Off the screen magazine may 2014

May 2014

Your one resource for what’s happening at the South African Box Office.

www.offthescreenmagazine.com

The Spider Web

Spider-Man star Andrew Garfield talks to us about his reprisal of the role in the

latest superhero film, The Amazing Spider-Man: Rise of Electro

To Kill For

We talk to Hailee Steinfeld about her

latest role alongside Kevin Costner in the

darkly comic, CIA actioner, 3 Days to Kill

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Cover Story: 16 Caught in the Web The Amazing Spider-Man: Rise of Electro star Andrew Garfield tells us about the new film, the changes in the costume and his co-star, Jamie Foxx

Features: 10 To Kill For We speak to young actress Hailee Steinfeld about her new role alongside Kevin Costner in the CIA actioner, 3 Days to Kill

22 Taking His Chance Winner of 2007 Britain’s Got Talent and the real-life inspiration for the new dramatic comedy One Chance, Paul Potts tells us about the film, his involvement and what he thought about James Cordon, the film’s star

Reviews: Film

Released April 18th

28 One Chance

29 Konfetti

30 Devil’s Due

31 Son of God

32 Sabotage

33 The Legend of Hercules

Content

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Editors Letter Spidey is back on the silver screen with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man: Rise of Electro. We talk to Andrew Garfield about putting the mask back on. We also talk to Hailee Steinfeld about her role alongside Kevin Costner in 3 Days to Kill, and opera singer Paul Potts about the film of his life, One Chance. We also have reviews for the April films at the SA Box Office, and some up and comers, so check those. Also go to our website: www.offthescreenmagazine.com for other interviews, we spoke to the cast of Konfetti and Die Windpomp. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you at the movies.

Best Wishes

Jon Broeke Editor

Editor Jon Broeke

[email protected]

Photo Credits

Nu Metro, Ster Kinekor, Getty Images, UPI.com,

Google Images, imdb.com

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10 22

Released April 25th

34 The Amazing Spider-Man 2: Rise of Electro

35 Fruitvale Station

36 Endless Love

37 Parkland

38 Die Windpomp

39 iNumber Number

Released May 9th

48 Devil’s Knot

50 Lone Survivor

Released May 2nd

42 3 Days to Kill

43 Tinkerbell and the Pirate Fairy

44 Ain’t Them Bodies Saints

45 The Colony

46 Ek Joke Net 2

47 The Other Woman

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________________________________________Off The Screen Magazine 10

To Kill For

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This month sees young, up and coming Hollywood sensation Hailee Steinfeld starring in the CIA action adventure 3 Days to Kill. We chatted to her about her character, her co-star, Kevin Costner, and the incredible city that the film was shot in, Paris

ailee Steinfeld has been Hollywood’s it-girl ever since she got nominated for an

Oscar off her first film, True Grit, back in 2010. Since then she’s starred as Juliet in Romeo and Juliet, as a futuristic soldier in Ender’s Game and this month sees her as the daughter of CIA agent Kevin Costner in 3 Days to Kill. We caught up with the amazing young actress on a balcony in Paris, where the film was shot, to talk about the film.

“The film has so many different elements,” she tells us. We’re sitting on the balcony at her hotel in Paris. “From the genre, to where we’re shooting and everything. I would say it definitely has some exciting, thriller elements, but it also has this dark comedy twist on it, I feel, but it all works. I think that we have such an incredible team here, and we’ve been able to take an amazing script and really, really play with it.”

In the film Steinfeld is the only daughter of a CIA agent, though she doesn’t know what he does, or even who he is, until he discovers he only has three months left to

live. He decides to change his life, and part of that is getting to know his daughter, Zooey.

“I would say I relate to Zooey,” she tells us. “I think in anything you read, or you see, there’s always something that’s relatable, and I think, for me, she’s a teenage girl who’s

trying to find her way, and, I mean, I’m trying to find my way in this crazy world that I live in, and I think what has been so amazing is that I have been able to grow with this character, a lot, and I’ve just learned so much about her, and I’ve been, with Kevin and McG and with Connie, they’ve all really helped me develop this really great character.”

Zooey is a difficult child, as any teenager living in Paris would be. She lies, she does what she’s not supposed to and gets into a lot of trouble a lot of the time.

“With Zooey it’s a combination of things,” Steinfeld tells us. “I mean the fact that she doesn’t have a

father in her life to teach her the things that father’s normally teach their daughter’s which are very, very important in life, I feel, because I’ve got an incredible relationship with my dad. She lives in Paris with her mom, which is an entirely different world, and I think it’s added to the sophistication of her character, meaning that she gets up and gets ready because she’s a girl living in Paris and she uses the metro and she’s living this life that she

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knows is not normal, but she’s just trying to make it work, trying to fit in.”

In the film veteran actor Kevin Costner plays Steinfeld’s absent father. She absolutely loved the opportunity to work with the actor.

“Kevin is, he’s amazing,” she says. “He’s just so great. I’ve had so much fun with him. I find it funny, when you’re playing this father, daughter dynamic, and I see Kevin with his kids and he’s a great dad. He’s just the coolest guy, and he was really able to take me under his wing and show me the way a little bit. There were a couple of things that we ran into that some of the times I didn’t understand, or we just weren’t on the same page, but he was so great, just talking about and asking for a couple of minutes for us to work things out, and, I don’t know, it’s just been really great. He’s just been really helpful towards me and really great.”

The film is directed by McG, better known for his production work on TV shows like Supernatural, Nikita and directing Charlie’s Angels 1 and 2. Steinfeld could do nothing by sing the praises of this very visual, action oriented director.

