SCOOB!
The world’s most famous gruff-voiced dog returns to the big screen this week. Turning back the clock and shining a light on the crime-fighting gang’s origin story, in Scoob! Scooby-Doo is a young pup to whom we are first introduced escaping a dogcatcher down by the seaside. An adolescent Shaggy convinces the authorities Scooby belongs to him and the two are free to meet up with friends: Velma, Fred and Daphne for a Halloween adventure. The story may be straightforward, but the voice cast is out of this world. Zac Efron, Will Forte, Amanda Seyfried, Gina Rodriguez, Tracy Morgan and (hello to) Jason Isaacs all star. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 48%
The High Note
Taking on the often misogynistic world of entertainment, Tracee Ellis Ross and Dakota Johnson play singer Grace Davis and personal assistant/ aspiring producer Maggie Sherwoode. The maturing Davis is being persuaded to take up a residency show, though wishes to release a new album. Sherwoode is the only one who believes it’s truly possible to create a hit despite statistics showing just five women over 40 have ever had a number one record and only one of them was black – a fact to which the male bosses cling. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 69%
Ava
Where did this one come from? It looks excellent. A spy thriller at long last, assassin Ava (Jessica Chastain) becomes a marked woman when the agency deems her methods are rendering the talented contract killer a liability. Despite consistently completing missions, Ava is beginning to ask too many questions surrounding the people she is hired to eliminate. Suddenly everyone around her is a possible threat. IMDb gives it 5.8
The Rental
One for mainstream horror fans here, The Rental looks genuinely creepy. Starring the brilliant Alison Brie, four friends head up to a lonely cliff-top villa for the weekend. Immediately put off by the landlord’s comments during the greeting, the two couples soon begin to ease up as they are left to their own devices. When one discovers a camera located in a showerhead, it soon becomes apparent they are not alone. So begins a night of torment from a masked intruder, but is the sleazy proprietor really at the wheel? Rotten Tomatoes gives it 74%
Black Water: Abyss
The elevator pitch for this film must have taken fewer than the usual 20 seconds. Let’s see if we can recreate it: “Jaws in a cave.” Done. Set in beautiful Australia, a group of cave divers descend into particularly nifty rock formation. All is well until a massive crocodile turns up to ruin the fun. The gang must escape and make it snappy. Rotten Tomatoes gives it 48% david@khaleejtimes.com
