What To Watch This Weekend – Aug 25-28

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 is chock full of rebels – one man rises up against the Romans in Ben-Hur, Matthew McConaughey fights for the Free State Of Jones, and David Brent is back and fighting for relevance with David Brent: Life On The Road.


Ben-Hur

BenHurPosterRating: M

Starring: Jack Huston, Toby Kebbell, Morgan Freeman

Synopsis: The epic story of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston), a prince falsely accused of treason by his adopted brother Messala (Toby Kebbell), an officer in the Roman army. Stripped of his title, separated from his family & the woman he loves (Nazanin Boniadi), Judah is forced into slavery. After years at sea, Judah returns to his homeland to seek revenge, but finds redemption.

 

Trailer:

Why you should care: Really Hollywood? Really? After the bombing of Noah, Exodus: Gods And Kings, and Gods Of Egypt, you really thought that what the public wanted was more expensive swords and sandals epics? Granted the thing looks good, and director Timur Bekmambetov (Night WatchWanted) knows his way around an action sequence, but if Ridley Scott can crash and burn in this genre, I don’t give this one much hope.

Who should see it: Ancient action admirers


Free State Of Jones

FreeStateOfJonesPosterRating: MA15+

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Keri Russell, Gugu Mbatha-Raw

Synopsis: As civil war divides the nation, a poor farmer from Mississippi leads a group of rebels against the Confederate army.

 

 

 

Trailer:

Why you should care: Riding high off the one-two punch of his Dallas Buyer’s Club Oscar win and his buzzy performance in the HBO drama True Detective has allowed Matthew McConaughey to thankfully shed the bronzed himbo persona and actually start making movies again. After the divisive Interstellar, he’s back with a period piece action-drama that finds him mining some of the same territory as A Time To Kill. It unfortunately comes off like another one of the “white man saves the oppressed minority” movies (see Dances With WolvesThe Last Samurai), but time will tell if it rises above that.

Who should see it: McConaugh-fans


David Brent: Life On The Road

DavidBrentPosterRating: PG

Starring: Ricky Gervais, Jo Hartley, Mandeep Dhillon

Synopsis: A camera crew catches up with David Brent, the former star of the fictional British series, The Office, as he now fancies himself a rockstar on the road.

 

 

 

Trailer:

Why you should care: If you’re a fan of the original British Office, even saying “David Brent movie” probably has you ready to order your tickets, and that’s definitely the target audience for this one. It’ll likely draw heavily on your memories of the show, and in true Gervais fashion, make you squirm in your seat as you piss yourself laughing. Is it too late to revisit the character? Have people moved on? I guess we’ll find out.

Who should see it: Strictly Office heads, or Gervais groupies


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!

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