Three new movies make their cinema debut in South Africa this Friday, alongside the brief Throwback return of The First Wives Club – if you need an early dose of anti-Valentine’s sentiment.
Starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson, Mercy is hands-down the standout cinema release of the week. Set in 2029 Los Angeles, this Minority Report-esque science fiction thriller sees a detective on trial for murdering his wife. He has 90 minutes to prove his innocence to the advanced AI Judge he once championed, before it determines his fate, which may include instant execution. Interestingly, behind the camera is Wanted filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, who hasn’t done anything notable in the West since 2016’s Ben-Hur.
Speaking of notable filmmakers who haven’t popped up for a while, Good Will Hunting and Milk’s Gus Van Sant is back with drama thriller Dead Man’s Wire. Based on a true story, the film follows the 1977 kidnapping of mortgage banker Richard Hall (Stranger Things’ Dacre Montgomery) by former real estate developer Tony Kiritsis (Bill Skarsgård), turning the latter into an outlaw folk hero as he demands $5 million and a personal apology for injustices against him. Rounding out the cast are Cary Elwes, Myha’la, Colman Domingo and Al Pacino.
Finally, for families is animated superhero adventure Charlie the Wonderdog. Owen Wilson voices the title character, a beloved family pet who is abducted by aliens only to return with superpowers, and the ability to speak. Charlie’s human, nine-year-old Danny, is in awe of his canine best friend’s heroism. However, things take a serious turn when villainous cat Puddy sets in place a scheme to destroy humanity, forcing Danny and Charlie to figure out how they can save the world. By all accounts, Charlie the Wonderdog is a mid-range effort, but still heartfelt and quite watchable.