It feels safe to say that none of this week’s movie debuts have a chance of dethroning Spider-Man: Brand New Day, which smashed local cinema records on its opening weekend. Apart for the Throwback return of Gregory Peck classic To Kill a Mockingbird, four new features are making their big screen arrival.
Thriller Above & Below is part crime actioner and part shark survival tale. A group of friends embark on a dream boating vacation off the Mexico coast, only for things to swiftly turn into a nightmare when criminals attack them in open water. With nowhere to go, the young people are caught between ruthless drug traffickers and frenzied sharks. Laura Marano heads up the cast while Antonio Banderas plays the crime lord who insists on no loose ends.
Hot on the heels of their Hershey chocolate biopic, Angel Studios brings movie lovers another inspiring historical drama in Young Washington. Long before he became the first president of the United States, George Washington (played by newcomer William Franklyn-Miller) was a soldier whose experiences in frontier conflict between colonial British and French forces were to test his honour, loyalty and courage. Also with Mary-Louise Parker, Kelsey Grammer, Andy Serkis and Ben Kingsley.
On the homegrown movie front this week, there’s fast-paced crime comedy Crazy Heist. When a stokvel’s hard-earned savings disappear, a group of friends find themselves embroiled in a daring retrieval mission that quickly spirals out of control thanks to scams, deception, unexpected twists and all manner of eccentric characters. The cast combines actors and comedians like Lebohang Motaung, Mabonyoko, Moruti Mjomane, Prince, with the involvement of skit group Crazy Entertainers.
For the little-ies, there’s animated adventure PAW Patrol: The Dino Movie. In this third film entry in the popular franchise, the heroic PAW Patrol pups end up on a tropical island teeming with dinosaurs. There they befriend Rex, a long-stranded pup who’s an expert in all things dino. When Mayor Humdinger’s attempts to exploit the island’s resources causes a volcanic eruption, everyone must work together to rescue those in peril and stop a mass extinction. Celebrity voices in the cast include Mckenna Grace, Terry Crews, Jennifer Hudson and more.