Plane Throat – The TouchArcade Show #378
We’re back in action after a brief holiday break last week to bring you another rockin’ episode of The TouchArcade Show. I’ve come down with a wicked case of plane throat, which is what we’re calling the mysterious illness I have some flying on an airplane until it manifests itself into something more interesting like… whatever upper respiratory thing we worried about a few years ago. We cut the show a little short because of that, but still play major catch up of all the news from the past two weeks as well as pose a (potentially significant) question to our audience. Give it a listen!
Don’t forget to shoot us emails with any questions, feedback, or anything else relevant or irrelevant to podcast@toucharcade.com. We read ’em all, and love decoding messages written entirely in emoji. As always, you can listen to us with the links below… And if you like what you hear, please subscribe and/or drop us a review in iTunes. Much appreciated!
As a companion to this audio podcast, we also do a video version of the same show that is exclusive to Patreon which allows you to see us playing the games we’re talking about. Backers can view the most recent video episodes of the TouchArcade show by clicking here. Be sure you’re logged in to see the latest content. For everyone else who is curious, you can check out our public patreon posts to see older episodes of the video podcast. If you like what you see, consider becoming a TouchArcade Patreon backer.
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Valve creates new rev share tiers to give big sellers a break
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TouchArcade Game of the Week: ‘Don’t Trip’
The idea behind the TouchArcade Game of the Week is that every Friday afternoon we post the one game that came out this week that we think is worth giving a special nod to. Now, before anyone goes over-thinking this, it doesn’t necessarily mean our Game of the Week pick is the highest scoring game in a review, the game with the best graphics, or really any other quantifiable “best" thing. Instead, it’s more just us picking out the single game out of the week’s releases that we think is the most noteworthy, surprising, interesting, or really any other hard to describe quality that makes it worth having if you were just going to pick up one.
These picks might be controversial, and that’s OK. If you disagree with what we’ve chosen, let’s try to use the comments of these articles to have conversations about what game is your game of the week and why.
Without further ado…
Don’t Trip
I love mobile gaming because it allows me to carry tons of my favorite traditional styles of games around in my pocket, but what I love even more are the super quirky experiences that could only be possible with the unique features of a mobile device. Noodlecake and indie developer Jonatan Van Hove’s new release Don’t Trip (Free) embodies everything about latter group of games. Basically you place one foot down at a time by placing a thumb on the screen and then twist your device forward to place your other thumb down and take a step. You continue doing this, sort of waddling along with your thumbs, for as long as possible while also avoiding the many hazards that are waiting to trip you up. This incredible trailer and the game’s very helpful and not at all vindictive mascot Trippy explains everything.
As we’ve mentioned previously, we saw Don’t Trip in a very early state during GDC 2017 close to two years ago, and it’s remarkable just how far it has come in the time since. Gone are the somewhat crude 2D visuals which have been replaced with very charming and colorful 3D models. The environments are also much more varied and hazard-filled. There’s also a huge selection of unlockable shoes so you can pick a pair that suits your style the best, and each pair has a number of different skins so you can further personalize your kicks to your taste. More than anything Don’t Trip is just a silly good time and the perfect sort of game to pull out while at a bar with friends or while hanging out with family during the holidays, as its unique concept will surely get a good response. We’ve seen all sorts of quirky iOS game concepts that never actually materialized into anything, so it warms my heart to see Don’t Trip not only see the light of day but also in such a fully-realized fashion.
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Top-Down Multiplayer Shooter ‘Tacticool’ Soft Launches with a Planned Global Release in Early 2019
Back in June of last year we wrote about an upcoming top-down shooter called Tacticool that caught our attention with its great looking visuals and promise of multiplayer mayhem. At that time developer Panzerdog was on the hunt for beta testers to help whip the game into shape, and as always members of our forums rose to that challenge and for the next year or so the game rapidly started taking shape based largely on player feedback. This week Tacticool has finally reached a pretty major milestone as it has been soft-launched in select territories in order to stress test the game on an even larger scale. The main features of the game are 5v5 team deathmatch with easy to use controls, tons of cool weapons, a realistic physics system, and the ability to use vehicles both for transportation and impromptu death machines. Check out the trailer.
