It’s Eid weekend and there is a huge number of big releases in the year’s busiest season for cinemagoers. So without further ado, let’s dive in:
Incredibles 2
Directed by: Brad Bird
With: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, and Samuel L. Jackson
What is it about? Bob Parr (Mr. Incredible) is left to care for Jack-Jack while Helen (Elastigirl) is out saving the world.
Heads Up: The highly anticipated sequel to The Incredibles is coming out this Eid and the reviews are (expectedly) superb! This is one sequel that everyone was asking for and now you all can watch it with the family.
Adrift
Directed by: Baltasar Kormákur
With: Shailene Woodley, Sam Claflin, and Grace Palmer
What is it about? A young couple’s chance encounter leads them first to love, and then on the adventure of a lifetime as they face one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history.
Heads Up: The movie has garnered a respectable enough response to arouse our curiosity, but among the major releases of this weekend, Adrift may have to take a low priority. Our resident critic Lloyd Bayer has watched it, and in his 3½ stars review he wrote: “if you liked Tom Hanks in Castaway or Robert Redford in All is Lost, then Woodley won’t disappoint and neither will this film”.
Hereditary
Directed by: Ari Aster
With: Toni Collette, Milly Shapiro, Alex Wolff, and Gabriel Byrne
What is it about? When the matriarch of the Graham family passes away, her daughter’s family begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry.
Heads Up: One of the most anticipated and best-reviewed horror films of the year, do not let this one slip by. I am all in for this one, but be aware that it will be heavily censored.
Hotel Artemis
Directed by: Drew Pearce
With: Jodie Foster, Sterling K. Brown, Sofia Boutella, Dave Bautista, and Jeff Goldblum
What is it about? Set in riot-torn, near-future Los Angeles, ‘Hotel Artemis’ follows the Nurse, who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals.
Heads Up: This weird genre thriller was met with middling reviews and a disappointing box-office in the US, but the cast is fantastic, so I would definitely keep it in mind at least for home viewing.
Race 3
Directed by: Remo
With: Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, and Jacqueline Fernandez
What is it about? an internationally mounted saga of a family that deals in borderline crime but is ruthless and vindictive to the core. A world with twists and turns at every nook and corner, which will take the audience by surprise with its sheer unpredictability.
Heads Up: The third Race film has little if anything to do with the first two films, and a brand new cast with only Anil Kapoor reappearing (albeit as a different character). I have a theory that they wanted to adapt the Fast and Furious films but couldn’t get the rights so they opted for the cheaper local franchise. The trailer looks particularly bad, so watch it only if you have a fetish for Salman Khan Eid releases.
Tag
Directed by: Jeff Tomsic
With: Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Isla Fisher, Jake Johnson, and Jeremy Renner
What is it about? A small group of former classmates organizes an elaborate, annual game of tag that requires some to travel all over the country.
Heads Up: Believe it or not, this slapstick comedy is based on a true story. The cast seems a whole barrel of fun, and it could be an entertaining time in the cinema, so why not?
The Message
Directed by: Moustapha Akkad
With: Anthony Quinn, Irene Papas, Michael Ansara (English Version), Abdallah Gheith, Mona Wassef, Hamdy Gheith
What is it about? This epic historical drama chronicles the life and times of Muhammad and serves as an introduction to early Islamic history.
Heads Up: After more than 40 years of its original release, this epic film that was originally banned in all Arab countries received a 4K restoration and is being commercially shown on big screens for the first time here. The film was shot in Arabic and English simultaneously with two different casts. It will be good to catch up with this iconic film on the big screen finally.
