Yin & Yang

Fleeing from the hustle and bustle of the forever-moving rat race, Rosalind, along with her cousin Celia must seek salvation in order to avoid the prospect of Rosalind being persecuted by her wrathful uncle. Finding themselves seeking refuge in an enchanted forest, what could possibly happen? More after the break

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Not for nothing has Jason Statham got a reputation as an action star; he’s been showcasing his fighting skills in films for years – more often than not as the ‘ordinary guy’ who somehow gets the job done – ranging from the good (The Transporter, Killer Elite) to the bad (Death Race) to the downright wild (the Crank series). Later this year, he will reunite with his fellow bad-asses in The Expendables 2, but until then New York is the backdrop for the latest round of his exploits in Safe, a crime thriller written and directed by Boaz Yakin (Remember the Titans). Unfortunately, the film does not afford itself enough smarts story-wise to accompany Statham’s very watchable brawn.

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Recently, James Cameron (Avatar) came out about the lack of originality in Hollywood, citing Battleship as a prime example. With the amount of sequels, prequels, and reboots due for release in the next couple of years, I am inclined to agree with him. Battleship is based on the Hasbro video game, the same company from which Transformers was birthed. The similarities between the two have been very apparent in the trailers, and many have proclaimed that it is Transformers-at-sea. Can director Peter Berg (Hancock) distinguish Battleship from its criticized counterpart?

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Michael Jackson. Ray Charles. Stevie Wonder. These names often come to one’s mind when thinking of musical greats. Bob Marley is another musical legend who has earned his place in that distinguished pantheon, his many hits still easy listening 30 years after his untimely death. Though there have been many pieces of Marley’s life and music documented since, there are still more than one or two blanks that have not yet been filled. It has fallen to Kevin MacDonald (The Last King of Scotland) to deliver the definitive documentary Marley so richly deserves, and it is a monumental success.

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Whether you love them or not there is something enduring about fairy tales, those timeless short stories that are told and retold from generation to generation. Few come more famous than Snow White, who has a big year ahead of her. In June, audiences will see her remade into a warrior princess for Rupert Sanders’ Snow White and the Huntsman. Before that however, director Tarsem Singh (Immortals) gets first bite of the apple in Mirror Mirror, perhaps the more traditional retelling of the two but not without its share of twists.

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Turning books into films is no easy task. This is especially true of The Hunger Games, the popular Suzanne Collins novel which has sold millions of copies worldwide. As a consequence, there is a loyal fan base itching to see their favourite book accurately brought to life. Whilst an almost unabridged book-to-film transfer is arguably the right way to go sometimes, The Hunger Games boasts some unique opportunities to add and indeed improve on the source material. It is this delicate balance which director Gary Ross has for the most part managed to strike, resulting in an engrossing film which will satisfy readers and non-readers of the book alike.

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It would seem that more and more animated directors are successfully making the transition to live action. Last year, Brad Bird impressed with Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, and just this month Andrew Stanton did a fine job with John Carter. Now it’s the turn of Phil Lord and Chris Miller, famous for 2009’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, as they attempt to breathe new life into 80’s TV show 21 Jump Street. Ditching the drama for some R-rated humour, is this revamp an unlikely comedic hit?

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