If you think Tacticool looks, well, pretty cool and you’re either physically in or have an iTunes account in Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Ireland, Iceland, Finland, or Ukraine then you can grab the soft-launched version of the game by clicking this link here. And if you’re on Android, then you can use this link here to grab the early version of the game. Oh, and did I mention that the game is cross-platform, so everyone can frag each other no matter which platform you’re on? Tacticool seems exactly like a game I’ve wanted on mobile for years now, and with a full worldwide release planned for the first quarter of 2019 I can’t wait to get my hands on the finished product.
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Video: A classic postmortem of Another World
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EVE Online devs cancel production on Project Nova
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Batman Arkham Dev Denies Superman Game Rumors
Rumors have circulated for some time that Rocksteady Games, the developer of the core Batman Arkham series, was at work on a new Superman game. With The Game Awards coming up next week and promising 10 new game announcements, there had been some speculation that such a project could be announced during the show. In fact, Rocksteady won't announce a new game at the show, nor is its in-development project a Superman game, according to the studio.
Rocksteady game director Sefton Hill tempered expectations on Twitter, stating, "Looking forward to #TheGameAwards this year! We're still hard at work in our development bunker so don't expect an announcement from @Rocksteadygames. When it's ready to show, you'll be the first to know. Spoiler: it's not Superman."
That doesn't necessarily rule out Superman being present in the studio's next game--some have their fingers crossed for a wide-ranging Justice League game--but it seems clear that it won't be a dedicated Superman game. He could of course be trying to throw fans off the scent, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
Rocksteady job listings from earlier this year revealed the studio is working on what it's deemed a triple-A game, as you'd expect. But what was more notable was the mention of it coming to "next generation platforms," which would suggest it's potentially years away from release.
While Rocksteady is known for its partnership with DC, rival Marvel has a new Avengers game coming from Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal. Avengers 4 directors Joe and Anthony Russo were recently confirmed to be coming to The Game Awards, and while they're officially only there in the capacity of presenters, it still has fans hoping for some kind of news regarding the as-yet untitled Avengers project or the impending Avengers 4 trailer.
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Batman Arkham Dev Denies Superman Game Rumors
Rumors have circulated for some time that Rocksteady Games, the developer of the core Batman Arkham series, was at work on a new Superman game. With The Game Awards coming up next week and promising 10 new game announcements, there had been some speculation that such a project could be announced during the show. In fact, Rocksteady won't announce a new game at the show, nor is its in-development project a Superman game, according to the studio.
Rocksteady game director Sefton Hill tempered expectations on Twitter, stating, "Looking forward to #TheGameAwards this year! We're still hard at work in our development bunker so don't expect an announcement from @Rocksteadygames. When it's ready to show, you'll be the first to know. Spoiler: it's not Superman."
That doesn't necessarily rule out Superman being present in the studio's next game--some have their fingers crossed for a wide-ranging Justice League game--but it seems clear that it won't be a dedicated Superman game. He could of course be trying to throw fans off the scent, but that doesn't appear to be the case.
Rocksteady job listings from earlier this year revealed the studio is working on what it's deemed a triple-A game, as you'd expect. But what was more notable was the mention of it coming to "next generation platforms," which would suggest it's potentially years away from release.
While Rocksteady is known for its partnership with DC, rival Marvel has a new Avengers game coming from Crystal Dynamics and Eidos Montreal. Avengers 4 directors Joe and Anthony Russo were recently confirmed to be coming to The Game Awards, and while they're officially only there in the capacity of presenters, it still has fans hoping for some kind of news regarding the as-yet untitled Avengers project or the impending Avengers 4 trailer.
