Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/717204
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 21 AUGUST 2016 This Week 33 IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Suicide Squad (15) 10:30, 14:15, 18:05, 20:50 Pete's Dragon (U) 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 Ghostbusters (12A) 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Finding Dory 2D 10:00, 12:15, 14:30, 16:45, 19:00, 21:15 The Shallows (12) 10:00, 12:10, 14:20, 16:30, 18:40, 20:50 Jason Bourne (12A) 10:15, 13:15, 15:55, 18:30, 21:10 Valletta Living History (U) 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:15, 13:00, 13:45, 14:30, 15:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Wiener-Dog (TBA) 14:00, 18:20, 23:00 Finding Dory (U) 14:00, 18:35 The BFG (PG) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15 Nerve (15) 14:00, 16:10, 18:20, 20:50, 23:00 Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (15) 14:05, 16:15, 18:30, 21:00, 23:15 Pete's Dragon (U) 14:05, 16:25, 18:40, 20:55, 23:20 The Legend of Tarzan (12A) 14:05, 16:30, 18:50, 21:10, 23:30 The Secret Life of Pets (PG) 14:10, 16:10, 18:30, 20:40 Nine Lives (PG) 14:10, 16:15, 18:15, 20:40, 23:00 The Shallows (12) 14:15, 16:20, 18:20, 20:55, 22:55 Now You See Me 2 (12A) 14:20, 18:05, 20:45, 23:25 Jason Bourne (12A) 14:25, 18:15, 20:55, 23:35 Suicide Squad (15) 14:30, 18:00, 21:10, 23:40 The Carer (15) 16:15, 20:45 Finding Dory (U) 16:20, 20:50, 23:10 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 The Shallows (12) 11:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:35, 21:00 Pete's Dragon (U) 10:30, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 20:50 Suicide Squad (15) 10:40, 13:15, 15:55, 18:30 Finding Dory (U) 10:30, 14:00, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45 BFG (PG) 10:40, 13:15, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Jason Bourne (12A) 10:30, 13:05, 15:40, 18:15, 21:00 Ghostbusters (12A) 11:00, 13:35, 16:05, 18:35, 21:05 SHARKS could very well be credited with the creation of the blockbuster as we know it. Back in the 1970s, when American cinema was experiencing an in- spiring and unprecedented turn towards deep and gritty movies enjoying mainstream success, along came one of the number of this cinematic 'brat pack' to spoil it all. That man was Steven Spielberg, and the movie in question was Jaws (1975). Made on something of a shoestring budget which for- bade the filmmakers to show the iconic shark as often as they'd wished, the film's financial short- comings turned out to be a bless- ing in disguise as – coupled with John Williams's equally memora- ble soundtrack – Spielberg was able to manipulate the tension to full hilt, only showing the shark when it was absolutely necessary and leaving the audience – gener- ations of them – on tenterhooks. Not only did this spawn the blockbuster format as we know it – with a little help from Steve's friend George, whose contribu- tion to the burgeoning phenom- enon was a little film called Star Wars (1977) – it also by neces- sity spawned a slew of imitators (some of which, like Orca, were filmed in Malta, incidentally). The latest of these is Jaume Col- let-Serra's The Shallows, which is not just another iteration of the genre jazzed-up for the instant- messaging generation… it's also very much a vehicle for its star, Blake Lively. After losing her mother to can- cer – and much to her father's chagrin – lapsed Texan medical student Nancy (Lively) decides to take a trip to the secluded Mexican beach that held a special place in her mother's heart. But while surfing is all she hopes to do during this strange and idyllic pilgrimage, a sudden shark attack aims to put a complete damper on those plans. The Shallows has drawn some comparisons to Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity (2013), and if we swap the stars with the sea, it's easy to see why. Like Sandra Bullock's drift- ing astronaut, Lively's Nancy has to contend with both a looming physical threat and the burden of her past – in this case, com- ing to terms with her mother's death. Unfortunately, as was the case with Gravity, this feels like a tacked-on piece of 'character de- velopment' intended to add some humanity to Lively's stranded Southern belle. More to the point, the otherwise perfectly service- able genre director Colmet-Serra (Non-Stop, Run All Night) isn't exactly capable of scaling the heights traversed by an auteur like Cuaron. The first half meanders a little bit, offering filler where tension- building should be. A spot of wave-hunting between Nancy and two fellow surfers she meets turns out to be particularly mis- judged, with Colmet-Serra shoot- ing the proceedings in an aesthet- ic that feels like at Pepsi advert from the 90s. But things improve substan- tially once the shark finally re- veals itself, even if iffy moments abound. The decision to have an injured seagull perched on the lit- tle island that Nancy finds herself on is cute for a few minutes, but gets old soon after. Also, while we can accept that Nancy talks to herself in moments of genuine panic, the 'running commentary' she does for our benefit stretches plausibility in a film that appears to value its stripped-down gritti- ness, at least to a point. Still, it'll make for an entertain- ing – if not sublimely horrifying – couple of hours, and it can boast of a simple B-movie structure that is absent from most crammed tentpole blockbusters these days. It may not be the dramatic break- through the otherwise plucky and archetypally beautiful Lively is looking for, but as a late summer sea-scare, it'll do. Blood in the water ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ SHARK MONTH ★ ★ ★ ★ SHARK WEEK ★ ★ ★ SHARK BAIT ★ ★ SHARK TAIL ★ SHARK FEED FILM By Teodor Reljic THE SHALLOWS (12) ★ ★ ★ Surfin' USA: Lively Bitten bloody: Blake Lively engages in the eternal battle between humanity and nature in this slick shark-thriller