More about them in a moment, but in addition to three features in wider release, three different Bollywood movies arrive in cinemas this week (historical Batwara 1947, heartfelt drama Vishwanath & Sons, and nearly twenty years later-sequel Awarapan 2). Also making a Throwback return to select Ster Kinekor theatres is Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. But now onto the week’s trio of main attractions.
The End of Oak Street is a throwback-style midyear blockbuster, combining science fiction, survival action and a serving of horror in the vein of classic Steven Spielberg. The story centres on the Platt family (Anne Hathaway, Ewan McGregor, Maisy Stella, Christian Convery), who wake up one morning to discover that a mysterious cosmic event has uprooted their whole neighbourhood, and dumped it in prehistoric times. It Follows filmmaker David Robert Mitchell writes and directs.
Look out for our The End of Oak Street review before the, uh, end of the week.
At first glance, One Night Only comes across like any other will-they-won’t-they romantic comedy. Until you realise the film has a weirdly dystopian concept. The movie is set in a reality where premarital sex is illegal except for one night a year. Monica Barbaro and Callum Turner star as a couple of singles intent on finding real connection when everyone around them in New York City is only intent on hooking up. Also with Molly Ringwald, LeVar Burton, Maya Hawke and Julia Fox.
For something more bittersweet, and British, you should line up coming-of-age comedy drama Sunny Dancer. The last of Us’s Bella Ramsey stars as 17-year-old Ivy, a cancer survivor whose parents sign her up to spend the summer at what she calls “chemo camp.” Initially resistant to attending, she nonetheless finds new friends and romance. Neil Patrick Harris also appears in the film, which was nominated for the Crystal Bear at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival.