Last week the lack of big ticket releases and World Cup fever kept Sex and the City 2 on top of the UK box office charts for the third week running. I'd like to say there'll be a strong challenger this week but I just don't think that's likely in one of the least interesting release dates since the beginning of the year. Maybe the double screening of hit men comedies will manage to budge the New York foursome? In terms of likely quality I would have to present Please Give as the film of the week.
Ajami
Both highly acclaimed on the festival circuit and in the US, where it was nominated for the best foreign language picture in 2010, this joint Israeli Palestinian venture about small scale drug dealers is slipping out in a very limited release. I hope it finds an audience if even it isn't showing anywhere close.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Hierro
This Spanish horror starts like a Flightplan rip-off with Maria's son disappearing on the ferry to El Hierro island. Instead of trying to investigate the thriller elements it then segues into familiar horror abduction territory and scary visions.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Killers
The first of the pair of assassin comedies stars Ashton Kutcher as a CIA sponsored killer who retires from the game and marries Katherine Heigl. Obviously his work comes looking for him. The best gags are in the trailer. No, really, they're the best gags.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
MacGruber
I did think that maybe I wasn't interested in this SNL adaptation because over here we don't have the show so there is no built in expectation and because the property is spoofs is barely a memory. The least successful wide opening in the US box office history tells me that it's an international sense of apathy.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Our Family Wedding
Yet another woeful looking American comedies. This time it's America Ferrera and Lance Gross getting married whilst their different cultural backgrounds tear apart the in-laws. Saved from a humiliating one blob of anticipation because Forest Whitaker is in it.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Please Give
Nicole Holofcener adds to her rich back catalogue of films that concern women as real people front and centre, as well as re-teaming with her lucky charm Catherine Keener. This one dissects upper middle calls attitudes to charity and guilt.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Raavan
Everywhere I see this movie I see the tagline TEN HEADS,TEN MINDS,A HUNDRED VOICES ONE MAN - Did such a man ever exist? Tragically there is no ten headed man in the trailer. I would probably ask for my money back if I went.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Trash Humpers
Harmony Korine's latest is filmed with camcorders, features actors covered in latex to appear elderly, and has been described as a dystopian nightmare. It also features trash humping. I don't think Ill be going.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Wild Grass
Renowned French auteur Alain Resnais creates a very unlikely romance in this darkly comic exploration of two lonely souls united by a crime and kept together by obsession. Certainly worth a look.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Wild Target
The British equivalent of Killers, this time with Bill Nighy as the hit man who can't quite bring himself to kill Emily Blunt. Rupert Grint and a score of British character actors tag along. Best jokes are probably in the trailer in this one too.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Sherlock Jr. @100: For the love of Cinema
22 hours ago
7 comments:
Hi RLAG,
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Emma
I think Ajami is making my Top 10 2009 films (which I'll probably post in a week). I liked it, it was my favorite of the Foreign Language Film noms, as i'd seen all 5.
I don't blame you for the lack of excitement about Ajami, it was by far the worst Foreign Language Film nominee and the one that almost tarnished a flawless lineup.
It's just like Crash without Sandra Bullock and subtitles.
I love it, disagreement in the comment ranks. So Alex, you think it was the best of the Foreign language picks, Jose, you think it was the worst.
Sell me your points of view - should I see it or not...
sure, A Prophet gives it great competition, but A Prophet is a bit heavy at times. good one, anyway.
Ajami is what Crash SHOULD'VE been. An interesting, well-balance, culturally rich, smart story-wise, simple and humble in a good way, film. and one of the best original screenplays of 2009. of course it has its flaws, but still... effective and almost touching.
Ajami - 8/10
A Prophet - 8
The Secret in their eyes - 7.5
The White Ribbon - 7 (but hell of an artsy film, I admire it more that it looks. it should've easily get the cinematography Oscar).
Potato-girl aka Milk of Sorrow - 6
I personally don't think there's anything wrong with "heavy" and precisely Ajami is the kind of movie done outside the US meant to appeal to very Hollywood-esque sensibilities.
It treats everything on the surface and fails to say something we haven't heard before in things like Crash, you know the whole, "we're all connected, let's love each other" speech.
It's not an awful movie but it wasn't good either. Also being a debut it shows how the directors lack nuance and craft mastery.
You can see it but I can assure you each of the four other nominees was superior in every single way.
I'd rank them:
1. The White Ribbon 10/10 (also the best film of 09 in my opinion)
2. A Prophet 10/10 (not only the dull Godfather redux everyone will want you to believe)
3. The Secret in Their Eyes 8/10
4. The milk of Sorrow 8/10 (I am still surprised movies like this are being made in my part of the world)
5. Ajami 6/10
Wow, some key differences of opinion there. Which I guess means I'll have to see them myself to have a casting vote.
To my great discredit I have yet to see any of the nominations yet, but I shall start adding them to my netflix queue and will report back when I have an opinion.
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