Former Sierra On-Line dev posts original source codes to eBay
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Comics History Of Miles Morales (Spider-Man) | Into The Spider-Verse
Comics History Of Miles Morales (Spider-Man) | Into The Spider-Verse
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Where Is Xur? - Exotic Weapons And Armor (Nov. 30-Dec 3)
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Stardew Valley dev announces decision to self-publish
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Where Is Xur? - Exotic Weapons And Armor (Nov. 30-Dec 3)
Netflix Cancels Another Marvel Show -- Daredevil Gets The Axe - GameSpot Universe News Update
Get a job: Sucker Punch seeks a Senior Lighting Artist
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Netflix Cancels Another Marvel Show -- Daredevil Gets The Axe - GameSpot Universe News Update
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Amazon Prime Video - Best Movies & TV Shows To Watch In December 2018
Amazon Prime Video - Best Movies & TV Shows To Watch In December 2018
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‘DUNKYPUNG’ is the New Game from the Developer of ‘Missile Cards’ and it Needs Beta Testers
In June of last year, developer Nathan Meunier launched the clever card game Missile Cards ($2.99), which was a mashup of sorts of strategic turn-based card game and the classic arcade hit Missile Command. It was a lot of fun, and we enjoyed Missile Cards so much that we chose it as our Game of the Week when it released. After taking some time off, now Meunier is back with his newest mobile game release called DUNKYPUNG. Yes, that is a silly name indeed. DUNKYPUNG is a flappy-style avoidance game similar to the recent Super Fowlst or even the legendary Flappybalt from Adam Saltsman. Although compared to those other game, DUNKYPUNG is like a whirling dervish of death with its many hazards that you must avoid. Check out the trailer.
Now that I think about it, DUNKYPUNG also reminds me of another classic, the sadly defunct 1001 Attempts. Basically, Meunier is taking a bunch of video games that I love and putting his own spin on them, which I’m a big fan of. DUNKYPUNG is planned for release in January, but ahead of then Nathan would like to “kick the tires, and get a bit of in-the-wild feedback to help fine tune anything" ahead of is launch. There’s a limited number of beta testing spots, but if you’re interested head over to Nathan’s blog where you’ll find a link to sign up for the Testflight, as well as many more screens of DUNKYPUNG. I’m definitely looking forward to this one launching early next year.
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Hitman 2 - How The Magic Briefcase Works
Don't Miss: David Gaider on writing Dragon Age
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Hitman 2 - How The Magic Briefcase Works
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Happy Death Day 2U Trailer Delivers Awesome Time-Loop Horror
Happy Death Day was one of last year's biggest horror surprises--a smart, funny, scary slasher riff on Groundhog Day, about a woman who found herself trapped in a daily loop in which she was killed by a masked psycho. The sequel is titled Happy Death Day 2U and it arrives in February next year. The first trailer has now been released.
Jessica Rothe returns as unlucky student Tree, who seemingly broke the loop at the end of the first movie when she killed her murderous rival Lori. Unfortunately as the trailer reveals, the loop has restarted, with Lori somehow alive within it and out for revenge. It looks like another hugely entertaining mix of laughs and scares--check it out below:
Happy Death Day 2U is written and directed by Christopher B. Landon, who also helmed the first movie. It also stars Israel Broussard (Fear the Walking Dead), Suraj Sharma (Homeland), and Ruby Modine (Shameless). It's produced once more by Blumhouse Films (Get Out, The Purge movies) and hits theaters on February 14, 2019.
In a recent interview with Collider, Rothe spoke about how Happy Death Day 2U isn't just a standard horror sequel. "Chris has done this incredible thing where the sequel elevates the movie from being a horror movie into a Back to the Future type of genre film," she said. "The sequel joins us right from where we left off, it explains a lot of things in the first one that didn’t get explained, and it elevates everything.
"I was really pleased to know that we weren’t just gonna be pushing all the buttons that people loved the first time, over and over again, 'cause I think that gets old."
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New Movies On Netflix And In Theaters This Weekend (11/30-12/6)
Within a few years, Netflix has grown from a service that streams movies and shows made by other studio and companies to a major, prolific producer of its own content. The budgets for its own output matches that of its Hollywood rivals, and it continues to disrupt traditional, decades-old way of doing things. From entire TV seasons premiering simultaneously, to movies that are available to watch worldwide within weeks of their festival premieres, Netflix continues to make its own rules about how and when we view entertainment.
