in a theatre.

And just imagine all of that tech infused and seeing it on either D-Box and/or IMAX…magical. That’s exactly what we are going to do this weekend as Gemini Man is officially in Ster-Kinekor cinemas from today.

Cast – Joaquin Phoenix, Robert De Niro, Zazie Beetz & Frances Conroy

Director – Todd Phillips

Genre – Drama/Thriller

Running Time – 2h 2m

We had mentioned earlier on in our preview that it had all the right ingredients to be a memorable classic, now having seen it, we were right on the money with that assumption. Beautifully crafted with an intense underlining throughout, Joker is unique and will live long in the memory mainly because of the fact that it’s one of the few origin story based on a villain instead of the usual superhero premise. It is excellently executed and Todd Phillips (the director) should be applauded for this majestic piece of movie making.

Attempting something that has never been done before (creating an origin story) and using one of the greatest villains in comic book history was always going to be risky but if ever it was going to be done then this is how. The movie dives into the haunting downfall of Joaquin Phoenix’s character, Arthur Fleck aka Joker. An origin story (entirely separate from any previous cinematic iteration of Batman’s most enduring foe), the movie follows Fleck as the world around him begins to crumble, pushing stresses on the man that apparently lead to his complete undoing—and his rebirth as the cackling, calculated crown prince of crime.

A front runner for Academy Awards (we have no doubt about this), the larger than life Joaquin Phoenix comes through with an absolutely incredible performance. Fully immersive in the character’s portrayal, the movie revolves around Phoenix and his ups and downs as a man beaten down by the harsh world around him to the seeming catalyst for a clown-mask-clad revolution. It really is a shame when you consider that this is set as a once off with no chance of us seeing Phoenix assuming the role again. He is firmly the best Joker since the late Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the character in the classic Dark Knight movie.

One for the ages and a classic already, Joker is what really good movie making is all about. The real life setting of it is what makes it believable and a really good watch, if you ask us this is the route DC should continue on and with the Batman movie (with a similar real life feel) also in the works the studio is doing all the right things. Beautiful cinematography and excellently executed, Joker, together with this one, is by far one of the movies of the year and a hot favorite for all kinds of major awards. Also, the last 30 mins of the movie is one of the best we have ever seen, it won’t be hard for anyone to stick around till then we reckon. We really really enjoyed it and that’s why it gets a blockbuster 9 out 10 rating from us.   

Here’s something a little different but in line with the usual lifestyle theme we feature here, the Johannesburg Art Gallery (JAG), the Embassy of France in South Africa and the French Institute of SA have confirmed that The Art of Comics is all set for Jozi. This exciting new exhibition will showcase the fascinating worlds of South African comics and French bandes dessinées, the famous French comic style.

An overall interesting concept, the exhibition will offer visitors a rich variety of contemporary South African comics and graphic novels that explore themes related to history, folklore, science fiction, autobiography and new developments in the field, such as augmented reality comics. It will also include a special section on French Speaking Comics Today, curated by Thierry Groensteen, one of France’s leading bande dessinées researchers and theorists.

Various workshops will be organised during the exhibition for schools and the public, led by South African and French experts as well as special guests, to learn about the techniques around comics, animation and augmented reality. The exhibition is timed to coincide with Comic Con Africa, the continent’s largest comic festival, to give the public a wider look into the world of comics and animation.

Discover South African & French Talent

The work of important South African artists, including Loyiso Mkize, Mogorosi Motshumi and Luke Molver, will be on display. Mkize is the talent behind South Africa’s first real superhero, Kwezi, and behind The Art of Comics’ visual identity, while Motshumi is the first black South African to publish an autobiography in a graphic novel format, entitled The Initiation. Molver is the artist behind the 1980s comic strip Sloppy. He will soon be launching the second edition of his Shaka Rising graphic novel series.

Some of the best French bandes dessinées artists will be showcased, including Riad Sattouf, cartoonist, comic artist, and film director who worked for the satirical French weekly Charlie Hebdo and wrote The Secret Life of Teenagers, as well as Pénélope Bagieu, author of the successful illustrated blog My Life is Fascinating, and Lewis Trondheim, an award-winning comic author, who created the independent bande dessinée publishing house L’association.

The work of other artists linked to animation and innovative formats, such as virtual reality, will also be displayed, including a VR experience of the short film Accused #2, based on sound archives from the famous Rivonia trial.

The best part is admission is absolutely FREE. If it sounds like something you could vibe with then check in here for more info.

We all have a superhero inside us, it just takes a bit of magic to bring it out. In Billy Batson’s (Asher Angel) case, by shouting out one word–SHAZAM!–this streetwise 14-year-old foster kid can turn into the adult Super Hero Shazam (Zachary Levi), courtesy of an ancient wizard. Still a kid at heart–inside a ripped, godlike body–Shazam revels in this adult version of himself by doing what any teen would do with superpowers: have fun with them! Can he fly? Does he have X-ray vision? Can he shoot lightning out of his hands? Can he skip his social studies test? Shazam sets out to test the limits of his abilities with the joyful recklessness of a child. But he’ll need to master these powers quickly in order to fight the deadly forces of evil controlled by Dr. Thaddeus Sivana (Strong).

In Zachary Levi the movie has an unassuming choice for the lead but the more you think about it and start to unravel the story the more it makes perfect sense. It’s also key to note that this won’t form part of any other DC Comics movies and will be a standalone movie with a different universe altogether so don’t hold out hope of potentially seeing this character in say a Justice League or Batman, Superman etc movie. If anything this looks like a lot of fun and we are more than up for that. Shazam! is in cinemas officially from this coming Saturday.

Of all these different aspects, there was one stall that had the crowds buzzing from the time that the doors opened in the morning, to the very last minute of the show each day – The Funko stand had collectors such as ourselves rushing to Comic Con Africa so that they can get their hands on that missing piece of their Funko collection.  Collectors did not mind standing in an 80m long queue just to be able to come and look at all the characters that were on display. See the full picture essay after this jump.