The Woman King
THE WOMAN King is about the Agojie, an all-female warrior unit from the 1800s that protected the African kingdom of Dahomey. Faced with a new threat, General Nanisca trains the next generation of recruits to fight against a foreign enemy that’s determined to destroy their way of life. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, the film stars Viola Davis, Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch, Sheila Atim, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and John Boyega. Robert Daniels of www.rogerebert.com writes, “The subplots in The Woman King might undo it for some. But the magnitude and the awe this movie inspires are what epics like Gladiator and Braveheart are all about. They’re meant for your heart to override your brain, to pull you toward a rousing splendor, to put a lump in your throat.” Film review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer gives the film a score of 94%, and an audience score of 98%.
MTRCB Rating: R-13
Amsterdam
IN THE 1930s, three friends witness a murder that would lead them to one of the most outrageous plots in American history. Written and directed by David O. Russell, the film stars Christian Bale, Margot Robbie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Robert De Niro, Timothy Olyphant, Zoe Saldaña, Rami Malek, and Andrea Riseborough. Variety’s Peter Debruge writes, “Back in free-wheeling American Hustle mode, Russell has an appetite for chaos that can be uniquely exhausting, and even though this oddball ensemble boasts intelligent ideas and a smorgasbord of against-type performances from A-list names, Amsterdam amounts to less than the sum of its parts.” Film review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer gives the film a high score of 94%, and an audience score of 29%.
MTRCB Rating: PG
Ticket to Paradise
A DIVORCED couple reunite in Bali to stop their daughter from making the same mistake they made when they were younger. Directed by Ol Parker, the film stars George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Kaitlyn Dever, Maxime Bouttier, Billie Lourd, and Lucas Bravo. Empire Online’s Ben Travis writes, “the real draw of Ticket to Paradise is the bickering, bubbling chemistry of Clooney and Roberts set against sun-kissed climes — and there it absolutely delivers, the duo displaying all-out charisma both in their snippy sniping, and when in cahoots with one another. Their gradual reconnection becomes genuinely touching, and even though you know what’s coming, the film finds its way there effectively.” Film review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer gives the film a score of 67%.
MTRCB Rating: PG
Don’t Look at the Demon
AN EMOTIONALLY damaged spiritual medium leads a paranormal investigative TV crew to a haunted home in Malaysia, only to discover that the dangerous entity that dwells in the house may have a connection to her own mysterious past. Directed by Brando Lee, the film stars Harris Dickinson, Fiona Dourif, Randy Wayne, Jordan Belfi, Malin Crépin, and William Miller. A review on AsianMoviePulse.com calls the film “A by-the-numbers if still wholly effective Malaysian genre effort.”
MTRCB Rating: R-13