Going in Style (2017)
Genre: Comedy
Director: Zach Braff
Starring: Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Alan Arkin, Christopher Lloyd, Matt Dillon, Joey King, Ann-Margret  
Duration: 96 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

Zach Braff directs this remake of the 1979 film of the same name about a trio of retirees who plot to avenge themselves after their pensions are cancelled.

In this new version, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine and Alan Arkin fill the shoes of George Burns, Art Carney and Lee Strasberg, the stars of the successful original film. The trio play lifelong buddies  Willie (Freeman), Joe (Caine) and Albert (Arkin) who decide to buck retirement and step off the legal path when their pension funds became a corporate casualty.

Desperate to pay the bills and come through for their loved ones, the three men risk it all by embarking on a daring adventure to knock off the very bank that absconded with their money.

The film also stars 1980s hearththrob Matt Dillon as an FBI agent who investigates bank robberies, veteran actress Ann-Margret as Albert’s love interest and Christopher Lloyd as the guys’ lodge buddy.

Going in Style has received mostly mixed or negative reviews, with some critics saying that only the three protagonists save the day. Ann Hornaday of the Washington Post was one of these. She wrote: “it’s the chemistry between these three fine actors that keeps Going in Style afloat, lifting it from the formulaic and forgettable – which, essentially, it is.”

Sandie Angulo Chen of Common Sense Media was more complacent. She said: “Freeman, Caine  and Arkin's average age might be 82, but they prove that they still have lots to teach younger actors about comedic timing, charm, and on-screen camaraderie in this feel-good remake.”

Owen Gleiberman of Variety described the film as “an amiable  connect-the-dots movie” and could not help but compare it to the original movie:  “It makes the 1979 Going in Style look even more audacious, like a comedy about three King Lears”.

The $25 million budget film has grossed $35 million worldwide so far.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 47%
Empire: 2 stars

The Sense of an Ending (2017)
Genre: Drama
Director: Ritesh Batra
Stars: Jim Broadbent, Charlotte Rampling, Harriet Walter, Michelle Dockery, Matthew Goode, Freya Mavor, Billy Howle
Duration: 108 minutes
Class: N/A
KRS Releasing Ltd

The drama by Indian film-maker Ritesh Batra (Lunchbox) is based on the novel of the same name by Julian Barnes. It is about an elderly divorcee named Tony (Jim Broadbent) who receives a letter that unlocks memories of a relationship he had with an enigmatic woman, Veronica (Freya Mavor), in the 1960s.

Jim Broadbent and Charlotte Rampling are the veteran protagonists of The Sense of an Ending.

Charlotte Rampling plays Veronica in the present but she only appears very late in the film.

The Sense of an Ending, which premiered at the Palm Springs International Film Festival in January, received generally positive reviews.

Phil de Semlyen of Empire described the film as “a handsome and well-acted rumination on memory, boyhood and ageing that sees Ritesh Batra deliver a solid rather than inspired interpretation of Julian Barnes’s prize winner”.

Peter Debruge of Variety was struck by the central protagonist: “Like a male-centric counterpart to Ian McEwan’s Atonement, Tony’s journey offers a poignant commentary on how each of us attempt to make meaning of our lives, distorting memories and destroying documentation to suit agendas we cannot entirely rationalise.”

S. Jhoanna Robledo of Common Sense Media was less impressed by it all and could not help but compare it to the source matieral: “This drama is a good movie – but not great. The lyricism that marked the book does not quite translate to the screen.”

Ratings
IMDB: 6.8
Rotten Tomatoes: 73%
Empire: 3 stars

Unforgettable (2017)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Denise Di Novi
Stars: Rosario Dawson, Katherine Heigl, Geoff Stults, Cheryl Ladd, Whitney Cummings, Isabella Rice
Duration: 100 minutes
Class: N/A
KRS Releasing Ltd

Katherine Heigl (right) wants Rosario Dawson out of her way in Unforgettable.

Producer Denise Di Novi (Edward Scissorhands, Crazy, Stupid Love,  The Nightmare Before Christmas)  marks her directorial debut with a thriller revolving around a newly-divorced mother named Tessa Connover (Katherine Heigl).  She is still coming to terms with the situation when her ex-husband, David (Geoff Stults), becomes engaged to Julia (Rosario Dawson), not only bringing her into the home they once shared but also into the life of their daughter.

As Julia tries to settle into her new role as a wife and stepmother, Tessa’s jealousy drives her crazy and she stops at nothing to turn Julia’s dream into a nightmare.

The Warner Bros film is being released worldwide on Friday.

Ratings
IMDB: N/A
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Empire: N/A