However, two of this week's theatrical releases show that the company is perhaps softening on one of its more controversial practises, namely bypassing theaters entirely. The big budget Jungle Book adaptation Mowgli and highly acclaimed drama Roma can both be seen in theaters ahead of their Netflix debuts in a few weeks, and while a one or two week window is obviously much smaller than most theatrical releases get, it's still notable that the company is willing to give their most expensive and prestigious movies the chance to be seen on the big screen. In the case of Mowgli, this hugely expensive film was bought from Warner after experiencing many delays, and was always intended to be seen theatrically. Roma, meanwhile, is a serious Oscar contender, and the Academy still requires a theatrical release for all movies under consideration for nominations.
Beyond those releases, this week stands as one of the quietest of the year in terms of new movies in the US. After Mowgli and Roma, the biggest movies are the low budget British zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse and the horror movie The Possession of Anna Grace, which is getting a wide release but arrives with absolutely zero buzz. In the UK, Creed II and Ralph Breaks the Internet hit screens, a week after their highly successful US debuts. So here's the week's new releases in the both the US and UK...
Mowgli
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
This adaptation of the classic novel The Jungle Book was originally due to arrive in theaters back in late 2016. But following the huge success of Disney's own Jungle Book movie, the rival version was delayed, and ultimately sold to Netflix. It hits the service next week, but ahead of that we have this limited theatrical release. Directed by Planet of the Apes and Black Panther star Andy Serkis, the all-star cast includes Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Serkis himself, and it is supposedly a much darker take on the story than the Disney version. With Disney's own sequel also in development, it remains to be see how many Jungle Books the public actually wants, but with any luck, it will offer something a little different.
Anna and the Apocalypse
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
Holiday horror has long been a staple of the genre, but Anna and the Apocalypse might just be the first holiday comedy horror musical. It's yet another zombie movie, but this time the undead action is punctuated by rousing song-and-dance numbers, as a young woman named Anna fights to save her loved ones. Based on an award-winning short film, Anna and the Apocalypse has been picking up rave reviews at various festivals over the past year and it looks like the perfect good-time Christmas zombiefest.
The Possession of Anna Grace
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
Originally titled Cadaver, this horror movie focuses on a former cop who has checked out of rehab and takes a graveyard shift working in a city morgue. Unfortunately, one of the corpses died during an exorcism, and is still possessed by some ancient evil. The movie hits US and UK theaters in Friday, and while there are currently no reviews available for this one--which is rarely a good sign--the trailer looks like it could provide horror fans with some decent claustrophobic scares.
Creed II
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
While most thought that the legendary movie boxer Rocky Balboa had finally hung up his gloves, the 2015 spin-off Creed not only gave the character one of his finest movies, it paved the way for director Ryan Coogler to get the job of directing Marvel's wildly successful Black Panther. Coogler isn't back for the sequel, but star Michael B. Jordan is and he is once again playing the son of the original movies' Apollo Creed. Rocky creator and star Sylvester Stallone is back too, as both co-star and co-writer, as is Rocky IV's Russian powerhouse Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). In his review, GameSpot's Michael Rougeau said the movie gives the fans "exactly what you want, executed with amazing finesse." It has already proved to be a smash in the US, and arrives in the UK theaters this week.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
The 2012 animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph was a critical and commercial hit, and the sequel hits UK theaters this week. It focuses on the arcade game villain-turned-hero of the title, who this time enters the internet after the arcade his game lives in goes online. John C. Reilly voices Ralph, with Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Taraji P. Henson, and James Corden also part of the voice cast. The movie stands as the second biggest Thanksgiving weekend box office hit of all time in the US, so expect similar business in the UK.
