PETER RABBIT

Based on the books by Beatrix Potter: Peter Rabbit (James Corden;) his three sisters: Flopsy (Margot Robbie,) Mopsy (Elizabeth Debicki) and Cotton Tail (Daisy Ridley) and their cousin Benjamin (Colin Moody) enjoy their days harassing Mr McGregor in his vegetable garden. Until one day he dies and no one can stop them roaming across his house and lands for a full day or so. However, when one of Mr McGregor’s relatives inherits the house and goes to check it out, he finds much more than he bargained for. What ensues, is a battle of wills between the new Mr McGregor and the rabbits. But when he starts to fall in love with Bea (Rose Byrne,) a real lover of all nature, his feelings towards them begin to change. But is it too late?

Genre: Animation

10V

Running Time: 91 Mins

ACRIMONY

In Tyler Perry’s sexy and electrifying thriller, a faithful wife (Taraji P. Henson) is driven over the edge when it becomes clear she has been betrayed by her devious husband.

Genre: Thriller

16DLNSV

Running Time: 116 Mins

MY BLIND BROTHER

Robbie (Scott) is a handsome but cocky blind athlete. Bill (Kroll) is his less handsome, guilt-ridden brother, whose role in life is to serve as his brother’s eyes. After guiding Robbie through a marathon, Bill thinks his job is done. But Robbie wants his brother to guide him on a sponsored swim across the lake in their small town. Although exasperated, Bill relents. At a bar the same evening, he meets Rose (Slate) who thinks she’s responsible for the death of her ex-boyfriend, and the two connect over their shared guilt. Bill thinks he has found his soul mate until she won’t give him her number the following morning. He’s consoled when Robbie tells him he’s off the hook for training—until he finds out that his brother’s new guide is Rose–a woman both brothers quickly begin to fall for. Their feelings escalate over the weeks leading up to the swim, causing tension between the two of them that boils over while in deep water.

Genre: Drama/Comedy

16DLPS

Running Time: 82 Mins

EXTORTION

When a Caribbean family vacation takes a disastrous turn, a father finds himself at the mercy of a cold-blooded fisherman, and a desperate race against the clock to save his wife and son.

Genre: Action/Adventure

16LV

Running Time: 105 Mins

INSIDE

Young mother-to-be Sarah is trying to rebuild her broken life: recently widowed in a shattering car crash that left her partially deaf, with her baby’s birth uncomfortably long overdue and alone, unpacking in unfamiliar surroundings having just moved home. She can only just stay afloat. As night descends on her deserted suburban street, there’s an unexpected arrival at the doorstep: Sarah receives a most unwelcome visitor. Alone and carrying her baby, Sarah faces a calculating, cold-hearted and predatory woman – an adversary who will stop at nothing to snatch her unborn child. Trapped and disorientated, barely able to hear the evil that stalks her, Sarah must unleash all her reserves of strength to protect her baby and survive the night. Never underestimate a mother’s protective fury!

Genre: Horror/Thriller

18HV

Running Time: 85 Mins

SLEIGHT

A young street magician (Jacob Latimore) is left to care for his little sister after their parents passing, and turns to illegal activities to keep a roof over their heads. When he gets in too deep, his sister is kidnapped, and he is forced to use his magic and brilliant mind to save her.

Genre: Action/Drama

16DLV

Running Time: 86 Mins

INSIDIOUS: THE LAST KEY

The parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier has nightmares with her childhood in New Mexico, where she lived with her brother Christian, her supportive mother Audrey and her father Gerald, who frequently beats her when she claims that she sees ghosts everywhere in the house. When the client Ted Garza calls Elise to ask for help since he is haunted since he moved to a house in New Mexico, Elise refuses the request since the address is the same house where she spent her childhood. However she changes her mind and accepts the job, and travels with her assistants Specs and Tucker to New Mexico where they will discover an evil entity in the house.

