Dubai - City Times weighs in on some of this weekend's movies
By David Light
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Published: Fri 10 Mar 2017, 2:53 PM
Last updated: Sat 11 Mar 2017, 3:25 PM
There are a couple of great movies showing at cinemas across the UAE this weekend, here are some of them.
KONG: Skull Island
A MASSIVE-BUDGET blockbuster starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson and Samuel L. Jackson, it should be good right? The trouble is with monster movies, to date, we haven't ever seen a good one. The kitchy novelty of old-skool Godzilla aside, the thought of giant creatures roaming around onscreen for 120 minutes doesn't create a burning desire to go to the movies - unless you count Jurassic Park for which nobody shall have a bad word to say on our watch. While the soundtrack on this one appears to be killer, the special effects amazing and the story novel enough to take the beast away from Manhattan and keep it in its own territory, there is nothing outstanding on show to make us part with Dhs40 to go see it. Perhaps if we're at a complete loose-end, we're sure it shan't be the worst film ever made. It's probably even quite a lot of fun. Brie Larson's performances are usually worth the ticket prices alone too. Hang on, are we slowly convincing ourselves to go watch it? Well that's a first - starting out being really down on a film before concluding we're definitely going to enjoy it. Big apes, eh? Guess they do have a certain monkey see, monkey do appeal. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 79% Trivia: This version of King Kong takes place in 1971.
Viceroy's House
A slightly airbrushed version of one of the most turbulent periods of Indian history, Viceroy's House nonetheless appears to be a heartfelt attempt to convey one of the thousands of stories from this time which have yet to be committed to the silver screen - the final Viceroy, Lord Mountbatten's, relinquishing of power after 300 years of rule and the country's subsequent partition. Starring Hugh Bonneville of Lord Grantham fame, Viceroy's House no-doubt borrows its visual cues from the successful TV saga Downton Abbey with the eponymous residence looking splendid and grand complete with servants, banquets and tradition despite Mountbatten's mandate to pack up and leave as soon as possible. The X-Files' Gillian Anderson plays the historically underrated Lady Mountbatten, whose liberal socialist leanings are highlighted to great effect, countering the typically sneering and condescending ruling landed gentry. It definitely looks worth a watch as a period drama, although reports state a Romeo and Juliet love story between two young Indian people from different religions falls flat. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 74%
The Devil's Dolls
Mandatory horror time and, guess what? It's not great. The Devil's Dolls doesn't make much sense. Demonically possessed 'worry dolls', normally used to allay children's fears, transfer their evil charged spirits into people who then go on a killing spree. There's some black magic stuff in there somewhere and a father trying to protect his child, but on the whole it looks boring, devoid of suspense and thrills. IMDb gives it 4.3 Trivia: Did we mention we're not horror fans?
Gamba
This CGI reboot of an old hand-drawn Japanese cartoon looks fun.we guess. To be honest we have no idea what's going on. A mouse and an otter fly through the air in a trailer, attempting to get from one side of a city to the other before going to sea. We'll leave the judgment up to you. We doubt it'll be another Citizen Kane, but the kids may like it. IMDb gives it 5.9 Trivia: When released earlier the movie was called Air Bound.
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