Rebel Wilson rebels against being a bridesmaid, Pixar introduces eccentric aliens, and John Wick is back on the big screen
In the action comedy Bride Hard, world-class secret agent Sam (Wilson) is terrible at her maid of honour duties because she is too busy with her undercover international spy mission demands. Finding herself demoted to bridesmaid status, she gets a chance at redemption when armed mercenaries crash the ceremony, leaving it up to her to come to the rescue. Directed by Simon West (Con Air, The Expendables 2) and co-starring Anna Camp, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Anna Chlumsky, the film is at cinemas.
The Pixar animation Elio centres on space fanatic Elio's life-changing interplanetary adventure, forming new bonds with eccentric aliens while discovering who he is truly meant to be in the world. The hilarious coming of age adventure is directed by a trio of animation gurus — Adrian Molina (Coco, The Good Dinosaur), Madeline Sharafian (Turning Red) and Domee Shi (Inside Out) — and features voice cast Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña and more. On at cinemas and 3D.
Don't miss coverage of the local premiere of From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, a sneak peek at the next chapter of the much-anticipated popular franchise Now You See Me: Now You Don't in November, and a dystopian Stephen King-penned horror The Long Walk at cinemas in September.
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TimesLIVE
22-07-2025
- TimesLIVE
Five minutes with hip hop duo Cold Chinese Food on their music debut
Johannesburg underground hip hop duo Cold Chinese Food are looking to make their mark in the music scene with their debut album Vital Ital. The duo, Sam Turpin and Illa N, are longtime friends and music collaborators with strong musical and political family ties. Sam is the son of anti-apartheid activist and photographer Gisèle Wulfsohn with Illa N's parents being of the Rastafarian culture and avid music collectors. This has influenced their music and views on the global community as well as culture, which can be heard in their 13-track album with themes that combine elements from multiple genres such as jazz, rock, Afrobeat, fusion and experimental, yet heavily influenced by hip hop. 'It's poetry to funk-inspired hip hop. Other people have used the phrases 'alternative' and 'left of centre', which is cool. But I like to send sonic messages, so I lean more towards 'musical poetry inspired by the world', Sam, 29, told TshisaLIVE. What can people expect from your debut album? Cold Chinese Food is a journey — expect a solid hip hop offering that bends in and out of style and flavour. It's about travelling, eating, loving and overcoming the difficulties we face as we grow in life. It's the soundtrack to the past eight years of my life. How long did it take to make and what was the journey to the release of this project? When it came time to start the Cold Chinese Food album, I knew I had to write my life experiences in a particular way. This started in 2017 and so it's almost eight years in the making. We also started work on The Charles Géne Suite collective and so the experiences we have together informed a lot of what you will hear. It's a pan-African reflection of life as an artist in the 21st Century. Think of it as a travel documentary you get to listen to through music. We just want to show you a bit of our lives. What inspired the theme and title of your debut album? Vital Ital refers to the healthy eating practice of people who follow Rastafari. It espouses health as well and leans more towards vegetarianism and an appreciation of the earth. I think this can be important for everyone and it inspired me. Food is also a way into a culture, with music, and I wanted to pay homage to the culinary and musical habits of so many beautiful cultures we are privileged to live alongside. It's the simple things in life. How do you approach the creative process when writing and producing new music? As Sam, it's not formal at all. Ideas usually come to me on their own, even if I'm sleeping or doing something. I've learnt not to ignore those ideas and I put them down in one form or another so maybe a song can emerge. I let the idea take me where it wants to until my spirit tells me it's enough for people to hear. It's good because it doesn't feel like work, but the price is it can strike whenever and I have to follow it. Which artists do you draw inspiration from? All the greats. This album is heavily inspired by the jazz and hip hop legends, some of them being Fela Kuti, Slum Village, Hugh Masekela, Nujabes, Manu Dibango and OutKast, but in a true neo-African style. I would like to work with Baloji one day. Either in music or film, he is certainly an inspiration.
Daily Maverick
04-07-2025
- Daily Maverick
Elio takes flight: A journey through space and emotion in Pixar's latest offering
Ignore the 'box office failure' narrative trailing this one. Pixar is synonymous with pedigreed family entertainment, and its latest animated adventure, Elio, is a mix of colourful aliens and sincere emotion. Not to get political, but one benefit of modern-day conspiracy theories is that, today, believing in aliens is rather… pedestrian. We should treat it as an opportunity to get excited again about the idea of meeting creatures from another world. Elio, Pixar's latest cinematic outing, got that message loud and clear, and we're left all the more emotionally wrecked for it. The film tells the story of Elio (voiced by Yonas Kibreab), an eleven-year-old boy whose family related tragedy has left him in the care of his loving but begrudging aunt Olga (Zoe Saldaña). Convinced that extraterrestrial life must exist, Elio is constantly going the extra mile to make first contact and/or get abducted. Going that extra mile eventually lands him in hot water and stuck at a military camp. But not soon after, the universe replies to his calls and transports him to the alien Communiverse, believing him to be Earth's ambassador. And while Elio is seemingly happy, making new friends, the situation soon becomes complicated, leaving him wondering about what his true place in space is. The biggest flaw that Elio has in its spacesuit is its archetypal plot. While younger audiences may not see where the story is going, older ones can see the future character beats being clearly telegraphed. What aggravates this are some of the fundamental plot points, most notably the one where Elio is mistaken for someone he isn't. These kickstart events and interactions that have to happen because the plot needs them to. And, with educated foresight, you're just left there, waiting for them to happen. Visual identity Weirdly, the film also struggles to have a distinct, visual identity, both in the Pixar