“He’s very visual,” she states. “Also very verbal, he talks to us a lot, and it helps so much. I, obviously don’t know too much, I’ve done a few things, but I have had the experience where you work with people who don’t give you feedback and you learn to be

okay with that and learn to work with that, but with McG he’s with you every step of the way. After every take he’ll say that it was awesome and we can move on, or that it was not so great and suggest something else to try. He’s just so open to helping you, and all he wants to do it make you feel comfortable and make you feel good, and that has just been so incredible for me. All of this, everybody, it has just been an incredible experience.”

The director gave her a lot of freedom to play with her character as well, something she doesn’t always get on sets.

“McG gives me an incredible amount of Leeway,” she says. “He trusts me and that makes me feel really confident in myself. I’ve never once felt a problem in going up to him and asking him something and being okay with the fact that maybe what I said wasn’t right, or whatever it may have been, but he’s always made me feel very comfortable and given me a lot of space to find myself with this character.”

Of course a huge character in the film is the beautiful city of Paris itself, and Steinfeld was thrilled to be shooting in the remarkable city.

“Oh, my gosh,” she exclaims. “I love working in Paris, I mean look at this,” she motions over the balcony overlooking the city and it is, indeed, breath taking. “Any other time I’ve done interviews I’ve been in front of a white wall, just sitting there, but this. It’s been incredible. I was actually learning about the French revolution in school a couple of weeks ago and now, all I have to do is walk out my front door and there’s history right there. There’s just so much history all around the city, it’s honestly been so amazing. I mean, I get to go home and say I lived in Paris for however long I’ve been here, a couple of weeks. So it’s really been an amazing experience.”

See the incredible city, and the incredible Steinfeld, right now on the big screen in 3 Days to Kill.

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Caught in the Web

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Our favourite neighbourhood web-slinger is back on our screens this month with the release of The Amazing Spider-Man: Rise of

Electro. We sat down with Andrew Garfield, the man who breathed life into this incarnation of the wall-crawler and spoke

about the film, the new costume, his co-star and his director

hen Spider-Man came out in 2002 it

smashed Box Office records by being the highest grossing opening weekend of all time. The sequels also shook the Box Office, and now the latest film in the reboot of the franchise, The Amazing Spider-Man: Rise of Electro, looks to break as many records when it opens this month. We caught up with the star of the film, the man who plays the Spider-Man, Andrew Garfield to talk about the latest incarnation of our favourite neighbourhood web-slinger. The first thing we discussed was the differences between this film and the predecessor, The Amazing Spider-Man, and the first thing that came up was the change in the costume.

“It’s just closer to the Spider-Man that we all know and love, at least, for me,” Garfield tells us with his natural British accent, instead of the American one that he has in the film. “The eyes are larger, it’s just friendlier. It’s a warmer suit, and he’s a warm character, so… That’s where Peter is at Spider-Man, and that’s

where the movie is right now, that’s where we are in the story of Spider-Man, is that he’s owning the symbol more, and he’s making it more that thing that kids love, that open warm, bright, kind of protector that kids feel reassured and excited by, and that I feel reassured and excited by.”

Of course being a Spider-Man film, and part of the Marvel superhero universe, even though this one is a Sony production, action is a big part of the film, but in Spider-Man , as was the truth with the first of the reboot, the story is a major part of the film, not just the action sequences. Garfield agrees that the same can be said about the sequel.

“I think it’s very action packed,” he says. “But what’s great is that all the action sequences are necessary. They’re supported by the story, and without the story you don’t have a movie. No one wants to just see action sequence after action sequence after action sequence, but what captures our imagination, as an audience, is the story, is the heroes journey, the story of this young man and the story of all these other characters, as well. It’s a great, rich, multi-dimensional, or multi-stranded story. You don’t just care about one person. You care about everyone, including the villains, which is really important.”

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This time our hero faces against a new villain in the form of Electro, a lightening throwing baddie, played by Jamie Foxx.

“He’s a big person, Jamie,” Garfield says about his co-star in the sequel. “So he can’t help but let that all flow, and it’s so brilliant, because the journey of the character is from this small, diminished person that doesn’t feel like he has a place in the world, to this god-like power house, and that fact that Jamie can do both, go from one to the other, is a testament to his humanity and his acting ability, so yes, I think he’s an amazing villain.”

Back in the director’s chair is Marc Webb, who also directed the first of the reboot.

“Marc is very, very generous,” Garfield tells us. “He has amazing taste and he really loves this character, and he really wants to protect this character, and honour this character in the story. He also wants it to be huge in scope, and multi-layered. He wants it to be very small and personal, any love scenes or any family scenes he wants the actors to really love each other and have really genuine relationships, so that, when we go to this big action sequence, you’re so invested in everything, and you heart is invested in it.”

Of course something as big as a Spider-Man film can’t be made by just a director and a star, there are hundreds of other people that are involved in the making of a film like this, and each and every one of them are at the top of their games.

“Every single department head on this film is brilliant in what they do,” Garfield says. “And egoless as well, in the sense of helping the greater thing, supporting Spiderman. We were all supporting something greater than ourselves, and serving something greater, and that’s really the only way you can make a movie. Film making is one of the most collaborative art forms, so you have to all be on board to serve the film, as opposed to yourself, and luckily the Sony team brought together people that are interested in giving their gifts to serve something greater.”

To see their gifts, as well as Webb’s and Garfield’s, go and see The Amazing Spider-Man: Rise of Electro at cinema’s nationwide right now.

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Taking his

Chance

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The film One Chance tells the tale of a young man who just wanted to be an opera singer, but faced opposition at every turn. It’s the

true life story of now famous opera singer Paul Potts, and tells his inspiring story. Jon Broeke got the chance to sit down with Potts

recently to discuss the film, the man who plays him, James Cordon, and his extraordinary life in general

o one knew who Paul Potts was before he stepped out onto the stage in 2007 at

Britain’s Got Talent and wowed not only the judges, but the entire world with his incredible voice. The rest, as they say, is history. He now travels the world singing and entertaining the masses. This month he came to South Africa, not to sing, he’s coming out later this year for that, he was here to promote a small British film called One Chance, which chronicles his life. I got the opportunity to sit down with him in the beautiful gardens at the Palazzo Hotel at Montecasino to chat about the film, and his life.

