4 minute read
FILM
NEW RELEASES
Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
DIRECTOR: Lana Wachowski CAST: Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Neil Patrick Harris
The Matrix Resurrections
An iconic action franchise returns
The first Matrix movie was a watershed moment in cinema. It snatched the concept of Cartesian dualism from the hands of philosophy lecturers, wrapped it in trenchcoats and sold it back to us with an evolutionary leap in CGI and visual storytelling. It was a masterpiece. The leads from the original, Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss, return, despite *spoiler* dying at the end of the last movie. In the trailer, Neo (Reeves) knocks back blue pills as prescribed by his shrink, played by Neil Patrick Harris. But after being freed from the shackles of virtual servitude, Neo resumes his rage against the machines. Can this movie live up to the original? On brand for the franchise, the trailer poses more questions than it answers. We skim across the surface of the film’s brooding metaverse like a stone hoiked across breakwater. You might feel like that’s a large spoonful of mangled analogy, but if you’ve been paying attention, you’ll know, there is no spoon…
SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME ★ ★ ★ ★
DIRECTOR: Jon Watts CAST: Tom Holland, Zendaya, Alfred Molina, Benedict Cumberbatch This is it, Watts and Holland rounding off their MCU Spidey trilogy with what will almost certainly be an emotional ride through the fractal-fractured multiverse. What we know: Zendaya is back as love interest MJ; Jacob Batalan is back as Peter’s BFF, Ned; Dr Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) features, presumably filling in for Tony Stark as mentor; and we know for sure the villainous quartet of Alfred Molina, Jamie Foxx, Thomas Haden Church and Rhys Ifans reprise their Spideyverse roles as Dr Octopus, Electro, Sandman and Lizard respectively. But what about these rumours of multiple Spideys? With a villain cast that ominous, Tom Holland could probably do with some web slinging support from Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield. It’s all very exciting and we cannot wait to see what director Watts has in store before his next Marvel foray with the comic book adaption, Fantastic Four.
SING 2 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
DIRECTOR: Garth Jennings CAST: Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Scarlett Johansson, Taron Egerton, Aside from the amazing cast list, the original animated Sing movie didn’t really have much going for it. Well, there was the cast and of course the incredible soundtrack. Oh, and the humour was
spot on. We also adored the heartwarming quest that drove the story. Then there was the characterisation, musical mash-ups, message and individual scene set pieces. Ok, look, we genuinely loved it, and the trailer for this followup film definitely seems to be leaning in the same direction. It’s coming from the team who created the Despicable Me series, who have form when it comes to sequels.
WEST SIDE STORY ★ ★ ★ ★★
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg CAST: Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist Could it be? Yes it could. Something’s coming. Something good. *clicks fingers aggressively*. Yes the reboot/adaptation bandwagon energy is in full swing in 2021. This movie is a remake of a 1961 movie, which was based on a Broadway musical, that itself is loosely based on Shakespeare’s Romeo and
Photo: 20th Century Studios
West Side Story
Sing 2 Photo: Universal Pictures Juliet. West Side Story is an ode to a pair of star-crossed lovers, Tony (Ansel Elgort) and Maria (Rachel Zegler, this is her first feature film) from rival street gangs, the White Jets and Puerto Rican Sharks. If you know anything about the tale of Romeo and Juliet, you can probably guess the likelihood of this story having a happy ending. *clicks fingers sadly*.
Photo: Sony Pictures HOUSE OF GUCCI ★ ★ ★ ★★
DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott CAST: Lady Gaga, Adam Driver, Salma Hayek, Al Pacino, Jared Leto The tumultuous tale behind the production of this movie neatly parallels that of the story it’s telling. Work began back in 2006, with Ridley Scott locked in as director and Angelina Jolie and Leonardo DiCaprio rumoured to star. Three director swaps and multiple actor shifts later, Scott found himself back in charge of a cast that included Adam Driver playing Maurizio Gucci, Lady Gaga as Patrizia Reggiani and a virtually unrecognisable Jared Leto as Paolo Gucci. The story is built around the real life family behind one of high fashion’s most powerful dynasties. We’re robed in mink and whisked through three decades of love and revenge, passion amd betrayal, cat walks and Karama knockoffs, culminating in the tragic murder of Maurizio Gucci. From the trailer, the wardrobe collections look to be all you might hope for in a film about Gucci, and the cast is another glittering ensemble, with Lady Gaga in particular delivering some mesmerising lines.
Photo: MGM 2
