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Rhys Wilson-Plant gives us the low down on the latest cinema picks

THE REVENANT
Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a frontiersman who is left for dead by his hunting team after being mauled by a bear on a fur trade expedition. He must learn to survive in the barren, unforgiving environment to seek revenge. The Revenant is an incredibly immersive film that plunges the audience into despair most could never imagine, in an environment that leaves no prisoners. The audience are constantly at the mercy of director Alejandro González Iñárritu, building suspense as characters flea for safety. The combination of this direction and this brave, original approach in cinematography is just a joy to behold and I cannot praise it enough.
Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu
Release Date: 15 January

 

THE BIG SHORT
The Big Short leads up the 2007 fall of the housing market in America and how four groups of fortunate and open-minded people foresaw the collapse, but were disregarded as amateurs. It’s an interesting and entertaining film that leaves you shocked at the behaviour of the banking system. You should see it for its educational purposes but in respect to its story, it’s relatively weak other than Mark Baum’s narrative, a character that we slowly get to understand and who often reflects the audience’s viewpoint.
Director: Adam McKay
Release Date: 22 January

 

 

OUR BRAND IS CRISIS
A veteran political strategist, Jane (Sandra Bullock), who has been out of the game for six years, is enticed into another political campaign where she must raise a controversial presidential candidate for Bolivia to saviour, whilst working against her nemesis, Pat (Billy Bob Thornton). It’s hard to tell whether it’s a serious picture on politics, or whether it’s a comical view of a presidential campaign in the depths of poverty-stricken Bolivia. The film is misguided and unidentifiable in genre, which ultimately makes the viewing confusing.
Director: David Gordon Green
Release Date: 22 January
Photo: Patti Perret

 

DIRTY GRANDPA
Jason Kelly (Zac Efron) is an uptight lawyer who is forced to go on a road trip with his grandfather after the loss of his wife. They take a little detour to Daytona Beach when it soon becomes apparent that his grandpa has a dirty plan. It’s a film that showcased a series of scenes that often had no relation to each other, and, essentially, is utterly appalling. I don’t dish out those words for fun but watching ‘The Martian’ was funnier than this and despite the Globes comedy designation for the film, everyone knows that film isn’t a comedy.
Director: Dan Mazer
Release Date: 25 January