pantheon and in the last year or so of animated films. The overabundance of colours and alien designs results in the eyes being overwhelmed, making it difficult to appreciate elements that the film is trying to spotlight. Pixar animation is second to none. More than that, Elio features some of the most spectacular environmental and lighting details to date. But its whole is not greater than the sum of its parts. Archetypes aren't an inherently bad thing; neither is unoriginal storytelling, just so long as you can still tell a story well. And for all the flaws listed, Elio gets away with them thanks to its emotional depth. The film's opening sequence alone is a savage gut-punch, introducing Elio's personal circumstance and the sacrifices Olga has made to be there for her nephew, and also ruminating on the beauty and mystery of space travel. Elio's relationship with his aunt is not just beautiful, but underpins the film's exploration of loneliness — the stinging sensation that you are not where you're supposed to be or with the people you're supposed to be. Elio also succeeds in just being pure, plain fun, empowered by very likeable characters and a disinterest in taking matters too seriously. Directors Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian Molina (who left the project early to go work on the upcoming Coco sequel) keep the film's focus where it should be while also doubling down on the sense of cosmic adventure. That sense is reinforced by composer Rob Simonsen's breathtaking musical score, one that typifies the feeling of attending a planetarium show or walking through a shadow-lit space exhibition at a museum. At its heart, the film exemplifies what Pixar does better than any other animation company (sibling Walt Disney Animation Studios included): consistently deliver emotional impact with its storytelling. And what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in commitment and sincerity. Elio is in love with the mystery of space, and it also wears that on its sleeve, complete with occasional narration by Carl Sagan. For all its time spent among the stars, Elio is by no means world-changing. But like the stars it travels among, it burns brightly, devoid of twinkling cynicism. No matter where in the universe you find yourself, you can rely on it to guide you home. DM Elio is in cinemas now, having been released on 20 June.
IOL News
30-06-2025
- IOL News
Discover connection and friendship in the vibrant animation, 'Elio'
The animation centres around Elio, an alien-obsessed young boy who discovers an interplanetary paradise that is home to intelligent life from galaxies far and wide. Image: Supplied. After working on some of Hollywood's biggest animation productions, Mary Alice Drumm hopes that her producing debut in 'Elio' brings about a connection. With the highly anticipated Pixar Animation Studios' movie, which is set to be released on Friday, June 20, the American film-maker hopes that this movie brings people from all walks of life together. 'I hope that people go and see the movie and just fall in love with these characters,' she said during a recent interview with 'Independent Media Lifestyle'. 'I joke that I hope that I will be on an aeroplane in two years and I will see a little kid with a Gordon doll, these are just characters we love who are telling us a story about connection.' 'It is a great movie to go and see with kids and it brings families together, and with this cosmic adventure, I hope it leaves a mark with and and it leaves them with something to talk about, which is the importance of family and friendship so that is my hope for the audience.' The sci-fi adventure centres around Elio, an alien-obsessed young boy who discovers an interplanetary paradise that is home to intelligent life from galaxies far and wide. But along the way, the youngster is mistaken as Earth's leader, forcing him to form unlikely alliances, overcome a crisis of intergalactic proportions and ensure that he doesn't lose the opportunity to live out his ultimate dream. Apart from the lovable characters, 'Elio' is enhanced by its star-studded voice cast. This includes the voices of Yonas Kibreab as the lead star, Zoe Saldaña as Elio's aunt, Olga, Remy Edgerly as Glordon, Brad Garrett as Lord Grigon, Jameela Jamil as Ambassador Questa and Shirley Henderson as OOOOO. Drumm is thrilled by such an illustrious team. 'It's such a privilege to have worked with such a star studded cast. We have so many amazing actors in this film.' 'Elio' centres around a youngster who is mistaken as Earth's leader, forcing him to form unlikely alliances, overcome a crisis of intergalactic proportions and ensure that he doesn't lose the opportunity to live out his ultimate dream. Image: Supplied She added, 'Jameela is so funny and just so warm and personable. There is a fun clip where she dressed up as an octopus, which is fun.' On Saldaña's involvement in the film, Drumm explained about the Oscar-winning actress: 'Zoe is just amazing. She also brings such real knowledge because she played so many military roles.' 'She is a mom, a film-maker and she plays a key role in the film.' 'You really understand her character's struggle at the beginning and you really just root for her and Elio and I think that's largely due to Zoe's amazing performance.' Meanwhile, Drumm, who was the associate producer for 'Coco' 'Brave' and 'Cinderella II: Dreams Come True', is proud of what she achieved in the 'Elio' driving seat, alongside the directors Domee Shi, Madeline Sharafian and Adrian Molina. 'I feel very proud of all the films I have had the opportunity to work on, particularly this one, being the producer,' she said. 'We just had a wrap party at Pixar where I spoke about making a film everyone is proud of and had a great experience on so this one I think is one of the most beautiful films Pixar have ever made.' 'I feel so proud of all of the work that the crew has done and it's just a movie that I hope that the audience will fall in love with.' On what drew her to 'Elio', Drumm explained: 'I just love the premise of this idea, I am a big sci-fi fan and it was just such an opportunity to build a subversive world.' Drumm also deeply resonated with the movie's themes. 'Just to embark on making a different sci-fi movie at Pixar that is really rooted in loneliness was really incredible. 'I am a step mom, I have kids, and I think we are all feeling the effects of the pandemic.' 'The movie shows that you never know when you are going to find a friend and I think that making that first step towards friendship is always scary and I love the metaphor that Elio is making it, he reaches out to Gordon and they become friends and that really brings Elio into himself and I think that's something that we all relate to - finding that best friend.'