“I’d heard them talking about wanting to make a movie back in 2007 and I just kind of laughed it off,” he tells me. We’re both wearing blue shirts and dark suits as we sit in the garden. He has a lovely feel about him. So natural to talk to. “These things often get talked about, and there are many movie contracts signed for the rights, but that never really means that a film is actually going to be made. The vast majority never amounts to anything, so I refused to believe it would actually become a film until I saw the ads at cinemas for One Chance, then I knew it was actually a real film. They usually wait until you’re dead. I think it’s easier to

make a film about your life if you’re not still living it.”

Though the film is based on his true life story Potts didn’t really have much impact in the scripting or production of the movie.

“The only real dictation I had, for the film, was that I wanted it to be funny,” he tells

me. “I think there’s an important message in the movie and in the autobiographical book as well, and even though some of the facts are different between them I think the overall message is the same, and that was the overall message I wanted to get across. Sometimes people feel like they’re being preached too, especially in this type of film, and then they won’t listen, its better when the message just comes across and when people are being entertained. Comedy does that. Life is never sweet, it’s not like that,

there are ups and downs and that’s the message in the film, and it’s an important message.”

One of the major scenes in the film is an opera school that Potts attends in Venice, culminating in a master class with opera legend Luciano Pavarotti. In the film the master class is an audition, which is an absolute tragedy and results in Potts not singing again for years, but in real life the story is a little different.

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“The Master class with Pavarotti

actually went very well,” he says. “But mainly because it was almost like a concert, not like an audition. In the film it’s portrayed as an audition, and they’ve got my personality right, because if I had been there, in that set up with Pavarotti and the other singers looking on, I could very well have screwed up, the way the character did. That’s completely believable, but the actual master class it went very well, in fact I was one of the few that Pavarotti asked to sing twice, but I had an audience, I had back up, and that was very important for me. It made me a little less nervous. So different from the film, but the shape was the same, after the workshop I didn’t go into singing professionally, I just went back to work, so that aspect is similar.” In the film the trauma of being told by his idol that he’ll never be an opera singer shattered Potts’ confidence, leading to him giving up on singing, but in real life the reason Potts didn’t go on to a singing career right away is something I think we can all relate too.

“I’ve never been a particularly pushy person,” he says. “Partly because of shyness, but partly because that’s just the way I am. My attitude was that I would rather have if-only’s rather than never-was’, so I would rather hold back on something and not try

and go for it, so that I could think back on it as a, if-only I’d tried that, or I could have done that, rather than trying and failing, which would then be a definite no, a failure. I’d rather have a possible maybe, than a definite no. I was that way with girls at school as well. I wouldn’t ask a girl out because I could convince myself that if I didn’t ask her out there was the possibility that if I did she’d say yes, whereas if I did and she said no the delusion would be gone forever. I think years of abuse and struggle brought me to that, but it’s also just part of who I am, I don’t know.”

In the film James Cordon plays Potts, something the real Potts was very excited about.

“I met James, quite by chance, before the film was even a thought,” he tells me. “I

was in a hotel in West London, with my wife, in the bar, and he’d come in and banged his little carrier bag on the counter and said that all they’d left him was his dirty underwear, to which Julz, my wife, laughed at him. It turned to her and told her that he’d just had his car broken into and all they’d left him was the one bag with his dirty laundry in it, and we were laughing. Julz was sorry, but she said he was the comedian. I didn’t know who he was at the time. I been away when

the thing that made his name in the UK had been on, Gavin Stacey, but it was quite funny the way we first met.”

Potts and Cordon didn’t really have time to sit down and discuss playing the character of Paul Potts, but Potts is actually happy about that.

“Because I tour so much we didn’t have the chance to sit down and discuss the role, but I think it’s better that way. It’s no good for an actor to try and copy someone, because you simply can’t copy someone. I think it’s better when they just give their interpretation of that person, and that’s what James did, and it’s great. The strangest thing for me is when James mouth opens and it’s my voice coming out. Each time he

“I wanted it to be something that made

people smile and make them laugh. I didn’t

want people walking out of that cinema

feeling sorry for me. I want them to walk out

cinema smiling and thinking that it’s a great

story, and that they enjoyed it.

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opens his mouth to sing it’s me.” Potts is thrilled with the end

product, of Cordon’s performances as well as the entire film as a whole.

“I love the film,” he says with a smile. “I wanted it to be something that made people smile and make them laugh. I didn’t want people walking out of that cinema feeling sorry for me. I want them to walk out cinema smiling and thinking that it’s a great story, and that they enjoyed it. I want people to enjoy the movie and feel like they’ve learned something about themselves, as well as about me. That’s all I want.”

Go and see One Chance right now to be inspired and amused and just to enjoy a really good film. It’s showing right now at cinemas nationwide.

