As is often the case in South Africa, a long holiday weekend means more new options than usual at local cinemas. So, in addition to four films for the whole family, lovers of big screen entertainment can check out Bollywood comedy The Great Indian Family as well as musical event CARLOS: The Santana Journey Global Premiere.
Now let’s look closer at the four new movies coming your way.
Expendables 4, AKA The Expendables 4, AKA Expend4bles, is, you guessed it, the fourth entry in the action movie series that brings together the greatest stars of the genre. This time it’s a mix of old and new as returnees Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, and Sylvester Stallone are joined for the first time by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia. In this explosive outing, the elite band of mercenaries must retrieve stolen nuclear warheads with the potential to start World War III.
That global hunger for Korean entertainment means that acclaimed romantic drama Past Lives is coming to the big screen in South Africa and elsewhere. Starring Russian Doll’s Greta Lee, and Teo Yoo, the film comes from playwright-turned-filmmaker Celine Song. In the film, Nora and Hae Sung, two childhood friends, are pulled apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. Twenty years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny. Also with John Magaro.
Still on matters of romantic drama, there’s the fifth and final entry in the After film series, based on the best-selling novels by Anna Todd. In After Everything, all good things must come to an end. Having united, broken up and rekindled their love several times, it’s evidently over for Hardin Scott (Hero Fiennes Tiffin) and Tessa Young (Josephine Langford). Struggling to move forward, Hardin travels to Portugal in search of a woman he wronged in the past – and to find himself so he can win back Tessa.
Finally, for families looking for a cinema outing, there’s animated comedy Cats in the Museum. Russian made, this movie is inspired by the real-life Hermitage cats, and sees a young kitty named Vincent survive a flood with the help of Maurice the mouse. Finding themselves in St. Petersburg, the new friends end up at a museum where an elite feline squad that has been protecting artwork from mice and other pests for centuries. Suddenly, Vincent’s loyalties are tested by his dream of being part of a family.