Roma
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
Alfonso Cuaron is best known for the hugely successful Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity, but his new movie is a world away from those blockbusters. It's a semi-autobiographical story set in Mexico City of the early '70s, and it follows the life of a housekeeper who works for a dysfunctional middle-class family. It's had some the best reviews of any of movie this year, with critics praising both it's beautiful black-and-white photography, ambitious narrative, and powerful performances. Roma hits Netflix on December 14, but the streaming giant are giving it a limited theatrical release ahead of this, and can be seen in UK cinemas this week. Could this be the first Netflix movie to pick up some major awards nominations?
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Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse Review Round-Up: Here's What The Critics Thought
With the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse nearly upon us, the reviews are in. The movie is Sony's first feature-length animated Spidey adventure, and it features no fewer than six different versions of the wall-crawler. It's produced by The Lego Movie's Phil Lord and Chris Miller, with a screenplay by Lord, and the voicecast includes Shameik Moore (The Get Down) as Miles Morales and Jake Johnson (Jurassic World) as Peter Parker, plus Hailee Steinfeld (Bumblebee), Nicolas Cage (Mandy), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), and Mahershala Ali (Luke Cage).
Sony's last movie to feature characters from Spider-Man comic books was Venom, which was met with very mixed reviews. However, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse has so far received an extremely positive reaction--it currently stands at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and 82% on Metacritic. And of course, Venom went on to be a huge box office success, so there's every expectation that Into the Spider-Verse will also be a big hit, especially as it arrives in theaters just before the Holidays, on December 14. So let's take a look at the reviews...
GameSpot -- no score
"Its heart is pretty simple. Anyone, anywhere, has the power to be as heroic and as special as Spider-Man. It may seem a bit saccharine, typed out in so many words, but it's a message that superhero comics--that Spider-Man comics specifically--have been touting for ages, and something that's been long overdue for a big screen debut. It probably wouldn't work if Into The Spider-Verse weren't just so funny, self aware, and bleeding-edge modern--but it is, and it does. The end result is an instant animated classic, and, with any luck, the first of many of its kind." -- Michael Rougeau [Full review]
Collider -- A
"I had high hopes for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse and the movie surpassed them. Having seen three different iterations of Spider-Man in the past 16 years, I assumed that Spider-Verse would be backed into a corner with its only cards to play being Miles Morales instead of Peter Parker and animation instead of live-action. Instead, it has surpassed the other Spider-Man movies by breaking down the character without ever losing sight of an entertaining, lovely story. If you feel like you've seen all the Spider-Man you can handle, just wait. You haven't seen anything yet." -- Matt Goldberg [Full review]
AV Club -- B+
"In the end it plays more like a celebration of both insane comics continuity and the mutable nature of superhero identification. Characters endlessly derived from a single superhero power-set can be hackneyed, but when the movie bands a bunch of those characters together with a lead Spidey of black and Latino heritage, it's making a convincing case for how familiar superheroes can refresh themselves when new faces take up the mantle. For that matter, it makes a cleverly self-serving case for an animated spin-off of a much-adapted character. This is the seventh Spider-Man feature film in 16 years, but this universe has rarely felt so fresh." -- Jesse Hassenger [Full review]
The Hollywood Reporter -- no score
"It helps to be well-versed in Spider-Man lore to fully appreciate Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, a free-wheeling, fast-and-loose, strikingly animated addition to one of the biggest library of films in the Marvel collection. Faced with the challenge of how to further expand the franchise without sating both the character and fans, Marvel and Sony have borrowed from the comics to introduce a fresh origin story that both references the past and swings into a new, thoroughly multicultural and multi-Spidified future." -- Todd McCarthy [Full review]
Den of Geek -- 5/5
"That Miles Morales can share the screen with one of the most recognizable icons in all of pop culture and still clearly be the hero of his own story is impressive, and a testament to the obvious love that went into crafting both the character and his world. Delivering that kind of emotion in a movie this big and brash is no small task. It's the kind of achievement that brings to mind the adjectives usually attached to one of Peter Parker's comic books. Amazing. Spectacular. Sensational." -- Mike Cecchini [Full review]
Uproxx -- A