_______________________________________ Film Review: Released April 18th


One Chance 9/10 Starring James Cordon, Julie Walters and Alexandra Roach Directed by David Frankel

The Story: Based on the inspirational true life story of Paul Potts, the winner of Britain’s Got Talent in 2007, One Chance tells the tale of Paul (James Cordon), a young man, bullied from a young age, who found solace in operatic music. Growing up in England, in a small factory driven town, music is not high on the list of priorities, but Paul and his mother (Julie Walters) loves the music, even though his father (Colm Meaney)does not. Things change for Paul, a cell phone salesman, when he meets Julz (Alexandra Roach), a girl he’s been emailing for a while, but is meeting for the very first time. They hit it off immediately and she encourages him to go to Venice to try out for an opera school run by Luciano Pavarotti. He gets into the school, but things don’t go as planned as he ends up back in England, wondering what to do with his life. It’s a struggle the whole way, even though he has Julz by his side, but he gets a lucky break when he, on a whim, decides to audition for a TV reality show, and the rest is history. The Verdict: This one of the most inspirational film you’ll ever see. So many of

us fear change, fear trying something in case we fail, and that’s what this film encapsulates, trying something, taking that risk, even if we fail, at least we gave it a shot, and, who knows, maybe we’ll be lucky like Paul and end up winning something huge that can change our entire lives. Cordon holds his comic own, but also adds a layer of sincerity that makes him completely lovable as the lead character. He is such a sympathetic character, since we can all see ourselves in him, and we all love him just the same. He’s goofy and silly, but with a really big heart, matched only by his very big voice. The voice you hear in the film, by the way, is Paul Potts himself, which is wonderful and amazing and shows why he’s doing as incredibly well as he is. He is an amazing singer. Supporting cast is made up of Roach who is the anchor for Cordon and gives a solid performance next to him, Walters as the mother who stands by her son, no matter what and Meaney, who is always guaranteed to give a solid performance, as the father who just doesn’t understand, but loves his boy anyway. The comic relief is offered by Mackenzie Crook, better known for the Pirates of the Caribbean series, as Cordon’s best friend. He’s zany and flighty and loyal and everything you want from a best friend character. He is great. This is one of those films that make you glad to live in this world, and makes you believe that anything is possible, if you just believe and try. I suggest everyone go out and see this film. Also, watch our wonderful review with Paul Potts, who was out in South Africa supporting the release of the film.



Konfetti 8/10 Starring Louw Venter, Nico Panagio and Casey B. Dolan Directed by Zaheer Bhyat

The Story: It’s Sheryl (Casey B. Dolan) and Jean’s (Nico Panagio) big day and they’re both hoping that everything will go smoothly. Trouble is that they’ve left the planning to Lucas (Louw Venter), Jean’s best friend, best man and a fall down drunk. Of course half of the wedding isn’t organised, or paid for, including the band, leading to Lucas frantically finding another band, which happens to be led by Bianca (Kim Englebrecht), the same girl that led to Lucas and Sheryl having broken up years before. Now Lucas has to keep Bianca away from Sheryl, the parents away from each other, his are Afrikaans and hers are Jewish, and the owner of the estate where they’re getting married (Casper De Fries) away from everyone. Oh, and the ring hasn’t arrived yet either. The Verdict: This is classic situational comedy. A wedding is a great setting for this type of comedy, considering every that can go wrong, and usually does, at a wedding. Add to that a Jewish bride, an Afrikaans groom, their parents, an alcoholic best man and a pair of London relatives flying in with the wedding ring and you’ve got a great recipe for disaster, in a good way. This film takes full advantage of the jokes, especially in the hands of a master of comedy like Venter, who wrote the film as well. Panagio is suave and charismatic and the life of the party, floating through the film on a cloud of well-manicured testosterone, while Dolan brings in a helping of drama with her scenes with the two boys. They’re moving and believable and lovely. I will say that some of the comedy does seem a little forced. I would have liked it to be a little

more organic, a little more natural than it was, but I can forgive it because it was still

funny. I also would have preferred the dramatic music, which is the same piece over all the dramatic scenes, just using different instruments, to have been a little softer, and lighter. Its fine at first, but it starts over powering the scene towards the end, a pity because of the good performances in the scenes. It’s nice to see South African films moving forward, especially after some of the really not great films I’ve seen. This is well on its way to being really great.



Devil’s Due 4/10 Starring Allison Miller, Zach Gilford and Sam Anderson Directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett

The Story: After their wedding a couple, Samantha (Allison Miller) and Zach (Zach Gilford) go on honeymoon in the Dominican Republic. Everything goes great until their last night, when they find themselves lost. A taxi picks them up and takes them to an underground club, and they wake up the next morning in their apartment with no idea how they got there. Back home, a few weeks later, Samantha finds out that she’s pregnant. Zach is thrilled, but she’s not so sure. Then she begins to act strangely and Zach realises that there may be

more to this pregnancy than either of them know. The Verdict: This film is obvious and clumsy. The concept has been done so many times I’m not even going to count, but Rosemary’s Baby and the Omen come to mind, both of which are vastly superior films. I could even have forgiven that if this wasn’t blasted found footage again. What is wrong with putting a camera on a tripod and having the actors act in front of it? Is this type of film that much cheaper than actually hiring a cameraman? Blair Witch started this fad, but I’ve got to say that the novelty has seriously worn off. It’s a pity because the performances by Miler and Gilford aren’t bad, but you see very little of it because you’re too busy feeling nauseas because of the damned handy cam. Enough people. Please.



Son of God (not rated) Starring Roma Downey, Diogo Morgado and Greg Hicks Directed by Christopher Spencer

The Story: Son Of God is the first major motion picture event in ten years that puts Jesus back on the big screen (since 2004’s Passion of the Christ). And it’s almost fifty years since the entire story of Jesus’ life (since 1965’s The Greatest Story Ever Told) has been experienced as a movie. Son Of God gives audiences a 2014 epic experience of Jesus’ life through compelling cinematic storytelling that is gritty, dramatic, powerful and inspirational. Audiences are moved to cheers, then tears, and then cheers again as the story unfolds. The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, but if you are religious, or enjoyed the Passion of the Christ, then go and check it out.



