It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.




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It’s probably for the best that there isn’t much going on in the theatres this weekend - it is the holidays, after all. During this time of year, we often reminisce about all that has happened - so why not do it for the movies, too?

This weekend, revisit the 2015 hit Mad Max: Fury Road, now in ‘black and chrome,’ and director George Miller’s preferred version of the film.

Second, the animated movie Sing is here, promising some holiday smiles for the young ones.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I’m Mike Laidman.

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Max Max: Fury Road - Black and Chrome (2016, George Miller)
In a stark desert landscape, two rebels try to restore order.

Fury Road opened last May and won huge praise. Now, it’s back - in black and white, or ‘black and chrome’ in keeping with the car themes.

An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There's Max, a man of action and of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa, a woman of action who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.

If, for some reason, you missed this last spring, then be sure to check it out this weekend. This is the kind of big event movie that really must be seen on the big screen to be truly appreciated.

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Sing (2016, Garth Jennings)
A koala holds a singing competition for the world’s animals.

Set in a world like ours but entirely inhabited by animals (sounds a lot like Zootopia), Buster Moon is a dapper koala who presides over a once-grand theater that has fallen on hard times. Buster is an eternal - some might even say delusional - optimist who loves his theater above all and will do anything to preserve it. Now faced with the crumbling of his life's ambition, he has one final chance to restore his fading jewel to its former glory by producing the world's greatest singing competition.

First, this isn’t Pixar, so the animation, while good, isn’t top-notch. The songs and story are a bit hit-or-miss, too. But apart from that, it’s warm, funny, and pays attention to every one of its menagerie of characters.