Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/835410
maltatoday, SUNDAY, 11 JUNE 2017 38 This Week DIANA (Gal Gadot) is raised in an Ama- zonian island created as a refuge for like- minded and like-skilled female warriors by Zeus, who puts this plan into action after the god of war, Ares, nearly cripples him and his entire pantheon – threaten- ing the integrity of the entire world in the process. Raised by her mother Hip- polyta (Connie Nielsen) and trained to fight – largely in secret – by her aunt General Antiope (Robin Wright), Diana's world is quite literally shattered when a World War I flotilla of Germans breach- es through the invisible forcefield of their world, bringing with them, however, the American spy Steven Trevor (Chris Pine). Taken as a hostage by the Amazonian coven, Trevor is subjected to the 'lasso of truth' to reveal the dynamics of the war and its impact on the world. A revela- tion which shakes Diana to her core and embarrasses her elders, revealing in turn the secret that they have been keeping from her all this time: contrary to what she was taught, Ares is still out there, al- beit in an altered form. On this note, Diana goes against her mother's wishes and joins Trevor on his trip back to war-torn Europe... but she's surprised to learn that the 'Ares' she hopes to find and vanquish with her god- killer sword is a twistier beast than she could ev- er have imagined. Though it suffers from a CGI-explosive and ge- neric final confronta- tion and even drags in parts, Wonder Woman is a competent-and-con- fident attempt at finally giving the beleaguered DC Comics cinematic universe a much-needed uplift, in the wake of the corrosive effect left by its 'grimdark' critical flops Man of Steel (2013), Batman v Superman (2016) and Suicide Squad (2016). Directed by Penny Marshall (Monster), Wonder Woman is certainly a much- needed small triumph of gender repre- sentation in a genre where this is sorely lacking, and Gadot takes to the role with gusto – boasting the slinky physicality required of the character while making great work of the character's journey from naivete to realisation – in what is perhaps one of the most sustained and compel- ling superhero character arcs in recent memory. ON the periphery of a Rome that's dusty, multicultural and always glimpsed in a hurry, runs – like an invisible torrent through the drained ancient acqueducts – the scattered and frantic life of Fortunata (Jasmine Trinca, winner of the 'Un Certain Re- gard' Prize at Cannes). Peroxide blonde hair, wedges, mini skirt, a suitcase and an eight-year- old daughter Barbara (Nicole Cen- tanni) always at her tail, Fortunata tries to make ends meet by working as a hairdresser off the books; pin- balling from one side of Rome to another while dreaming of opening her own hairdressing salon with a childhood friend, Chicano (Alessandro Borghi) and to finally free herself from the clutches of her domineering and vulgar husband (Edoardo Pesce). With the shell of a social realist drama populated by tragicomic characters who are by turns desperate and violent, Sergio Castel- litto's film – written by his wife and long time collaborator Margaret Mazzantini – puts forward a constellation of destinies that are bound to be repeated, bringing to light the ties that bind mother and son, or the theme of the absent or surrogate father or guardian, like the ambiguous psychologist (Stefano Accorsi), IN CINEMAS TODAY Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Wonder Woman (12A) 10:30, 14:30, 18:00, 20:55 Baywatch (15) 10:25, 13:40, 16:10, 18:40, 21:10 Alien: Covenant (15) 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge (12A) 14:15, 18:00, 20:45 My Cousin Rachel (12A) 10:30, 14:45, 16:05, 18:25, 20:45 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (12A) 13:20, 15:55, 18:30, 21:05 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 Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge (12A) 11:00, 13:35, 16:10, 18:45, 21:20, 23:50 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (12A) 11:00, 13:35, 16:10, 18:40, 21:15, 23:50 Wonder Woman (12A) 11:20, 14:05, 15:00, 17:00, 18:00, 20:00, 21:00, 23:00 Baywatch (15) 11:20, 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:45 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (12A) 11:25, 14:30, 17:50, 20:40, 23:30 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (U) 11:30, 14:10, 16:15, 18:20, 20:30, 22:40 The Secret Scripture (12A) 14:00, 18:35 Snatched (15) 14:05, 16:10, 18:15, 20:30 The Boss Baby (U) 14:10, 16:20, 18:30 My Cousin Rachel (12A) 14:10, 16:30, 18:45, 21:00 Alien: Covenant (15) 14:30, 18:05, 20:55 The Dream (PG) 15:00 Frantz (12A) 16:15, 20:55 Whitney: Can I Be Me (TBA) 19:15 A Dog's Purpose (PG) 20:50 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 King Arthur: Legend of the Sword (12A) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Baywatch (15) 10:50, 13:30, 16:05, 18:40, 21:15 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (12A) 10:30, 13:15, 15:55, 18:35, 21:15 Wonder Woman (12A) 11:10, 14:00, 18:20, 21:10 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul (U) 11:15, 14:00, 16:30, 18:30, 20:45 My Cousin Rachel (12A) 11:20, 14:00, 16:30, 18:40, 20:45 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (12A) 10:15, 13:00, 15:45, 18:30, 21:15 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ WONDER WOMEN ★ ★ ★ ★ WONDER DRUG ★ ★ ★ WONDERBRA FILM Jasmine Trinca took home the Un Certain Regard prize from Cannes for her portrayal of the beleaguered, titular single mum in Sergio Castellitto's Fortunata Gal Gadot is a heroine worth rooting for in the DC Universe's first cinematic success By Teodor Reljic WONDER WOMAN (12A) ★ ★ ★ FORTUNATA (TBA) ★ ★ ★ A (wonder) woman for all seasons... probably Some it luck