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Movies to watch this winter: June-July 2012

Danielle Frazzetto

Mon Jun 25 2012

The Dark Knight Rises

REGARDLESS of genre, the winter hols are shaping up to be a great two months at the movies. Danielle Frazzetto gives you the lowdown on all the new releases. 

The winter holidays are upon us and if your looking for something to do as well as trying to stay warm this winter, you should head down to the cinemas.

Let’s start with some blockbuster must-sees:

1. Ice Age: Continental Drift – June 28, Comedy/Animated Adventure

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9edlC2lMDIQ[/youtube]

Returning to the big screen are family favourites; Manny, Diego, and Sid who embark upon yet another adventure after their continent is set adrift. Using an iceberg as a ship, they encounter many sea creatures while exploring a new world.

2. The Amazing Spider-Man (3D) –. July 4, Action/Adventure

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f9us-2CBRc[/youtube]

Enticing all superhero fans, this is the story of Peter Parker (played by Andrew Garfield, not Toby Mcguire), an outcast high school student who was abandoned by his parents as a boy, leaving him to be raised by his Uncle Ben (Martin Sheen) and Aunt May (Sally Field). Trying to figure out who he is, Peter finds his first high school crush, Gwen Stacy (played by real life girlfriend Emma Stone), and together the two struggle with love, commitment, and secrets as Peter discovers a mysterious briefcase which leads him to company Oscorp and the lab of Dr. Curt Connors, his father’s former partner. As Spider-Man is set on a collision course with Connors’ alter-ego, The Lizard, Peter will make life-altering choices to use his powers and shape his destiny to become a hero.

3. Ted – July 5, Comedy

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7EPCy14iQo[/youtube]

Family Guy audiences should be excited about this as creator Seth MacFarlane brings some boundary-pushing humour to the big screen for the first time as writer, director and voice star of Ted. In the live action/CG-animated comedy, he tells the story of John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), a grown man who must deal with the cherished teddy bear who came to life as the result of a childhood wish…and has refused to leave his side ever since.

4. Not Suitable for Children – July 12, Comedy/ Romance

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQmByPCjDho[/youtube]

This film takes a very alternative approach to the rom-com genre. Following the life of Jonah Reid (Ryan Kwanten), an impulsive and charismatic individual, who discovers he has testicular cancer during a one-night-stand. While doctors assure Jonah that his life is not at risk, he is warned that his impending treatment will render him totally and permanently infertile. It leaves him with just one option for parenthood – natural conception within the next four weeks. With paternal instincts firing, Jonah becomes determined to procreate before it’s too late, but soon realises the perfect candidate is closer than he thinks.

5. Lockout – July 12, Action/Thriller/ Sci-Fi

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dyXelNk9Ms[/youtube]

The only thriller on the list is Lockout. The plot  follows a man wrongly convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage against the U.S. and is offered his freedom if he can rescue the president’s daughter from an outer space prison taken over by violent inmates.

6. Dark Knight Rises – July 19, Drama/Action/Adventure

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7gFwvozMHR4[/youtube]

This is bound to exceed expectations of superhero lovers everywhere. Picking up eight years after the events of The Dark Knight, the terrorist leader Bane arrives in Gotham City, pushing the police force to their limits, forcing its former hero Batman to resurface after taking the fall for Harvey Dent’s crimes. Even if the film isn’t great the trailer is one of the best I’ve seen, silent trailers are so intense.

7. LOL – July 26, Comedy/Romance/Drama

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhpGs2-26pg[/youtube]

Miley Cyrus plays Lola, nicknamed Lol by her friends in this upcoming film. Set in a world connected by YouTube, iTunes and Facebook, Lola and her friends navigate the peer pressures of high school romance while dodging their overbearing parents. But when Lola’s mum Anne (Demi Moore) “accidentally” reads her teenage daughter’s journal, she realizes just how wide their communication gap has grown. Throughout the film’s hilarious and heartfelt moments between mother and daughter, LOL offers audiences a fresh coming-of-age story.

Now, some international delights not to be missed include:

1.Once Upon a Time in Anatolia – Now showing , Crime/Drama. Turkish

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jKgHqU1jrs[/youtube]

Late one night, a police commissioner, a prosecutor, a doctor, a murder suspect and others drive through the Anatolian (Turkey) countryside, searching for a body. The suspect claims he was drunk and can’t quite remember where the body was buried; and as a result only dirt is discovered after the search. As the night draws on, tensions escalate and individual stories slowly emerge from the weary small talk of the men. Nothing here is simple, and when the body is found, the real questions begin.

2. A Royal Affair –Now showing, Drama/ History/ Romance. Danish

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g11xkVjl7bM[/youtube]

Starring internationally acclaimed Mads Mikkelsen (Casino Royale), A Royal Affair won Best Screenplay at the Berlin Film Festival and is an epic tale of a passionate and forbidden romance that changed an entire nation.  Caroline Mathilde and husband, King Christian VII. But, When King Christian VII hires Struensee as his new personal physician, his queen, Caroline Mathilde, finds an unexpected ally within the kingdom. The attraction between the two is initially one of shared ideals and philosophy, but it soon turns into a passionate affair that brings the current Danish political council to an end.

3. Where do we go now? – June 28. Comedy/ Drama. Arabic, Russian, English

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HXc3iNWyrQ[/youtube]

On the edge of a cratered road, a procession of women solemnly make their way towards a village cemetery. Stoically brave, these women – some veiled and others bearing wooden crosses gather in black – are united by a sense of shared grief. As they arrive at the cemetery gates, the procession divides into two congregations: one Muslim, the other Christian. Set against the backdrop of a war-torn country, Where Do We Go Now? is a heartfelt tale about a group of women determined to protect their isolated, mine-encircled community from the pervasive and divisive outside forces that threaten to destroy it from within.

4. Bol Bachchan – July 5, Comedy. Hindi

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ju_fYuw9rjg[/youtube]

Bol Bachchan is an upcoming Bollywood comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty, featuring Ajay Devgan, Abhishek Bachchan, Asin and Prachi Desai. The film was inspired by the 1979 comic flick, Gol Maal.

5. Bolshoi: Raymonda – July 19, Musical

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egk1mAADJJk[/youtube]

Experience ballet from the most prestigious companies in the world through the big screen. Founded in 1898 at the Mariinsky Theatre, Raymonda is the last grand ballet of the 19th century, a masterpiece symbolic of a key period for classical ballet. At the castle of Countess Sybil de Daurice, Raymonda is celebrating her birthday. She is also about to bid farewell to her fiancé, knight Jean de Brienne, who is going on a crusade. At night on her own, Raymonda falls asleep and dreams of a magical garden where she reunites with her beloved. Suddenly, Jean de Brienne disappears and an arab sheik takes his place and declares his passion for her and Raymonda is forced to accept. When she wakes, Raymonda discovers something horrible.

6. And If We All Lived Together – July 26, Comedy. French

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKNSOauQr0k[/youtube]

Annie, Jean, Claude, Albert and Jeanne have been friends for more than 40 years, and when their memories start to let them down, heart rates quicken as their families begin to plot their future in retirement homes. In an act of rebellion, they decide to live together instead. But communal life presents a whole new set of challenges, stirring up memories and hidden secrets from the past, leaving the group wondering if they made the right choice.

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