Genre: Thriller/Horror

16HLV

Running Time: 99 Mins

THE STRANGERS: PREY AT NIGHT

A family’s road trip takes a dangerous turn when they arrive at a secluded mobile home park to stay with some relatives and find it mysteriously deserted. Under the cover of darkness, three masked psychopaths pay them a visit to test the family’s every limit as they struggle to survive.

Genre: Horror

18HLV

Running Time: 85 Mins

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxOHhAV4lAc

ITONYA

Competitive ice skater Tonya Harding rises amongst the ranks at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships, but her future in the activity is thrown into doubt when her ex-husband intervenes.

Genre: Drama/Comedy

16DLNPSV

Running Time: 115 Mins

JUST GETTING STARTED

A two-hander action comedy in the vein of Midnight Run (1988), about an ex-F.B.I. Agent (Tommy Lee Jones) and an ex-mob lawyer in the Witness Protection Program (Morgan Freeman) having to put aside their petty rivalry on the golf course to fend off a mob hit.

Genre: Action/Comedy

13LS

Running Time: 89 Mins

It’s the peak of winter so you have no excuse but to watch these. Plus what better way to spend your time indoors than with the above movies? Enjoy!

Matsau sheds some light on the overall upgrades and the idea behind them among other things in an otherwise relaxed and frank chat:

We look forward to many more awesome experiences with Ster Kinekor who continue to grow from strength to strength. A special thank you to Motheo Matsau and the rest of the Ster team for indulging us in the interview. We look forward to the next one!

You probably might be thinking, why write about something (Cine Prestige) that was first officially announced back in 2012? Why, you ask? Well, I felt like it and that’s why. More over though, as mentioned above, the experience at Cresta is something a bit different and that much more special. Lucky enough to be invited by Ster-Kinekor, I went through to go check out the new Deepwater Horizon flick which I wrote a little something on here.

I still reckon the best way to watch any movie is via IMAX however there’s something quite unique, comfortable and might I say, classy about Cine Prestige. For those who haven’t experienced it yet; Prestige enables you to relax in the large red leather chairs that come complete with a control panel that allows the seats to change position and recline at a touch of a button. It doesn’t end there as just outside the cinema you can indulge in one of the many delicious gourmet platter options available. Yes, that’s right, actual food! Ranging from coffee to cake, right down to the usual soft drink and freshly-popped popcorn options.

The experience doesn’t end there as there’s also another exclusive option on offer. Simply referred to as the VIP lounge, this option also offers the very same delicious platters of food with the difference being that you can order and enjoy these whilst watching the movie inside the cinema…something we also got to experience.

If you are as crazy about movies as I am or simply just want to experience something new (after all, why not?) then Cine Prestige is worth checking out. Thank you to the guys at Ster-Kinekor for making me (and my partner) feel not only very important but also, very classy.

Never mind the script itself, the question of who to cast was one decision that could either make or break the whole thing. Despite this though, who decided to put their hand up and do it anyway? A certain Antoine Fuqua that’s who. By now you are probably asking yourself, did it work out and was the decision to have a remake of the classic a good one? Let’s find out.

The premise of the movie is set in the 1870s shortly after the Civil War, as the town Rose Creek is put under the siege of industrialist Bartholomew Bogue. In light of this the residents enlist the help of seven outlaws, a bounty hunter Sam Chisolm (Washington), a gambler Josh Faraday (Pratt), a sharpshooter Goodnight Robicheaux (Hawke), a tracker Jack Horne (D’Onofrio), an assassin Billy Rocks (Lee), a Mexican outlaw Vasquez (Garcia-Rulfo), and a Comanche warrior Red Harvest (Sarsgaard), to protect them while they prepare for the anticipated violent confrontation. However, upon meeting the town’s residents, the Seven find themselves fighting for much more than money.

