ON SCREEN
Alice Burns finds out about recent film launches and the latest DVD releases
Charlie’s Angels
Release Date: 26th November
Director: Elizabeth Banks
Starring: Naomi Scott, Kristen Stewart, Elizabeth Banks, Ella Balinska and Sam Claflin
Certificate: 12A
Elizabeth Banks takes the helm of directing a new generation of Charlie’s Angels as they take flight under the mysterious security and investigative company of Charles Townsend. Traditional law enforcement can no longer keep up, so the Angels have expanded into a worldwide body of elite female agents designed to take down any threat to international security. So, when a leading programmer comes along holding the potential to revolutionise the power industry, the Angels must protect her from the inevitable onslaught of dangerous gangs willing to do anything to obtain and weaponise this new technology.
Cats
Release Date: 20th December
Directors: Tom Hooper
Starring: Judi Dench, Idris Elba, James Corden, Jennifer Hudson, Rebel Wilson and Ian McKellen
Certificate: U
Based on the legendary musical by Andrew Lloyd Webber, the much-anticipated Cats movie hits our screens this December. The original story based on T S Eliot’s poems Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats, tells the tale of a group of cats called the Jellicles. In the course of just one night, they must collectively make the ‘Jellicle Choice’ of which cat must ascend into the Heaviside Layer – a metaphor for heaven – and leave the clan for ever. This star-studded cast looks set to be a glittering hit, already providing much intrigue with its use of new technology for its live-action depiction of this feisty feline bunch.
Blinded by The Light
Release Date: 9th December
Director: Gurinder Chadha
Starring: Viveik Kalra, Dean-Charles Chapman, Kit Reeve, Rob Brydon and Kulvinder G
Certificate: 12A
This is based on a true story of how the enduring music of Bruce Springsteen inspired the life of Sarfraz Manzoor, a journalist who grew up in 1980’s Luton. Director Gurinder Chadha tells the story of Javid, a Pakistani teenager who faces racial and economic strife amidst the backdrop of the 80’s industrial unrest. Writing poetry to escape the banality of life in Luton, as well as the uncompromisingly traditional views of his father, a classmate introduces Javid to Springsteen’s music. Noticing the parallels between Javid’s own working-class origins and Springsteen’s message, he begins to harness the power of his own voice.
