A TWIST on an established horror franchise has been applied to Final Destination: Bloodlines.
The original Final Destination was born from a fairly ingenious idea for the genre: a horror film in which Death itself was the “villain”, orchestrating Rube-Goldberg machinations of misfortune that result in suspenseful, grisly deaths.
In this latest instalment, college student Stefani learns that her grandmother “cheated death” many years ago, saving the lives of hundreds of people from a freak accident.
Death, ever-patient, has stalked and claimed not only those survivors, but their offspring.
Now Stefani must race against time to find a way to save her family.
Directors Zack Lipovsky and Adam Stein, along with writers Guy Busick, Lory Evans Taylor and producer Jon Watts, are part of a hip modern wave of filmmakers who can appeal well to modern, young audiences.
The Surfer
Nicolas Cage lends his star power to a local indie thriller in The Surfer.
When the titular Surfer (Cage) returns to his hometown to settle and build a life for he and his son (Finn Little), he runs afoul of a local group of surfers led by Scally (Julian McMahon) who don’t abide “outsiders”.
From this point the Surfer is beset by opposition, frustrations and gaslighting that make him question his own sanity, until his final confrontation with Scally and his gang.
Director Lorcan Finnegan has a track record of deeply unsettling suspense films that take wild narrative turns at unexpected moments.
The results can be polarising for audiences, but they are always memorable.
Hurry Up Tomorrow
This is a cinematic experiment of sorts – a film created as a companion piece to the latest album released by its star, R&B artist Abel Tesfaye, also known as The Weeknd.
Tesfaye plays a fictionalised version of himself, suffering from insomnia and on the verge of a mental breakdown, who is drawn into an existential voyage of self-discovery.
The film is described as a musical psychological thriller and also stars Barry Keoghan and Jenna Ortega.
The Salt Path
Writer and “long-distance walker” Raynor Winn has seen her 2018 memoir adapted into the film The Salt Path.
Named for the South West Coast Path in England that runs from Minehead to Poole, the biographical drama is the story of Winn’s (played by Gillian Anderson) experiences walking the 1010 km path with her husband Moth (played by Jason Isaacs).
Following Moth’s diagnoses of corticobasal degradation and a devastating financial crisis that left the couple homeless, they walked the full length of the National Trail, experiencing surprising turns of rejection and generosity from the people they encountered along the way.
All of these releases, however, will likely be lost in the shadow of one of this years’ biggest films.
Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning.
The eighth entry into the mega-blockbuster series, this film boasts the distinction of being one of the most expensive films ever made.
It is a direct continuation of the story from Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, and reunites stars Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Hayley Atwell, Angela Bassett and Henry Czerny as the IMF – a clandestine organisation saving the world from threats beyond imagination.
Every entry has been an opportunity to witness Tom Cruise putting himself at genuine risk with a wild stunt, but the series has also come to set the highest standard for action that tells a compelling story.
By Lindsay HALL
