It’s late in the summer season, so there are no more tent-pole summer films. What we have this weekend is a Guy Ritchie action comedy, a horror sequel, a Sci-Fi thriller, a B-movie starring Van Damme and a Bollywood comedy.
The Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Directed by: Guy Ritchie
With: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, and Hugh Grant
Heads up: Set in the 60’s, CIA agent Napoleon Solo and KGB operative Illya Kuryakin have to work together to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons by a mysterious criminal organization. This is the film adaptation for a 60’s TV show, and although it is not a smashing success at the box office, it’s getting decent reviews, and it looks like a lot of fun and different from the usual Guy Ritchie affair. Filmphoria’s Shariq Madani gave it a 3-star review: “It works as a buddy-spy film; the chemistry of the leads with Ritchie-ness is good. Alas, only if it had a half-decent plot.” I say go for it.
Sinister 2
Directed by: Ciarán Foy
With: James Ransone, Shannyn Sossamon, and Robert Daniel
Heads up: Oh well, it’s the story of a young mother and her twin sons move (as they do!) into a rural house that’s marked for death. The first film was formulaic but creepy and had some good scares, so expect more of the same. If you are fan of the “original”, this one should satisfy you.
Selfless
Directed by: Tarsem Singh
With: Ryan Reynolds, Natalie Martinez, Matthew Goode, and Ben Kingsley
Heads up: The story of a dying real estate mogul who transfers his consciousness into a healthy young body, but soon finds that neither the procedure nor the company that performed it are quite what they seem. This is from Tarsem who gave us some weird fantastic looking films such as The Cell and The Fall. That said, this film’s reviews are terrible, so should just skip it and watch it on DVD.
Pound of Flesh
Directed by: Ernie Barbarash
With: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Darren Shahlavi, and Charlotte Peters
Heads up: Van Damme is a Black-Op agents who wakes up in China to find out his kidney is stolen, so he goes on a revenge rampage. It’s the usual Van Damme B-movie, so if you are fan of such films then why not, otherwise, don’t bother.
All is Well
Directed by: Umesh Shukla
With: Rishi Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, and Asin
Heads up: The story of a dysfunctional family that takes a road trip, only to end up chased by goons. The concept is nothing special, and has been done hundreds of times, so it all hinges on the chemistry between the Rishi Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan. Judging by the trailer, I don’t see much to recommend, except for the beautiful Indian locales.
