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ALSO SCREENING
IN
SEPTEMBER
The original
Kingsman: The Secret Service
certainly
delivered, and the sequel looks set to, ahem, follow
suit. With the Kingsman premises in a state of
unforeseen disrepair and the world needing saving
once more, the secret British spy organisation
turns to its American brethren, The Statesman,
who work under cover as whiskey distillers. Meet
agents Tequila (Channing Tatum), Champagne (Jeff
Bridges), and Ginger Ale (Halle Berry) on
Sept 21
.
KINGSMAN: THE GOLDEN CIRCLE
After losing his girlfriend in a terrorist attack,
Dylan O'Brien is recruited by the CIA and trained
(by Michael Keaton) in counterterrorism. His
mission? Stop a mysterious operative who's
stirring up tensions in the Middle East.
Sept 14
.
AMERICAN ASSASSIN
Medical students Ellen Page, James Norton and
Diego Luna dabble in near-death experiences and
pay a spooky price in this slick reboot-cum-sequel
to the 1990 thriller.
Sept 28
is a good day to die.
FLATLINERS
Married couple Jennifer Lawrence and Javier
Bardem's domestic life becomes a nightmare when
they take in a pair of mysterious lodgers. This new
thriller from Darren Aronofsky opens
Sept 14
.
MOTHER!
Michael Bryce (Ryan Reynolds) is a special
kind of bodyguard. His 'Triple-A rating' means
he's looking after high profile clients, but he
never thought he'd one day be responsible for
protecting a hitman.
However, when his ex-girlfriend Amelia
(Elodie Yung), who's now working at Interpol,
calls him in to help with a job, that's exactly
what happens.
The corrupt Belarusian President Vladislav
Dukhovich (Gary Oldman) is being tried in court
for treason, and the only one with any sound
evidence against him is renowned assassin
Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson).
Kincaid has only agreed to help with the
case in the first place, as it will free his
particularly vocal wife (Salma Hayek) from
prison.
Interpol's Amelia entrusts his safe transport
to the court with Bryce, creating the perfect
mismatch – especially considering their past...
The Hitman's Bodyguard
is essentially a
buddy cop film with a twist, with Reynolds'
and Jackson's characters attempting to stay
one step ahead of the Belarusian crims on
their tail.
Jackson is basically playing the same
character he plays in all of his films; potty-
mouthed, righteous antagonist, but this time
he's married to his female counterpart in
Salma Hayek.
Gary Oldman is an undeniable standout
as the dictator Dukhovich, and is almost
unrecognisable at times. Reynolds, too, has
developed quite the affinity for comedic
badass roles, and is right at home in this
enjoyable – albeit forgettable – action-
comedy.
Alesha Kolbe
What doesn't kill you makes you madder.
THE HITMAN'S BODYGUARD
RELEASED:
Aug 31
DIRECTOR:
Patrick Hughes
CAST:
Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman
RATING:
MA15+
After ten years in development, Stephen King's
epic genre-blending saga has finally made it to
the screen – all 95 minutes of it. And as far as
faithful King adaptations go,
The Dark Tower
is
right up there with
The
Lawnmower Man
.
A wonderfully wild and weird fusion of
spaghetti western, Arthurian legend, dark
fantasy and post-apocalyptic sci-fi,
The Dark
Tower
was never going to be easy to adapt,
much less compress into something coherent
for a mainstream audience – as the film's four
screenwriters obviously discovered. Using about
10 per cent of the books and consigning its
gunslinger hero Roland Deschain (a well cast Idris
Elba) to a supporting role, the movie isn't King's
The Dark Tower
, it's bad fan fiction – a disjointed
and mediocre sci-fi fantasy adventure that will
quickly be forgotten.
The focus is on Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor),
a bland kid with the Shining who is targeted by
the Man in Black (a surprisingly good Matthew
McConaughey), a sorcerer abducting children
whose psychic powers can destroy the Dark
Tower, which is the nexus of all universes. If it
falls, demons will overrun every reality.
After stepping through a cosmic portal into
the post-apocalyptic Mid-World, Jake meets
Roland, who is hunting the Man in Black to
avenge the death of his father, and the pair
team up to prevent the Tower's fall.
All the big set-pieces are over before they've
barely begun, leaving a sense that a longer film
was gutted in the editing room. Equally gutted
will be those who have followed Roland's
quest for the Dark Tower across eight books
and thousands of words.
Scott Hocking
Stephen King's magnum opus falls.
THE DARK TOWER
RELEASED:
Aug 17
DIRECTOR:
Nikolaj Arcel
CAST:
Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Taylor
RATING:
M
REVIEWS
CINEMA
049
