CultBox takes a look at this month’s cinematic highlights…
Warm Bodies (12A)
Release date: Friday 8 February
The Talent: Jonathan Levine (Dir.), Nicholas Hoult, Teresa Palmer, John Malkovich.
The Plot: Nicholas Hoult’s zombie falls in love with Teresa Palmer’s Julie after eating her boyfriend’s brain. But, as with all teen-romance movies, the path of true love doesn’t run smoothly … and it’s always a bit tricky to impress your lady’s father when you happen to be undead.
The Buzz: Did you not read the first sentence above? How can you not want to go and see this film? After years of sparkly vampires and hairless werewolves mooning over girls that appear to personify the term ‘misery guts’ it’s time for the humble zombie to take the romantic lead. This film is much more than Dawn of the Dead-Handsome however, and proves to be a witty and well-acted affair.
Wreck-It Ralph 3D (PG)
Release date: Friday 8 February
The Talent: Rich Moore (Dir.), John C. Reilly, Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch.
The Plot: When arcade game bad guy Wreck-It Ralph decides that he wants more from life than just demolishing his neighbours’ building over and over again, not even his evil villain support group can convince him that ‘turning hero’ might be more difficult than he thinks. What follows is a tale of friendship and redemption that will make you laugh (and possibly even cry).
The Buzz: The legal wrangling involved in getting the world’s most famous video game characters into one film should be worth your time and admission fee alone. But, Wreck-It Ralph is also funny and heart-warming, the 3D looks great and it’s one of those rare kids’ films that will appeal to young and old alike. Plus, listen out for Alan Tudyk as King Candy, transporting us all to the Disney films of our youth with a stunning and uncanny voice performance.
A Good Day to Die Hard (12A)
Release date: Thursday 14 February
The Talent: John Moore (Dir.), Bruce Willis, Jai Courtney.
The Plot: Like the movie version of a ‘70s sitcom, Die Hard goes on holiday (now that would have been a better title) as John McClane travels to Russia to rescue his estranged son who’s been arrested for murder. But, Jack’s actually a CIA agent and father and son must soon team up to stop the latest terrorist plot. Of course they do, it happens on our family getways all the time.
The Buzz: How can the same shit happen to the same guy five times? It’s Die Hard. It’s John McClane. We may have all felt a little let down by the fourth instalment, but let’s be honest, we’re all going to go and see this anyway. The story could revolve around everyone’s favourite New York cop foiling an international dirty vest shortage at Basingstoke Marks and Spencers and we’d still stand in line for our popcorn. There’ll be guns, there’ll be wise-cracks and someone might even say “Yippee-kay-ay…”
Cloud Atlas (15)
Release date: Friday 22 February
The Talent: Lana and Andy Wachowski, Tom Tykwer (Dir.), Tom Hanks, Jim Broadbent, Halle Berry.
The Plot: Based on David Mitchell’s novel of the same name, this time-traversing tale weaves six inter-linked stories together taking us from a 19th century Pacific island to 24th century Hawaii whilst stopping off at various other places in time and space along the way.
The Buzz: It’s quite difficult to explain the plot of Cloud Atlas so, luckily, the Wachowskis are directors that create their own buzz. The Matrix trilogy, with all its triumphs and failures, guarantees that any film they touch will peak the interest of the cinema going public. Their visual style and penchant for difficult source material intrigues and bewilders in equal measure. We may not understand what’s going on all the time, the structure of the film may not always work but it’ll still look bloody good. It hasn’t done great numbers in the US but when has that been the yardstick for quality? Give it a go and make up your own mind.
Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters 3D (15)
Release date: Wednesday 27 February
The Talent: Tommy Wirkola (Dir.), Jeremy Renner, Gemma Arterton, Famke Janssen.
The Plot: Fifteen years after defeating the witch that tried to kill them, Hansel and Gretel are now in the witch hunting business. And that’s pretty much it. The tagline should really just be “Does what it says on the tin.”
The Buzz: Never mind the gingerbread, it’s the eye candy that will pull in the punters for this one. Hansel and Gretel is a film that probably nobody is waiting for and early reviews are not good, but it’s got Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton in tight leather outfits kicking pointy-hatted arse. It’s not going to be Citizen Kane … Hey, it may not even be Van Helsing, but it might be worth a couple of hours of your time if you like that sort of thing … and Warm Bodies has sold out.
What are you looking forward to at the cinema this month? Let us know below…