By Chris Kavan - 01/18/17 at 11:02 AM CT
A couple of weeks in to this New Year and the board hasn't given me a decent week of ratings yet. Ah, two for the win - including a sequel to Danny Boyle's classic Trainspotting - a rare long-time sequel that will actually be worth watching, along with an inner-city drama/sci-fi mix that turns street magic and smarts into a new kind of superhero. In any case, it's another short list but I will do the best I can with the material I've been given. Broken record - let's hope for a more significant update in the weeks ahead.
It has been over 20 years since Danny Boyle introduced us to Renton, Sick Boy, Begbie and Spud. If those names mean nothing to you than for shame! Shame I say! For you haven't seen the cinematic genius of Trainspotting. Alright - confession, I, myself, didn't actually watch this gem until 2012 - and, yes, I should have definitely watched this earlier. In any case, Boyle crafte a story set in the Edinburgh drug scene - and the characters who inhabit it - and found both humor and horror in their situations. So what to expect with T2: Trainspotting? It's hard to say, as the plot has yet to be revealed in depth, though all the main characters are returning: Ewan McGregor (Renton), Jonny Lee Miller (Sick Boy), Robert Carlyle (Begbie), Ewen Bremner (Spud), Kelly Macdonald (Diane) and Shirley Henderson (Gail) are all reprising their roles. Time and time again we know that sequels released this far apart tend to do poorly compared to the original (no matter the genre) but I have a feeling that Boyle will be able to craft a great follow-up - at least I hope so. The cast was young and untested back in 1996, but in 2017, many have gone on to bigger and better roles and have honed their craft and Boyle himself has won Best Director (for Slumdog Millionaire) so the film has plenty going for it. In any case, it's no surprise this is rated R for drug use, language throughout, strong sexual content, graphic nudity and some violence.
The other big film of the week is going to be Sleight. The first feature-length film from director J.D. Dillard seems to be a cross between Chronicle and Now You See Me - that is mixing magic with near superhero level talent. The talent belongs to Bo (Jacob Latimore in his first leading role after supporting roles in the likes of Ride Along and Maze Runner), a street magician who finds himself having to watch over his little sister after his parents are killed. In order to support her and keep a roof over their heads, he turns to illegal means but when he gets in too deep, his sister is kidnapped forcing him to use his talents, and keen wit, to get her back. I'm not sure how far this is going in to the realm of fantastical rather than real-world, but it is listed as both a drama and sci-fi and the trailer indicates that Bo has some kind of telekinesis or something to that effect. It looks different than most films out there, so we'll see if it can capture a decent audience. Rated R for language throughout, drug content and some violence.
That's it for the main movies this week, but be sure the check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:
A COWGIRL'S STORY
Rated PG for thematic elements.
DON'T HANG UP
Rated R for disturbing violence, and language including sexual references.
DON'T KNOCK TWICE
Rated R for horror violence and language.
JOURNEY TO THE WEST: THE DEMONS STRIKE BACK
Rated PG-13 for fantasy action violence, some suggestive content, rude humor and thematic elements.
THE MARINE 5: BATTLEGROUND
Rated R for strong violence, and for language.
SLEIGHT
Rated R for language throughout, drug content and some violence.
T2 TRAINSPOTTING
Rated R for drug use, language throughout, strong sexual content, graphic nudity and some violence.
THEIR FINEST
Rated R for some language and a scene of sexuality.
XX
Rated R for horror violence, language and brief drug use.
