After a typical late summer with few choices for new movies, this week there is much more to see.
There are some movies that some might question why they get remade. Dredd falls into this category, especially after the travesty that was Sylvester Stallone’s Judge Dredd.
If you forget the story of the original (and I would not blame you if you did), it is set in a dystopian future in which criminals rule, the only hope for order being urban cops called “Judges” who possess the combined powers of judge, jury and instant executioner, of which Dredd is the most feared.
The rest of the story is different than the original—not only is it more violent but it is also getting much better reviews, to the tune of 90 per cent favourable according to Rottentomatoes.com.
Karl Urban (best known as Star Trek’s new Dr. McCoy) stars alongside Lena Headey (300).
Although Trouble With The Curve is the story of an aging baseball scout, it is another example of a movie that will have appeal outside of sports fans.
Clint Eastwood makes a rare appearance on-screen without also being in the director’s chair (and thankfully without the chair he appeared with at the Republican National Convention) in what will ultimately be a touching family drama with heart and humour. Also starring Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake, Eastwood’s character must depend on his daughter to help continue to be a success in the twilight of his career.
Opening at the Paramount Theatre is another story about an aging professional, but in Robot & Frank, it is the story of a retired cat burglar named Frank.
Set in the near future, Frank’s kids are concerned about him living alone, but instead of placing him in a nursing home, his son gives him a humanoid robot programmed to improve his physical and mental health. Instead of aging gracefully, Frank decides to use the robot to help him again become a thief.
Before dismissing this story as lightweight fluff, it stars the great Frank Langella as well as Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Liv Tyler and Peter Sarsgaard in what critics are calling a quirky indie drama that is a smart, thoughtful meditation on aging.
Jennifer Lawrence is not only the highest grossing heroine of all time (thanks to her role in The Hunger Games) but she also claims the title of Rolling Stone’s “most talented young actress in America.” Her latest is House at the End of the Street, in which she plays a teenager who, along with her mother, moves in next door to a house with a sinister secret.
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This summer, the movie going experience changed for Central Okanagan residents with the opening of the new Landmark Cinemas 8 and the rebranding of the Encore Capitol Theatre.
Another benefit of this is the continuation of daily matinees into the fall.
Locals have had few opportunities to see movies on weekday afternoons outside of the Summer and Christmas holidays, something that only residents of larger centres have been able to take advantage of.
