By Jarett Theberge
It’s hard to believe it has been well over 15 years since we’ve gotten a true thriller out of American filmmaker Sam Rami and even harder to believe his career trajectory. His landmark 1981 directorial effort, ‘The Evil Dead’, was made with a shoestring budget, litres of fake blood and a dream. Flash forward 40 years and he’s playing with house money directing Marvel movies at an impressive clip.
Rami returns to his horror/thriller roots this month with ‘Send Help’, his first venture into the macabre since 2009’s ‘Drag Me to Hell”.
Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brady co-lead as stranded survivors on an island after a plane crash, but the dynamic between them may prove more deadly than the crash that got them there. ‘Send Help’ opens at Camana Bay Cinema on 30 Jan.
Forbidden love
It seems to be an unwritten rule in western society that every decade gets an obligatory adaptation of Wuthering Heights, deservedly or not. Be it on the big screen or on BBC, Emily Bronte’s classic novel of forbidden love continues to prove itself as a timeless tale as 2026 begins with its latest conversion to cinema.
Potential heartthrob of the 2020s, Jacob Elordi, steps in as Heathcliff after a great performance as ‘the Creature’ in last year’s ‘Frankenstein’. You just can’t keep this guy away from Romantic period blockbusters, apparently.
Co-starring Margot Robbie, see ‘Wuthering Heights’ starting 13 Feb.
Classics at the Cinema
If you don’t already spend every 2 Feb. watching ‘Groundhog Day’, this is a great year to start because you’ll be able to go back-to-back with viewing this classic 80s flick the very next day on 3 Feb. at Camana Bay Cinema. Doing that, now that I think about it is, would be immersing yourself in a reality similar to the film itself.
‘Groundhog Day’ follows a jaded weatherman (Bill Murray) covering the Groundhog Day celebrations in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. He finds himself reliving the day over and over again until he redeems his shallow persona. Co-starring Andie MacDowell, this endearing romcom is considered director/filmmaker Harold Ramis’ masterpiece.
Not many filmmakers have a body of work as consistently strong or as celebrated as John Hughes. His ability to capture the big hearts and complex minds of adolescent Americans was simply unparalleled. This is especially true for his writing in ‘Pretty in Pink’, showing at the cinema on 24 Feb. The film follows Andi (Molly Ringwald), a young woman who hurdles social expectations and the affections of her quirky best friend, Duckie (John Cryer), and preppy new suitor, Blaine (Andrew McCarthy).
Kids Club
Seeing ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’ upon its initial release in 2021 will always be one of my favourite memories at the cinema.
My friend and I walked in on a Sunday afternoon to find we were the only souls in the room. Riffing and howling at the absurdity of this basketball-Looney Tunes crossover ensued for the duration of the film.
I implore you to demonstrate more decorum than I did – at least if there are others in the theatre – but this film is vibrant, goofy and only a little confusing. It may not have the cultural staying power as 1996’s original ‘Space Jam’ with Michael Jordan but seeing Lebron James talk to Bugs Bunny is something that kids, as well as adults, should see at least once in their lifetime. You can do that in the Saturday mornings of 7 Feb. and 14 Feb.
Jarett Theberge is a US-based freelance entertainment journalist.
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