The above tells you all you need to know about it, and honestly, the simplistic nature of the plot more than works and Fuqua was spot on. Judging from what I’ve seen before, it’s easy to mess about and try to include a modern twist and be over-elaborate, this is not the case in this instance. And what of the cast? After all I did make mention in the beginning that this would be one of the most crucial elements of the whole project.

At first glance looking at the cast on paper you would automatically figure that there might be something to it with no way could the movie disappoint. You would be correct in that assumption. In Denzel Washington and Chris Pratt, the movie boasts two of the most bankable actors who are hot property in the business. When you include the rest of the cast, that also include the brilliant Ethan Hawke and Vincent D’Onofrio, you would have to say that this was very well thought out. There’s a perfect mix of wittiness, charm, seriousness and solidity throughout the whole ensemble.

Cast – Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Vincent D’Onofrio, Byung-hun Lee, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Martin Sensmeier, Haley Bennett, Peter Sarsgaard

Genre – Autobiography, Drama

Director – Antoine Fuqua

Running Time – 133 minutes

Without spoiling it too much, all I will say is The Magnificent Seven is a great remake. It also doesn’t matter if you have some recollection of it based on the original movies that came before, the plot is pretty easy to follow and both old and new will enjoy it, I know both myself and the old timer did! An old Western (something we need to see more of by the way) that you can’t help and enjoy.

Befitting of a solid and magnificent 3.5 rating from me.

Genre – Action

Director – David Ayer

Running Time – 123 mins

Was it the biggest movie of the year as anticipated?

Suicide Squad, one of the most anticipated movies of the year and we finally had a chance to see it. This is thanks to Ster-Kenikor who invited us to the official premiere hosted at the recently opened and impressive Mall of Africa. We’ve been to a couple now but nothing quite like this one, the spectacle was packed and just went to show that this was indeed an event and movie not to be missed. But was the movie really worth it and did it live up to the hype?

Interesting to note that production for Suicide Squad started back in 2009, the movie is DC Comics’ biggest bet for the year especially considering what happened with Dawn of Justice, which we personally liked but wasn’t to everyone else’s liking, so yes a lot is riding on it.

Before actually checking it out, we couldn’t help but check out some of the earlier reviews from the international and some of the local guys, to our surprise they were mostly negative. Would that deter us though? No. I specifically believe that those are opinion based, even this post, and we all have different opinions. Truth of the matter is some loved it and some, not so much and some, well, meh. My advice would be to read this sort of stuff for some context but don’t base your decision of whether or not to check something out (a movie in this instance) based solely on posts from ‘critics’. Ehm, ourselves excluded  

Ok, had to get that one out of the way.

But did we like it? Despite a few issues, we can firmly say yes, we did! The plot is based on intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) who decides to assemble a team of dangerous, incarcerated supervillains for a top-secret mission. Figuring it has nothing to lose, the U.S. government supplies weapons to Deadshot (Will Smith), Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and other despicable inmates. Dubbed the Suicide Squad, the united criminals must defeat a mysterious and powerful entity while contending with the antics of the diabolical Joker (Jared Leto).

When reading all of that it all sounds good right? The director David Ayer certainly does his best to tell what was always going to be a tricky story. But, we couldn’t help but have a bit of an issue with the execution thereof, don’t get us wrong the action sequences (which there’s a ton) and the characters themselves do an excellent job but the story does present one with a few holes and a few questions such as the idea of recruiting these guys even before there’s an immediate threat. Probably just technical stuff which won’t deter you from having fun whilst watching.

What we like is that the movie is unlike anything you’ve ever seen before. It’s different, quirky, shameless and just about every other thing you can imagine that’s fun. It’s clear that the main focus is largely on certain characters who turn out to be the best and standout ones. We were pretty impressed with Deadshot, Amanda Waller and especially the quirky, fun and sexy Harley Quinn.

Maybe not quite what we expected originally but Suicide Squad definitely delivers and does the job. We liked it and wouldn’t mind seeing it again. We recommend going to see it and if possible, in IMAX! First time we’ve seen anything in that format, and it’s safe to say that there’s no better way (maybe Prestige) of watching a movie, take our word for it.

