With Valentine’s Day falling slap bang in the middle of next week, it’s kind of upended plans for anyone looking for lovey dovey date night entertainment. South African cinemas just aren’t screening conventional romantic fare.
That said, you can watch a special V-Day pre-screening of Sony’s Spider-Man spin-off Madame Web; squeeze in a recorded Royal Ballet production this Sunday only; enjoy a Bollywood romance with a sci-fi twist; buck the trend with Asian action comedy; or, return once more to Arrakis as Dune: Part 1 (our review) enjoys a big screen re-release (including at IMAX) in the lead up to Part 2’s long-awaited debut.
That leaves us with two new notable cinema releases out this Friday. Time to find out about them below.
Land of Bad is a military actioner that makes modern operations technology central to its story. Reaper (Russell Crowe), a USAF drone pilot, provides air support to a Delta Force team on the ground in the Philippines. After a mishap, Kinney (Liam Hemsworth), a young officer finds himself part of an extraction team relying only on Reaper’s remote help. Also with Milo Ventimiglia, and Luke Hemsworth.
Comedy drama The Holdovers is the latest from Election and Sideways director Alexander Payne. In December 1970, a curmudgeonly professor (Paul Giamatti) at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit students. He forms an unlikely bond with a brainy troublemaker (Dominic Sessa), and the school’s head cook (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). The Holdovers is currently in the running for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and it won Golden Globes for Best Actor (in a Musical or Comedy) and Best Supporting Actress.