Spotlight: Titans vs. Cowboys and Polar Bears

Family content is taking Russian cinemas by storm in the final weeks before New Year's Eve, having to compete with "Wicked" and "Moana 2", which are running in parallel. For younger kids, this weekend sees the release of a "Three Cats" special and a sequel to the comedy "Not Alone at Home" about a girl named Stephanie. Those who are older will get a chance to say goodbye to "Attack of the Titans" on the big screen. Adult viewers will be offered a comedy "Totally dumb" about a love quadrangle, as well as an Antarctic doc about the "200 Club" and more. "Izvestia" chose what to go to the movies this week.

"Totally crazy" 16+

Directed by: Olga Frenkel

Starring: Gosha Kutsenko, Anna Mikhalkova, Vladimir Yaglych, Polina Maximova, Stepan Devonin.

Everyone who for the last 20 years watched at least something from the national cinema, enough list of actors in this comedy. Further you can not explain anything. Or should I add that the cameraman there is Alisher Khamidkhodjaev, so that there is no doubt?

Yes, these are all the faces of the new wave of Russian cinema, many of them are closely connected with the cinema of Boris Khlebnikov and Natalia Meshchaninova, so there is even a slight suspicion that they could have a direct relation to this project, although their names are not in the credits. In general, we have a classic situation comedy: two couples came to a winter ski resort, and everything would be fine, but these couples are formed by members of a family that is on the verge of disintegration. That is, the husband and wife have not yet divorced, but are already dating others. And in order not to spoil the new relationship, they decide not to tell anyone about the old one. And then it will be witty and just funny, because in another way these people just do not know how.

"Three cats. Winter Vacation" 0+

Directed by: Dmitry Vysotsky

One of the best animated franchises in Russia, "Three Cats" consistently maintains a level of quality, standing out among foreign competitors with its drawn animation. Not for nothing did Netflix proudly keep them in their subscription until recently. Perhaps "Three Cats" is not as perfect in content as "Peppa Pig", but it is clear that the domestic audience is closer to them, and in other countries the series is watched with pleasure.

Taking the best from foreign competitors, "Three Cats" included in its toolkit and the tradition of Christmas (we have New Year's) specials, "Winter Vacation" is not the first among them. But who among children will miss the opportunity to learn how their favorites went to the scientific base in Severlandia, found there a prehistoric cat and gave a light to a millionaire blogger, who puts the hype above good upbringing. One sad thing: 68 minutes is too short for cat antics, it could have been longer.

"Attack of the Titans: The Final Attack" 18+

Directed by Jun Shishido, Yuichiro Hayashi, Ryota Aikei.

Think this is a fan product and you want to boldly move on because you've never watched the major anime hit of the 21st century, "Attack of the Titans"? Well, you should. In the sense that it's certainly a fan product, but just for the fans themselves, there's nothing special here except for the big screen and one new scene. Because "The Last Attack" is, as they often do in the case of big anime brands, a compilation of the final episodes of a series that fans watched a year ago and remember perfectly well what was there.

If, however, you don't remember and have never watched the series at all, it's perfectly fine to start familiarizing yourself with the end. This is normal for most anime franchises, and "Gandam" and "Evangelion" started in reverse chronology for many modern viewers. However, there among the parallel timelines in general impossible to make out, and here two and a half hours of cartoon, spectacular, pathos, loud, may well become a connection to the world of high-budget Japanese long-building.

All the best is in the children: the new "Manyunya" topped the Russian box office

The picture earned 138 million rubles and showed the best start among all the films of the franchise

"The Last Mainland" 12+

Directors: Vasilisa Yurenkova, Grigory Yaroshenko

Antarctica is a mecca for filmmakers, especially non-fiction filmmakers. Let us remember Oscar winner Luc Jacquet's "The Emperor's March" - there is nothing more poetic, bitter, terrible and yet beautiful on the screen. Recall Werner Herzog with his "Encounters at the End of the World", where the strangest people on Earth as if specially moved to Antarctica to star in the German classic. Let's remember "Watercolor" by Viktor Kosakovsky, where the camera, attached to an iceberg, turns over with it, causing the viewer to get seasick.

Against the background of international hits, "The Last Mainland" is not lost, it has its own funny moments that stick in the memory. For example, when the hero of the movie says: if any man gets a chance to go to Antarctica, say, for a year, who would refuse it? And the wife - what a wife, she just needs to listen and accept it, what else is left. Thinking about what it is to be a man at all, thinking about identity is an important part of the movie. It's also where you learn how to become a member of the "200 club." That's when it's -80 outside and +120 in the sauna at the station. The contrast between them makes a unique difference of 200 degrees. As they say, how about you?

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Yuri Kolokolnikov strides through the desert and Tom Hanks moves through the ages

"Alone at Home: The Magnificent Five" 6+

Directed by: Ruslan Paushu

Starring: Vitalia Kornienko, Anastasia Panina, Mikhail Politsemako, Galina Stakhanova, Alika Smekhova.

Vitalia Kornienko, the girl from "Major" and "Daddy's Daughters", is gradually becoming a superstar. She's recently had "Ice 3," "Vasilisa and the Time Keepers," "Daddy Wrap Mommy," and "Lada Gold" released. Plus she'll be Pinocchio in the upcoming hit. Let's not forget that "The Magnificent Five" is also a sequel, because "Alone at Home" was already released in the cinema last year, however, quite modestly, with a box office of about 10 million rubles. Perhaps this time the adventures of the girl Stephanie will collect more.

It seems that this time the authors decided to put in an hour and a half as many of their favorite films as possible in the form of quotes, allusions and half hints. Here and Asterix and Obelix, and "Wild West World", and "The Man from Capuchin Boulevard", and, of course, "The Magnificent Seven", which is hidden in the title of the picture. This is not counting the wonderful comedy "Home Alone", which is still not ashamed to revisit. Maybe cinephiles would like more rebuses and omages, but since the movie is still intended for children, a lot of attention is paid to bloggers and just modern guys, for whom gadgets are body parts, not electronic devices.