GQ South Africa — May 2017

40 GQ.CO.ZA MAY 2017

Ourheroesdobattlewith

otherworldly beings

Edited byEvert Lombaert

FANTASY

WORLDS

MOVIES GUARDIANS OF THE

GALAXY VOL 2

Directed by James Gunn;

with Chris Pratt, Zoe

Saldana, Dave Bautista

We’re glad to rejoin the

ragtag crew of one of

Marvel’s lesser-known

titles, and even gladder that

writer-director Gunn and

company remembered to

turn up those ’80s jams;

the spirit which made the

fi rst instalment a pleasure

is alive and well. We get

to spend more time with

blue-skinned fan-pleaser

Yondu (Michael Rooker),

while also welcoming

green-hued fan-favourite

Mantis (Pom Klementieff).

If you enjoyed the fi rst one,

strap on your seat belts,

you’re in for a fun ride.

+++++

Released 5 May

THE FOUNDER

Directed by John Lee Hancock;

with Michael Keaton, Nick Offerman,

John Carroll Lynch

While Hancock’s gritty fi lm starts out

as a paint-by-numbers biopic, the

second half takes a peek at the darker

side of the McDonalds golden arches.

Keaton, enjoying in his recent career

renaissance, is effervescent as Ray

Kroc, a down-on-his-luck salesman

who stumbles upon the burger pioneer

McDonald brothers, Dick (a controlled

performance by Offerman) and Mac

(an incredible likeable Lynch).

Rather than the conventional rags to

riches trajectory, Hancock turns it into

a parable of business ethics. If you

enjoyed Michael Douglas’s ‘Greed is

good!’ ethos in Wall Street and live by

Alec Baldwin’s ‘Always be closing!’

credo in Glengarry Glen Ross, you’re

about to welcome a new celluloid

favourite to your list in Keaton’s Kroc.

In a world of fast-food American

movies, this is one of the tastiest

contemporary offerings.

+++++

Released 19 May

ALIEN: COVENANT

Directed by Ridley Scott; with Michael

Fassbender, Katherine Waterston

As usual, Scott delivers an impeccable

production – Dariusz Wolski’s phenomenal

cinematography perfectly complements

Chris Seagers’ production design. And what

would an alien fi lm be without its creatures?

Double thumbs up to Creature Nfx Workshop

for their beastie animatronics creations. The

set-up is familiar: a colonisation ship crew

discovers a world and sets out to explore. It

isn’t long before strange goings-on lead to

full-blown chaos. Fassbender’s acting genius

is on full display and Waterston’s turn as

Daniels would make Ellen Ripley proud.

+++++

Released 19 May

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN:

DEAD MEN TELL NO TALES

Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen

Sandberg; with Johnny Depp, Geoffrey

Rush, Orlando Bloom

The fi fth instalment sails into port after some

stormy waters. After Rønning’s 2012

Oscar-nominated Kon-Tiki, the Norwegian

directing duo are a natural fi t for some fresh

air in the series’ sails. It’s enjoyable to see

Depp returning as Captain Jack Sparrow,

pitted against Javier Bardem as the ghostly

Capitán Salazar. Composer Geoff Zanelli,

taking over from Hans Zimmer, rises to the

occasion. Swashbuckling fun, delivering

exactly what it promises. Arrrrrrr matey!

+++++

Released 26 May