A glossy blockbuster musical leads the charge in a spirited week at cinemas, full of intense action and thrills (and a dash of romance). On top of these, you can check out Bollywood release Mastiii 4; the Throwback return of GoldenEye, Pierce Brosnan’s first 007 outing; The Metropolitan Opera’s recorded performance of La Bohème by Puccini; and, finally, if you’re in Joburg, the results of the city’s recent 48 Hr Film Project.
We enjoyed Wicked: Part 1 but loved follow-up Wicked: For Good (which might actually put us in the critical minority). Either way, For Good serves as the second on-screen Act of the stage musical adaptation set in the Wonderful World of Oz. Saddled with the title of the Wicked Witch of the West, Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) is a hated figure, while her former best friend Glinda (Ariana Grande) revels in the perks of fame and popularity. However, it’s only together that they will be able to change all of Oz, for good.
Following recent Demon Slayer and Chainsaw Man screenings, from this Friday, anime fans will be able to check out supernatural actioner Jujutsu Kaisen: Execution, which combines the best of Shibuya Incident with the first two episodes of the series’ Season 3. As the deadly Culling Game starts, Special Grade sorcerer Yuta Okkotsu is assigned to carry out Yuji Itadori’s execution for his perceived crimes during the Incident. In Japanese with English subtitles.
Keeping things dark, but live-action this time, is Keeper the latest effort from filmmaker Osgood (Longlegs) Perkins, who has been heralded as a modern master of the horror genre. Liz (Tatiana Maslany) and Malcolm (Rossif Sutherland) escape for a romantic anniversary weekend to a secluded cabin, but as Liz is forced to spend time alone, she finds herself facing an unspeakable evil, and the location’s horrifying history. Learn more about Keeper here.
Following the success of the brutal actioner Sisu comes sequel Sisu: Road to Revenge out of Finland. In 1946, Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila), AKA “the man who refuses to die”, seeks to rebuild the house of his butchered family in Soviet-occupied Karelia. That pits him against the Red Army commander (Avatar’s Stephen Lang) who killed them in the first place, leading to a breathless chase across the post-war wastes, and fight to the death.
Your local option for the week (if you’re in KZN anyway) is romantic drama The Cane Cutter. A young Durban lawyer (Razeen Dada) drops out of university to make a documentary about his indentured grandfather, who travelled from India to South Africa in the early 1900s. Facing obstacles, he meets the descendant of his grandfather’s lost love, a doctor (Dr Kajal Lutchminarain) struggling to find her place in the world.