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

Sure enough, after a couple slow weeks, there are more movies opening than we have time to cover.

If you’re interested in horror, check out The Woman in Black 2 and Ghoul. Want some fantasy action? Then Last Knights might be more up your alley. But don’t get your hopes up about any of these; they’re all being described as solidly mediocre, or less.

Instead, we’ll be looking at Self/less and Straight Outta Compton, one I’ve chosen for its interesting premise despite its middling reviews, and the other specifically for its reviews.

Here we go, then...

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Mike Laidman

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

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Self/less (2015, Tarsem Singh)
A dying man transfers his consciousness into a young body.

I must say I’m a little disappointed to see that this sci-fi thriller isn’t doing too well, as it’s right up my alley. I’m a fan of both Ben Kingsley and Ryan Reynolds, and the subject matter in Self/less is enough to make anyone interested in sci-fi stand up and take notice.

So what goes on? Let’s check it out.

An extremely wealthy man, dying from cancer, undergoes a radical medical procedure that transfers his consciousness into the body of a healthy young man. But all is not as it seems when he starts to uncover the mystery of the body's origin and the secret organization that will kill to protect its cause.

Sounds great to me, but it does have its flaws, namely that it just doesn’t do enough with its potential-packed premise.

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Straight Outta Compton (2015, F. Gary Gray)

Next up is the highly-praised biopic from director F. Gary Gray, who walks the solid cast through a series of engaging performances.

In the mid-1980s, the streets of Compton, California, were some of the most dangerous in the country. When five young men translated their experiences growing up into brutally honest music that rebelled against abusive authority, they gave an explosive voice to a silenced generation. Following the meteoric rise and fall of N.W.A., Straight Outta Compton tells the astonishing story of how these young men forever revolutionized music and pop culture and ignited a cultural war the moment they told the world the truth about life in the hood.

A truly great music biopic, it is both slick, timely, as well as provocative.