"I love this movie and I love that it exists. I love that Sony took a risk on a (yes) somewhat complicated premise and turned it into something unique and funny and daring (and weird). I don't always love the concept of “rooting” for movies to be financially successful, but I do hope Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse succeeds and sets off, not just a few more of these Miles Morales Spider-Man films, but also a whole plethora of studio-backed animated superhero films that can take real chances. This animated movie has more heart and emotion than most live actions films of this genre." -- Mike Ryan [Full review]
Screenrant -- 4.5/5
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse offers nearly two-hours of stunning and altogether captivating animation that's beautifully rendered to bring the superhero origin story of Miles Morales - and the Spider-Verse - to life in a never-before-seen manner. Although the threads left hanging for a potential sequel may be somewhat more fascinating than the fairly by-the-numbers origin story of Miles, the multiverse does provide a unique twist on Miles' coming-of-age hero tale from awkward teenager to self-confident superhero." -- Molly Freeman [Full review]
The Wrap -- no score
"Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse represents some of the best superhero storytelling on the market. The frenetic animation and freewheeling story offer audiences a sense of boundless dynamism. It's not the first time a director has attempted to incorporate comic book iconography into a feature-film adaptation, but it's the most appealing. Watching Into the Spider-Verse evokes feelings of sitting cross-legged on the floor of your bedroom, eating cookies and immersing yourself in outrageous, mostly inviting new worlds." -- William Bibbiani [Full review]
Insider -- A
"Despite a wordy tongue twister of a title, Into the Spider-Verse feels like a comic-book come to life. Sony's vibrant, hilarious holiday movie is gorgeous to look at, is incredibly self-aware, and delivers the big screen debut of a few new Spideys that will become household names." -- Kirsten Acuna [Full review]
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Happy Death Day 2U Trailer Delivers Awesome Time-Loop Horror
Happy Death Day was one of last year's biggest horror surprises--a smart, funny, scary slasher riff on Groundhog Day, about a woman who found herself trapped in a daily loop in which she was killed by a masked psycho. The sequel is titled Happy Death Day 2U and it arrives in February next year. The first trailer has now been released.
Jessica Rothe returns as unlucky student Tree, who seemingly broke the loop at the end of the first movie when she killed her murderous rival Lori. Unfortunately as the trailer reveals, the loop has restarted, with Lori somehow alive within it and out for revenge. It looks like another hugely entertaining mix of laughs and scares--check it out below:
Happy Death Day 2U is written and directed by Christopher B. Landon, who also helmed the first movie. It also stars Israel Broussard (Fear the Walking Dead), Suraj Sharma (Homeland), and Ruby Modine (Shameless). It's produced once more by Blumhouse Films (Get Out, The Purge movies) and hits theaters on February 14, 2019.
In a recent interview with Collider, Rothe spoke about how Happy Death Day 2U isn't just a standard horror sequel. "Chris has done this incredible thing where the sequel elevates the movie from being a horror movie into a Back to the Future type of genre film," she said. "The sequel joins us right from where we left off, it explains a lot of things in the first one that didn’t get explained, and it elevates everything.
"I was really pleased to know that we weren’t just gonna be pushing all the buttons that people loved the first time, over and over again, 'cause I think that gets old."
New Movies On Netflix And In Theaters This Weekend (11/30-12/6)
Within a few years, Netflix has grown from a service that streams movies and shows made by other studio and companies to a major, prolific producer of its own content. The budgets for its own output matches that of its Hollywood rivals, and it continues to disrupt traditional, decades-old way of doing things. From entire TV seasons premiering simultaneously, to movies that are available to watch worldwide within weeks of their festival premieres, Netflix continues to make its own rules about how and when we view entertainment.
However, two of this week's theatrical releases show that the company is perhaps softening on one of its more controversial practises, namely bypassing theaters entirely. The big budget Jungle Book adaptation Mowgli and highly acclaimed drama Roma can both be seen in theaters ahead of their Netflix debuts in a few weeks, and while a one or two week window is obviously much smaller than most theatrical releases get, it's still notable that the company is willing to give their most expensive and prestigious movies the chance to be seen on the big screen. In the case of Mowgli, this hugely expensive film was bought from Warner after experiencing many delays, and was always intended to be seen theatrically. Roma, meanwhile, is a serious Oscar contender, and the Academy still requires a theatrical release for all movies under consideration for nominations.
