Because of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, most movie studios have been delaying the release of their highly anticipated films — with a few exceptions like "Wonder Woman 1984" — until later this year.
However, some films are delayed for reasons other than COVID-19. Take "Chaos Walking," for example. The science fiction, action-adventure film directed by Doug Liman — known for "The Bourne Identity," "The Edge of Tomorrow" and "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" among other popular films — was originally filmed in 2017 and scheduled for a March 2019 release, but has been delayed several times for rewrites and reshoots. Starring Tom Holland (of Spiderman fame) and Daisy Ridley (of Star Wars fame) the film is set on a dystopian world where all the women have died and all the men can hear each other's thoughts in a stream of images, words and sounds called Noise. When Viola (Ridley) crash-lands in a spaceship, Todd (Holland) must protect her from forces that would kill to keep the truth secret.
"Chaos Walking" finally hits the big screen this month, opening at Camana Bay Cinema on 22 January.
KIDS CLUB
Do you remember Mara Wilson, the cheerful child actress from the '90s? Well, if you need your memory jogged, you can catch her in two family films this month at the Saturday morning Kids Club screenings.
In "Mrs. Doubtfire," Robin Williams plays a recently divorced father who devises a plan to see his children more: He has to dress up as an elderly English woman in order to covertly work as his children’s nanny. Co-starring Sally Field and Pierce Brosnan, this 1993 A-List comedy can be seen on 9 January.
Three years later in 1996, Wilson starred in the film adaptation of Roald Dahl's "Matilda," playing a girl born with the power of telekinesis. Co-starring Danny DeVito, who also directed the film, it’s a classic children’s fantasy comedy with a great soundtrack to boot. See "Matilda" on 16 January.
CLASSICS
“Get busy living or get busy dying” — that's perhaps one of the truest quotes in all of cinema and we have "The Shawshank Redemption" to thank for it. In this all-time classic, Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is sentenced to life in prison for the murder of his wife and her lover, even as he claims his innocence. In Shawshank Prison, he befriends Red (Morgan Freeman) and their bond makes prison life a bit easier. But when new information that can prove his innocence is purposely ignored by the prison warden, Andy plots his escape — and his revenge. "The Shawshank Redemption" shows on 19 January.
CULTURE
Based on the novel and film of the same name, "42nd Street — The Musical" is a musical about a musical. It includes not only original songs written for the production, but also songs from other 1930s musicals. Filmed live at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane in London and rebroadcast as part of The National Theatre Live programming, "42nd Street — The Musical" shows on 16 January.
This article will appear in the January 2021 print edition of Camana Bay Times with the headline "At long last, in walks Chaos."