Sabotage 7/10 Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sam Worthington and Terrence Howard Directed by David Ayer

The Story: Breacher (Arnold Schwarzenegger) is the leader of a special DEA task force that takes out the worst of the worst, and are the worst of the worst within the department. The team is made up of Monster (Sam Worthington), his wife, Lizzy (Mireille Enos), Grinder (Joe Manganiello), Neck (Josh Holloway), Sugar (Terrence Howard), Pyro (Max Martini) and Tripod (Kevin Vance). Tired of being part of the corporate cog, Breacher talks the team into stealing $10 million from a drug bust, but when they go to collect the money it’s gone. A few months later, after an investigation by their bosses turns up nothing the team is cleared to return to work, but the

trust they once had is gone, because each one suspects the other of taking the money. Then they start to get killed off one by one, and all the rules change. The Verdict: I liked this film. It walks the line between slasher flick, mystery and gratuitous violence actioner, and walks them all well. There’s lots of suspense, lots of action and lots of blood. Schwarzenegger gives a more thoughtful performance in this film, not just the muscle, but with w real human story behind him. He pulls it off well and is sympathetic. The supporting cast is made up of some really great actors, like Worthington and Manganiello, and they all give solid performances. The plot is involved enough to keep fans happy, and the action thick and fast enough to keep the other fans happy. It is very violent though, so be warned.



The Legend of Hercules 7/10 Starring Kellan Lutz, Gaia Weiss and Scott Adkins Directed by Renny Harlin

The Story: Queen Alcmene (Roxanne McKee) makes an agreement with the goddess Hera to bear the god Zeus’ son to bring peace to her land. Years later he has grown into a young man (Kellan Lutz), who falls in love with Princess Hebe (Gaia Weiss), who is promised to his brother, Iphicles (Liam Garrigan). Hebe loves Hercules as well and refuses to marry Iphicles, so his father, the King (Scott Adkins), sends Hercules to dies in Egypt. The demi god manages to survive though, finding himself sold instead into slavery and made to fight in the games. After some cleverness on his part he convinces his owner to take him to Greece where he will fight for his freedom and get back his kingdom. Thus begins his quest to get back what was taken from him, his love. The Verdict: This is a very different take on the Hercules legend. We all know the story of the demigod from the Disney animated feature a few years ago, but this time we have him fighting as a gladiator, which is very strange. It’s a not a bad take on the story, though. You have the

triangle between his brother and Hebe, you have the jealousy of the king, and the strength of the queen, turning the whole thing into a Greek Days of our Lives. The performances are all right, but nothing to really write home about. Lutz is okay, but nothing special. Weiss has a few moments, but then just dwindles. Garrigan also has a few stand out moments, but they are few and far between, and the rest is just okay. If you have nothing else to do, and nothing else to watch, and the money to spare, then you might enjoy this film, but I’d wait for the DVD.

______________________________________ Film Review: Released April 25th


The Amazing Spiderman 2: Rise of Electro 9/10 Starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone and Jamie Foxx Directed by Marc Webb

The Story: It’s been a while since the events in The Amazing Spiderman and Peter (Andrew Garfield) is revelling in being a superhero, and he’s really good at it, saving the day on a regular basis. His personal life, on the other hand, is in a bit of a shambles. He’s fighting with his aunt May (Sally Field) who wants him to focus on things like university and his future, not knowing about his double life, and his relationship with his girlfriend, Gwen (Emma Stone) is complicated, to put it mildly, especially since he feels very real guilt over the death of her father (Dennis Leary), and breaking his promise to the dying police captain not to see his daughter anymore. Things are further complicated by the arrival of a new super villain, Electro (Jamie Foxx), a former employee of Oscorp, who fell into a vat of electric eels and gained the power over electricity, they he decides to use to destroy Spiderman, once his hero, but now his fixation as the cause of his misery, and the return of Peter childhood friend, Harry Osbourne (Dane DeHaan), the son of Norman Osbourne (Chris Cooper) who dies of a mysterious disease that Harry is also sick with. Now Harry asks Peter to get him Spiderman’s blood to cure himself, leading to Peter having a moral dilemma in the middle of all the other drama going on. Can our favourite webslinger figure out what to do, or will he lose everything? The Verdict: If you have loved the previous Marvel superhero films, then this is the one that takes it to the next level. It’s got all the action you could possibly want, especially the scenes of Spiderman flying through the city, which are some of the most epic visual effects

I have seen in my career. Electro is also amazingly done, and a marvel, excuse the pun, to behold. The thing that makes this movie so great though, isn’t the special effects, or the completely implausible storylines, that are so great in comics, but the characters and the actors that portray them. Garfield is quick and funny and sincere as a guy trying to do the right thing, in the face of incredible odds. Stone shines again as his girlfriend, a girl who is madly in love with him, but struggling with being second to, not only the mask, but also to the guilt he’s carrying. The two of them together have incredible on screen chemistry, and it’s such a pity that this will be the last time we see them together on the screen in a Spiderman film. Foxx is creepy and obsessive and wonderful as Electro, and his alter ego Max Dillon. He has real moments of being scary, but he’s also just really sad. It’s nice to be able to identify with the villain, and see him a full 3 dimensional character and not just a caricature. Foxx shows us both sides of the character and makes him awesome. The effects don’t hurt either. DeHaan is also broody and insane as a man trying to survive, no matter what it costs him in the end. He gives a great performance to rival his performance in Chronicle, the best of his career so far. This is the best Spiderman so far, and at the end of the film they set up for several more of them. I, for one, can’t wait, because if Rise of Electro is anything to go by they’re going to be absolutely great.



