What To Watch This Weekend – Sept 15-18

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, Event Cinemas George Street continues their In The House screenings with the Oscar-winning classic The Godfather. Meanwhile in another full weekend at the multiplexes, everything that was old is new again as we get new iterations of Blair WitchPete’s Dragon, and Bridget Jones and for a change of pace a plucky Australian comedy in the form of Spin Out.


In The House: The Godfather

thegodfatherposterWhere: Event Cinemas George St Sydney

When: Friday, September 16th at 7pm

Rating: MA15+

Starring: Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, James Caan

Synopsis: The aging patriarch of an organized crime dynasty transfers control of his clandestine empire to his reluctant son.

Trailer:

Why you should care: Event Cinemas George Street’s In The House cult film festival is serving up classic after classic, and this week we get an offer you can’t refuse. They’re serving up the Godfather of all mob movies, and a masterclass in acting, writing and directing. Catch Francis Ford Coppola’s masterpiece on the big screen where it was meant to be seen.

Who should see it: Mobsters, molls, and gangster groupies

Get your tickets below

EventHOUSE_Holding Slide_


Blair Witch

blairwitchposterRating: MA15+

Starring: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Corbin Reid

Synopsis: After discovering a video showing what he believes to be his sister’s experiences in the demonic woods of the Blair Witch, James and a group of friends head to the forest in search of his lost sibling.

Trailer:

Why you should care: 17 years after The Blair Witch Project stunned audiences and kicked off a whole cottage industry of “found footage” movies, Blair Witch tries to recapture fans of the franchise that have been left jaded by a host of pretenders and rip-offs (including the appalling sequel). Horror movies are a very subjective beast, and it’ll be up to your individual tastes and your stance on the low-tech shaky cam style as to whether you should line up for this one or not.

Who should see it: Witch watchers


Pete’s Dragon

petesdragonposterRating: PG

Starring: Bryce Dallas Howard, Karl Urban, Robert Redford

Synopsis: For years, old wood carver Mr. Meacham has delighted local children with his tales of the fierce dragon that resides deep in the woods. To his daughter, Grace, who works as a forest ranger, these stories are little more than tall tales…until she meets Pete. Pete is a mysterious orphaned who claims to live in the woods with a giant, green dragon named Elliott. Pete’s description of Elliott seems remarkably similar to the dragon from her Dad’s tales.

Trailer:

Why you should care: Disney’s mining of their back catalogue continues with probably the least likely contender for a remake – the 1977 live-action/animation hybrid Pete’s Dragon. Ditching the animated dragon for a more straightforward CG version, this movie seems like a real throwback to the Free Willy/Fly Away Home era of family films. Are modern audiences too cynical to take the sugary sweetness on offer? Only time and a box office report will tell.

Who should see it: Disney (and dragon) disciples


Bridget Jones’s Baby

bridgetjonesbabyposterRating: M

Starring: Renée Zellweger, Patrick Dempsey, Colin Firth, Emma Thompson

Synopsis: The continuing adventures of British publishing executive Bridget Jones as she enters her 40s.

 

Trailer:

Why you should care: Our trifecta of throwbacks finishes with a chick magnet. Back in the early 2000’s, fans flocked to the relatable misadventures of Bridget Jones played with plucky enthusiasm by Renée Zellweger (in an Oscar nominated turn no less!). One slap-dash sequel was all it took to close the book on Ms. Jones, but here she returns; older, not really wiser, and seemingly possessing all the quirks that made the cash registers full in the beginning. Like all these remakes, time will soon tell if the audience is buying, but my hunch is that Bridget fans will come back for the next chapter.

Who should see it: Those with a Jonesing for Jones


Spin Out

spinoutposterRating: M

Starring: Xavier Samuel, Morgan Griffin, Travis Jeffery, Christie Whelan-Browne, Brooke McClymont, Melissa Bergland and Lincoln Lewis

Synopsis: Billy & Lucy have grown up together in a small, close-knit country town, where they form one of the town’s most formidable Ute driving teams. When Billy takes one risky car stunt too far, Lucy declares she is moving to the city – sending Billy into a spin. Amid the mayhem of the town’s annual “Bachelors & Spinsters” party, Billy only has one night to wake up to his true feelings for his best friend – or lose her forever.

Trailer:

Why you should care: I’m not sure you should. Australia seems to have been churning out these silly little comedies with a rural setting for decades now and this doesn’t seem to bring anything new to the table. The jokes seemed forced and unfunny, and although the leads seem likeable enough I doubt they can turn this cliched mess around on their own. I was waiting for Ray Meagher or Bryan Brown to show up at some point, it might’ve added some interest.

Who should see it: Go if you like supporting Aussie cinema, but otherwise there’s better things to watch


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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