Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Genre: Biopic
Director: Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris
Starring: Emma Stone, Steve Carrell, Andrea Riseborough, Elisabeth Shue, Alan Cumming, Sarah Silverman, Natalie Morales  
Duration: 121 minutes
Class: 12A
KRS Releasing Ltd

The US sports biopic is loosely based on a 1973 televised tennis match between Billie Jean King, 29,  and Bobby Riggs, 55.

The match attracted a lot of attention and was viewed by an estimated 90 million people around the world. King’s win is considered a milestone in public acceptance of women’s tennis.

In this film adaptation, directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris, Emma Stone plays the role of King and Steve Carrell interprets the part of Riggs.

The plot looks into how while the two players were trapped in the media glare, off-court each was fighting more personal and complex battles. With King’s husband urging her to fight for equal pay, she was also struggling to come to terms with her own sexuality, while Riggs gambled his legacy and reputationin a bid to relive the glories of his past.

The film garnered very positive reviews. The critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes reads: “Battle of the Sexes turns real-life events into a crowd-pleasing, well-acted dramedy that ably entertains while smartly serving up a volley of present-day parallels.”

Liz Beardsworth of Empire magazine was of the same opinion as she described the film as “a light, funny, blissfully entertaining flick about heavy, sadly still relevant themes”.

Sandy Schaefer of Screen Rant agreed: “Battle of the Sexes thrives as a crowd-pleasing sports story with charm to spare, even as it sugarcoats the real-life events that inspired it.”

Released in the US at the end of September, the film has grossed $12.5 million so far.

Ratings
IMDB: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Empire: 4 stars

Julianne Moore’s and Matt Damon’s peaceful lives are shattered in Suburbicon.

Suburbicon (2017)
Genre: Crime
Director: George Clooney
Starring: Matt Damon, Julianne Moore, Oscar Isaac, Glenn Fleshler, Noah Jupe, Alex Hassell
Duration: 105 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd

George Clooney directed and wrote together with Joel and Ethan Coen this crime thriller about a mild-mannered father (Matt Damon) who faces his demons after a home invasion shakes his peaceful, idyllic all-white neighbourhood in 1959.

Critics panned the film’s plot and screenplay. Joe Morgenstern of the Wall Street Journal commented: “Suburbicon is not only unfunny, a bad sign for a black comedy, but deep-dyed dislikeable.”

And Chris Agar of Screen Rant wrote: “Suburbicon is a confused mishmash of a movie that attempts to blend two different storylines and fails to fully develop either in an engaging fashion.”

The film also bombed at the box office, grossing just about $6 million since its release at the end of October.

Ratings
IMDB: 5.2/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 27%
Empire: 2 stars