July 2015
MINIONS
GENRE: ANIMATION, COMEDY, FAMILY
TEMPO PREDICTION: 4.5 STARS
MINIONS STUART, KEVIN AND BOB ARE RECRUITED BY SCARLET OVERKILL, A SUPER-VILLAIN WHO, ALONGSIDE HER INVENTOR HUSBAND HERB, HATCHES A PLOT TO TAKE OVER THE WORLD.
GOSSIP: DIRECTOR PIERRE COFFIN VOICES ALL 899 MINIONS IN THIS FILM.
Directed By: Kyle Balda, Pierre Coffin
Cast: Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock
THE GALLOWS
GENRE: HORROR, THRILLER
TEMPO PREDICTION: 3 STARS
20 YEARS AFTER A HORRIFIC ACCIDENT DURING A SMALL TOWN SCHOOL PLAY, STUDENTS AT THE SCHOOL RESURRECT THE FAILED SHOW IN A MISGUIDED ATTEMPT TO HONOUR THE ANNIVERSARY OF THE TRAGEDY – BUT SOON DISCOVER THAT SOME THINGS ARE BETTER LEFT ALONE.
GOSSIP: THIS FILM WAS INDEPENDENTLY FUNDED AND PRODUCED BEFORE BEING PICKED UP AND DISTRIBUTED BY WARNER BROS.
Directed By: Travis Cluff, Chris Lofing
Cast: Cassidy Gifford, Pfeifer Brown, Ryan Shoos
MAX
GENRE:ADVENTURE, FAMILY
TEMPO PREDICTION:3.5 Stars
A dog that helped US Marines in Afghanistan returns to the U.S. and is adopted by his handler’s family after suffering a traumatic experience.
GOSSIP:The dog “Max” is a Belgian Malanoise. The same breed used by Seal Team 6 in the Operation against Bin Laden with the Code name: Geronimo.
Directed By: Boaz Yakin
Cast: Robbie Amell, Lauren Graham, Thomas Haden Church
TERMINATOR GENISYS
GENRE:ACTION, ADVENTURE, SCI-FI
TEMPO PREDICTION:4 Stars
When John Connor (Jason Clarke), leader of the human resistance, sends Sgt. Kyle Reese (Jai Courtney) back to 1984 to protect Sarah Connor (Emilia Clarke) and safeguard the future, an unexpected turn of events creates a fractured timeline.
GOSSIP:It was rumored that the following film will be Arnold Schwarzenegger’s last as The Terminator.
Directed By:Alan Taylor
Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Emilia Clarke, Jai Courtney
TEMPO REVIEWS
By Aleece Smith
Dead Snow 2
You know who you are: you are the scaredy cat in your circle of friends; the one with little tolerance for cinematic suspense and dread. Yep you’re usually the one who most commonly watches horror movies through your fingers. So if you want to rebuild your horror movie street cred, Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead is the place to start, and the comedy is an even lighter telling of a zombie tale than 2004’s Shaun of the Dead.
Dead Snow 2 is surprisingly visually pleasing, despite the prevalence of so many undead creatures, prop guts and simulated vomit. The visual appeal is helped along by beautiful transition shots of buildings in Eyrarbakki, Iceland, where most of the movie was filmed, but Director Tommy Wirkola also seems to have an eye for colour that really shines in interior scenes.
The team behind Dead Snow 2 (writer/director Wirkola with writer/actors Vegar Hoel and Stig Frode Henriksen) created a strong B-movie that is a good combination of camp and aesthetic appeal. Head to the theatre for some low-budget action scenes and a mash-up of familiar shots from a variety of blockbusters.
Catch it on Blu-Ray!
Maggie
If Dead Snow 2 is a first step into building up your tolerance for zombies, Henry Hobson’s Maggie may be a good option for the second step. This zombie drama is pretty tame with minimal surprise zombie appearances and some light suspenseful music.
The zombie epidemic in the Maggie universe is widespread, but has not reached apocalyptic scale. Since the trappings of civilization are still in place, the plot follows the characters through a time when people are still coping with zombie-ism on a personal level. Instead of cowering in shocked disbelief and/or running from limping, rotting bodies, the movie shows the population in general and the Vogel family in particular figuring out what compassion looks like in the face of this new disease.
This movie fails to connect emotionally. Character development is kind of weak, so it is hard to feel anything for any of the Vogels. The cinematography is merely a series of well-composed snapshots and the movie reminds one of a slide show. There is so little going on in this film that you end up just waiting for the moment when Arnold Schwarzenegger will finally do his hero thing. For all of those reasons, Maggie is probably a great option if you are looking for something to play in the background as you cook dinner or complete some other household task.
