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SPICE AND VARIETY FROM FAST JETS WITH AFTERBURNERS BLASTING TO NEON-COLOURED TROLLS REPRESENTING ROCK, JAZZ, CLASSICAL AND POP MUSIC, THERE IS ENTERTAINMENT FOR EVERYONE – ALONG WITH SOUND SUBLIMINAL MESSAGES ABOUT THE TIES OF COMMUNITY VERSUS SELFISH INTERESTS.
TO P G U N : M AV E R I C K
top pick “Have to admit, I wasn’t expecting an invitation back,” Captain Pete Mitchell says. “They’re called orders, Maverick,” is the droll response. 34 years on from the hit movie Top Gun, Tom Cruise is back in an aviator’s G suit, piloting an F/A-18 Super Hornet – and still feeling the need for speed! The follow-up to the phenomenally successful 1986 original has been a long time in the making. The film was scripted in 2010, budget of $152 million finalised but filming began in May 2018, completed in 2019 – but its June 2020 release was set back to December 2020 because of the global pandemic. Ever the outsider, Cruise’s character Pete “Maverick” Mitchell has successfully escaped promotion and higher rank which would see him piloting a desk rather than a multi-million dollar supersonic jet. He’s invited/ordered to return to flight school to train the next generation of naval aviators in aerial combat – and among them is the son of his former partner, The Goose. Miles Teller plays the role of Rooster, an appropriately cocky young rocket jockey. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer said the movie is about family, friendship and sacrifice and is a love letter to aviation. Filming was kept as authentic as possible with top naval aviators accommodating up to six IMAX quality cameras in the cockpit, and flying off US aircraft carriers. “This kind of aviation movie will probably never be made again ...”
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T H E H I G H N OT E Set in the dazzling world of the LA music scene comes the story of Grace Davis (Tracee Ellis Ross), a superstar whose talent, and ego, have reached unbelievable heights. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is Grace’s overworked personal assistant who’s stuck running errands, but still aspires to her childhood dream of becoming a music producer. When Grace’s manager (Ice Cube) presents her with a choice that could alter the course of her career, Maggie and Grace come up with a plan that could change their lives forever. Ellis Ross, the daughter of Motown legend Diana Ross, has made a name for herself as an award-winning comedy actress in both Black-ish and Girlfriends. In this starring role she demonstrates her dramatic versatility, singing the newly released single “Love Myself” as well as nailing the role of a 40-something star stuck in a rut touring the world but wanting to stretch herself creatively. The movie was set for theatre release but like so many films affected by theatre closures, it was released as video on demand at the end of May.
TROLLS WORLD TO U R Who knew that a computer animated Trolls movie would set new records right in the middle of a pandemic? It’s what Trolls World Tour did with its digital/streaming release and has been directly credited with many studios embracing online release and downloads of movies which were set for theatre release. That success led to Universal announcing that they would be looking into doing more simultaneous theatrical and streaming releases. The Trolls World Tour movie is a sequel to the 2016 Trolls film. The story goes that all Trolls lived in perfect harmony, and six strings on an unbreakable lyre bound their musical multiverse together. The Pop Trolls, as well as the ones from the tribes of Country, Techno, Classical, Rock and Funk explored their wildly innovative music and lyrics and flexed creative muscles surrounding their belly jewels. But things start to fray and the different musical genres feel neglected. It’s up to the newly crowned Queen Poppy to set off on a quest to reunite the tribes. Listen out for the voices of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Sam Rockwell, Kelly Clarkson and even Mary J Blige and Ozzy Osbourne as a Rock Troll, Thrash!
A C E L E B R AT I O N OF ENDINGS BIFFY CLYRO Biffy Clyro have announced the delay of their ninth album A Celebration of Endings, admitting they felt uncomfortable about releasing the record during the coronavirus outbreak. A Celebration Of Endings will now arrive on August 14 instead of May 15 as originally planned. “With all of the turmoil and anxiety that the coronavirus situation is causing in everyone’s lives, we decided that it would have felt wrong to have continued with our original release plan,” a statement from the band reads. “The whole album represents us as a band and society as a whole,” frontman Simon Neil told NME. “We need to learn from the good, the bad and the ugly. We can make a better world for everyone. That sounds so drippy, but it’s within our power. There are good people in the world. We have a song on the album called ‘The Champ’ that talks about ‘the grey man’s curse’. So often, decent people don’t pipe up. Empty vessels make the most noise. It doesn’t reflect what’s going on in any situation.”
