What to See This Week (02/03/23)
Knock at the Cabin
WHILE on vacation at a remote cabin, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand that the family avert the apocalypse or sacrifice one of their own. Directed by M. Night Shyamalan, the film stars Kristen Cui, Jonathan Groff, Dave Bautista, and Ben Aldridge. David Fear ofRolling Stonewrites: “The fact that Shyamalan seems to be working out some issues onscreen doesn’t stop him from crafting a thriller, and one which goes about its job with steady determination in Cabin’s cryptic, superior first half.” Film review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a “fresh” Tomatometer score of 71%.
MTRCB Rating: R-13
Babylon
DECADENCE, depravity, and outrageous excess lead to the rise and fall of several ambitious dreamers in 1920s Hollywood as the industry begins to transition from silent pictures to the world of sound. Directed by Damien Chazelle, the film stars Brad Pitt, Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Jean Smart, Jovan Adepo, and Li Jun Li. The New York Times’ Manohla Dargis writes: “There isn’t much going on other than the spectacle of its busily spinning parts, which might be tolerable if the first two hours weren’t so unrelievedly unmodulated, with everything synced to the same monotonous, accelerated pace. This hyperventilated quality initially serves the story and Chazelle’s concept of the era’s delirious excess, but the lack of modulation rapidly becomes enervating. After a while, it feels punishing.” Film review aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes gives it a Tomatometer score of 56%, and an audience score of 52%.
MTRCB Rating: R-16
BTS: Yet to Come in Cinemas
FANS do not have to go to an actual concert as the K-pop band BTS — composed of RM, Jin, SUGA, j-hope, Jimin, V and Jung Kook — has released a film of its concert BTS: Yet To Come in Busan. The show features hit songs including “Dynamite,” “Butter,” and “IDOL,” as well as the first concert performance of “Run BTS” from the group’s latest album Proof.MTRCB Rating: G
The First Slam Dunk
THE JAPANESE animated sports film follows Ryota Miyagi, the point guard of Shohoku high-school’s basketball team. His love for basketball was inspired by his older brother. Ryota and his teammates challenge the inter-high basketball champions the Sanno school. Directed by Takehiko Inoue, the movie features the voices of Shugo Nakamura, Jun Kasama, and Shinichiro Kamio.
MTRCB Rating: G
Spellbound
THE FILIPINO adaptation of the top-grossing 2011 South Korean romantic-comedy film follows Yuri, a lady who has become a ghost magnet after she survived a car accident in high school. The constant presence of the ghosts in Yuri’s life stirs fear among people dear to her so she purposely distanced herself from other people. Then, Victor, a street magician, spots Yuri in the audience and eventually makes her his inspiration for his horror-magic show. Directed by Julz Zarate, it stars Bela Padilla, Marco Gumabao, and Rhen Escaño.
MTRCB Rating: R-16
