7 films to see on the week of January 20-27, 2017
The Crew
A pilot — discharged from the air force for disobeying an order — finds work as a co-pilot with a civilian airline. During a flight to Asia the crew receives a distress message and decide to attempt a rescue mission. To succeed they must be a team. Directed by Nikolay Lebedev, it stars Agne Grudyte, Sergey Shakurov, and Vladimir Mashkov. The Reel World’s Glenn Cochrane writes: “This is an extravagant Russian disaster film that bursts on to the screen with the confidence of a Hollywood blockbuster, but with none of the competence of Hollywood’s better blockbusters. With a rigid and simplistic script, the story unfolds with a complete lack of spark and meanders for almost an hour before anything interesting actually happens.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13
The Great Wall
American actor Matt Damon stars in this fantasy-action-adventure film directed by Zhang Yimou (Hero, House of Flying Daggers), about an elite force making a valiant stand on China’s Great Wall to save humanity against monsters who appear every 60 years. This is the largest film ever shot entirely in China. The film also stars Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau. “The Great Wall is easily the least interesting and involving blockbuster of the respective careers of both its director and star,” considers Clarence Tsui of the Hollywood Reporter
MTRCB Rating: PG
The Bye Bye Man
Not at all popular with the critics on review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes, which gave it a crushing score of 22%, the film follows three college friends who stumble upon the horrific origins of the Bye Bye Man, they discover that there is only one way to avoid his curse: don’t think it, don’t say it. But once the Bye Bye Man gets inside your head, he takes control. Directed by Stacy Title, it stars Cressida Bonas, Lucien Laviscount, Doug Jones, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Faye Dunaway. Writes Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert.com: “To think that everyone here intended to make a movie this utterly lifeless and banal from the outset is infinitely more frightening than anything presented on screen.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13
A Violent Prosecutor (Geomsawejeon)
After a prosecution lawyer is framed and convicted for murder, he tries to catch the real murderer from jail with the help of a con artist. Directed by Il-Hyeong Lee, the film stars Dong-won Gang, Jin-mo Joo, and Jung-min Hwang. The South China Morning Post’s Edmund Lee gave this films three stars. “While its story takes more implausible turns than one’s suspension of disbelief is bound to accommodate, A Violent Prosecutor thrives on its stars’ performances. Hwang just makes everything tick.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13
Foolish Love
Angeline Quinto stars in this rom-com about a desperate single woman who wants to meet her soul mate before she hits 30. She stars along with Jake Cuenca. The Regal movie is directed by DirectorJoel Lamangan.
MTRCB Rating: PG
Across The Crescent Moon
Christopher de Leon, Gabby Concepcion, and Matteo Guidicelli star in this film about Muslim soldiers who encounter human traffickers in the south. Written and directed by Baby R. Nebrida.
MTRCB Rating: R-13
Urge
A weekend getaway goes bad when a nightclub owner played by Pierce Brosnan introduces a group of friends to a new designer drug. Stripped of their inhibitions, they start living out their wildest fantasies and quickly turns deadly. Directed by Aaron Kaufman, the film also stars Danny Masterson, Justin Chatwin, and Ashley Greene. “A movie that’s as empty and unlikable as the characters themselves,” writes Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com.
MTRCB Rating: R-18
