If your biggest fear this Halloween is not having something to watch on the big screen, South African cinema chains are dishing out a variety of treats, starting with the latest collaboration between Poor Things and The Favourite filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and leading lady Emma Stone.
Apart for four new features, this Friday also sees the rerelease of beloved Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan romcom You’ve Got Mail, while concert film Mary J. Blige: For My Fans screens at select Nu Metros from 5 November.
On the live-action front, Bugonia is your best bet for something chilling this Halloween. Well, kinda. In this pitch black comedy thriller with absurdist undertones, Emma Stone’s high-powered corporate CEO is kidnapped by two disturbed men (Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis) who believe that she is an alien intent on destroying Earth. Based on a 2003 Korean film, acclaimed Greek filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite, Poor Things) directs.
Anime is killing it at the South African box office, and hoping to capitalise on that popularity is Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc. Serving as a direct sequel to the anime’s first season, in this dark action fantasy, hero Denji finds himself torn between his handler Makima and a mysterious new girl named Reze. But then secrets are revealed, leading a deadly new battle in the endless war between Devils and Devil Hunters. Chainsaw Man – The Movie is screening locally in Japanese with English subtitles.
If you’re looking for something more conventional this week, there’s drama Regretting You, based on the bestselling novel by Colleen Hoover. When a devastating car accident reveals a betrayal that shatters their family, Morgan Grant (Allison Williams) and her daughter, Clara (Mckenna Grace) learn lessons in growth, resilience, and self-discovery in the aftermath of tragedy. Also with Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Scott Eastwood and Willa Fitzgerald. Behind the camera is Josh Boone, director of The Fault in Our Stars.
Finally, for the (youngest) kids in the house, animated adventure Time Hoppers: The Silk Road makes its debut. Unusual in its featuring of young Muslim leads, the film is set in 2050 and sees four gifted children from Vancouver’s Aqli Academy stumble upon the ability to time travel. Abdullah, Aysha, Khalid, and Layla find themselves on the historic Silk Road, working to save great minds of that era, and area, from an evil alchemist trying to rewrite history and these legendary figures’ contribution to humanity.