Just four new movies hit South African screens today, although it’s pretty easy to guess who the box office winner of the bunch will be. Maleficent: Screening in 2D, 3D and 3D IMAX is this fantasy adventure from Walt Disney Pictures, clearly trying to recapture the success of their other recent live-action fairy tale reimaginings, Oz the Great and Powerful, …

“Yet another retelling of a story we have all heard a million times”. That’s what I was thinking when I sat down to watch the screening of Maleficent. I was also thinking that if this is anything like Snow White and the Huntsman I’d walk out and pretend I was involved in some accident to get out of writing a …

Much like Tim Burton’s insistence of using Johnny Depp for every movie that he makes, Sharlto Copley is also a frequent collaborator with Neill Blomkamp. He’s popped up in District 9, and he happens to have done a damn good job terrorising Matt Damon in Elysium. Third time’s the charm apparently, because the two will be back together soon for …

It’s a pretty emotionally dour week at the movies. There are no cutesy kiddie films or comedies in sight; just drama, desperation to escape and heroes questioning the rightness of the status quo. Noah: The most high profile of this week’s releases is this “inspired by” take on the famous Old Testament Bible story. A man (Russell Crowe) receives visions …

What we’ve known about Disney’s Maleficent thus far, is that it would be telling us an untold story of just why the titular evil witch in the classic Sleeping Beauty was so evil. But until now, the marketing has provided zero clue as to what this reason could be, other than she perhaps accidentally sliced her whole family to ribbons with her razor …

Ever since he first burst onto the scene, chasing down some fookin’ prawns in his buddy Neil Blomkamp’s District 9, Sharlto Copley has been one to keep an eye on. The local boytjie has a habit of stealing the show from his slightly more famous and well established Hollywood co-stars, even recently upstaging such award winning acting heavyweights as Matt …

Three new films open in South Africa today, offering a mix of escapism and special effects. Last Updated: August 30, 2013

Elysium, the ambitious sophomore project from District 9 filmmaker Neill Blomkamp, is not quite the film it was hyped up to be. While that sounds incredibly negative, let me assure you that many aspects of the film work as fantastically as other parts fall flat and we are left with a flawed but exciting sci-fi film that I still recommend …