Out This Week (06/11/09)

So I'm writing this in advance, which means that, to a certain extent, I'm making up the scores for the excitometer. That is to say some (or a large measure) of excitement is based on the reviews coming out for a film. Not that I always expect to see reviews - it's extremely rare that a Bollywood film will be previewed in the main film press hence they mostly score poorly on the anticipation stakes - however when the biggest release has yet to be screened I usually wait. Saying that unless Zemeckis' latest received "masterpiece" commentary the film of the week will still be Men who stare at Goats.

Photos of goats if I get the opportunity...

Bright Star

Lauded Keats biopic from Jane Campion, director of The Piano and Portrait of a Lady. Trailer indicates the film is very pretty to look at and may contain scenes of excessive eye gazing. Is unlikely to introduce hordes of unititiated teenagers to the poets work.

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



A Christmas Carol

Provisionally coming in at 4 blobs of excitement I wouldn't be surprised if this motion capture film starring Jim Carrey moves up against the competition. Although quite why you'd want to motion capture the infamously rubber faced star is beyond me.

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

The Fourth Kind

Another provisional score - but one I don't expect to change when the reviews are available. Genre bias certainly, but lets face it a horror with Milla Jovovich can't be everyone's cup of tea.

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

Jennifer's Body

Or, What Diablo Cody did next. Maybe the horror conventions mixed with Cody's hipper than though writing might of worked if this film didn't focus on sexy starlets Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried. Or maybe a film with vampy leads will always be doomed to failure.

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

Men who stare at Goats

Grant Heslov may have changed to tone of this true story about a psych ops CIA team, with mind bending skills such as staring goats to death and walking through walls, from astonished disbelief to wacky comedy but the trailer looks hilarious, and at least it will bring more people to this amazingly unreported element of the history of the US armed forces.

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

1 Day

This film has been virtually banned in Birmingham. Apparently the police and council have been trying to persuade local cinema managers to veto the film because of it's glorification of Brummie gang violence and it's crime does pay message. They should try to ban it because it's chock full of amateur performances and inexplicable r 'n' b musical interludes.

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

Paper Heart

Documentary from Charlyne Yi, which exlores the nature of love, as well as pushing boundaries in the documentary form. For instance the relationship between Yi and Michael Cera which forms the catalyst for the investigation appears to be purely for the cameras.

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

Welcome

Phillippe Loiret's refugee drama about a Kurdish boy from Iraq making his way across Europe only to find the British Channel too much of a hurdle. Should go down well with Daily Mail readers.

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