Fruitvale Station (not rated) Starring Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz Directed by Ryan Coogler

The Story: Winner of both the Grand Jury Prize for dramatic feature and the Audience Award for U.S. dramatic film at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival, director Ryan Coogler's Fruitvale Station follows the true story of Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan), a 22-year-old Bay Area resident who wakes up on the morning of December 31, 2008 and feels

something in the air. Not sure what it is, he takes it as a sign to get a head start on his resolutions: being a better son to his mother (Octavia Spencer), whose birthday falls on New Year's Eve, being a better partner to his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), who he hasn't been completely honest with as of late, and being a better father to Tatiana (Ariana Neal), their beautiful four year-old daughter. Crossing paths with friends, family, and strangers, Oscar starts out well, but as the day goes on, he realizes that change is not going to come easily. His resolve takes a tragic turn, however, when BART officers shoot him in cold blood at the Fruitvale subway stop on New Year's Day The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, but please drop us a line and tell us what you think if you see it.



Endless Love 7/10 Starring Gabriella Wilde, Alex Pettyfer and Bruce Greenwood Directed by Shana Feste

The Story: Right after graduation from high school a quiet, shy young girl, Jade (Gabriella Wilde), from a very wealthy family, starts a relationship with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks, David (Alex Pettyfer). He’s a good guy, who really likes Jade, but the fact that he wasn’t raised with money, and got into a little trouble when he was younger makes the relationship unfathomable for Jade’s father, Hugh (Bruce Greenwood). He tries everything he can to keep the two apart, but their love is too strong, until life gets in the way and their romance is threatened. The Verdict: This film has real echoes of

Nicholas Sparks, but it’s not quite as poignant as a Sparks’ story. You have all the correct ingredients, the good guy from the wrong side of the tracks trying to be a better man. The beautiful girl, and Wilde is really beautiful, if not a little too thin, who inspires the boy to be a better person, but has secrets of her own, and demons to battle as well. The father, who thinks he’s doing best for his family, but in reality, is just driving a wedge between them and himself with his insane protectiveness, all stemming from the loss of a child years before. You have the goofy best friend, played by Dayo Okeniyi, who is there as moral support of our hero, as well as comic relief. You even have the epic love scenes, especially the one in front of the fire place, which is classic fare for this type of film, but it just doesn’t resonate with the same type of emotional impact that the Sparks films, The Notebook and Safe Haven, have. It’s a bit of a pity, because it’s a good film, and is enjoyable. If you enjoyed the better Nicholas Sparks films, then you’ll probably enjoy this one, but it’s just not as good.



Parkland (not rated) Starring James Badge Dale, Zac Efron and Jackie Earle Haley Directed by Peter Landesman

The Story: Parkland recounts the chaotic events that occurred in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Written and directed by Peter Landesman and produced by Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, Bill Paxton and Exclusive Media’s Nigel Sinclair and Matt Jackson, Parkland is the ferocious, heart-stopping and powerful untold true story of the people behind the scenes of one of the most scrutinized events in history. Parkland weaves together the perspectives of a handful of ordinary individuals suddenly thrust into extraordinary circumstances: the young doctors and nurses at Parkland Hospital; Dallas’ chief of the Secret Service; an unwitting cameraman who captured what became the most watched and examined film in history; the FBI agents who nearly had the gunman within their grasp; the brother of Lee

Harvey Oswald, left to deal with his shattered family; and JFK’s security team, witnesses to both the president’s death and Vice President Lyndon Johnson’s rise to power over a nation whose innocence was forever altered. The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, but if you like period dramas, or are interested in the JFK assassination, then you should go and see this film and let us know what you thought.



Die Windpomp 8/10 Starring Armand Greyling, Marga van Rooy and Leandie du Randt Directed by Etienne Fourie

The Story: Hendri (Armand Greyling) is a less than normal 17 year old that moves to a retirement home to live with his grandfather for a while. He’s bombarded by the interesting inhabitants of the retirement home, including the woman over the street, Tannie Miggie (Grethe Fox), who’s a little too flirtatious, with everyone, including him, Dr Rossouw (Ian Roberts), who seems to be the leader of the home and the one the others rely on, and Tannie Mariejtie (Marga van Rooy), his next door neighbour who offers for him to use her house for bathes, after his water stops working. Hendri thinks his time at the home is going to be boring, until he meets Margot (Leandri Du Randt), a beautiful young girl who teaches ballet at the local town hall. Hendri agrees to play the piano for her class and the two start a relationship, but

everything is thrown into disarray on a night when Hendri follows the inhabitants of the old age home down to a pond with a windmill in the middle of it and discovers a huge secret that shakes his very soul. The Verdict: This is a beautiful film. It’s sweet and clever and beautiful to watch as well. Something all South Africans can be very proud to say it was made in our country. Writer, director Etienne Fourie has woven together a story that tells about loss and love and the want to relive our youths. It echoes Cocoon, with similar themes, and is just as wonderful as it as well. The cinematography is great, especially the pond, which is absolutely breath taking. The performances by everyone are great, especially the younger members of the cast, Greyling and Du Randt who both inhabit their characters wonderfully and have great chemistry on the screen. One smile and Du Rand melts everyone’s heart, and Greyling is right there with her. I would have liked a little more to have been made of Rossouw, Ian Roberts’, character. He doesn’t really feature very much until the end, where he becomes, almost, the main antagonist. It kind of comes out of the blue, but it’s a very small thing. I loved this film and everyone should go and see it.



iNumber Number (not rated) Starring S’dumo Mtshali and Presley Chweneyagae Directed by Donovam Marsh

The Story: From the director of Spud, Donovan Marsh, comes ruthless, ego-tripping men deep in the heart of Johannesburg’s decaying industrial wasteland. When honest undercover cop Chili Ngcobo (winner of the TV Talent show, Class Act, S’dumo Mtshali), and his by-the-book partner, Sello ‘Shoes’ Moshoeshoe (lead actor of the Oscar Winning film Tsotsi, Presley Chweneyagae), are cheated out of a large reward by their corrupt superiors, Chili finds another way of getting the money he feels they deserve. Chili penetrates a cash-in-transit heist gang, and

instead of busting them, convinces his partner to participate in a once off score. The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, but if you’re a fan of South African cinema, or the heist film, then this is one you should go and see.

