With the Heritage Day public holiday today, South African cinema chains are choosing to release new movies both today (one day early) and tomorrow, on Friday as usual. And for the second week in a row, there’s a tasty selection of film debuts.
In addition to those features listed below, you can also check out Bollywood fantasy actioner The Vvaan – Force of the Forrest; South African short film Liefde is Rooi; and special on-stage opera celebration Twenty Years of the Met in Cinemas.
Finally, on the re-release front, there’s Avengers: Endgame (Encore), a slightly extended cut of the original Phase Three-capping film, to prepare MCU fans for the December release of Avengers: Doomsday. Infinity Vision screenings (Disney’s large format experience to rival IMAX) will reportedly contain a few more minutes of extra footage that serves as a Doomsday “sneak peek.”
It was tough singling out our top movie pick of the week, but given how it demonstrates a similar energy to KPop Demon Hunters, that recommendation goes to animated adventure Forgotten Island, from DreamWorks Animation. Set in the Philippines of the 1990s, and drawing on local mythology, the film sees high school graduates and best friends Jo and Raissa about to go their separate ways. Then the pair stumble upon a mysterious portal that transports them to Nakali, a fantastical island filled with magical creatures. They can return home, but that means sacrificing the memories of their entire friendship. Featuring the voices of H.E.R., Liza Soberano, Dave Franco, Jenny Slate and Manny Jacinto.
Resident Evil, take three! Following two previous live-action takes (one Milla Jovovich-fronted film series, one reboot) on Capcom’s iconic survival video game franchise, comes Resident Evil yet again. Barbarians and Weapons filmmaker Zach Cregger helms the new RE, which adopts a different “reinvented” approach. Instead of following one of the games’ storylines, here audiences join medical courier Bryan (Austin Abrams), whose task to deliver a package to a hospital in remote Raccoon City drops him in the middle of a terrifying outbreak that mutates the infected. RE purists may not be happy but the film promises an action-packed, non-stop race for survival over the course of one horrifying night.
First up, animal lovers, you can rest easy. It’s been confirmed upfront that the dog doesn’t die in Heart of the Beast. That doesn’t mean that this survival thriller adventure won’t be an emotionally gruelling watch, though. In Heart of the Beast, Brad Pitt plays former Special Forces officer James Belmont, who’s stranded in a remote region of the Alaskan wilderness after his sea plane crashes. Fortunately Belmont has his retired combat dog Odin at his side, and working together the pair brave the elements, natural dangers and their own PTSD in their struggle to reach safety. Behind the camera is David Ayer, the same action-adept filmmaker responsible for Fury, End of Watch and A Working Man.
Forgotten Island isn’t the only animated entertainment offering for families this week. Beloved British stop-motion character Shaun The Sheep (a spinoff from Wallace and Gromit) receives his third feature-length outing in Shaun the Sheep: The Beast Of Mossy Bottom. Aardman Animations produces this tale of a Halloween gone wrong. It all starts when the the Farmer accidentally destroys his flock’s pumpkin patch. Shaun turns mad scientist to quickly regrow the crop, and save the holiday celebrations, but his actions have chaotic consequences for Mossy Bottom farm, and the Mossingham community at large. 99% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes.
Looking for something local and family suitable? Out this week at select Ster Kinekors is comedy Timmy the Kid. Kenneth Nkosi stars as the title character, a middle-aged farmer and wannabe cowboy who heads to the big city to scatter his mother’s ashes. Determined but clueless, our country bumpkin hero books into an Airbnb and soon realizes that he’s out of his depth in Johannesburg. While his mission goes wrong at every turn, comical mishaps and new friendships turn Timmy’s trip into an unforgettable journey of self-discovery. Also starring Lillian Dube, Sandile Mahlangu and Celeste Ntuli.