Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
GENRE: Adventure, Fantasy
TEMPO PREDICTION: 4 stars
Newt Scamander is an expert on all forms of magical beasts, and on how to handle them. When a multitude of these mythical monsters are unexpectedly set loose in the streets of New York, the American wizarding community must call in such an expert to wrangle them up before trouble strikes.
THE GOSSIP: The original novel did not feature a story, but a memoir of all of Newt’s findings, and all profits generated by the book have been going directly to charity.
DIRECTED BY: David Yates
CAST: Ezra Miller, Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston
Moana
GENRE: Adventure, Comedy
TEMPO PREDICTION: 3.5 stars
Moana Waialiki is a young navigator, and the only daughter of a chief. To save her people she sets sail on a perilous journey with her hero, the demi-god Maui, towards a fabled island. On the way, they overcome dangerous ocean and all it holds, and learn how powerful friendship can be.
THE GOSSIP: This is one of the first Disney movies where the main character doesn’t have a love interest.
DIRECTED BY: Ron Clements, John Musker
CAST: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk
Rules Don’t Apply
GENRE: Comedy, Drama
TEMPO PREDICTION: 3 stars
In 1950’s America, devout Baptist and aspiring actress Marla Mabrey struggles with her attraction to Frank Forbes, her driver, who is a deeply religious Methodist. Their growing love for one another challenges not only everything they believe in, but also their boss, the infamous Howard Hughes, who forbids any relationship between two co-workers.
THE GOSSIP: Andrew Garfield was lined up for a major role, but later turned it down.
DIRECTED BY: Warren Beatty
CAST: Haley Bennett, Lily Collins, Taissa Farmiga
Allied
GENRE: Action, Drama
TEMPO PREDICTION: 3.5 stars
It’s right after World War II, and Max Vatan and Marianne Beausejour have a picture-perfect marriage, full of mutual love and caring for one another. However, when evidence is dug up that strongly suggests that Marianne is a German spy, Max makes it his personal mission to find out the truth.
THE GOSSIP: Brad Pitt’s character’s surname, Vatan, means “homeland” in Turkish and Arabic .The character however is French-Canadian.
DIRECTED BY: Robert Zemeckis
CAST: Brad Pitt, Marion Cotillard, Jared Harris
Tempo Reviews
By Noelle Pope-George
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
The novel was a cult favourite, incorporating photographs into young adult storytelling. It centres around a sixteen year-old boy named Jake, who grew up listening to his grandfather’s incredible tales of the children’s home he grew up in, which included the interesting abilities of the other children. A little girl stronger than ten men, a teenage boy who can bring life into inanimate objects, and a girl lighter than air are only a few who are overseen by Miss Peregrine, the headmistress who can not only morph into a falcon at will, but can also manipulate time itself. Together, the peculiar children live happily in a time loop in late September 1943. However, not all peculiars are good, and a particularly ghastly group of them, known as Hollows, seek to hunt the peculiar children down to feed on them, as well as to kidnap Miss Peregrine and use her powers to make themselves immortal. Jake finds himself caught up in this conflict after his grandfather’s death, and finds out that he’s not as ordinary as he originally thought.
Directed by Tim Burton, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children has that grimdark touch that he’s so famous for. It wouldn’t be October without a Burton film or two, and this addition to his filmography is rather notable. If you, like so many of us, long for that youthful wonder you used to see the world through, then this is the film for you. It has everything that inner child of yours dreams of, from megalomaniacal villains, to fantastical monsters, to children working together and saving the day. If the story didn’t already have you hooked, perhaps the big names will: including Samuel L. Jackson and Eva Green. Miss Peregrine’s is a must-see for everyone of all ages!
Catch it on Blu-Ray: The Purge: Election Year
The Purge is a trilogy that takes place in a world where crime is at an all-time low, a feat achieved only by rendering one day out of every year legal for the committing crimes – legal, that is, for twelve consecutive hours! This time around it follows the story of an American presidential candidate wishing to put an end to this gruesome annual massacre. After witnessing her entire family slaughtered in front of her eyes as a child, Charlie Roan bases her political campaign on banning Purge Night. However, a heavily influential group of wealthy government individuals who benefit from the Purge are also in the race, and they’re not planning to let Charlie win. When Purge Night rolls around, Charlie must escape the maze of assassination attempts and purgers, with no one to guide her but her secret service officer and a small group of her supporters.
As a series, the Purge has gained mixed reviews. Some people like it, and some say that it’s a great concept poorly executed. But wherever you stand on this argument, there are redeeming qualities about Election Year. For instance, the constant suspense keeps one on the edge of their seat, the tense atmosphere maintains that creepy, uncertain feeling, and, like any good horror movie, the end leaves the viewer relieved but generally creeped out. Election Year is great for those nights when you want to put a little thrill into an otherwise boring day!
