A lesser spotted horror comedy headlines this week’s batch of new cinema releases in South Africa. Also making their big screen debut are a musical biopic, a heartfelt drama about dealing with tragedy, and a supernatural anime adventure.
Action horror comedy Renfield is a fresh, modern take on the Dracula mythos. R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) has been the abused henchman of vampire Dracula (Nicolas Cage) for over a century. Finally ready to leave his literally monstrous boss, Renfield doesn’t know how to end his codependency, until he meets New Orleans cop Rebecca (Awkwafina), who is on a mission to bring down the city’s most powerful crime family. Renfield is directed by Chris McKay (Robot Chicken, The LEGO Batman Movie) from a screen story by The Walking Dead and Invincible creator Robert Kirkman.
Musical drama and biopic Spinning Gold tells the unlikely true story of Neil Bogart (Jeremy Jordan), founder of Casablanca Records, the most successful independent record company of all time. In the 1970s, Bogart helped turn the diverse likes of Donna Summer, Gladys Knight, The Isley Brothers, KISS, The Village People, and Bill Withers into music industry legends. Spinning Gold is written and directed by Bogart’s son, Timothy, and features the likes of Wiz Khalifa, Ledisi, Jason Derulo, Pink Sweat$ and Tayla Parx playing some of the film’s singing greats.
A Good Person centres on 25-year-old Allison (Florence Pugh) and 83-year-old Daniel (Morgan Freeman) who both grieve the same tragic loss, and have succumbed to addiction to dull the pain. When an unexpected connection unites them, they discover a newfound will to live. Directed by Scrubs star Zach Braff, this heartfelt drama explores the unexpected ways people connect, heal, forgive, and forge new ways to keep living.
Finally, for anime enthusiasts, there’s fantasy adventure and coming of age tale Suzume. The title character, a 17-year-old girl, lives a quiet life in a quiet town until she meets a young man on a journey “looking for doors.” When these mysterious doors start opening all over Japan, Suzume takes up the dangerous mission of closing them to shut out supernatural calamity from another realm, and, in turn, save her country.