It’s not a long weekend but South African cinema chains seem to be getting in the holiday spirit with several new releases. Plus, on Saturday’s Heritage Day, there are special early screenings all day for The Woman King, about the army of ferocious women soldiers who were the backbone of the Kingdom of Dahomey’s strength from the 17th Century through the 1800s.
The Woman King isn’t the only film to get a special screening treatment, though.
With long-awaited sequel Avatar: The Way of Water out on 16 December, it’s time to refamiliarise yourself with the original Avatar, James Cameron’s blockbuster phenomenon, and the highest grossing movie of all time. Experience the 2009 film’s re-release in 3D IMAX through Ster Kinekor, and VIP 3D and 4DX courtesy of Nu Metro. This sci-fi adventure centres on Jake, a wounded ex-marine, who is thrust unwillingly into an effort to settle and exploit Pandora, a deadly planet rich in biodiversity. As the human settlers and indigenous people (known as the Na’vi) clash, Jake sides with the locals in a battle for their survival. Starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang.
Psychological thriller Don’t Worry Darling is the latest effort from actress-turned-director Olivia Wilde, and it stars Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Olivia Wilde, Gemma Chan, KiKi Layne and Chris Pine. This one has made headlines more for its behind-the-scenes drama than onscreen events, but the plot sees Alice (Pugh) and Jack (Styles) living in the idealized community of Victory, an experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. Life is perfect in this 1950s utopia, but when Alice sees cracks in their idyllic life, revealing something sinister beneath, she starts to question what is really going on.
Like The Lost City, Ticket to Paradise is a return to the megastar-fronted romantic comedies of pre-pandemic times. George Clooney and Julia Roberts reunite on the big screen as Georgia and David Cotton, a divorced couple who find themselves on a shared mission to stop their lovestruck daughter from making the same mistake they once did. That means working together to break off the engagement on the cusp of her Bali wedding. Ticket to Paradise also stars Kaitlyn Dever as David and Georgia’s daughter Lily, Billie Lourd as as Lily’s best friend Wren, and Maxime Bouttier as Lily’s fiance Gede.
For families, there’s animated Big Trip 2: Special Delivery. It has been a year since Mic Mic the bear and Oscar the hare returned from their incredible adventure. And now, after a diabolical plan by Vulture to sabotage the delivery of the Grizzly cub to his opponent in the American presidential elections, Mic Mic, Oscar, now-teenage Panda, and Stork set off on another great adventure as they ride a zeppelin to return little Grizzly to its rightful parents, save the American elections and the whole continent from the erupting volcano. In the English language dub of the this Russian-US collaboration, Pauly Shore is Mic-Mic, while Drake Bell voices Oscar.
Finally, there’s Chinese time travel comedy Give Me Five. Unsuccessful Xiao Wu lazes around with nothing better to do. His father, Lao Wu has late-stage Alzheimerʼs disease. The only memories his father has left are those of his Xiao’s mother, Da Liu. In hopes that any remembrance of his mother can help with his fatherʼs illness, Xiao Wu goes back to their old home, where he recovers a dusty diary and a ring box. Somehow, he gains the ability to travel back to the 1980s, and his actions there alter the fates of his parents. Starring Li Ma, Yuan Chang and Xiang Wei.