It’s a pretty intense week at South Africa cinemas this week, for the most part, with thrillers, drama and horror taking centre stage. None are likely to challenge Dune: Part Two‘s deserved dominance at the box office, but you may find something here that takes your fancy for a movie outing.
Surprisingly, post The Beekeeper, The Bricklayer doesn’t star Jason Statham! Die Hard 2, The Long Kiss Goodnight and Cliffhanger filmmaker Renny Harlin returns to the genre where he’s enjoyed the most success, directing Aaron Eckhart in this action thriller about a government operative forced out of retirement when a rogue insurgent starts assassinating foreign journalists, making it look like the CIA is responsible.
Released to coincide with International Women’s Day, Cabrini tells the inspiring true story of Italian immigrant and missionary Francesca Cabrini (Cristiana Dell’Anna), who arrives in the slums of New York in the late 19th Century, and sets about trying to improve the lives of the orphans who live there. This pits her against the hostile mayor (John Lithgow). Cabrini is directed by Sound of Freedom’s Alejandro Monteverde, and enjoys the same “pay it forward” ticket purchasing system as that hit, also from Angel Studios. You can learn more, and claim your free ticket to watch the film in South Africa, here.
Imaginary is the latest horror release from Blumhouse, the film company behind the likes of M3gan, The Black Phone and Five Nights at Freddy’s. In this latest scarefest, Jessica (DeWanda Wise) returns to her childhood home, where her stepdaughter Alice quickly latches onto Jessica’s old stuffed bear Chauncey. However, as the games Alice and Chauncey play turn increasingly sinister, Jessica realises Chauncey is much more than a simple toy.
Screening in limited release in arthouse cinemas this weekend is Lukas, a drama out of Namibia. When 11-year old Lukas witnesses the brutal murder of his mother and grandmother by his stepfather, he ends up living with his aunt in Windhoek. There, he runs away and starts living on the streets, where he falls in with gang leader Samora to survive. The film spans 15 years as it follows Lukas’s story, exploring how the past constantly influences the present.
Finally, for something more lighthearted, there’s South African comedy #lovemyselfie. After submitting a selfie, twelve women are chosen to spend the weekend with TV star Adele on the cruise of a lifetime. There’s a catch, though. The women must compete in survivor-like games and quizzes to win a retirement unit to the value of R7 million. The cast includes Illse Roos, June van Merch, Joanie Combrink, Hélène Truter, Robyn Scott and Kurt Darren.