Box Office Preview: 16-06-2011

Welcome to our weekly preview of all the latest films that will be opening in local cinemas this weekend. Check out the full list of new releases after the jump.

Recognising Voice Talent

Tomorrow is Youth Day, and a rather welcome public holiday. What better way to spend it than to head out to watch Kung-Fu Panda 2. Animated films have come a long way since the first full length feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The visuals are 3-D, the dialogue witty, and they boast top-class voice talent. How come there's no industry recognition for this? Sure, they've come up with an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, but the voices behind it?

Think for a minute about the success of Aladdin without Robin Williams? Would it have been anywhere near as hysterical, as manic, as downright mesmerising? Characters are one thing to be drawn, but their life and soul are breathed into them by the actors and actresses who voice them. Would Po the Bear be as lovable if it were Will Ferrell providing the words? Ferrell voiced Megamind, and was by turns both sardonic and melancholic, but as an overweight Panda who discovers he's a kung-fu master? Perhaps not.

Of course it's not just animated characters. Think of Andy Serkis's Gollum. Or Frank Oz's Yoda. These characters form part of our pop culture rhetoric, yet those voices are as much part of them as their words, and their actions. What about the voice of the enigmatic Charlie in Charlie's Angels? You never see him. You only hear him, yet such is the nature of John Forsythe's voice, you know exactly what type of man Charlie is. Ditto the computer HAL in 2001: A Space Odyssey. That cold disembodied voice potrays one of the great villains of the screen.

Acting uses the body and the voice to convey meaning. Where there is no voice we've watched as actors use their bodies to express. Isn't it time that the use of voice alone got the same recognition?

Watch The First 5 Minutes Of Source Code

Another month, another public holiday! If you're lucky enough, tomorrow's Youth Day public holiday might also mean the beginning of an extra long weekend for you. For the rest of us it's back to work/school on Friday but at least the new film releases come out tomorrow so, if you've got no major plans for the holiday then you could do worse than popping by the nearest cinema to watch a movie. One of the major releases coming out tomorrow is Source Code starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga. It's directed David Bowie's son Zowie Bowie who'd rather we call him Duncan Jones. Now before you scream nepotism, you should be aware that he actually has some real directing talent and his previous film was the critically acclaimed and pretty damn good indie sci-fi film called Moon. Never heard of it? Well, it made less than $10 million at the box office globally so you're in good company. Luckily his latest film is a bit more mainstream and with Jake Gyllenhaal in it, it has already been seen by more than 11 times as many people as Moon. To coincide with it's release tomorrow, we have the spoiler-free first minutes of the film which will give you a pretty good idea of what the film is like. Check it out below:



If you've seen any of the trailers, you will notice that this is pretty much a glorified extended trailer but if not then it's great way to get to grips with the film's setup.

What did you think of this clip? Has it convinced you to watch the film?

Source Code will be out in cinemas on June 16.

Can We Handle More Sex In The City?

The infamous Sex in the City has brought us a hilarious series filled of fun and naughty humour that all women love as well as two films giving us an extra dosage of the girls. Do you want a third dosage?

Channel24 has quoted Kim Cattrall as being unsure about the future of Sex in the City. The man-eating Samantha Jones in the series was definetely one of favourite characters who you either loved to hate or just loved to love. Her character has some of the qualities that many women dream of having but just don't have the guts.

Cattrall says she would love to delve into the character again but also wants her fans to see her as what she was before Samantha took over her life. She would love to branch into other roles and carry on her acting career.

The thing is can we handle another film? Has the show reached its final thread before making us hate it? So many films take it too far and ruin what it had in the beginning. Many fans of the television series hated the films, others loved them. Some thought the second film was too much and ruined its image. I on the other hand loved the second film more than the first. However, I am sceptical about a third. A good thing needs to know when to come to an end to preserve its good image.

Do you want a third Sex in the City?

Oscars Confuse The World But Do They Confuse It Enough For It To Care?

The Wrap website reports that the Academy Awards may change the number of films nominated for Best Picture at its award ceremony every year. Do you actually care anymore?

What does it matter if there are 15 nominees a year? It may make more people see a film but the winner can be a frontrunner from the start.

"Two years after expanding the field of Best Picture nominees from five to 10, the Academy's Board of Governors threw the category into deliberate disarray on Tuesday night, instituting new rules that could lead to a different number of nominees each year," The Wrap wrote.

