Cinema in the UAE: What to skip and what not to!
Get ready for a power-packed weekend at the movies, with action-dramas appearing to be the current staple.
From Baoz Yakin’s “Safe” to Rodrigo Cortes’ “Buried”, to Priyadarshan’s “Tezz”, it’ll be an adrenaline-pumping, rocky rollercoaster ride at the cinemas.
So, if you are a love-struck soul or an LOL-addict, then stay away from the cinemas as the current line-up is clearly not for the faint-hearted.
Among the lot, I’d put my money on the retelling of the gruesome massacre of 1937 “Flowers of War”. Movie critics have called the Christian Bale-starrer a remarkable movie that showcases a gripping narrative, brilliant photography and extraordinary performances, from a cast who are mostly newcomers.
“Buried” will be my next pick for exploring an unfortunate journey underground, to uncover a man’s undying survival instincts.
Also, Bollywood’s latest entrant appears promising in the trailers, but whether this will translate into a great movie is something that we’d be able to announce only tomorrow.
Safe
Genre: Action
Director: Baoz Yakin
Cast: Jason Statham, Catherina Chan and Chris Sarandon
The Story: A former super cop takes on a double mission, of rescuing a girl from the hands of the Chinese Triads, and then using her to breakdown a secret code to outsmart the Russian mafia and corrupt NYC officials.
The Lucky One
Genre: Drama
Director: Scott Hicks
Cast: Zac Efron and Taylor Schilling
The Story: After serving in Iraq, a Marine returns to North Caroline in search of a woman, whose picture helped save his life in the war.
Flowers of War
Genre: Drama
Director: Zhang Yimou
Cast: Christian Bale and Zhang Xinyi
The Story: Posing as a priest, a Westerner finds protection by staying with a group of women in a church during the Nanking Massacre of 1937 by Japanese troops, and attempts to help the women into safety.
Buried
Genre: Thriller
Director: Rodrigo Cortes
Cast: Ryan Reynolds and Robert Paterson
The Story: An American truck driver, working in Iraq, wakes up to find himself buried alive in a coffin. With just a lighter and a mobile phone, he must now find a way to escape this death trap.
Tezz
Genre: Action
Director: Priyadarshan
Cast: Anil Kapoor and Ajay Devgn
The Story: Two men are pitted against each other, as one tries to regain a life tarnished by a false accusation and the other attempts to protect the lives of many innocents in London.