6 films to see on the week of July 20-July 27, 2018
Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again
THIS SEQUEL to the musical hit featuring ABBA songs goes back and forth in time to retell the story of Donna’s relationships with Bill, Sam, and Harry whose conclusion was the point of the first film. In the sequel, Donna has passed away and her daughter Sophie refurbishes the Greek island resort Donna used to manage in her memory. At the same time, she is also pregnant and needs to learn how to take risks like her mother did as a young woman. Written and directed by Ol Parker, the film stars Amanda Seyfried, Meryl Streep, Lily James, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, Julie Walters, Christine Baranski, Alexa Davis, Jessica Keenan Wynn, Jeremy Irvine, Josh Dylan, Hugh Skinner, and Cher. The Atlantic’s David Sims writes, “Here We Go Again is a viewing experience best described as a long nap on the beach while staying at a chain resort. It’s extremely pleasant, if a little lacking in imagination, and every so often, a waiter comes by to refill your drink.”
MTRCB Rating: PG
Billionaire Boys Club
BASED ON the real Billionaire Boys Club in Southern California in the 1980s, a group of rich boys devise a get-rich-quick Ponzi scheme. Things end badly when their leader, Joe, and friend Jim murder the investor and con-man, Ron Levin. Directed by James Cox, it stars Ansel Elgort, Taron Egerton, Kevin Spacey, Emma Roberts, and Suki Waterhouse.
MTRCB Rating: R-13
The Ninth Passenger
A GROUP of students suffer the cruelty of a mysterious ninth passenger when they board a luxury yacht. Directed by Corey Large, it stars Alexia Fast, Jesse Metcalfe, Sabina Gadecki, Timothy V. Murphy, Veronica Louise Dunne, and Corey Large.
MTRCB Rating: R-13
Virtual Revolution
IN A futuristic European city, people can immerse themselves in imaginary experiences for as long as they live through virtual reality technology — until, that is, a terrorist cell starts attacking in cyberspace. Directed by Guy-Roger Duvert, the film stars Mike Dopud, Jane Badler, Jochen Hägele, Kaya Blocksage, and Petra Silander. The Hollywood Reporter’s Justin Lowe writes, “Based on the template of massive multiplayer online role-playing games, sci-fi thriller Virtual Revolution is fairly ambitious for a first feature, so perhaps it’s telling that the most convincing scenes transpire within the movie’s virtual worlds, rather than throughout the principal narrative.”
MTRCB Rating: R-16
Inside
YOUNG, pregnant, and widowed, Sarah is trying to rebuild her life. One evening, she receives an unwelcome visitor who tries to snatch her unborn child. Miguel Angel Vivas directs this remake of the original 2007 French film. The film stars Rachel Nichols, Laura Harring, Stany Coppet, Andrea Tivadar, Craig Stevenson, and David Chevers. Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 23% rating. Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com writes, “This version of Inside is relatively tame. Sure, there are some stabbings but nothing like the washed-in-red aesthetic of the film that came before. To compensate for the lack of gore, Vivas resorts to cheap filmmaking techniques like herky-jerky camera movements and an overcooked score.”
MTRCB Rating: R-16
Jacqueline Comes Home (The Chiong Story)
BASED ON the 1997 rape and murder case of the Chiong sisters from Cebu, the crime drama tells the story of Jacqueline and Marijoy who were dragged into a vehicle on rainy evening and never seen again. Directed by Ysabelle Peach Caparas, the film stars Meg Imperial, Donnalyn Bartolome, Ryan Eigenmann, Alma Moreno, and Joel Torre.
MTRCB Rating: R-13
