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28 March 2024

At the movies this week in the UAE…

Published
By Bindu Suresh Rai

There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when Jennifer Hudson took to the stage at the recently concluded Grammy Awards to pay tribute to Whitney Houston, with a poignant performance of the late singer’s biggest hit, “I Will Always Love You”. 
 
There have been quite a few tears shed even here in the emirate in recent days, with fans turning out in droves to witness a classical rendition of the same at the Dubai Fountain.
 
Now Vox Cinemas is doing its own bit by allowing fans to catch a one-week only screening of the film that catapulted Houston to new heights, with “The Bodyguard” (starring Houston alongside Kevin Costner) playing at select venues across Dubai.
 
Meanwhile, those whose taste in movies run into the chills and thrills have two highly anticipated films screening at the cinemas this week, with Daniel Radcliffe’s “The Woman in Black” and the delayed release of “The Devil Inside.”
 
We have the details and much more:
 
Drama/Musical
 
The Bodyguard

 
This is one of those films that people have loved to hate over the decades, much like James Cameron’s “Titanic”, in a bid to either garner attention or simply break away from the norm of sounding suspiciously like a groupie.
 
Released in 1992, this romantic thriller saw the unlikely pairing of singer Whitney Houston with “Dances With Wolves” star Kevin Costner burst onto the screens, which even had the precocious child in me wondering why in the world was I forking over Dh20 of my hard earned pocket money for this pop-fuelled cinematic concoction.
 
Yet, 20 minutes in and I was hooked.
 
Costner plays a former Secret Service Agent who is hired as a bodyguard to protect Houston’s character, a music star, from an unknown stalker.
 
Yes, it does read like a plot lifted directly from a Mills & Boon novel, but the chemistry between the lead pair sizzled on screen, prompting every die-hard romantic to watch it over and over during its brief run at the movies that summer.
 
Here’s your chance to relive that magic, with “The Bodyguard” playing for one week only at select Vox Cinemas screens across the UAE.
 
Where: Only at Vox Cinemas, Mirdiff City Centre, Mall of the Emirates and Marina Mall Abu Dhabi
 
Horror
 
The Woman in Black

 
It is highly doubtable that a theatre enthusiast, especially one from the UK, would have missed the stage production of this spookfest.
 
After playing to packed houses for over 20 years at in London (making it the second-longest-running play in the history of the West End), “The Woman in Black” had also made its way to Dubai a few years ago, with a week-long performance at the First Group Theatre, Souk Madinat Jumeriah that closed to rave reviews after completing its run.
 
Needless to say, the show’s rights were simply waiting to be snapped up for a film adaptation and if the international reviews are anything to go by, then John Watkin’s “The Woman in Black” is a must-watch for fans of horror.
 
Based on Susan Hill’s 1982 novel, the film ropes in Daniel Radcliffe to play Arthur Kipps, who plays a young lawyer who travels to a remote village where he discovers the vengeful ghost of a scorned woman is terrorising locals.
 
Trust us, you want to watch the film to unspool the finer nuances of the plot.
 
Where: Across all cinemas
 
The Devil Inside

 
Finally, after much delay at the UAE censor board, this highly anticipated American supernatural horror film has finally made it to our screens.
 
But before you make a beeline for the ticket booth, it may be wise to know that the William Brent Bell-directed horror has been panned by fans and critics globally, despite making it to the top of the US box office when it was released in the first week of January.
 
But if you don’t want to heed our warning then read on.
 
Written by Bell and Matthew Peterman, this documentary-style film chronicles the tale of a woman who becomes involved in a series of exorcisms during her quest to determine what happened to her mother, who ended up murdering three people as a result of being possessed by a demon.
 
Yes, it sounds like perfect fodder for a scarefest, but ham acting, loose plots and a disappointing ending kill the suspense even before it pulls taut.
 
Romcom
 
This Means War

 
Queen of romantic comedies, Reese Witherspoon, returns in doing what she does best, playing an innocent, confused, yet with a heart of gold blonde who is caught between two men, this time its Chris Pine and Tom Hardy.
 
CIA agents and best friends FDR Foster (Pine) and Tuck Henson (Hardy) get involved in a game of one-upmanship when they discover both of them are dating the same girl.
 
While their antics are at play, an evil international criminal Heinrich (Til Schweiger) is out for revenge because said CIA-duo were involved in the death of Heinrich’s brother Jonas (Clint Carleton).
 
Ho hum. The film has its moments but is best a DVD watch.
 
Hindi
 
Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya

 
Cashing in on the real-life romance and marriage of its lead stars, Ritesh Deshmukh and Genelia D’Souza star in this romcom about love, confusion and happy endings.
 
Free-spirited tomboy Mini (D’Souza) is a prized catch, what with being an heiress to her father’s fortune and the fact that she has Canadian nationality.
 
Dad Bhatti (Tinu Anand) is eager to see her married off to a tycoon but lo and behold, Mini falls for Viren (Deshmukh), one of Bhatti’s lowly employees.
 
Seizing the opportunity to escape her arranged marriage, Mini runs off with Viren in an apparent kidnapping, but a romance develops, and all’s well that ends well. No surprises here.
 
Jodi Breakers
 
Now that the plagiarism and the kissing drama is behind them, this Bipasha Basu-R Madhavan romcom finally makes it to the big screen with not much of fanfare.
 
Sid (Madhavan) calls himself a break-up specialist, helping wronged parties out of bad relationships.
 
A chance encounter with the sharp Sonali (Basu) sees her team up with Sid to take the business to new levels.
 
But as it happens in every Bollywood film, along the way, love happens. Spare us the tears please.