THIS WEEK
MOVIES MOVIES THIS WEEK’S MOVIES For more information and times, go to: City Cinema: citycinemaoman.net Al Bahja Cinema: albahjacinema.net Star Cinema: Tel +968 24791641
The Place Beyond the Pines An ingenious, multi-layered drama of crime and broken families, Derek Cianfrance’s new film surprises the viewer by changing pace and even genre through its three very different sections. It opens with circus biker Ryan Gosling becoming a father and deciding to rob banks to support his new progeny, whose mother (Eva Mendez) has now moved on with another man. Part two sees Bradley Cooper as the lone good cop in a bad department, who wants to expose the truth if he can face down the ultra-corrupt Ray Liotta. In the final part of the tryptich, Cooper’s druggie son (Emroy Cohen) is hooked on the stuff supplied by wise dealer Dane
deHaan, whose father happens to be the nemesis of Cohen’s policeman dad. The style is film noir, with a dreamy and poetic atmosphere that leads you entertainingly through the complex strands and intermingled fates of the characters. The narrative and pace turn convention on its head with an action-filled opening and then a more intense, slower second half that moves unerringly toward an explosive conclusion. Director Derek Cianfrance is a master of style who delves deeply into the lives of his protagonists, with brilliant writing and strong performances. This is the place that cinema should take us.
PREVIEW Fire with Fire After witnessing a racist murder in a store, fireman Josh Duhamel is sent into a witness protection programme to protect him from a white supremacist killer. Unsurprisingly, he falls for Rosario Dawson, who plays the FBI officer assigned to his case. Bruce Willis does the shouting as the police officer working on the file. By all accounts, it’s a misfire.
APR 03 - APR 09 / ISSUE 264
Ava (Mandy Moore) is a psychologist specialising in marriage counseling. Her muscle-bound husband (Kellan Lutz) is in the wine trade. Things go awry when her parents announce they’re getting divorced. The title pretty much tells you what you’re going to get – a romantic comedy with a formulaic and clichéd script that fails to inspire. Avoid.
Love and Honour It’s 1969 and Micky (Liam Hemsworth) is dodging bullets in Vietnam when his GI buddy Peter (Austin Stowell) gets the kiss off from his sweetheart back home. After a close shave for Micky with a shot through the helmet, the pair go AWOL and head home on a quest to get Peter’s girl back. A mix of action and romance appealing to both sexes. Its good-looking cast do the best with routine material.
Himmatwala This remake of the ’80s Bollywood classic stars Ajay Devgan, Tamannaah and a tiger. It’s the story of a village boy who returns to avenge his father, an honest temple priest who witnesses a murder and has to give evidence against a brutal landlord. A tale of revenge and redemption with Devgan doing his own tiger fight.
Y’s TOP TWO Dead Man Down 1
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Noomi Rapace is transplanted to New York for this thriller. She chats up her neighbour, nice guy Colin Farrell, and ends up on a date with him. On the way home she proposes he kill the man who disfigured her in a drunk driving accident. This builds up quite nicely but opts for a lazy shoot-em-up finale.
Aatma
A woman (Bipasha Basu) divorces her physically abusive husband. The man dies shortly afterwards, returning as a spirit to haunt his wife and reclaim their daughter. Atmospheric chiller that rises above spooky clichés, at least for the first half.
COMING UP NEXT WEEK Madea’s Witness Protection 012
Love Wedding Marriage
2
The Snow Queen
Evil Dead