#OnTheBigScreen: Superheroes, romance, and Mozart

Wonderlus

In the new Afrikaans romantic comedy, a wedding goes awry, and the morning after friends and foes need to piece together the puzzle of the night before. In search of answers, a groom (Edwin van der Walt) needs to pursue the love of his life, a bride (Mila Guy) has to untangle herself from the past, and a waitress (Lea Vivier) tries to escape the present.

Written-directed and edited by Johan Cronje, the film questions where our concept of love comes from.

Avengers: Infinity War

The eagerly anticipated Avengers: Infinity War, the third instalment in the Avengers franchise and 19th Marvel Studios film to date, marks the 10-year anniversary of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which began with the release of Iron Man in 2008.

Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Infinity War is directed by Emmy Award-winning directors Anthony and Joe Russo from an original screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely.

Avengers: Infinity War picks up as the Avengers and their allies have continued to protect the world from threats too large for any one hero to handle, but a dangerous menace has emerged from the cosmic shadows: Thanos. A despot of intergalactic infamy, Thanos will stop at nothing to collect all six Infinity Stones in his quest to wield unimaginable power and his twisted will on all of humanity.

Assembling a team that includes members from every Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise, the Avengers and their superhero allies must sacrifice like never before in an attempt to defeat the powerful Thanos before his blitz of devastation and ruin puts an end to the universe.

Madame

Anne (Toni Collette) and Bob (Harvey Keitel), a wealthy and well-connected American couple, want to add a little spice to a waning marriage and move into a manor house in romantic Paris. While preparing a particularly luxurious dinner for sophisticated international friends, our hostess discovers there are 13 guests.

Panic-stricken, Anne insists her loyal maid Maria (Rossy de Palma) disguise herself as a mysterious Spanish noblewoman to even out the numbers. But a little too much wine and some playful chat lead Maria to accidentally endear herself to a dandy British art broker (Michael Smiley). Their budding romance will have Anne chasing her maid around Paris and finally plotting to destroy this most unexpected and joyous love affair.

It is the latest film from celebrated French writer-director Amanda Sthers.

Così Fan Tutte

If there’s a Mozart opera in need of updating at the Met, it’s Così Fan Tutte, which since 1996 has been presented in a gentle and sunny production that largely ignores the show’s complex musings on men, women, power, and society. A collaboration with Improbable, Così Fan Tutte is a co-production of the Metropolitan Opera and English National Opera. A winning cast comes together for Phelim McDermott’s clever vision of Mozart’s comedy about the sexes, set in a carnivalesque, funhouse environment inspired by 1950s Coney Island—complete with bearded ladies, fire eaters, and a Ferris wheel.

Manipulating the action are the Don Alfonso of Christopher Maltman and the Despina of Tony Award–winner Kelli O’Hara, with Amanda Majeski, Serena Malfi, Ben Bliss, and Adam Plachetka as the pairs of young lovers who test each other’s faithfulness. Every possible impression of love - from the loftiest to the basest - is explored in this extraordinary opera. David Robertson conducts.

Limited screenings will take place at Ster-Kinekor cinemas takes place from 28 April 2018.

For more on the latest film releases, visit www.writingstudio.co.za