Suicide Squad gets an official 3.5 rating from us.

Genre – Action, Adventure

Director – David Yates

Running Time – 110 mins

Tarzan, when you first hear that name what automatically pops to mind? A human raised by animals? A jungle? An animation? Your childhood? Whatever it maybe, fact is, for most of us, the franchise invokes feelings of nostalgia, much like the first review we wrote on the Ninja Turtles . These days we’re seeing more of these popular childhood animation titles making their way onto the big screen in real life settings. I for one am liking it and it turns out that I’m not the only one – just consider how well they do on global box offices.

As usual, officially in cinemas from last week Friday, The Legend of Tarzan is a good movie with a solid storyline that sees our hero Tarzan in normal world settings, away from the jungle at first. This was a good, different but very welcome change.

So what’s the synopsis exactly?

It’s been nearly a decade since Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgård), also known as John Clayton III, left Africa to live in Victorian England with his wife Jane (Margot Robbie – who we’re also going to be seeing in the much anticipated Suicide Squad). Danger lurks on the horizon as Leon Rom (Christoph Waltz – one of my favorite and brilliant actors who was excellent in Django Unchained), a treacherous envoy for King Leopold, hatches up a scheme that eventually lures our favorite couple to Congo. His plan? To capture Tarzan and deliver him to an old enemy in exchange for diamonds. When Jane becomes a pawn in his devious plot, Tarzan must return to the jungle to save the woman he loves (Yeah I know, that last bit is quite cheesy).

Samuel L Jackson as George Washington Williams also makes an excellent supporting actor, deserves a mention.

What we liked

As mentioned before, the movie has a solid storyline that is easy to follow and understand. Over and above that though, the movie also includes some spectacular scenery (similar to that of the recent Jungle Book movie) with the casting and story being equally impressive. Newcomer, Skarsgård (Tarzan) is immense and a stout choice for the role, he just towers over everything (except the Gorillas) and is very convincing in the role. As for the usual suspects Jackson, Robbie and Waltz, well you pretty much know what you are going to get, very solid performances.

What we didn’t like

A minor problem with the start of the movie – our continent “Africa” being at times being referred to as one whole country and a slight annoyance of “Congo” being referred to as “The Congo” (yes not that serious but I found that strangely annoying).

Anyway, how about the rating? The movie gets a 3 out of 5 rating from me. Good movie, go see it.

Genre – Action, Comedy, Superhero
Director – Dave Green
Running Time – 112 mins

 [youtube link=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HeaugHGd1Kw” width=”590″ height=”315″]

A new feature we’re rolling out from now on and no guesses what it is, yes it’s movie reviews! And what better way to kick things off than to feature a movie that reminds most of their childhood (including me) and invokes feelings of nostalgia. Officially at all cinemas as of last week Friday, I decided to go and check out the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows especially since I was quite impressed with the first installment.

It didn’t start out that way – when the concept was first announced I wasn’t too sure nor convinced, very skeptical I was. Being the curious individual I’m though I eventually got around to seeing the first installment, I’ve never looked back since. Lesson learnt, always give stuff a chance (no matter how different) you just might be genuinely surprised. Now to focus on the actual movie.

Who stars in it and what is it about?

Our favorite turtle heroes return in this second installment titled Out of the Shadows in what is by far one of my favorite movies this year, yes that’s right. Michelangelo, Donatello, Leonardo, and Raphael battle bigger, meaner and, might I even say, disgusting villains, alongside April O’Neil (Megan Fox – who I confess to having a big crush on), Vern Fenwick (Will Arnett), and newcomer, the hockey-masked vigilante Casey Jones (Stephen Amell, the very same leading actor from TV series The Arrow – he clearly likes being a vigilante).

