THIS WEEK'S NEW CINEMA RELEASES

You'd think that TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION would be at the top of my to-see list this week - but it's not. You'll know why if you've read my review in a previous post ...

MY TOP PICK TO SEE

Instead, top of my list to see is the Afrikaan romantic comedy, PAD NA JOU HART. I wish I could tell you what that means but I can't. It's an adventure romance in which 'Basson has five days to make it to his father's funeral in Cape Town, but needs to complete certain tasks on this trip before he can call the family company his own. On the road he meets free-spirited bohemian girl, Amory. As they journey across the breathtaking landscape of South Africa, they meet wonderful characters that allow for hilarious moments and life-changing experiences. Their trip takes a sudden turn for the worst when a villainous figure makes an appearance. Basson and Amory are faced with disappointment and heartache. On the road called life, it is inevitable that you will take some wrong turns. But no matter how hard the road might be, on route to true love is where you will find your true north.' (Anonymous) It's getting lots of high ratings so should be a good movie!

OTHERS TO SEE

THE LAST IMPRESARIO is about 'the most famous person you have never heard of'. Well... that's helpful, isn't it! People are enjoying this documentary biography.

MAYBE/MAYBE NOT

JERSEY BOYS is the story of four young men from the wrong side of the tracks in New Jersey who came together to form the iconic 1960s rock group The Four Seasons. It's a biographical, drama, musical based, I believe, on a stage play. Critics don't particularly like it. The Wrap's Alonso Duralde says It works in the hits, and it casts singers who make those hits sound virtually identical to the original versions. What the movie doesn't do is answer the question, “Why did I just spend 134 minutes watching the Frankie Valli episode of 'Behind the Music'?” General public audiences, though, are giving it an average of ***1/2 stars. You'll need to make your own mind up about this one!

Well... you probably all know about Transformers. TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION has come to town. It tells the "story" of an automobile mechanic (Mark Wahlberg) and his daughter (Nicola Peltz) who make a discovery that brings down the Autobots - and a paranoid government official - on them. If you only want to go and see this movie for the 3D special effects and action, go for it. And if you are going to see it at all, make sure you go see it in a cinema in 3D. And whatever you do, read my review in a previous post first!

If you are into fashion you might want to see YVES SAINT LAURENT, a look at the life of French designer Yves Saint Laurent from the beginning of his career in 1958 when he met his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge. The Playlist's Jessica Kiang describes it this way: Over the twenty-odd years the film covers, Saint Laurent is scene-by-scene depicted as a genius, a manic-depressive, a polyamorist, a drug taker, a mercurial friend, a partier and a terribly, terribly sensitive soul. He undoubtedly was all of these things and more, it's just a pity he doesn't also come across as a person. A pity.

ONE TO AVOID

The French/Belgium comedy, THE VOLCANO (with a title impossible for me to pronounce - Eyjafjallajökull - go on, give it a go!) is summarised by Jiilo_Kim on IMDB: For travelers around the world, the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull is a downer. For Alain and Valerie, it's a catastrophe. For if they are to make it in time to the tiny Greek village where their daughter's wedding is taking place, the two divorcees have to swallow their pathological hatred for each other and hit the road together. I've already seen this and will review shortly, but just know that the general public are rating it an average of **1/2 stars.

That's it for this week. See you at the movies! And watch out for my reviews as I see them!

NB: synopses of movies are adapted from IMDB.