With so much grabbing for your attention and dollars these days, it’s easy to miss when the latest releases are heading to a cinema near you. So come back every week as we here at So, Is It Any Good? preview the new movies hitting screens, and give you the lowdown on what to watch this weekend.
This weekend the cinema is stacked! Nemo and friends return in Finding Dory, it’s Man vs. Orc in Warcraft: The Beginning, we get the tissues ready for Me Before You, Don Cheadle is Miles Ahead, Anna Kendrick is on the search for Mr Right, and Sam Neill and Adrien Brody go for scares in the local thriller Backtrack.
Finding Dory
Rating: G
Starring: Ellen DeGeneres, Idris Elba, Michael Sheen, Dominic West, Albert Brooks
Synopsis: The friendly-but-forgetful blue tang fish reunites with her loved ones, and everyone learns a few things about the true meaning of family along the way.
Trailer:
Why you should care: It’s Pixar, that’s why. Strap yourself in for beautiful animation and all dem feels. After the one-two punch of last year’s awesome Inside Out and the slightly less amazing The Good Dinosaur, hopes are high for this fishy sequel to one of the studio’s biggest hits. Pixar hasn’t had the greatest track record with sequels outside of the Toy Story movies, although personally I think Cars 2 is underrated, but this is certain to drive kids young and old to the movies. I don’t think it’ll be quite as good as Nemo, but any excuse to dip our toes back into this world is a welcome one.
Who should see it: Fish fiends and Pixar junkies
Warcraft: The Beginning
Rating: M
Starring: Travis Fimmel, Ben Foster, Paula Patton
Synopsis: The peaceful realm of Azeroth stands on the brink of war as its civilization faces a fearsome race of invaders: orc warriors fleeing their dying home to colonize another. As a portal opens to connect the two worlds, one army faces destruction and the other faces extinction. From opposing sides, two heroes are set on a collision course that will decide the fate of their family, their people, and their home.
OUR VERDICT
Trailer:
Why you should care: A word to the wise, before you rush out to see this video game adaptation, read our beginners guide, trust me it’ll help. I’m not hugely familiar with the Warcraft world, so this doesn’t really get my blood pumping like it might for others. It looks amazing though, and the Orc characters look well realised. Director Duncan Jones made the amazingly subtle Moon, so this is a big leap up for him, but if he brings the same deliberate attention to character to this CGI spectacle, it might just fly.
Who should see it: Gamers
Me Before You
Rating: PG
Starring: Emilia Clarke, Sam Claflin, Janet McTeer
Synopsis: A girl in a small town forms an unlikely bond with a recently-paralyzed man she’s taking care of.
Trailer:
Why you should care: This is great counter-programming for Warcraft, but if I’m choosing a date night movie, I’d have to go for Dory over this. But for anyone that wants a good cry, or is particularly infatuated with Clarke or Claflin (although he’s probably more clothed than he is in The Hunger Games), that might be enough to warrant a ticket purchase. It’s good to see Clarke unshackled from the constraints of her Mother Of Dragons character on Game Of Thrones, and even from this small preview you can see she has an infectious and magnetic screen presence. Get the tissues ready, this’ll be a 4-alarm weepy spectacular.
Who should see it: Love birds
Miles Ahead
Rating: M
Starring: Don Cheadle, Emayatzy Corinealdi, Ewan McGregor
Synopsis: In the midst of a dazzling and prolific career at the forefront of modern jazz innovation, Miles Davis (Cheadle) virtually disappears from public view for a period of five years in the late 1970s. Alone and holed up in his home, he is beset by chronic pain from a deteriorating hip, his musical voice stifled and numbed by drugs and pain medications, his mind haunted by unsettling ghosts from the past. A wily music reporter, Dave Braden (Ewan McGregor) forces his way into Davis’ house and, over the next couple of days, the two men unwittingly embark on a wild and sometimes harrowing adventure to recover a stolen tape of the musician’s latest compositions.
Trailer:
Why you should care: Part biography, part gangster film, this looks like an interesting take on the traditional bio-pic formula. Cheadle is pulling double duty as director and star here, and as a first directorial effort he’s not playing it safe. The trailer is a bit all over the place tonally, but if he can hit the right notes between character and story, this one could really sing.
Who should see it: Davis devotees
Mr Right
Rating: MA15+
Starring: Anna Kendrick, Sam Rockwell, Tim Roth
Synopsis: When unlucky-in-love Martha (Kendrick) meets Francis (Rockwell) he seems different from other guys. Really different. In fact, if you don’t count that he’s a hitman on the run from crime cartels, he may just turn out to be Mr Right.
Trailer:
Why you should care: This looks like a lot of fun, and better than a bunch of big budget action movies we’ve seen thus far this year. Kendrick and Rockwell are both pretty awesome, so putting the two together should be sweet. If you liked Mr & Mrs Smith or Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, I think this’ll be right up your alley.
Who should see it: If you’re in the mood for a little kissing with their action
Backtrack
Rating: M
Starring: Adrien Brody, Sam Neill
Synopsis: Psychologist Peter Bower’s life is thrown into turmoil when he discovers that the patients he has been seeing are ghosts. Risking his own sanity, Peter delves into his past to uncover a terrifying secret which only he can put right.
Trailer:
Why you should care: I don’t know what the hell is happening, but that’s a damn effective trailer! And suddenly, this little Australian thriller has shot up to the top of my watch list. The cast is as (seemingly) impressive as Adrien Brody’s Australian accent, and if this doesn’t get caught in the M. Night Shyamalan trap of all build up, lame pay off, then this might be a nice little jolt for your weekend.
Who should see it: Shock addicts
So, who’s getting your hard earned dollars this weekend? Hit us up in the comments and let us know what you’ve watched, and if it’s any good!