THIS WEEK’S NEW CINEMA RELEASES

A smorgasbord of movies opening in cinemas this week!

MY TOP PICKS TO SEE

If you are into documentaries then top of the list this week goes to BEYOND THE EDGE which tells the story of Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary’s monumental and historical ascent of Mt. Everest in 1953 – an event that stunned the world and defined a nation.

As far as drama goes, 52 TUESDAYS looks fascinating. 16 year old Billie’s reluctant path to independence is accelerated when her mother reveals plans to gender transition and their time together becomes limited to Tuesday afternoons. Apparently the movie was actually filmed on 52 Tuesdays throughout one year. I’ll definitely be catching up on this one!

OTHERS TO SEE

The provocative YOUNG & BEAUTIFUL (JEUNE & JOLIE) finally arrives on our screens. After losing her virginity, Isabelle takes up a secret life as a call girl, meeting her clients for hotel-room trysts. Throughout, she remains curiously aloof, showing little interest in the encounters themselves or the money she makes.
The Dissolve’s Scott Tobias: ‘Ozon tosses an abundance of twisted psychology into the stew, but he leaves the audience to sort it out for themselves. Young & Beautiful has the detached air of other Ozon productions, and Vacth gives so little away as Isabelle that she’s eternally an unsolved problem.’

MAYBE MAYBE NOT

For the action/crime/drama aficionados we have SABOTAGE in which  members of an elite DEA task force find themselves being taken down one by one after they rob a drug cartel safe house. Critics rate it low on average but general public think it’s average.
ReelViews’ James Berardinelli: ‘For most of its running length, Sabotage is a gritty, compelling motion picture with twists to make a pretzel envious.’

FADING GIGOLO looked like it had potential from the trailers. Starring John Turturro (directs and stars), Woody Allen, Sharon Stone (Basic Instinct) and Sofía Vergara (Modern Family) it should be up there with the best. The story? Fioravante decides to become a professional Don Juan as a way of making money to help his cash-strapped friend, Murray. With Murray acting as his “manager”, the duo quickly finds themselves caught up in the crosscurrents of love and money. Looks like it might be average.
RogerEbert.com: ‘As an actor, John Turturro is a stalwart, alert, engaging character player. As a writer/director, he’s one of the quirkiest, hit-and-miss narrative moviemakers around.’

TO AVOID

A couple to avoid… 12-12-12 is a mix of live performances and behind-the-scenes footage from the televised benefit concert to raise relief funds for victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Averaging low scores from critics and public.
Variety’s Andrew Barker: ‘An impressive yet drama-less concoction that can’t totally disguise its slightly stale aftertaste.’

And… SNEEZING BABY PANDA – THE MOVIE. A mockumentary that follows an Australian zoologist’s quest to save her struggling zoo. Really?

That’s it for this week. Enjoy the movies!