10 movies you should watch on a lazy Dubai weekend

Fences

This complex drama, adapted from the brilliant August Wilson's play of the same name, is our movie of the week. Denzel Washington and Viola Davis, who both also brought their respective roles to the New York stage, play an African-American couple in the '50s, struggling to bring up their son whilst battling their own feelings of resentment at what life could have offered if it weren't for the social climate of the time.

The stern and unhappy waste collector father Washington portrays should have been a professional baseball player, but was too old when the leagues began accepting black players. Davis' character has spent her entire life with this sorrowful partner at the expense of her own dreams. Their son resents his father. When Washington's character decides to make a choice, which could upset the situation even further, his world is turned upside down.
UAE cinema listings: February 16 - 23
It is the performances in this picture which will have you wanting more when the credits roll. Davis' turn in particular is mesmerising and Washington is his usual stellar self. Despite the story perhaps being more suited to the theatre, the film carries significant impact and outweighs the normal blockbuster fluff no end.
Rotten Tomatoes gives it 94%
Trivia: Washington also directs.

Gold

Based on a true story of a down-on-his-luck precious metal prospector, Gold sees lead Matthew McConaughey's character Kenny Wells literally dream of a rich vein of product way out in an unexplored jungle in Indonesia. Scraping together enough finance to go out there and see if his premonition is true, Wells is tasked with convincing investors back home he has struck, you know, gold - no strings attached. Without giving too much away, he does and makes a lot of money before events go awry.
While the rags-to-riches tale may be passably interesting, it doesn't really do anything new. McConaughey's altered performance for the role is fun, yet fails to carry the movie. We were hoping for another Wolf of Wall Street, though in this case, have to settle for the 9 carat plated version.
Rotten Tomatoes gives it 42%

Florence Foster Jenkins

Despite having done the rounds across the globe, Meryl Streep's Florence Foster Jenkins comes to us this week and not a moment too soon. This delightful true to life story will provide the much-needed comic backdrop to its dramatic contemporaries. Foster Jenkins, in a nutshell, was a wealthy yet barmy 1940s New York heiress who was so convinced of her singing talent she used to book Carnegie Hall in which to perform.

The irony being that she was so bad she was actually entertaining and used to sell-out the venue, making fortunes in the process. Refusing to admit the obvious, or perhaps being encouraged by well-wishing people around her, the real Foster Jenkins is reported to have stated: "many people may say I couldn't sing, but nobody will say I didn't sing."
Trivia: Foster Jenkins used to handle the ticketing of all her events in order to keep the critics away.

Lady Bloodfight

Off the bat this film's plot looks as thin as a French fry in a hipster restaurant, but, it doesn't actually look that bad. From what we can tell, a blonde lady turns up in Hong Kong looking to fight in a super intense martial arts tournament for women.
Choreographed stunts galore and a few revelations about the characters' hidden depths along the way and you've got yourself two mindless hours of entertainment. We also like the way Kung Fu films appear to have got the message and the industry has chosen to make an all-female cast movie.
IMDb gives it 5.1
Trivia: Main star Amy Johnston is a stunt artist.

My Ex and Whys (Tagalog)

The film follows the story of Cali (Liza Soberano), a blogger who owns the up and coming blog, "The Bakit List," and her ex Gio (Enrique Gil), who will return to her life unexpectedly and surprisingly.

Fein Qalby (Arabic)

The film revolves around Youssef, who has a gallery for the sale of musical instruments for musicians and celebrities.

His life will turn upside down where the circumstances compelled him to marry two women and sliding in trouble cannot evade him change his course of his lifetime.

Running Shaadi.com (Hindi)

Two friends, Ram Bharose and tech genius Cyberjeet, create a website that helps lovers to elope. The site is an instant hit; young couples line up for the opportunity to escape strict families and run away with the ones they love.

Irada (Hindi)

A mysterious bomb blast in a business tycoon's factory prompts the state CM to hire an NIA officer. He meets an ex-army man seeking revenge for his dead daughter and a journalist demanding justice for her slain boyfriend.

Munthirivallikal Thalirkkumbol (Malayalam)

A middle-aged government servant goes through an emotional journey of misconceptions and love. Panchayat Secretary Ullahanan leads a monotonous life till a college reunion rekindles excitement in his 20-year-old marital life and infuses in him a renewed sense of purpose and love for everything that he once took for granted.

Kung Fu Yoga

Two professors team up to locate a lost treasure and embark on an adventure that takes them from a Tibetan ice cave to Dubai to a mountain temple in India.

david@khaleejtimes.com