The third weekend of March brings us another well-received animated movie in the same month. We also have this week one of the best horror movies of recent times. Apart from there, there is a whole dump of movies ranging from less-marketed-but-good to unnecessary sequels. Here’s the whole lot of 10 releases this week.
Kung Fu Panda 3
Directed by: Alessandro Carloni, Jennifer Yuh
With: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman, Jackie Chan, others.
Heads up: Continuing his “legendary adventures of awesomeness”, Po must face two hugely epic, but different threats: one supernatural and the other a little closer to his home. Excellent reviews ensures this threequel does not fall the way many such franchises do, even of the trailer didn’t hold much promise. Of all the releases this week, this one is the safest choice.
The Witch
Directed by: Robert Eggers
With: Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, others.
Heads up: A family in 1630s New England is torn apart by the forces of witchcraft, black magic and possession. The Witch is touted as one of the best horror movies of recent times, certainly among the best by a debutante director. Go for it! But beware, there may be quite a lot chopped out in the local release.
Eye In The Sky
Directed by: Gavin Hood
With: Helen Mirren, Aaron Paul, Alan Rickman, others.
Heads up: A military officer in command of a drone operation to capture terrorists in Kenya sees her mission escalate from “capture” to “kill” just as a nine-year old girl enters the kill zone. Of the many reasons to watch the movie, two are: Alan Rickman’s last film + Gavin Hood back at the top of Tomatometer ratings (95%)! If you need more, there’s also the always-awesome Dame Helen Mirren.
The Dressmaker
Directed by: Jocelyn Moorhouse
With: Kate Winslet, Liam Hemsworth, others.
Heads up: A glamorous woman returns to her small town in rural Australia. With her sewing machine and haute couture style, she transforms the women and exacts sweet revenge on those who did her wrong. Now why would Kate Winslet be in a movie like this? It has to be a contractual obligation, or the money was good. Even so, the movie has average reviews, so it’s not bad enough to avoid. I call: chick-flick!
Kapoor & Sons
Directed by: Shakun Batra
With: Rishi Kapoor, Ratna Pathak, Rajat Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Afzal Khan, Alia Bhatt, others.
Heads up: A story revolving around a dysfunctional family of two brothers who visit their parents and grandfather in Coonoor, and end up falling for the same woman. With it being a Karan Johar production, there’s a presumption on how you feel about this film. The supporting cast may be a sway for some. The director has made a good film earlier, so bother with it if you liked Ekk Main Aur Ekk Tu.
The Wave
Directed by: Roar Uthaug
With: Kristoffer Joner, Thomas Bo Larsen, Ane Dahl Torp, others.
Heads up: Even though awaited, no-one is really ready when the mountain pass of Åkneset above the scenic narrow Norwegian fjord Geiranger falls out and creates a 85 meter high violent tsunami. A geologist is one of those caught in the middle of it. This Norwegian film has had some wonderful reviews, the consensus being that this is a disaster film with a refreshingly humanistic focus. Recommended, especially for those who like to experiment but not by a lot.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2
Directed by: Kirk Jones
With: John Corbett, Nia Vardalos, Elena Kampouris, others.
Heads up: The continuing adventures of the Portokalos family. A follow-up to the 2002 comedy.“My Big Fat Greek Wedding.” A young Greek woman falls in love with a non-Greek and struggles to get her family to accept him while she comes to terms with her heritage and cultural identity. There are those who really liked the first, so here’s a sequel for you.
Frankenstein
Directed by: Bernard Rose
With: Carrie-Anne Moss, Tony Todd, Xavier Samuel, others.
Heads up: A married couple of scientists create a modern-day monster. This little known film has received good word of mouth, so it may be worth the experiment for those who like to try different. If you do watch it, do spread the word — good or bad.
Solace
Directed by: Afonso Poyart
With: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Anthony Hopkins, Colin Farrell, others.
Heads up: A psychic works with the FBI in order to hunt down a serial killer. So, it’s just another rip-off of the Silence of the Lambs formula. And look, it even has the Hannibal Lecter on the poster. I’m sure there are better options this week, but we’re not gonna run down a movie unless we’ver heard or expect it to be bad. This one, can’t say either way. Toss a coin!
Miracles From Heaven
Directed by: Patricia Riggen
With: Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, others.
Heads up: A young girl suffering from a rare digestive disorder finds herself miraculously cured after surviving a terrible accident. An inspiring film based on a true story, go for it if you are having a crisis of faith. Or don’t. If you are looking to duck into the cinema for some alone time, this might be a good option.
