The Hobbit- An unexpected journey
Little men with big hairy feet, Orcs, pointy ears, creepy Gollum and one of the most entertaining wizards of all time are back in the first part of Peter Jackson’s trilogy of the adaptation of Tolkien’s book. In nearly three hours Jackson tells only a fragment of the story, as many critics point out, but he does it with enthusiasm and in high speed 3D. Received with happiness by the diehard fans, the film has received quite a bit of criticism too.
Many feel that even if The Hobbit is a wonderful book, there is not enough of a story to fill nine hours of film. Since LOTR many different adventure and fantasy films have been produced so the novelty value is gone and it will be a lot harder to convince the general audience to buy a ticket. But they should; because it is Peter Jackson, because Gandalf is there and most of all because it is Tolkien.
Cairo: Galaxy Cineplex, Galaxy, Ramses Hilton, El-Salam Concorde Cinema, Plaza Cinema, Golden Stars, Stars Cinema, Odeon
Alexandria: Amir, Cineplex Green Plaza
Flight
Flight features a spectacular plane crash soon after the start, but no matter how impressively harrowing the scene is; it is in no way the highlight of the film. Flight tells the story of a pilot who gets through the day on booze and cocaine and Denzel Washington delivers the performance of a lifetime.
True to Hollywood fashion, redemption is part of the story of addiction, but Washington stops the story from sliding into platitudes and director Robert Zemeckis keeps the focus on the man, rather than his problem. Flight has been highly praised by the critics and both Zemeckis and Washighton are tipped for the major movie awards, so go see it.
Cairo: Renaissance Sun City, Genena, Renaissance Nile City Cinema, Renaissance Metro Cairo, Renaissance 6th of October, Dandy Mall
Alexandria: Renaissance San Stefano, Renaissance City Center
Vamps
Oh yes, another fanged fiesta hits the big screen, this time teaming up Alicia Silverstone with old friend, Clueless director Amy Heckerling. Vamps tells the story of two female vampires living in New York City and their trials and tribulations about aging and dating human men.
What could have been hilarious (and some of the critics feel that it is funny), turns into a film that feels like a stretched out sit-com; moderately entertaining without much of a bite. And that is what Vamps is, a fluffy fang story that misses depth and humour but provides superficial entertainment to those who do not expect too much.
Cairo: Renaissance Nile City Cinema, Renaissance Downtown, Bandar Cinema (Maadi), Genena, Dandy Mall, Renaissance Sun City
Alexandria: Renaissance San Stefano
