Weekend update

When the fertile imaginations of cult filmmakers Joss Whedon (The Avengers) and Drew Goddard (Cloverfield, Lost), run wild in The Cabin In The Woods, an interesting concept erupts into chaos, confusion and overkill. When a rambunctious group of five college friends steal away for a weekend of debauchery in an isolated country cabin, and are plunged into a world of unimaginable horror, it marks the beginning of a strange blend of fantasy, horror and the supernatural.

A dog that gets lost in the Rockies

From Lawrence Kasdan, whose movies include The Big Chill and Grand Canyon, comes Darling Companion, the third instalment in the exploration of his generation. It tells of a dog that gets lost in the Rockies and a frantic search that leads to an unexpected adventure.

The Nigerian musical drama Inale marks the start of the Nollywood Festival and explores the trials and tribulations of two communities trying to maintain a peaceful coexistence.

Nollywood is Nigeria's Hollywood and produces films that have become world phenomena, screening across the globe from the USA to South Africa. In only a few short decades, Nollywood has grown to become the second-largest film industry worldwide, generating USD286 million dollars per annum for the Nigerian economy. Over the years, Nollywood films have become firm favourites, certainly among African audiences, and now we can enjoy some of the best titles.

Gay and Lesbian Festival

The Out In Africa - 19th Gay and Lesbian Festival is on in Cape Town and Joburg from this weekend, and comprises eight international features and a SA programme of four short films.

On stage in Cape Town it's curtain down this weekend for Burn The Floor, Just Business, The Bus, The Odd Couple and the Fest at UCT, and the Cape Town Concert Series features a recital by the acclaimed clarinettist Maria du Toit, accompanied by the popular pianist Nina Schumann.

There are some great DVDs on the home entertainment front that guarantee to warm the winter chills. Michael J Hall is superb as a the 35-year-old Morris Bliss in the comedic tale of a man who has not quite grown up yet in The Trouble With Bliss, and when he finds himself suddenly falling into a romantic relationship with the precocious 18-year-old daughter of a friend, Morris quickly discovers that his life is changing in ways that are unexpected and long overdue.

The Iron Lady is an exceptional and dignified master work that affords anyone a unique opportunity to step into the shoes of one of the most famous women in history and grasp an understanding of fame, glory and infamy.

Razor-wielding disadvantaged teenager

If you are looking for a tender love story that you can easily fall in love with, vibrant characters that jump of the screen, and a sumptuous Brighton of the 1960s, the intelligent and charming British film Brighton Rock offers first-class entertainment. Adapted from Graham Greene's brilliant 1939 novel, it charts the headlong fall of Pinkie, a razor-wielding disadvantaged teenager.

This fantastic dark thriller Axed shows what happens if you lose everything as well as your mind and start behaving irrationally. With the world in financial turmoil, Kurt Wendell has been shaken to the core. His job had always been his anchor, the one place that kept him sane. But now they've taken it away from him. And his demons are finally taking over. Unable to tell his family the dreadful truth, Kurt decides to make some serious cutbacks.

For more entertainment updates, go to www.writingstudio.co.za