After super-villain Shredder (Brain Tee) escapes custody, he joins forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman (Tyler Perry, far from being Madea this time around) and two silly henchmen, Bebop (Gary Anthony Williams) and Rocksteady (Stephen “Sheamus” Farrelly, yep the WWE wrestler), to unleash a diabolical plan to, wait for it, take over the world! Quite a surprise isn’t it. As our favorite heroes prepare to take on Shredder and his new crew, they find themselves facing an even greater evil with similar intentions: the notorious, quite slimy and disgusting Krang.

What we liked

What’s not to like actually? The movie delivers on what it promises and doesn’t pretend to be something it’s not. It blends a perfect mix of wit, fun, quirkiness and action, the execution is quite brilliant – expected nothing less from a Michael E. Bay movie to be honest. You definitely won’t regret seeing it.

What we didn’t like

It’s simple, nothing – an excellent and well put together offering, miles ahead of the first installment and I have a feeling there might be a third installment in store which is great news. Do yourself a favour, go see it!

It gets a solid 3.5 out of 5 rating from me.

Sunday 1 March 2015

Ride Along
M-Net Channel 101 at 20:05 and M-Net Movies Premiere at 20:30

Sunday 8 March 2015

X Men: Days Of Future Past
M-Net Channel 101 at 20:05 and M-Net Movies Premiere at 20:30

15 March 2015

The Other Woman
M-Net Channel 101 at 20:05 and M-Net Movies Premiere at 20:30

Sunday 22 March 2015

Guardians of the Galaxy
M-Net Channel 101 at 20:05 and M-Net Movies Premiere at 20:30

Sunday 29 March 2015

POMPEII
M-Net Channel 101 at 20:05 and M-Net Movies Premiere at 20:30

Hold on before you get ahead of yourself and think you will be in charge of pouring your own “bottomless” drink, and eating popcorn until you’re full and then filling it up a few times before even starting the movie. Think a little more technologically. How long does it really take you to go to a movie, get your tickets, waiting in line after line? Ster-Kinekor have come up with a revolutionary, custom designed system to provide an easy and time saving way to reduce the amount of time wasted in long cue’s by subconsciously helping everyone decide what they want in a more speedy fashion by providing them with the power of choice, one touch screen at a time.

With the help of the well-spoken and friendly staff at each terminal there is no need to panic. If you are movie goer who hasn’t quite “kept with the times” or feel that you and the new age of technology just don’t get along, the staff will assist you. With or without the complaints, the inevitably growing demand from audiences continuing to visit cinemas to watch the latest releases is getting greater and greater. However, Ster-Kinekor has decided to make going to the movies feel effortless, amazing and as simple as counting to one, two and three. Step one: you get to the cinema and go to the ticket terminal to purchase your ticket then move on to the snack terminal. Step two: you select what you would like and then receive a printed coded slip. You walk over to the Snack bar, scan your encoded slip and the clerk receives it on a screen and starts preparing your order. Step 3: after throwing some flavours on your popcorn and claiming a straw, you scan your ticket and in you go.

Fiaz Mahomed, CEO of Ster-Kinekor Theatres has stated “When we introduced our unique self-service ticket terminals more than eight years ago, we noticed an immediate and significant reduction in queue times for our customers. We are hopeful that the catering terminals will have as great an impact in offering our customers a seamless experience when buying their tickets and snacks, before entering the cinema to sit back and enjoy the latest blockbuster on the big screen”. Ster-Kenikor does not seize to amaze as they provide the very latest in digital projector technology with surround sound speaker quality, eight state-of-the-art cinemas and seats you wish you had in your lounge. The cinema house includes two 3D-ready screens with that “produce a larger-than-life format”. A statement with which I heartily agree.

There is a certain type of expectation I have when going into a cinema and the Ster-Kinekor at Thorn Hill Mall not only lives up to that expectation, but is leading the way in setting new standards which put it ahead of other cinemas available at the moment