________________________________________ Film Review: Released May 5th


3 Days to Kill 7/10 Starring Kevin Costner, Hailee Steinfeld and Amber Heard Directed by McG

The Story: Ethan Renner (Kevin Costner) is one of the best CIA operatives around, specializing in assassinations, but when he discovers that he has end stage brain and lung cancer he realizes that there should be more to his life than the mess of a family situation he has. He decides to quit the CIA and move back to Paris to reconnect with his ex-wife, Christine (Connie Nielsen), and his teenage daughter, Zooey (Hailee Steinfeld), but both are resistant to have him back in their lives, Christine because she remembers how the job always to precedence over her, and Zooey because she can hardly remember him, let alone want him as a father. His struggle is intensified when Vivi (Amber Heard), a mysterious CIA agent, enters his life with a proposition for him. Find and kill the Wolf (Richard Sammel), and arms dealer that Ethan was tracking before his diagnoses, and his henchman, the Albino (Tómas Lemarquis), and she’ll give him a miracle drug that could cure him. So he goes in search of these men, to change what would have been a few months reconnecting with his family, to a whole lifetime.

The Verdict: This film has action, it has drama and it has comedy. It’s a great film for fans of this genre. Costner is completely believable as a tough as nails assassin who is facing his toughest challenge yet, his daughter. The comedy comes from his interactions with the targets in his job, most of them fathers’ too, asking their advice for his own daughter, since he has no idea what he’s doing. There are some really funny and touching moments, especially between Costner and Marc Andréoni, one of the bad guys he uses for information, but also the father of twins. Nielsen is good in her vital, but rather short role, and Steinfeld gives another great performance as a girl trying to find her way, and not doing a really good job of it. The interactions between her and Costner are some of the highlights of the film, especially when he teaches her to ride a bicycle. It’s a really touching moment. The down side for me was the miracle drug, which has no place in reality and was, kind of, a crouch to push Ethan back into the game. I would think someone like him would want to get the one that got away, in terms of the Albino, and that would be enough to get him in, not some beyond belief drug that would be laughable. Then there’s Heard’s character. She’s two dimensional, at best, and while she look really good in the leather S and M inspired outfits, there’s really not much there. A pity for someone of Heard’s calibre as an actor. Other than that it’s a fun, action filled film that most will love. Good fun.



Tinker Bell and the Pirate Fairy 7/10 Starring the voices of Mae Whitman, Christina Hendricks and Tom Hiddleston Directed by Peggy Holmes

The Story: Zarina (voiced by Christina Hendricks) is a lot like her friend Tinker Bell (voiced by Mae Whitman). She wants to know everything there is to know about Fairy dust, something that is frowned upon by the fairies in charge, but when she makes a mistake and her experiments destroy the dust depot, she’s told she can no longer work there. She’s devastated and leaves Pixie Hollow for good. A year later, during the Season celebrations, Tink and her friends, Silvermist (Lucy Liu), Iridessa (Raven-Symone), Rosetta (Megan Hilty), Vidia (Pamela Adlon) and Fawn (Angela Bartys), see Zarina steal the blue pixie dust, the dust they need to make the gold dust that lets them fly, without the blue dust they can’t fly. The fairies go after her, only to find her the captain of a pirate ship, and surrounded by a group of pirates who she’s promised to make fly so they can plunder, not only Wonderland, but England too. To make matters worse when Tink and the others face Zarina she switches

their powers, so now they need to stop Zarina while learning how their new powers work, not as easy as it sounds. The Verdict: This is as lovely as the last animated Tinker Bell feature, Tinker Bell and the Secret of the Wings. This time we meet Zarina as the new fairy, but all our old favourites are here, including Periwinkle, Tinker Bell’s sister. What’s nice about this film is the introduction of the pirates, especially as specific pirate named James, voiced by Tom Hiddleston. A pirate we all know very well, before Peter feeds his hand to a certain crocodile. The crocodile in question is introduced as well, which is great for those of us that grew up on Peter Pan. I’m sure Peter will be introduced into the franchise very soon. If you loved the other Tinker Bell films, or are a fan of Peter Pan, then you’ll love the Pirate fairy too.



Ain’t Them Bodies Saints (not rated) Starring Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck and Ben Foster Directed by David Lowery

The Story: Bob Muldoon (Casey Affleck) and Ruth Guthrie (Rooney Mara), an impassioned young outlaw couple on an extended crime spree, are finally apprehended by lawmen after a shootout in the Texas hills. Although Ruth wounds a local officer, Bob takes the blame. But four years later, Bob escapes from

prison and sets out to find Ruth and their daughter, born during his incarceration. Set against the backdrop of 1970's Texas Hill Country, director David Lowery paints a poetic picture, evoking the

mythology of westerns and saturating the dramatic space with an aching sense of loss. Featuring powerful performances by Affleck, Mara as well as Ben Foster and Keith Carradine, Ain't Them Bodies Saints is a story of love, motherhood and searching for peace while faced with an unrelenting past. The Verdict: Unfortunately we missed this one, so go and see it and let us know what you think.



The Colony 6/10 Starring Kevin Zegers, Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton Directed by Jeff Renfroe

The Story: Set in an unforgiving future covered in snow from a nuclear winter those that have survived live in several colonies deep under the ground. When those that live in one of these colonies, led by former soldier Briggs (Lawrence Fishburne) loses contact with one of the other colonies, Briggs, Sam (Kevin Zegers) and Graydon (Atticus Dean Mitchell) make the trek to the colony to check on their friends, but when they get there all they find is death as a group of feral humans, who feed on others, has descended on the colony. They struggle to fight their way out, but the feral that are left follow them back to their colony and threaten to destroy everything. The Verdict: Even have actors of Fishburne and Bill Paxton’s calibre in this film is not enough to save it. It’s obvious and tedious and not really much to see. It has got action and if you’re into mindless apocalypse actioners then you might get something out of it, but I probably wouldn’t recommend it, unless it’s on DSTV and there’s nothing else on to see.



