YOUR GUIDE TO THIS WEEK'S NEW CINEMA RELEASES

A couple of movies worth seeing this week…

TOP PICK TO SEE

THE MARTIAN is at the top of my list to see this week. During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive. The movie is based on the book of the same name by Andy Weir — it was brilliant! I’ve been waiting for the screen version to arrive for some time. It is also going to be in 3D which should be stunning viewing. The Playlist’s Kevin Jagernauth describes The Martian as … the most purely enjoyable picture Scott has made in years. The streamlined narrative and the film's consistent pacing, aided by a cast who don't make a wrongfooted move, makes for easy popcorn entertainment. I’ll be seeing it tomorrow night and will post my review as soon as I can for you.

OTHERS TO SEE

Yet another version of MACBETH hits the screens this week. If you’re into Shakespeare, you’ll know the story: Macbeth, a Thane of Scotland, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself. I’ve seen this movie at a prescreening and will post my review shortly. The Playlist’s Jessica Kiang praises it because it is Aided by intensely committed performances from a uniformly brilliant cast, all fielding Scottish accents[.] Kurzel's genius is to be able to find clean lines of dramatic connection and motivation within the existing text and then to interpret those imaginatively, without becoming simplistic and without compromise.

MAYBE/MAYBE NOT

Finally, a comedy starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway, THE  INTERN in which 70-year-old widower Ben Whittaker (Robert De Niro) has discovered that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be. Seizing an opportunity to get back in the game, he becomes a senior intern at an online fashion site, founded and run by Jules Ostin (Anne Hathaway). General viewers are enjoying this one — the critics not so much. The Hollywood Reporter’s Stephen Farber says that, Given the vacuity of the script, it must be admitted that Hathaway achieves something of a triumph. She's always engaging and keeps the character on a human rather than superhuman scale. So this one could be worth seeing for Hathaway alone with low expectations for the story.

That's it for this week. See you at the movies!

*NOTE* Movie summaries are adaptations of movie summary on IMDB. Opinions are mine unless credited. These updates are written from an Australian perspective so openings of the movies in cinemas may vary in other parts of the world.