The change was recommended by retiring executive director Bruce Davis. It will require that a film receive at least five percent of the first-place votes during the first round of balloting to receive a Best Picture nomination.

"A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers determined that if the rule had been in effect between 2001 and 2008 (before the move to 10 nominations) it would have resulted in years of five, six, seven, eight and nine nominees," The Wrap addded.

At Tuesday night's meeting, the Board of Governors made a few other changes to Oscar rules.

Theese included that the Best Animated Feature category, which formerly had five nominees if more than 16 qualifying films were released, and only had three if the field was smaller than that, now includes a provision for four nominees in a year in which 13 to 15 films qualify.

This may sound boring but if this new rule had been in effect last year, four rather than three films would have been nominated.

The qualifying period for Documentary Feature and Documentary Short categories has been changed to be the calendar year, as is the case in almost all the other categories.

To make the adjustment, those categories will cover a full 15 months of eligible films at the next Oscars.

"One change the governors did not make was to add an Oscar for stunt work, which has been proposed repeatedly over the years, and always voted down," the Wrap said.

Alistair Anderson

Director Of The Month: Darren Aronofsky Requiem For A Dream

Rating: 7/10 - Very Good



There have been a number of movies about drugs - or shall I say the reality of drugs? Trainspotting could not have been more vivid; dead babies, filth-encrusted toilets, wasted lives. Darren Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream (2000) hits hard and hits fast. There’s no glamour, only seedy underbelly.

Weinsteins Buy Madonna

A woman who cannot serem to accept that her place in the film is under threat, has had her new film sold to two of Hollywood's most powerful porducers.

The rights to the directorial debut of Madonna W.E. is now owned by the Weinstein family, EW - Inside Movies reports on Monday.

The Weinstein Company was wrong to call it her debut, however, as she directed Filth and Wisdom in 2008.

"Written by the singer and Alek Keshishian (director of Madonna: Truth or Dare), W.E. tells the love story of King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson spanning six decades. The film stars Abbie Cornish (Limitless), Natalie Dormer (The Tudors), and James D’Arcy (Secret Diary of a Call Girl)," the website said.

A representative for the Weinstein Company said the 81-minute Filth and Wisdom was a short film, making W.E. her first feature-length debut.

"W.E. is about the nature of true love, and the sacrifices and compromises that are often made," Madonna said in a press release.

"I’ve wanted to tell this story for a very long time, and bringing it to life has been a great adventure for me. I’m looking forward to working with Harvey [Weinstein] and The Weinstein Company on this film," she said.

Harvey Weinstein added: "Madonna has really come into her own as a filmmaker with W.E. … She’s taken one of the most famous romances of the 20th century and brought it to life in a smart, sexy and thoroughly modern way. It’s a terrific addition to our U.S. release slate."

Alistair Anderson

Ben 10 Film

It seems these days that any cartoon can be made into a film. Film producers understand the high money making capability of children. So many cartoons have been made into a franchise that is ripping parents pockets off left righ and centre.

The latest news of an ever so popular kiddies cartoon taking on the big screen is Ben 10. Ben 10 is a Cartoon Network series that started in 2005 and has since just grown into a hugely popular franchise among young boys around the world.

Collider reports that Steve Richards and Andrew Rona of Dark Castle will co-produce with Joel Silver in the production of this film. Warner Bros. is in talks for distribution rights.

The film is said to follow the story line of the first series.

Many parents out there will either be happy or extremely annoyed by this news if their children are fans of Ben 10.

Do you think this is just a way to grow the franchise or a good opportunity for a film?

The South African Box Office Report

Welcome to our weekly box office report where we reveal the Top 10 films in South Africa over the last weekend. See the full chart after the jump.

Laughing in Translation

For some reason, the authorities like to rename films when they are released abroad Sometimes this leads to bizarre or funny titles.

In France:

Scream (1996):



"Frissons" means "Shivers"

Notting Hill (1999):



"Coup de Foudre" means "Love at First Sight".

In America:

Leon was called The Professional
Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone was called Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Apparently, Americans do not like the word "philosopher".

The play "The Madness of George III" was changed to "The Madness of King George" for the movie because Americans would not understand it was not a sequel.

However, "Dennis the Menace" was changed to "Dennis" in the UK already has its own "Dennis the Menace".

