Out this week (18/09/09)

It's a particularly busy week with a wide variety of mainstream and art house productions. That's not to say that most of them look even passably entertaining. Personally I'm tempted by Sam Mendes slumming with a dramedy between major downers, so the film of the week is Away we Go.



The Agent

Virtually a two hander between literary agent (William Beck) and his top talent (Stephen Kennedy), whose latest novel isn't up to the usual standard. Satire on the publishing business and showcase for the two stars this could be an interesting watch for those in the know.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○



Away we Go

John Krasinski and Maya Rudolph just want a place to raise their unborn baby. Somewhere where they can be near friends who will advise and help them. Unfortunately as they travel the country they find out all their friends are nutcases who shouldn't be within a retraining orders of kids. Sounds great.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○

Birdwatchers

Brizillian film, with hard to spot eco-message about disputed land between a wealthy developer and an indigenious tribe. The love story at the centre may be pure hokum, mind.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○

Blind Dating

Chris Pine, pre-Star Trek, was doing risible guff like this, playing a blind man playing the dating game. The heart of this comedy about love being blind (sorry) may be in the right place but the execution seems a little ropey. For diehard Pine fans only.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Wacky kids animation about a machine that can cause clouds to burst with food (like meatballs). How they spin that out over 89 minutes I've no idea, but the easy on the eye animations looks fun to me.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○

Dil Bole Hadippa

Cross dressing cricket based romantic comedy. Really - it's abot a girl who wants to be in the Indian criket team so much she dresses like a lad. Complications (and hilarity) ensue.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○

The Firm

Cinematic remake of classic BBC TV special on football hooliganism. This is the third fottball hooliganism film this year - based on that it doesn't matter if it's the best surely it can't be that big a market.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○

Gamer

The premise (of real people being controlled by first person gaming devices) is fascinating, Gerard Butler is suitably hunky as the lead and the violence appears to be just the right level. Why does this look so pants?

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○

Nandhalala

Much delayed Bollywood road movie about a boy and a man with learning difficulties. Sounds like my very worst nightmare.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○

31 North 62 East

The name over the poster is Jonathan Rhys-Davis - the hammy dwarf from Lord of the Rings. If the biggest selling point for this UK conspiracy theory yarn is that then don't expect big returns at the Box Office.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○

Unnai Pol Oruvan

This is the Tamil remake of a Hindi film (see below for the opposite) about a complex bomb threat in a major city which is being used as a ransom to release convicted terrorists - only all is not as it seems.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○

Wanted

Hindi remake of Tamil film (told you) which I know very little about, except that it's been filmed in locations all over the world and may involve a mafia hit.

Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○