Film News South Africa

#OnTheBigScreen: 'Emma', 'Bloodshot' and 'Moffie'

Films opening at cinemas in South Africa, this week, include a Jane Austen adaptation starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Emma; Cape Town-born David SF Wilson's feature film directorial debut, which stars Vin Diesel, Bloodshot; a new film from Clint Eastwood, Richard Jewell; and Oliver Hermanus's exploration of gay life in the South African military in the 1980s, Moffie.

Moffie

A morbid and brutal journey into South Africa of 1981 where racism and oppressive prejudice fostered hatred. Based on the memoir, Moffie, by André-Carl van der Merwe, it tells the story of a conscript who embarks on his military service in 1981 South Africa.

Directed by Oliver Hermanus from a screenplay by Jack Sidey and Hermanus.

Emma

Jane Austen’s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending is re-imagined in this delicious new film adaptation.

Handsome, clever and rich, Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a restless ‘queen bee’ without rivals in her sleepy little English town. In this glittering satire of social class, Emma must navigate her way through the challenges of growing up, misguided matches and romantic missteps to realise the love that has been there all along.

In her touching, funny and beautifully realised feature directorial debut, filmmaker Autumn de Wilde presents a glittering comedic satire of social class and the challenges of growing up, from a screenplay crafted by Eleanor Catton.

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Bloodshot

After he and his wife are murdered, Marine Ray Garrison (Vin Diesel) is resurrected by a secret team of scientists. Enhanced with nanotechnology, he becomes a superhuman, biotech killing machine – Bloodshot. As Ray first trains with fellow super-soldiers, he cannot recall anything from his former life. But when his memories flood back and he remembers the man that killed both him and his wife, he breaks out of the facility hell-bent on revenge, only to discover that there’s more to the conspiracy than he originally thought. This superhero film is based on the Valiant Comics character of the same name.

The film is directed by Cape Town-born David SF Wilson (in his feature directorial debut) and written by Jeff Wadlow and Eric Heisserer. It also stars Eiza González, Sam Heughan, Toby Kebbell and Guy Pearce.

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Richard Jewell

Director/producer Clint Eastwood was intrigued enough to dramatise for the big screen the tragic story of Richard Jewell, a trusting man whose life was turned upside down by both the media and the law enforcement the community he idolised.

The film is based on an article published by Vanity Fair in 1997 and chronicles Richard Jewell’s life during the events that led to an attack at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Jewell (Paul Walter) works as a security guard at AT&T when he discovers the plot that resulted in the Centennial Olympic Park bombing. He then heroically saves lives after a bomb was detonated during the 1996 Summer Olympics. However, the FBI identifies him as one of many suspects and this leads to his unjust vilification by journalists and the press.

The screenplay was crafted by Billy Ray who based his work on a 1997 Vanity Fair article “American Nightmare—The Ballad of Richard Jewell” by Marie Brenner.

Read more.

Read more about the latest and upcoming film releases.

About Daniel Dercksen

Daniel Dercksen has been a contributor for Lifestyle since 2012. As the driving force behind the successful independent training initiative The Writing Studio and a published film and theatre journalist of 40 years, teaching workshops in creative writing, playwriting and screenwriting throughout South Africa and internationally the past 22 years. Visit www.writingstudio.co.za
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