UK Dennis -



US Dennis (not as mangy)



The Shawshank Redemption is voted as the Internet Movie Database's top film, scoring 9,2 in terms of reviews on average. Here is a list of the strange definitions that it was called in other countries when it was released there, with translations:

Die Verurteilten - The Convicted (Austria/Germany)
Sueños de fuga - Dreams of Escape (Chile/Peru)
Sueños de libertad - Dreams of freedom (Argentina/Mexico)
Τελευταία Έξοδος Ρίτα Χέϊγουόρθ - Last Exit Rita Hayworth (Greece)

Some other gems:

-Boogie Nights (1997)

-Atesli geceler - Hot Nights (Turkey)

- Jogos de Prazer - Games of Pleasure (Portugal)

Green Lantern - Avatar 2011 (India)

And a few others, thanks to http://www.joblo.com/forums/showthread.php?t=47143:

Austin Powers: The spy who shagged me- The spy who treated me nicely (Singapore)

The Full monty- Six stripped pigs (Germany)

Dumb and Dumber-Two stupid people (Spain)

Babe- I am not stupid so I have something to say (China)

Leon- The professional killer isn't actually very cold (china)

Jaws-The White Shark (Germany)

The Piano-Wretch!let me cut off your finger (China)

From Russia with love-Nice kisses from China (France)

Die hard-Die Slowly (Germany)

As good as it gets- Mr Cat Poop (China)

K9- My partner with the cold snout (Germany)

Vampire in Brooklyn-I suck!i suck!I suck suck suck!(China)

Good Will Hunting-Bright sun, just like me (China)

All from Mexico:

American Pie 2 - Your Second Time Is Better

Airplane! - "Where's The Pilot?

The Breakfast Club - Club Of Five

Pulp Fiction - Violent Times

Desperado - Gunnman

Dolores Claiborne - Total Eclipse

Deliverance - Bitter Nightmare

About A Boy - A Great Kid

Windtakers - War Codes

Gosford Park - Death At Midnight

Full Metal Jacket - War Face

Ghost - Love Shadow

Midnight Cowboy - Lost In The Night

MallRats - Modern Youth

Kids - Lost Lives

Heat - Fire Vs. Fire

GO - Living Without Limits

Moulin Rouge - Love In Red

Snatch - Pigs And Diamonds

Wallstreet - Power And Greed

Can you name any others?

Alistair Anderson

Worst Movies Ever?

What constitutes a bad movie? Poor script, awful acting, clunky sets, lack of plot, or all of the above? Watching the deplorable The Green Hornet, I wondered this exact question. After all, we seem to know what feels like a good movie. Or do we?

Like most arts, movies are subjective. My idea of good is probably not your idea of good. For me, the mark of a truly awful film is my having to leave in the middle. Some of the films that made this grade were City of Angels (Nic Cage as a lovesick angel with a hard-as-nails Meg Ryan. Awful), Death at a Funeral (the English version, no laughs, just grossed out, bleugh), Il Postino (supposedly charming, but I wished I could chew off my own arm) and last but not least Confessions of a Shopaholic (bland, dull, just horrible).

Bad movies are not to be confused with so-bad-they're-good movies. Like The Expendables (grunting, big tough action types both old school and new), anything with a young Arnie (Predator, Commando) and First Knight (schmaltzy bad King Arthur film that I somehow enjoyed).

There are also the downright dreadful. Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, Ishtar and Shanghai Surprise spring to mind. Actually for that matter most films starring Madonna - Swept Away, Who's that Girl - with the exception of Evita. Gigli is another horror. Was it Glitter with Mariah Carey that had us wishing she would sing again?

Other notable horrors include Showgirls which managed to make a swimming pool sex scene look like a death scene from Jaws, and Catwoman, which, ohplease say it isn't true, is being remade with Anne Hathaway in the title role. Good thing cats have nine lives, because Hathaway doesn't seem the feline type.

What is your worst movie of all time?

New Trailer: Cowboys & Aliens

Late last week at the Spike TV Guys Choice Awards director Jon Favreau (Iron Man 1 & 2) unveiled a new trailer for his upcoming film Cowboys & Aliens. In case you're wondering what the film is about, well, the title says it all really. The film imagines what would happen if aliens landed in America - of course - during the 19th century when cowboys still roamed the wild west. Considering the technology that was around then compared to now you'd expect it to be a one way fight in favour of the aliens but a luckily the humans have a secret weapon in the form of an amnesic loner called Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) who happens to posses a some alien technology in his shackle. Check out the trailer below:



Besides the fact that the storyline is positively ridiculous, this looks like it might actually be a pretty good film. I'm still not sold yet on Jon Favreau as a director as I wasn't as enamoured with the two Iron Man films as everyone else seemed to be but let's wait and see how things go with this one.

