4 new films to treat yourself to this weekend

Cape Town - David Oyelowo exercises his funny bone in the A-lister crime caper comedy Gringo in cinemas this weekend. 

In Gringo he plays Harold Soyinka a mild-mannered businessman who is sent to Mexico to deliver an experimental marijuana pill. When he is kidnapped by the drug cartel he must escape alongside a hired mercenary (Sharlto Copley).

Also to see: John Boyega takes over the reins in the sequel of Pacific Rim, a romance based on 1940s actress Gloria Grahame’s life and James Faulkner plays the apostle Paul.

Here are 4 new films releasing in SA:

Movie: Gringo

Our rating: 3/5

Short review: A shambolic mess, it may well be, but Gringo is also plenty of fun, buoyed up as it is by its very game cast.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Movie: Pacific Rim Uprising

Our rating: 4/5

Short review: The sequel no one really asked for, Pacific Rim Uprising takes itself a little less seriously and proves that a CGI smash-fest doesn’t always equal a terrible script.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Movie: Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool

Our rating: 3/5

Short review: Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool is a missed opportunity that mistakenly believes that an unmemorable romance at the end of the life of a fascinating Hollywood near-icon is the most interesting thing about her.

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

Movie: Paul, Apostle of Christ

Our rating: 3/5

Short review: Paul, Apostle of Christ is as safe and unexciting as most “faith” films but it's far better than it could have been, thanks mostly to its excellent lead actor and a sense of goodness that actually feels earned for a change. 

READ THE FULL REVIEW HERE

(Photos: Empire Entertainment, Ster-Kinekor, AP)