Movies out Today: 18 September 2015

This week climb a mountain with some friends, they may not be perfect but at least you have your best friend – and everyone remember to watch out for bees!

• Everest

Inspired by the incredible events surrounding an attempt to reach the summit of the world’s highest mountain, Everest documents the awe-inspiring journey of two different expeditions challenged beyond their limits by one of the fiercest snowstorms ever encountered by mankind. Their mettle tested by the harshest elements found on the planet, the climbers will face nearly impossible obstacles as a lifelong obsession becomes a breathtaking struggle for survival. The epic adventure stars Jason Clarke, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Sam Worthington, Keira Knightley, Emily Watson and Jake Gyllenhaal.

On top of the world this week is Everest – featuring a stellar cast overcoming adversity and inhospitable conditions in an attempt to summit the world’s tallest mountain. Stunningly shot by Baltasar Kormakur, our resident mountain man Kervyn happily gave it a 4/5 in his review (despite a touch of melodrama) and said it rises to dizzying heights. Well no, he didn’t say that – but he really should have!

• We Are Your Friends

Set in the world of electronic music and Hollywood nightlife, an aspiring 23-year-old DJ named Cole spends his days scheming with his childhood friends and his nights working on the one track that will set the world on fire. All of this changes when he meets a charismatic but damaged older DJ named James, who takes him under his wing. Things get complicated, however, when Cole starts falling for James’ much younger girlfriend, Sophie. With Cole’s forbidden relationship intensifying and his friendships unraveling, he must choose between love, loyalty, and the future he is destined for.

Preprogrammed music meets a predictable script, with only its cast helping to save this movie. Fans of either the music genre or of lead Zac Efron might enjoy this, but with a 47% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes it could be a hit or miss.

• The Perfect Guy

After a painful breakup, successful lobbyist Leah Vaughn jumps into a passionate relationship with a charming stranger. When her ex-boyfriend resurfaces in her life she has to figure out who she should trust and who she should fear.

Thankfully I don’t have to make that decision, as I trust both Michael Ealy and Morris Chestnut to deliver charismatic performances as they vie for the affections of Sanaa Lathan. Critics are not in love with the predictable plotting of this thriller, but most audiences have enjoyed it – they’ve given it a 61% audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

• Max

When his handler Kyle is killed while on duty in Afghanistan, military working dog Max is traumatised and retired. He’s adopted by Kyle’s parents (Lauren Graham, Thomas Haden Church) and Kyle’s little brother Justin (Josh Wiggins). At first, Max wants nothing to do with Justin or anything else, but Justin perseveres and as they start to trust each other, he realises that Max may have witnessed what really happened to his brother that day on the front, and is determined to solve the mystery.

NOOOOOOOO! My movie kryptonite – the heroic canine. A family-friendly PG movie that doesn’t make you guess where it’s going and makes no pretenses about trying to tug on your heart strings – or as it’s called by the cynical, cheese. Put away the onions and reach for the tissues as man’s best friend saves the day in predictable, feel-good fare. Good boy!

• Maya the Bee

Maya the Bee is bored and takes to the meadows with her best friend, Willy to find adventure and to escape the monotony of controlling hive life. Flip the grasshopper helps Maya avoids enemies like the hornets, moths, dung beetles and spiders, while rescuing the Queen from her evil Court Adviser, Buzzlina Von Beena.

A staple of 1980’s children’s TV, Maya the Bee makes her big screen debut in this animated movie. It’s targeted at parents who remember watching the show, but nothing else about it, and would like to revisit some childhood characters with their own children. I remember Maya the Bee. I remember. This is definitely one for the younger kids with its sweet, safe and innocuous tale of acceptance and friendship; with little there for adults. Drop them off at the cinema and go do your shopping. Disclaimer: Don’t take parenting advise from me, I don’t have kids – that’s just what I saw other parents doing.

• Die Pro

Tiaan Nothnagel is a young surfer who’s come to terms with the accidental death of his best friend, Dirkie Lawrence, just before their last year at school. After Dirkie’s death, Tiaan swears off surfing for good, since he can’t stand to be reminded of everything that he and Dirkie shared. Dirkie’s twin sister, who went to live with her father after her parents split up, arrives in town on a mission: to be selected to go on Wave-Seekers, a World Surf Tour that Tiaan and Dirkie dreamed of doing. For her to succeed, she needs Tiaan’s help, and, for that, he needs to get back on his surfboard.

I think we all support the local movie industry, but often we just don’t really want to watch what they produce. This looks to be safe and inoffensive as the attractive young cast learn life lessons. I predict he’ll get back on his surf board, move on with his life, and get the girl. If I’m wrong I’ll… there’s no chance I’m wrong.

• Coming Home (Cinema Nouveau)

Lu Yanshi (Chen Daoming) and Feng Wanyu (Gong Li) are a devoted couple forced to separate when Lu is arrested and sent to a labor camp as a political prisoner, just as his wife is injured in an accident. Released during the last days of the Cultural Revolution, he finally returns home only to find that his beloved wife has amnesia and remembers little of her past. Unable to recognize Lu, she patiently waits for her husband’s return.

An intensely emotional and thought-provoking journey of loss, life and love. Critics and audiences alike have praised this movie, with 90% approval and 81% audience approval ratings on Rotten Tomatoes.

• Dis ek, Anna (Cinema Nouveau – Rosebank Mall, Gauteng only)

A successful businessman from Bloemfontein, South Africa, Danie du Toit’s doorbell rings in the middle of the night. Outside the rain is pouring down. He puts on his gown and walks to the front door and switch on the light.. A slender rain soaked figure stands with her back turned to him. When she turns around, he recognizes her face that stares at him from underneath the hoody. It’s his stepdaughter that he hasn’t seen in years. “It’s me, Anna” she says calmly. The hate seeps through her words, just like the rain that pours over them. Then she lifts the gun…

The movie Dis ek, Anna is about the sexual abuse of Anna Bruwer by her stepfather over a period of eight years . Silent Anna, she called herself because she could not tell anyone what had happened between her and her stepfather. Not her mother, not her best friend and not even her own father. In the story, the viewer becomes intimately involved in the child’s twilight world of shame , threats and silence.

Highly praised after its screening at the Durban International Film Festival, Dis ek, Anna is currently – and disappointingly – getting an extremely limited local release. If I was able to choose between this and Die Pro it would be a very easy choice – this looks far, far more interesting.

Last Updated: September 18, 2015