Ek Joke Net 2 6/10 Starring Solomon Cupido, Lelia Etsabeth and Hannes Brummer Directed by Stefan Nieuwoudt

The Story: The group of candid camera pranksters is back. This time they take on politicians, naked security screens and talking puppets.

The Verdict: Told with faked news inserts in between the pranks, told by Solomon Cupido and Lelia Etsabeth, this is something a little different, at least that aspect of it. It’s a bit of scripted funniness, even though it’s not terribly funny, in between the candid moments. The pranks themselves aren’t exactly original either. I’ve seen the vast majority of them in other candid films, especially Schuster one’s, but they the new ones are relatively inventive, and the not so new ones are funny-ish. This sort of thing is really not my cup of tea, but I will say I got a lot more out of it because of the high English content, as opposed to the majority Afrikaans in the first film, but it’s still not something I’d watch again.



The Other Woman 7/10

Starring Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann and Kate Upton Directed by Nick Cassavetes

The Story: Carly (Cameron Diaz) is madly in love with Mark (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), the first guy she’s really had any feelings for, but when she decides to pay him a surprise visit she discovers that he’s married. This leads to one of the strangest friendships ever when his wife, Kate (Leslie Mann) decides to become Carly’s best friend, despite everything, and changes her life. This leads to them both discovering that Mark is seeing a third girl, Amber (Kate Upton), and after meeting her, they all decide to ruin the man’s life a revenge enters the picture. The Verdict: Filled with fun and good humour this is the First Wives Club for the 21st century. Diaz is great as a no nonsense lawyer who opens her heart, just to have it broken,

and then ends up in the middle of the strangest marital struggle that she could imagine. Mann shines as the wife who finds out about her husband’s infidelity, but struggles to do anything about it. Even leave him. Strangely enough she

is also the one that pulls on Diaz’s heart strings and gets her to be a human begin again, not just a lawyer. Upton has all the best lines as the body, and very little else. She’s blonde, in every sense of the word, and relishes in the role, making her really funny, while good to look at. Coster-Waldau is slimy and conniving, not just as a husband, but as a business man as well. He’s wonderful, and the final confrontation left me with a hand in front of my mouth in disbelief at the sheer scale of it. If you like revenge filled comedies, with good actin, then you’ll enjoy this film.

________________________________________ Film Review: Releasing May 9th


Devil’s Knot 7/10 Starring Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth and Dane DeHaan Directed by Atom Egoyan

The Story: Based on actual events that rocked small town America, when three little boys disappear, the worst is feared. It is confirmed when their bodies are found, naked, bound and murdered. The police are pressured to find the killer, and fast, so they focus on a group of three teenage boys, Damian Echols (James Hamrick), Jason Baldwin (Seth Meriwether) and Jessie Misskelley, Jr. (Kristopher Higgins), boys believed to be Satanists who are believed to have killed the boys in some kind of satanic ritual, but as the court case of the decade begins private investigator Ron Lax (Colin Firth), working for the defence to try and make sure the boys don’t face the death penalty, and Pam Hobbs (Reese Witherspoon), the mother of the one of the victims, 8 year old Stevie, (Jet Jurgensmeyer) begin to see that the police’s case isn’t exactly water tight, and maybe these boys aren’t the guilty parties after all.

The Verdict: This is gritty, hard-hitting court case drama in the vein of The Chamber and The Client, but there’s something lacking in it. It’s great, frightening and disturbing, right up until the last few minutes, and then it just seems to stop in the middle of nowhere. There’s no real end, which is a real pity because it taints what is a really good, thought-provoking film. This is extrapolated by the fact that I remember the case, thus knowing what happened, and that there is more story to tell, which the filmmakers failed to do. That said, the performances are great, especially from Witherspoon as a mother, firstly grieving for the loss of her little boy, then seeking vengeance against whoever falls in the crosshairs, but then seeing the light and realizing that there may be more to what’s going on than what they know, and Firth, as an investigator who gets involved to keep the death penalty off the table, something he feels strongly about, whether the kids are guilty or not, but soon realizes that the case is a sham. If you like court room dramas, along the lines of John Grisham films, then you’ll enjoy this one.

________________________________________ Film Review: Releasing May 9th


Lone Survivor 8/10 Starring Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Emile Hirsch Directed by Peter Berg

The Story: Based on the true story and the book written by the Lone Survivor, a group of Navy Seals, including Marcus Luttrell (Mark Wahlberg), Michael Murphy (Taylor Kitsch), Danny Dietz (Emile Hirsch) and Matt 'Axe' Axelson (Ben Foster) are sent into a remote area of Afghanistan to find and kill Ahmad Shah (Yousuf Azami), a Taliban leader. The mission goes smoothly, until they are spotted by a couple of farmers. Being the men they are, they release the farmers, only to have an army descend on top of them, and a fight for their lives begin. The Verdict: I’m not a huge fan of war movies, but Black Hawk Down and Zero Dark Thirty did touch me, and this film has a lot of the same values and themes of those two. American armed forces facing overwhelming odds, but always coming out to

look like the good guys, though in this case I’m pretty sure they are the good guys, if you can believe what you see in films. The performances are good by the entire cast, especially the soldiers who are believable as soldiers and, again if you believe what you see, self-sacrificing heroes. I guess the problem with this film, as with so many, is that it’s completely one sided. The events really happened, there’s no arguing that, but did they happen the way they’re portrayed, I‘ll leave that up to you to decide, as an objective viewer.

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Off the screen magazine may 2014