Synopsis (via comicbookmovie.com):

1873. Arizona Territory. A stranger (Craig) with no memory of his past stumbles into the hard desert town of Absolution. The only hint to his history is a mysterious shackle that encircles one wrist. What he discovers is that the people of Absolution don't welcome strangers, and nobody makes a move on its streets unless ordered to do so by the iron-fisted Colonel Dolarhyde (Ford). It's a town that lives in fear.But Absolution is about to experience fear it can scarcely comprehend as the desolate city is attacked by marauders from the sky. Screaming down with breathtaking velocity and blinding lights to abduct the helpless one by one, these monsters challenge everything the residents have ever known.Now, the stranger they rejected is their only hope for salvation. As this gunslinger slowly starts to remember who he is and where he's been, he realizes he holds a secret that could give the town a fighting chance against the alien force. With the help of the elusive traveler Ella (Olivia Wilde), he pulls together a posse comprised of former opponents—townsfolk, Dolarhyde and his boys, outlaws and Apache warriors—all  in danger of annihilation. United against a common enemy, they will prepare for an epic showdown for survival.


What do you think of this trailer? Are you planning to watch this movie?

Film Review: The Adjustment Bureau

Rating: 7.2/10 - Very Good
The Adjustment Bureau is another solid adaptation of a Philip K. Dick short story. It does not touch Minority Report but it is still a watchable film with strong performances from its actors.

DVD Review: Another Year

Rating: 8/10 - Excellent

I had not yet watched a Mike Leigh film before but I had heard only good things about him so I was definitely looking forward to seeing to Another Year. It didn't hurt that the film was nominated for Best Original Screenplay Award at this year's Oscars. What did I think of the film? See my full review after the jump.





Director: Mike Leigh. Screenplay: Mike Leigh. Producer: Georgina Lowe. Executive Producers: Gail Egan and Tessa Ross. Cinematographer: Dick Pope. Editor: Jon Gregory. Score: Gary Yershon. Distributor: Focus Features. Starring: Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville and Ruth Sheen. Running Time: 129 Minutes.

Mike Leigh's Another Year opens like an Agatha Christie whodunit but instead of trying to figure out who the killer is, you have to deduce which, if not all, of the characters in the opening vignette the story will revolve around. This has the effect of grabbing and holding your full undivided attention from the start right up to the end credits. Even after the end you are left wondering what happened to a certain character that was introduced in the beginning of the film who turns out to not be a major character and therefore her story is never fully explored, never mind resolved. In fairness though none of the characters' story arcs play out in the classic three act linear structure. With this film being shot in the realist style akin to Vittorio De Sica's Umberto D, we are instead offered just a glimpse of a mostly uneventful year in the life of a middle-class family in London and it's sometimes strained relations with friends and relatives. As the film's title not so subtly suggests, this is but Another Year in the family's life.

Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen are Tom and Gerri - yes, even they find it funny - the aforementioned middle class couple who live with their 30 year old son Joe (Oliver Maltman) in a modest but comfortable London home. The film follows them through the course of one year, from spring to winter, as they cope with various everyday issues that you'd expect people to deal with in real life, not in a motion picture film.

Tom and Gerri are slightly concerned by the fact that their son Joe at his age is yet to have a serious girlfriend that they've been introduced to, let alone a wife.

On the other hand, Gerri's longtime friend and colleague Mary (Lesley Manville) is a divorcee who after many years still hasn't found another partner and has become a self-pitying, lonely old woman.

There are more situations throughout the year involving other friends and relatives which I can't discuss without being spoilerish but, suffice it to say, they are portrayed with a brutal honesty that I haven't witnessed in quite some time. In the end it is this level of realism that I found to be most refreshing about the film. Mike Leigh has done an exceptional job of making an interesting film out of even the most mundane aspects of life. He shows us that there is beauty in the most in the most dull situations and, most importantly, that life is best spent with the people you love the most.

Verdict: A graceful little film about the pleasures and sorrows of relationships, be they between family, friends or lovers. It is quite simply a pleasure to behold.

Another Year is available now on DVD.

DVD Review: The Social Network

Rating: 4.9/10 - Forgettable


The Social Network is the real-life story of the development of the ever so popular social network website – Facebook. It delves into the drama that happened behind the scenes in the development process as well as the drama that came about after the huge success of Facebook.