TRAILERS: 7 films in UAE cinemas this week

Written ByTeam ShortList On -

The Accountant(18)
At first glance, this sounds a little like a thriller-by-numbers, a sort of Michael Clayton with elements of organised crime thrown in – accomplished enough but not something to necessarily sprint to the nearest multiplex to see. What unfolds, though, is ultimately a superhero movie in a shirt and tie that will make you wonder whether you’re in on the joke or not – or, indeed, whether there is actually a joke to be in on.
The film centres on Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck), a maths genius with an Asperger’s type aversion to anything more than perfunctory social interaction who works as an accountant for some of the world’s most dangerous criminal organisations. And he’s also got high-level “anti-bullying” training that means he’s a dead-eye shot and pretty vicious in hand-to-hand combat. And he writes complex formulas on glass. He’s Batman crossed with A Beautiful Mind.
Anyway, when the Treasury Department’s Ray King (a suitably stony-faced JK Simmons) begins to close in on his operations, Wolff begins to work for a robotics company where he manages to uncover some shenanigans – including dead bodies and threats to him and his sort-of love interest, Dana (Anna Kendrick).
In between all this, there is a heck of an origin story, which charts Christian’s struggles with his condition – which leads you to think there may be more films to come. A number-crunching superhero? Worse ideas have made it further.
In cinemas from October 27

Boo! A Madea Halloween (18)
We’re not going to lie here: the appeal of Madea, Tyler Perry’s loud-mouthed grandmother character, is a bit lost on us. The tells-it-like-it-is stuff grates after about 15 minutes and now that the initial home-truths value has subsided, we’re left with seasonal slapstick about ghosts, poltergeists and zombies. If you like it, great, knock yourself out. But one outing was enough for us.
In cinemas from October 27

Ouija: Origin Of Evil (18)
When did the wide-jawed, just-about-to-cough-up-a-small-dog yawn become synonymous with demonic possession? Can’t anyone think of anything else? Anyway, the latest in this stretchy-mouthed sub-genre of horror is a prequel to the successful Ouija series and takes place in 1967.  When Doris, the daughter of a widow who scams people with fake seances, finds a ouija board in the house, you can guess what happens when she tries to contact her dead father. Say ahhhhhh.
In cinemas from October 27

Welcome to Central Jail (15)
This goofy comedy directed by Sundar Dass stars Malayalam veteran Dileep as Unnikuttan, a man who has literally spent all his life in prison. Born and raised in jail, he is now so institutionalised, and so used to the penal system’s rhythms and routines, that whenever the authorities try to release him, he immediately commits some sort of felony to ensure he returns “home”. There are plenty of easy laughs, not least his attempts at re-incarceration, but it loses its way a little as love interest Radhika (Vedhika) makes him think about building a life on the outside.
In cinemas now

Hunt for the Wilderpeople
Wes Anderson-esque comedy from New Zealand starring Sam Neill as a father caught in a manhunt.

Inferno
The Dan Brown juggernaut still keeps on rolling with Dante’s poem the source of clues to a terrible future.

Keeping Up With the Joneses
Slapstick fun with Zach Galifianakis and John Hamm as the suburban neighbours, one of whom is living a major, major lie.

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