(Photo Public Domain)
The movie is based on the real-life story of a group of 18th century Samurai who avenge their master after he dies at the hand of a ruthless shogun. In Japan, the saga of the 47 Ronin is frequently performed as plays andstories which are commonly called Chushingara.
The film is shot in 3D, so you can see Keanu Reeves’ expressionless face in all its glory. Reeves plays Kai, an outcast who joins the 47 Samurai and seeks vengeance upon the overlord who killed his master. In order to regain their honour, they embark upon a quest that tests them in ways they have never been tested before and in the process provide a Western take on the popular Japanese story.
The film has received very unfavourable reviews and has a 12% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Alan Schertsuhl of the Village Voice said, “solemn as a funeral march, humourless as your junior high principal, as Japanese as a grocery-store California roll, Keanu Reeves’s let’s-mope-about-and-kill-ourselves Samurai drama has exactly three things going for it.” Just re-watch My Own Private Idaho.
Cairo: Dandy Mall, Bandar Cinema, Renaissance Nile City Cinema, Renaissance Wonderland, Renaissance Downtown, Renaissance Metro Cairo, Renaissance 6th October, Renaissance City Centre, Golf City Cinema Alexandria: Renaissance San Stefano
(Photo Public Domain)
Ben Stiller is back as star and director of The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The movie is based on the classic short story by James Thurber, which follows a day-dreamer who escapes his routine through five daydream episodes of unsurpassed heroism, inspired by his surroundings. In the first episode, Mitty is pilot of a navy flying boat in a storm, followed by being a surgeon, an assassin, and a Royal Air Force pilot. The story ends with Mitty imagining being in front of a firing squad.
The film was praised for its visuals and touted as Stiller’s most ambitious film, yet it was also panned for not being fully realised and not having enough substance. “It has little narrative interest and requires that the director latch onto a very specific airy tone of whimsy, lest the whole soufflé collapse,” said Mark LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle.Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly said: “While stunning sequences show him skateboarding away from an erupting volcano and fighting off a great white shark, the character never becomes more than a fuzzy conceit.”
Stiller’s newest effort might be worth a casual outing to the cinema with the family but definitely not a film you need to rush out to go see.
Cairo: Golden Stars, Galaxy, Galaxy Cineplex, Ramses Hilton, Stars Cinema, Plaza Cinema, Family Cinema Alexandria: Amir, Green Plaza
(Photo Public Domain)
Though we are not sure why, we know some of you are crushed by the news of Justin Bieber’s retirement. Before you sink into a deep hole of depression we are happy to share that there is something that can make you feel a little better. Bieber has released a sequel to his fist concert biopic Never Say Never and the film features never-before-seen footage.
Reviews for the film have been mixed; the New York Times said, “films like this work best when exalting is the task, and when it comes to displaying Mr Bieber in his milieu – on stage – it shines.” But others were not so impressed with Bieber’s sequel, like the Boston Globe who said: “Rather than the rise-to-fame narrative of his first concert movie, 2011’s Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, it amounts to damage control by way of distraction.”
Our advice? Unless you are a serious Bieber fan, stay away.
Cairo: Golden Stars, Galaxy, Galaxy Cineplex, Stars Cinema, Plaza Cinema
Alexandria: Green Plaza
