Previews: Baywatch Poster, Logan, More!

Plenty in this week’s preview of coming attractions, including a moving Baywatch poster, The Eyes of My Mother, A Cure for Wellness, and more…

Baywatch Poster

Zac Efron promotes his new film in this moving Baywatch poster. The film, based on the 1990s television show, the film stars Efron, alongside Dwayne Johnson, Priyanka Chopra, and Alexandra Daddario. Baywatch hits the big screen on 31st May 2017.

The Eyes of My Mother

Gothic horror The Eyes of My Mother looks intriguing. The directorial debut of Nicolas Pesce, the film is about a young women whose dark curiosities are triggered following a tragedy in her life. Starring Kika Magalhaes, Will Brill, and Clara Wong, The Eyes of My Mother will be released in UK cinemas on 24th march 2017.

A Cure for Wellness Clip

A Cure for Wellness looks rather creepy, if the above clip is anything to go by. The film stars Dane DeHaan as a young executive sent to retrieve his company’s CEO from a remote wellness centre. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the film also stars Oscar Isaacs and Mia Goth. A Cure for Wellness will hit UK cinemas on 24th February 2017.

Certain Women Poster

Following Meek’s Cutoff and Night Moves, director Kelly Reichardt’s latest film is Certain Women. The film stars Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart as three women trying to forge there own paths in the plains of the American Northwest. Certain Women is out at UK cinemas on 3rd March 2017.

The Great Wall Featurette

Matt Damon describes The Great Wall as a “full-on battle monster movie” in the above featurette. He also speaks about his character, and the plot of the film. The Great Wall also stars Jing Tian, Pedro Pascal, and Willem Dafoe. Directed by Zhang Yimou, the film is out at UK cinemas on 17th February 2017.

Logan Trailer

Wolverine has turned babysitter in this latest X-Men movie. The film sees Hugh Jackman and Patrick Stewart reprise their roles in a dystopian road movie. James Mangold directs, and the film also stars Dafne Keen. Logan launches onto UK screens on 1st March 2017.

Beauty and the Beast Poster

Emma Watson looks very much the part of Belle in this latest Beauty and the Beast poster. From the images and clips revealed so far, this live-action remake is keeping the visual style of the original animated film. Also starring Ewan McGregor, Emma Thompson, and Ian McKellan, Beauty and the Beast is out on UK screens on 17th March 2017.

City of Tiny Lights Trailer

City of Tiny Lights very much evokes the look and feel of a neo-noir of decades past. Liz Ahmed stars as a deadbeat private eye whose services are engaged by a high-class prostitute. Also starring Billie Piper, City of Tiny Lights will be released in UK cinemas on 7th April 2017.

Film Review: Mr Holmes

Bill Condon’s Mr Holmes is more of a drama than a mystery. After a slow start, the film does engage to a certain extent.

Retired to the countryside, an ageing and ailing Sherlock Holmes looks back on his life. Holmes is haunted by an unsolved 30-year old case, and struggles to recall the details which made him retire all those years ago…

Mr Holmes features the infamous detective created by Arthur Conan Doyle, although in a different depiction than the audience will be used. Gone is the sharp detective about town, replaced by a frail older gentlemen. Rather than the acutely intelligent Sherlock Holmes of the stories, this detective has a failing memory.

The film takes place in the 1940s, but there are several lengthy flashbacks throughout. The two main stories that the film features provide the mystery element of proceedings. Mr Holmes eschews the detective story that some may expect, instead offering a drama about an ageing man looking back at his life.

The two stories that Holmes struggles to recall are told in multiple flashback sequences. Depicted in this fashion, there is enough mystery to keep viewers engaged, although the film never enthrals. As the film progresses, however, these tales do not entwine. This makes the narrative less neat, but perhaps this is the point. Mr Holmes is more about feelings and ageing than mystery.

Mr Holmes is the story of an elderly man, and functions as a fable on the mortality of man, the fallacy of memory and the significance of emotion. The unsolved case is not a failure as such; it works as a device to give the protagonist an understanding of frailty and the importance of other forms of intelligence beyond logic.

The period setting is aided by a real attention to detail. Ian McKellan delivers a strong performance as Holmes. Laura Linney and Milo Parker provide good support as Mrs Munro and Roger.

Mr Holmes may disappoint those hoping for a mystery in the style of the Sherlock Holmes stories. Nevertheless, it is a competent drama.

Mr Holmes is available to download from 12th October, and is out on DVD and Blu-Ray from 26th October 2015.