Beyond those releases, this week stands as one of the quietest of the year in terms of new movies in the US. After Mowgli and Roma, the biggest movies are the low budget British zombie musical Anna and the Apocalypse and the horror movie The Possession of Anna Grace, which is getting a wide release but arrives with absolutely zero buzz. In the UK, Creed II and Ralph Breaks the Internet hit screens, a week after their highly successful US debuts. So here's the week's new releases in the both the US and UK...
Mowgli
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
This adaptation of the classic novel The Jungle Book was originally due to arrive in theaters back in late 2016. But following the huge success of Disney's own Jungle Book movie, the rival version was delayed, and ultimately sold to Netflix. It hits the service next week, but ahead of that we have this limited theatrical release. Directed by Planet of the Apes and Black Panther star Andy Serkis, the all-star cast includes Cate Blanchett, Christian Bale, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Serkis himself, and it is supposedly a much darker take on the story than the Disney version. With Disney's own sequel also in development, it remains to be see how many Jungle Books the public actually wants, but with any luck, it will offer something a little different.
Anna and the Apocalypse
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
Holiday horror has long been a staple of the genre, but Anna and the Apocalypse might just be the first holiday comedy horror musical. It's yet another zombie movie, but this time the undead action is punctuated by rousing song-and-dance numbers, as a young woman named Anna fights to save her loved ones. Based on an award-winning short film, Anna and the Apocalypse has been picking up rave reviews at various festivals over the past year and it looks like the perfect good-time Christmas zombiefest.
The Possession of Anna Grace
See it in US and UK theaters on November 30
Originally titled Cadaver, this horror movie focuses on a former cop who has checked out of rehab and takes a graveyard shift working in a city morgue. Unfortunately, one of the corpses died during an exorcism, and is still possessed by some ancient evil. The movie hits US and UK theaters in Friday, and while there are currently no reviews available for this one--which is rarely a good sign--the trailer looks like it could provide horror fans with some decent claustrophobic scares.
Creed II
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
While most thought that the legendary movie boxer Rocky Balboa had finally hung up his gloves, the 2015 spin-off Creed not only gave the character one of his finest movies, it paved the way for director Ryan Coogler to get the job of directing Marvel's wildly successful Black Panther. Coogler isn't back for the sequel, but star Michael B. Jordan is and he is once again playing the son of the original movies' Apollo Creed. Rocky creator and star Sylvester Stallone is back too, as both co-star and co-writer, as is Rocky IV's Russian powerhouse Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren). In his review, GameSpot's Michael Rougeau said the movie gives the fans "exactly what you want, executed with amazing finesse." It has already proved to be a smash in the US, and arrives in the UK theaters this week.
Ralph Breaks the Internet
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
The 2012 animated comedy Wreck-It Ralph was a critical and commercial hit, and the sequel hits UK theaters this week. It focuses on the arcade game villain-turned-hero of the title, who this time enters the internet after the arcade his game lives in goes online. John C. Reilly voices Ralph, with Sarah Silverman, Jane Lynch, Alan Tudyk, Taraji P. Henson, and James Corden also part of the voice cast. The movie stands as the second biggest Thanksgiving weekend box office hit of all time in the US, so expect similar business in the UK.
Roma
Watch it in UK theaters on November 30
Alfonso Cuaron is best known for the hugely successful Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Gravity, but his new movie is a world away from those blockbusters. It's a semi-autobiographical story set in Mexico City of the early '70s, and it follows the life of a housekeeper who works for a dysfunctional middle-class family. It's had some the best reviews of any of movie this year, with critics praising both it's beautiful black-and-white photography, ambitious narrative, and powerful performances. Roma hits Netflix on December 14, but the streaming giant are giving it a limited theatrical release ahead of this, and can be seen in UK cinemas this week. Could this be the first Netflix movie to pick up some major awards nominations?
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