Film & TV
TRAILERS: 8 films in UAE cinemas this week
The Nice Guys (18)
You might not necessarily cast Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling together in anything, but for some reason pairing them up in a 1970s-set black comedy about an LA private eye – with a “down on his luck” prefix, as you’d expect – and some hired muscle on the trail of a missing girl works to balance out the oddness. It’s familiar-ish territory for director and writer Shane Black, who was behind the first Lethal Weapon, and there is plenty of amusing bi-play between the enemies-turned-allies in their search of a plotline that you’ve probably long since forgotten.
In cinemas from May 26
The plot centres on Kyle Budwell (Jack O’Connell), a blue-collar worker from Queens who has lost his life savings in a stock championed by a financial TV network. Driven to the edge by the news he is about to become a father, he storms into the studio to confront the charismatic and all-too persuasive host, played by George Clooney. What follows is a hostage situation in which all the frustrations and the injustices of the last decade come pouring out as O’Connell’s Kyle tells his everyman tale.
It’s reminiscent of 2002’s John Q, in which Denzel Washington forces a hospital to carry out an organ transplant on his uninsured son in a searing critique of America’s healthcare system. The message here, though, is less about systems and structures than bad apples – a glitch here, a misstatement there – and perhaps misses the opportunity to deliver the killer blow it promises.
While the unfolding hey-we-can-fix-this narrative stretches credibility to breaking point, Clooney and O’Connell, ably assisted by Julia Roberts, Dominic West and Jodie Foster’s measured direction, ensure the story is never less than watchable.
In cinemas from May 26
The zeitgeist is certainly pointing towards a film of this nature: a combination of gaming, fantasy-adventure and the kind of grime and gore that has made Game of Thrones the most talked-about TV show of the last decade. The action in this film takes place before the setting of the massively popular World of Warcraft game and depicts the world of Azeroth and the arrival of a brutal, orc-like species. Like most of adaptations of cultish books and, increasingly, games, it will probably disappoint the hardcore fans, but sharp direction from David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, seems to be pitching it more at Lord of The Rings territory. It certainly seems a wise choice.
In cinemas from May 26
In the era of Messi and Ronaldo and pristine pitches and galactico squads, it’s perhaps difficult to convey the impact Pele had on the game. A star at 17 when he scored a virtuoso goal in the 1958 World Cup Final for Brazil against Sweden, he became the most famous player in the world when, 12 years later, his country regained their status as the world’s best with a technicolour display of brilliance in Mexico. This biopic attempts to tell the story of his early years, from the favela in Sao Paolo to glory with the national side. The narrative arc is predictable enough and the action a little stilted, but it’s hard not to be touched by one of sport’s great stories.
In cinemas from May 26
Humans can no longer feel emotion in the future laid out in Equals, a stark sci-fi romance that may well have just created its own genre. What people now lack in empathy and connection, they make up for in efficiency and hygiene – which doesn’t sound too bad, to be fair. It means that everyone just gets on with things… until, that is, illustrator Silas (Nicholas Hoult) contracts a disease that starts to stir up those latent feelings. Shunned by his sterile world, he plots an escape with his similarly infected co-worker, Nia (Kristen Stewart). It’s sort of a cross between Divergent and Never Let Me Go, although it never quite explores all the good ideas it introduces.
In cinemas from May 26
The mutants are battling each other as Apocalypse seeks to destroy the planet and hit the reset button.
Enjoyable Egyptian film that tells the story of a middle-class divorcée having a seaside vacation.
Neighbors 2
Slapstick comedy about a married couple fending off a sorority that has moved in next door.
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