FILM

from What's On AUH - July 2022

by Motivate Media Group

INDOOR POOLS

NEW RELEASES

DIRECTOR: Taika Waititi CAST: Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman, Christian Bale

Thor: Love and Thunder

Our Asgardian hero returns to the silver screen albeit during a mid-life crisis

Love, romance and a new female Thor as Chris Hemsworth and Natalie Portman return for more hammer time. In this actionpacked installment, Thor embarks on a journey unlike anything he’s ever faced – a quest for inner peace. However, his retirement gets interrupted by Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), a galactic killer who seeks the extinction of the gods.

Taika takes the reins (again)

Love and Thunder is Thor’s fourth solo film, and it just might be his most ambitious adventure yet. Director Taika Waititi helped reinvigorate the goldenhaired hero with 2017’s Thor: Ragnarok, and when he first began planning a sequel, all he knew was that he wanted to push the character into even more unexpected territory…

On producing a sequel to Thor: Ragnarok

“What I didn’t want to do is just make Ragnarok again, because that’s been done. I needed to do something more interesting to keep the whole thing ignited and to make sure that I’m feeling creatively stimulated. I thought, ‘what’s the least expected thing with this franchise?’”

On new themes and genre exploration

“This one is still fun, and it’s got moments of being over the top, but thematically, it’s deeper than the last film. It’s not a serious film, but we do deal with themes about love and loss and our place in the world… it’s sort of like a midlife crisis film.”

On Christian Bale as a villain

“[He’s] very formidable. I think personally, he’s one of the best villains that Marvel’s had in their films. He’s very layered.”

DC League of Super-Pets

Director: Jared Stern Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Keanu Reeves, John Krasinski, Kevin Hart In DC League of Super-Pets, Krypto the Super-Dog (Dwayne Johnson) and Superman (John Krasinski) are best friends, sharing the same superpowers and fighting crime in Metropolis side by side. When Superman and the rest of the Justice League are kidnapped, Krypto must convince a rag-tag shelter pack – a hound, pig, turtle and squirrel – to master their own powers and help him rescue the superheroes.

Where the Crawdads Sing

Director: Olivia Newman Cast: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Taylor John Smith, Harris Dickinson Deserted by her family, a young woman (Daisy Edgar-Jones) raises herself alone in the marshes outside of her small town. When her former boyfriend is found dead, she becomes prime suspect for his murder. A tragic yet beautiful story of a young girl’s valiant survival against the odds, adapted from Delia Owen’s best-selling novel of the same name.

Nope

Director: Jordan Peele Cast: Keke Palmer, Daniel Kaluuya, Steven Yeun It’s been an absolute joy watching Jordan Peele’s ascension from talented sketch comedian to the Oscar-winning filmmaker he is today. And this latest project from the king of modern thrillcore, Nope, looks like it’s going to be another gloriously uncomfortable watch. The plot antagonists appear to be of extraterrestrial origin, a new direction for Peele, but once again no doubt succinctly satirising some nuanced aspect of modern culture — whilst being absolutely petrifying in the process.

Mrs Harris goes to Paris

Director: Anthony Fabian Cast: Lesley Manville, Lucas Bravo, Rose Williams, Jason Isaacs In 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady (Lesley Manville) falls madly in love with a couture Dior dress, deciding she must have one of her own. After working to raise the funds to pursue her dream, she embarks on an adventure to Paris that will change not only her own outlook -- but the very future of the House of Dior.

Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank

Directors: Rob Minkoff, Mark Koetsier Cast: Michael Cera, Samuel L Jackson, Mel Brooks, Djimon Hounsoi A down-on-his-luck hound finds himself in a town full of cats who need a hero to defend them from a ruthless villain’s evil plot to wipe their village off the map. With help from a reluctant trainer, the underdog must assume the role of fearsome samurai and team up with the felines to save the day. The only problem is – they all hate dogs.

The Gray Man

Directors: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo Cast: Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Dhanush, Ana de Armas, Billy Bob Thornton Ahead of its Netflix release, The Gray Man, starring Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas and Indian actor Dhanush, will have a limited cinematic run in the UAE. Based on the book series by Mark Greaney, the film follows CIA operative Court Gentry (Ryan Gosling), aka, Sierra Six who is plucked from a federal penitentiary and recruited by his handler, Donald Fitzroy (Billy Bob Thornton). Six is now a target, hunted across the globe by Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans), a former cohort at the CIA, who will stop at nothing to take him out.