Lives are in peril in the true survival tale The Finest Hours.

The Finest Hours (2016)
Genre: Historical drama
Certification: 12A
Duration: 117 minutes
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Chris Pine, Eric Bana, Casey Affleck, Josh Stewart, Ben Foster, Holliday Grainger
KRS Releasing Ltd

The historical disaster drama, produced by Walt Disney Pictures, tells the true account of a daring rescue of a group of sailors off the New England coast in 1952. It is based on the successful novel of the same name by Michael J. Tougias and Casey Sherman.

On February 18, 1952, a massive storm splits the SS Pendleton in two, trapping more than 30 sailors inside the tanker's sinking stern. Engineer Ray Sybert (Casey Affleck) bravely takes charge to organise a strategy for his fellow survivors.

As word of the disaster reaches the Coast Guard in Chatham, Massachussetts, chief warrant officer Daniel Cluff (Eric Bana) orders a daring rescue mission. Despite the ferocious weather, coxswain Bernie Webber (Chris Pine) takes three men on a lifeboat to try and save the crew against seemingly impossible odds.

The film, directed by Craig Gillespie who is venturing into such a big-budget project for the first time, harks back to to old-style film-making.

In fact, Stephen Holden of the the New York Times, wrote: “The waterlogged disaster movie The Finest Hours is a moderately gripping whoosh of nostalgia.”

Ian Freer of Empire Magazine praised the cast but lamented about the overall direction: “A strong cast and impressive action sequences can’t find subtleties or surprises to enliven a rote period disaster movie. It hits the right points, but mechanically.”

The Finest Hours has so far grossed $26.4 million in North America and $13.8 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $40.1 million, against a budget of around $80 million.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.1/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Empire Magazine: 2 stars

Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson end up saving pop stars in Zoolander 2.

Zoolander 2 (2016)
Genre: Comedy
Certification: 12A
Duration: 114 minutes
Directed by: Ben Stiller
Starring: Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Penélope Cruz, Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Benedict Cumberbatch
KRS Releasing Ltd

The sequel to the 2001 film sees former models Derek Zoolander (Ben Stiller) and Hansel (Owen Wilson) thrust back into the spotlight after living in seclusion for years.

They are both invited to a major fashion event in Rome where the estranged friends are surprised to see how much the business has changed. Even more shocking is their encounter with Valentina Valencia (Penélope Cruz), a special agent who needs their help. Someone is killing famous pop stars and it's up to Derek and Hansel to help save the world's most beautiful people from a similar fate.

Other cast members include Kristen Wiig as a fish-lipped designer and Will Ferrell as a murderous lunatic. There are also a number of guest appearances, including Susan Boyle, Katy Perry and Justin Bieber.

The film, once again written and directed by Stiller himself, manages to be entertaining with all its craziness but critics wonder whether it merits another sequel.

Sandy Schaefer of Screen Rant wrote: “Zoolander 2 aims to be bigger and crazier than its predecessor, but amounts to a serviceable [though less memorable] comedy sequel”.

Anthony Lane of The New Yorker was a bit more harsh in his critique: “Like Anchorman 2, this project suggests that sequels to cult movies are best left as a platonic ideal – dreamed of and tittered over but unmade.”

The film was also described as a financial disappointment – since its release on February 12 in the US, it grossed around $48 million worldwide, meaning it is still $2 million short of its budget.

Tilda Swinton and Matthias Schoenaerts bask in the Mediterranean sun in A Bigger Splash.

A Bigger Splash (2015)
Genre: Drama
Certification: 15
Duration: 124 minutes
Directed by: Luca Guadagnino
Starring: Dakota Johnson, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Matthias Schoenaerts, Aurore Clement
KRS Releasing Ltd

The Italian-French erotic thriller is loosely inspired by another Italian-French film released in 1969– La Piscine, which starred Alain Delon and Romy Schneider.

The plot sees a famous rock star named Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) and her film-maker boyfriend, Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts), vacationing on the remote Italian island of Pantelleria, when their peace is disrupted by the unexpected visit of an old friend, Harry (Ralph Fiennes), and his daughter, Penelope (Dakota Johnson), creating a whirlwind of jealousy, passion and, ultimately, danger for everyone involved.

Robbie Collin of The Telegraph compared the film with Paolo Sorrentino’s The Great Beauty. He writes: “It’s a shameless return to the style-drenched Italian cinema of 50 years ago, albeit the simmering Antonioni mood piece sort, rather than a no-holds-barred Fellini jamboree.”

Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter was not that impressed. She wrote that the film “feels empty and intellectualised at the core, where it should feel powerfully emotional”.

Critics, however, seemed to agree on one thing: the film gave Fiennes the chance to tap his comic potential and he does so successfully.

Ratings
IMDB: 6.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 84%
Empire Magazine: 3 stars