Pink Tongue’s Steyn du Toit gives you the lowdown on new movie releases.
Frozen 2 (1 December)
Why was Elsa born with magical powers? The answer is calling her, but also threatening her kingdom. Together with Anna, Kristoff, Olaf and Sven, she’ll set out on a dangerous but remarkable journey. In Frozen, Elsa feared her powers were too much for the world. In Frozen II, however, she must hope they are enough.
Pain and Glory (6 December)
Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory narrates a series of re-encounters of Salvador Mallo (Antonio Banderas), a film director in his decline. Some of these re-encounters play out in real time, others are recalled through flashbacks: his childhood in the 1960s, when he emigrated with his family to the primitive village of Paterna, his schooling, his first adult love in Madrid in the 1980s, the pain of the breakup of this relationship, writing as a therapy to forget, the discovery of cinema, and facing the impossibility of continuing filming.
Jumanji: The next level (13 December)
Unknown to his friends, Spencer kept the pieces of the Jumanji video game and one day repaired the system in the basement of his grandfather’s house. When his friends arrive, however, they find Spencer missing. With the game running they decide to re-enter Jumanji to save him. Spencer’s grandfather Eddie and his friend Milo Walker hear the commotion and inadvertently get sucked into the game too before any of Spencer’s friends can select their avatars. With a new quest offered to them by Nigel Billingsley, the teenage friends must help Eddie and Milo get used to their in-game avatars, get them to help find Spencer and Bethany, and escape Jumanji once again and for all.
Official Secrets (13 December)
A morality tale for the 21st century, Official Secrets tells the true story of British Intelligence whistle-blower Katharine Gun who, during the immediate run-up to the 2003 Iraq invasion, leaked a top secret NSA memo exposing a joint US-UK illegal spying operation against members of the UN Security Council. The memo proposed blackmailing smaller, undecided member states into voting for war. At great personal and professional risk, journalist Martin Bright published the leaked document in The Observer newspaper in London, and the story made headlines around the world.
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (20 December)
A year after the events of The Last Jedi, the remnants of the Resistance face the First Order once again—while reckoning with the past and their own inner turmoil. Meanwhile, the ancient conflict between the Jedi and the Sith reaches its climax, bringing the Skywalker saga to a definitive end.
Cats (27 December)
Directed by Tom Hooper (in his second musical film following 2012’s Les Misérables), Cats is a modern remake of the Andrew Lloyd Webber classic. The musical film stars James Corden, Judi Dench, Jason Derulo, Idris Elba, Jennifer Hudson, Ian McKellen, Taylor Swift and Rebel Wilson
Spies in Disguise (27 December)
The world is counting on the highly famous super spy Lance Sterling to protect it from grave threats, who in turn often counts on the technical smarts of young scientist Walter Beckett to fashion great gadgets to accomplish his missions in spite of himself. However, when Beckett attempts to introduce his newest invention of “biodynamic concealment”, Sterling accidentally ingests Beckett’s experimental work and turns into a pigeon. He must now find out how he can save the world from cybernetic madman Tristan McFord while being such a small animal.
Midway (29 December)
Midway revolves around the Battle of Midway, a clash between the American fleet and the Imperial Japanese Navy which marked a pivotal turning point in the Pacific Theater during WWII. The film, based on the real-life events of this heroic feat, tells the story of the leaders and soldiers who used their instincts, fortitude and bravery to overcome the odds.
Trees to celebrate Arbor Month