10 OF APRIL'S BEST MOVIES: THE CONCLUDING 5

The first5 are over at <------ that link, just in case you missed it
 

L!FE HAPPENS

Baby mama

Release date: April 13, 2012

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Running time: 100mins

Director: Kat Coiro

Studio: PMK*BNC Studios

Producer: Justin L. Levine

Screenplay: Kat Coiro, Kristen Ritter

Cast: Kate Bosworth, Jason Biggs, Rachel Bilson, Krysten Ritter, Justin Kirk, Geoff Stults, Collin Egglesfield, Lauren Conrad

Sex happens… unprotected. So do babies. There’s a whole lot more to worry about unprotected sex than babies, but hey, whatever works for anybody mehn. This movie attempts to answer (and answer hilariously I must add) that question – when you are a single, knocked-up young chick (this was very hard to come up with, shoulda listened more to the English teacher in high school), how easy is it to get into a relationship with a dude who finds out you’ve pooped a baby already? Life Happens is a comedy about 3 young girls living under the pretty much the same roof in LA, with one becoming unexpectedly pregnant because… wait for it… condoms ran out and two of the girls needed them (sounds like your life, yes, you!). Kim - the pregnant party - with the help of her friends must cope with single motherhood. By herself, she must also cope with the
fear of getting back on the dating scene, with the nagging thought that totting a tot around could be a relationship no-no.

THE LADY

Release date: April 27

Genre: Drama

Running time: 2hrs 25mins

Director: Luc Besson

Studio: Mongrel Media

Producer: Andy Harries, Luc Besson, Virginie Silla

Screenplay: Rebecca Frayn

Cast: Michelle Yeoh, David Thewlis

Raise your hands if you’ve ever heard of Aung San Suu Kyi. One hand, two hands... Just the two hands? You should pay more attention to CNN then, frankly. We’ve had lots of heroes and heroines worldwide (there’s even a certain Moremi in Yoruba folklore), but few can ever be as remarkable as this Burmese woman, who stood, and still stands firm, in her fight against the totalitarian military regime in Burma (now Myanmar), despite the considerable odds stacked against her. The Lady tells of Aung San Suu Kyi and how she goes about her peaceful quest for democracy in Burma. It also tells the compelling story of Suu Kyi and her husband, Michael Aris. The turmoil in Burma, a World War outpost, continues today, and for those students of history who seek to gain remarkable insight into this key figure, this is just the movie. The writer of the movie went great lengths over a period of 3 years, to piece together the true story of this woman, the lady.

P.S: Suu Kyi's party only recently (this week) won the majority of seats to the Myanmar Parliament, a groundbreaking event.


WE HAVE A POPE

You may kiss my ring. Thanks

Release date: April 6

Genre: Drama, Comedy

Running time: 1 hr 44mins

Director: Nanni Moretti

Studio: Mongrel Media

Producer:

Screenplay: Nanni Moretti, Francesco Piccolo

Cast: Michel Piccoli, Nanni Moretti, Jerzy Stuhr, Renato Scarpa, Franco Graziosi

The Cardinals are running scared. No one wants to be Pope. However, the old Pope had passed on, and there was a papal vacancy to fill. And filled it must! Finally, a Pope is elected. The problem is, someone has to convince this man he is the right man for the job, because he has plain refused to go greet the faithful, who have been standing vigil, awaiting the outcome of the conclave.

Welcome a psychoanalyst. World-renowned and every inch atheist, the Pope’s advisors have pinpointed this man as he who must help His Fearful Eminence. But is “Our Holy Father” ready to accept responsibility? I do not know and cannot say. Watch the movie. Whenever you get the chance.

PIRATES! BAND OF MSIFITS

Release date: April 27

Genre: Animation

Running time: 1hr 28mins

Director: Peter Lord

Studio: Columbia Pictures

Producer:  Peter Lord, David Sproxton, Julie Lockhart

Screenplay: Gideon Defoe

Cast: Hugh Grant, David Tennant, Imelda Staunton, Martin Freeman, Jeremy Piven, Salma Hayek, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, Ashley Jensen

One word. Hugh Grant. Two words actually. One name. If you don’t appreciate a deliciously delightful British accent spewing out of a handsome face, at least, you should appreciate it when that face is luxuriantly bearded, and animated! How this is Hugh Grant’s first animated movie is beyond me, but hey, thank Stonehenge it’s here at last. Hugh Grant is the luxuriantly bearded, exuberant, slightly-less-successful-than-would-appear Pirate Captain. There is a prize in sight, and it is not Treasure Islands and the riches thereof. This time, it is the much coveted Pirate of the Year Award. Together with his motley crew, his one and only dream is to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek, Penelope Cruz sound-alike) to this award. This quest takes our favourite animated heroes on an adventure from the shores of Blood Island to the streets of Victorian Era England. There are a few surprises on the way too.

HEADHUNTERS

White Otokoto

Release date: April 27

Genre: Action and Adventure

Running time: 1hr 41mins

Director: Morten Tyldum

Studio: Magnolia Pictures

Producer:  Martin Heisler

Screenplay: Lars Gudmestad

Cast: Garret Dillahunt, Ulrich Tukur, Jason Douglas, Stephen Charba, Cheryl Stell

The new outpost of fabulous books that get made into movies appears to have moved to Scandinavia. First was Stieg Larsson’s hugely successful The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. Now, it’s Jo Nesbo’s  bestseller HeadHunters. The former is Swedish and the latter is Norwegian. Anytime from now, I’m expecting a Finnish one… or an Icelandic one. Come to think of it, a Danish thriller-turned-movie with Niklas Bendtner as its lead actor wouldn’t be a bad idea at all.

Do you know a man, any man, who quite obviously lives beyond what his means should normally allow? Well, such a man is Roger, Norway’s most successful headhunter, who appears to have it all – a beautiful gallery-owning wife and a magnificent villa. How he keeps up? Simple – he steals art. And then the perfect opening. Clas Greve is getting headhunted for the position of GPS company Pathfinder by Roger. Greve also possesses a painting that could finally set Roger up for the big-time, provided that he manages to steal. And then the twist. There’s always the twist. The headhunt has begun.

HINT: Headhunting is not a practice perfected by the Otokoto family. It’s merely a fancy name for “tailor-made recruiting”. We cool?