AUGUST | Remaining Films Opening This Month in Kenya

August may not have the draw of the high budget, CGI dominated superhero beat-down films that has marked the previous months, but it has done well so far. First week of the month in Kenya saw the premier of Brad Pitt’s World War Z which despite being plagued with torrid production issues, has managed to do quite well and is a good film.  Smurfs 2 opened the second Friday of August and is still showing theatrically along with World War Z.

We are onto our third week of August and here’s what’s opening today Friday 16th (that is today at the time of penning this article) and what the rest of August has to offer…

2 Guns
Director: Baltasar Kormáku
Stars: Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg
Length: 109 Minutes
Genre: Action, Comedy
Kenyan Opening Date: Friday 16th August

Based on a graphic novel of the same name, and re-uniting Mark Wahlberg with his Director from Contraband, 2 Guns sets its success on the draw power of its two main leads, need we mention their names again? 😉 For many, this is a pairing not to be missed.  Forget the plot of the film (buddy-cop pairing of polar opposite characters is nothing new in terms of script); getting to see Denzel’s cool and charming acting chops paired with Mark’s goofy yet love-able macho guy persona is enough to make us say… “Take our money now!”

That’s our money right there. They’ve taken all our money. Give them yours.

Currently in its second week of theatrical release elsewhere, 2 Guns opens with a bang (see what we did there? We had to!) this Friday, August 16th. Here’s the trailer:

[youtube_sc url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wJ7rGiT0BU]

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Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters
Director: Thor Freudenthal
Stars: Logan Lerman, Alexandra Daddario, Brandon T. Jackson, Stanley Tucci, Nathan Fillion
Length: 107 Minutes
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure
Kenyan Opening Date: Friday 16th August

The sequel to 2010’s financially successful Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, this second entry seeks to delve further into the lives and world of demigods; offsprings of gods and humans.  Smack at the center we have our hero from the first installment, the son of Posiedon himself, Percy Jackson (played by Logan Lerman because it’s a film played by actors because it’s not really real ;-))

[youtube_sc url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulE747QH_ew]

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The Reluctant Fundamentalist
Director: Mira Nair
Stars: Riz Ahmed, Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber, Kiefer Sutherland
Length: 130 Minutes
Genre: Political, Thriller, Drama
Kenyan Opening Date: Friday 23rd August

We hear that the director Mira Nair is Ugandan and nearly premiered the film here in Kenya before home-soil love pulled her in.  That aside, the concept behind the film and the strong supporting cast of Kate Hudson, Liev Schreiber and Kiefer Sutherland make this a must watch.

[youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7SQs2Y8drP8]

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Planes
Director: Klay Hall
Stars: Dane Cook, Stacy Keach, Brad Garrett
Length: 91 Minutes
Genre: Animation
Kenyan Opening Date: Friday 23rd August

Initially planned to be a direct-to-video release, this Cars spin-off  production instead ended up having a theatrical release.  Animations are big business nowadays, whether or not this attempt successfully takes flight here, is all upto you…

[youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KumjBXHdzY]

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We are the Millers
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis, Emma Roberts
Length: 110 Minutes
Genre: Action, Comedy
Kenyan Opening Date: Friday 30th August

Released in the USA on 7th of August, We are the Millers is the other raunchy comedy of the year that is being hoisted as a potential successor to the respectable fame achieved by The Heat (Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy).  The two main leads at the helm are no strangers to bags of laugh; Jennifer Aniston was in the successful TV series Friends, and Jason Sudeikis seems to have made a moderately successful transition from Saturday Night Live to the Big Screen. Whether or not the two have enough star power to not only bring along the bags of laugh BUT also the bags of money 😉 remains to be seen…

[youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7NHfAzg7Yg]

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Elysium
Director: Neill Blomkamp
Stars: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster
Length: 109 Minutes
Genre: Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
Kenyan Opening Date: Friday 30th August

Neill Blomkamp was the the gifted hands behind the unexpected sci-fi hit District 9 back in 2009. It was a film that propelled Sharlto Copley into the limelight (later landing him a role in the A-Team reboot), and was layered with thought provoking themes.  Elysium seems no different.  The major difference this time round is the dual star power of Matt Damon and Jodie Foster, and it’s good to note that Sharlto makes a return, this time round as a villain…

[youtube_sc url=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=37jcSS99J2g]