Jumanji stumbles at next level
JUMANJI: THE NEXT LEVEL (12A) HH During a rare heartfelt exchange in director Jake Kasdan’s action-packed sequel, a teenage protagonist asks chums to forget about the digital realm of Jumanji.
Regrettably, his cautionary words are ignored by Kasdan and co-writers Jeff Pinkner and Scott Rosenberg, who contrive a return to the booby trap-laden wilderness where digital creatures can quickly deplete the characters’ three lives.
The plot and pacing are haphazard and the agreeably fractious doubleact of Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart loses its comic lustre on a second viewing.
Contrary to the title, this second chapter is a disappointing step back.
BLACK CHRISTMAS (15) HHH Sophia Takal directs a remake of the bloodthirsty 1974 Canadian horror film about a group of sorority sisters who receive far more than tidings of comfort and joy from a deranged killer.
As Christmas beckons, students of Hawthorne College prepare to head home. They are blissfully unaware that a hooded figure roams the campus with murderous intentions.
This diabolical figure follows one girl, Helena (Madeleine Adams), home and stabs her with an icicle.
Classmates Kris (Aleyse Shannon), Lindsay (Lucy Currey), Marty (Lily Donoghue) and Riley (Imogen Poots) then find themselves trapped with the killer.
SONS OF DENMARK (15) HHH Racial divisions threaten to destroy Danish society in a political thriller directed by Ulaa Salim. The year is 2025 and ethnic tensions are at their peak following a bomb attack on Copenhagen.
Outspoken nationalist leader Martin Nordahl (Rasmus Bjerg) is poised to sweep to victory in the election.
In a time of intolerance, 19-year old Zakaria (Mohammed Ismail Mohammed) joins a radical organisation and forges a close bond with fellow enrollee Ali (Zaki Youssef ).
They are determined to rage against bigots.
THE KINGMAKER (15) HHH Award-winning film-maker Lauren Greenfield explored privilege, capitalism and basic human values in her documentaries The Queen Of Versailles and Generation Wealth.
In her new film, she is granted intimate access to Imelda Marcos as the former first lady of the Philippines uses her knowledge and connections to help her son Bongbong secure the vicepresidency. To achieve this improbable return to power, Imelda attempts to rewrite her family’s widely reported history of corruption.
She distorts the narrative to paint herself as a proud and patriotic matriarch, who will do whatever it takes to protect her homeland for generations to come.
FIDDLER: A MIRACLE OF MIRACLES (12A) HHH In
1964, Jerome Robbins directed and choreographed the original Broadway production of the musical Fiddler On The Roof based on Sholem Aleichem’s collection of short stories Tevye The Dairyman.
While initial critical reception was mixed, audiences flocked to savour Zero Mostel as the milkman and Maria Karnilova as his wife Golde, both of whom garnered Tony Awards for their stellar performances.
Fifty-five years after the curtain rose on that staging, film-maker Max Lewkowicz dissects the ensuing popularity of the musical and the 1971 Hollywood adaptation, helped by insights from cast members.