Out this week (07/05/2010)

For one brief moment this afternoon I am returning back to the world of film. It's a place where I feel comfortable, where I can confidently predict the outcome, and where I know in a couple of hours I can stumble back into the light take a deep breath of fresh air and know it was just a movie. It's a slow week (the least enticing week of releases since January), with only a couple of films reaching even four our of ten on the excitometer. Out of them I'd have to recommend Chris Morris' Four Lions



The Back-Up Plan

J-Lo has decided, following her twins, to return to films safe in the knowledge that Sandra Bullock has paved the way for about 40 year old recapturing the rom-com market. Unfortunately this plan is no Proposal, and J-Lo never had the right fanbase to exploit that crowd.

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



Badmaash Company

Four friends in Mumbai (the nicer bits of Mumbai) decide to get together and form a "company". I don't know what the company does or how it makes it's money - both the synopsis and trailer are curiously evasive about his - but it turns out to be a big success. Hooray...

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

Bumm Bumm Bole

This Hindi children's film does at least have a nice concept, it's about a samll boy who loses his sisters shoes (why did he have her shoes?) then runs a marathon in order to win her a new pair. I'm not intrigued enough to see it mind.

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

Four Lions

This terrorist comedy, about a quartet of inept extremists, is bound to cause some anxious nailbiting amoung the press. But with Chris Morris, the unique and distinctive comic voice behind "Brass Eye", as the creative force it's bound to be both darkly humourous and issue busting.

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

Furry Vengeance

Do you have children with poor taste in movies, ADHD or hat you just don't like? Then go and see Brendan Fraser getting hounded by cute and furry critters. It's like a live action Over the Hedge, without the animals talking.

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

Hot Tub Time Machine

Am I being generous giving this a four. You're damn right I am, but reviews for John Cusacks comedy about going back to his youth and those halycon years we've lft behind have been quite kind, and the principle cast all look like they're enjoying themselves.

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

Just for the record

Good news. It's a Danny Dyer picture, which means we get a gratuitous picture of Danny all cockteasy at the end of the post. It's a comedy about the British film industry. Do not expect much.

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

Nightmare on Elm Street

Freddy's back. This time looking a lot like Jackie Earle Haley. This looks a lot better than your average revionist 80's slasher pic, but that really isn't sayiong much.

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

Room and a half

Director Andrey Khrzhanovskiy (70) has had a long aand succesful career in documentaries and animation, but bizarrely the semi-fictional account of the Russian poet and exile Joseph Brodsky, partly told through animation, poetry and with different film styles, is his first narrative feature. Looks very good if you can stand over 2 hours of experimatal Russian movies.

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

Virsa

Pakistani movie about ex-pats in Australia and their different choices with regards to naturalizing themselves into society. Probably very worthy.

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

And, amazingly I missed Ekam, Son of Soil from 23 April.

A Punjabi melodrama about a Australia based lad who returns to the village of his father. I have no idea if Soil is the name of his father, or a reference to working in the fields...

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


As promised: