Out this Week (30/10/09)

It's an odd week for cinematic releases. Ultimately it doesn't matter about the relative quality of the releases I'm covering here, or how well they're going to do. In the end we all know that Michael Jackson will conquer the box office around the world, and as it technically a documentary I won't even be covering it. My pick of the week would be An Education.



Aladin

This Bollywood version of the classic 1001 nights adventure has been delayed at least once, so I'm not expecting great things.

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



Dead Man Running

It's Danny Dyer again. I think I've lost count of the number of films he's been in this year. So far none have set the box office alight - don't expect things to change with this Cockney geezer story either. (Might just be the best of the bunch for Danny, though)

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

An Education

Since it's debut in Sundance this has been one of the most anticipated releases of the year, with many a critic going gaga for the coming of age story. Carey Mulligan is said to give an Oscar worthy performance.

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

The Horseman

This Australian road movie cum revenge drama has been turning quite a few heads on the horror fest circuit. Probably a very good example of that particular sub-genre if you're tempted.

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

London Dreams

Some nonsense about a pair of Indian brothers coming to London to form a rockband. The trailers bland enough to make this instantly missable.

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

Love Exposure

Shion Sono's 4 hour epic about teenagers falling in love against complex home lives and petty crime has been called a masterpiece by many who have had the priviledge to see it. Although I can only see 4 hours as a barrier here.

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

9

Extended from his critically succesful animated short Shane Axcker's feature debut appears to have been a misfire. Maybe if the studio had given him more time to work on the story rather than rush through then he could have extended the mythology in a more constructive way.

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

Tales from the Golden Age

The creative resurgence of Romanian cinema continues with this portmanteau movie about the end of Communism in the former Eastern European state. There's a comfortable mix of humour and high drama.

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

Oh, and somehow I missed the release of the following two weeks ago:

Peraanmai

"PERANMAI" is a Tamil film by director S.P. Jananathan and stars Jayam Ravi. Ravi plays a forest officer who becomes a one-man army similar to Sylvester Stallone in the "RAMBO" series. The poster is quite cool, I'll give it that.

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