Forgotten Genius (Out this week - 13/04/12)

Choosing a film this week is a tough job, there's a whole range of releases that is bound to include something that appeals to everyone although possibly not appealing enough to persuade anyone to actually go to see them. It's odd in that even as I type this up, reading the reviews and watching the trailers, even as I can appreciate the quality offerings I just can't imagine buying a ticket for any of them - even my film of the week. Incidently I've sidestepped the revisionist Westerns and genre bending horrors to select a little known French movie as the pick of the week, whilst I suspect it won't break out of the art-house circuit (just 2 screens this weekend) it got some minor awards buzz back in December including a trio of Satellite Award Nominations. So the RLAG film of the week is Mozart's Sister.



Has the blockbuster season started yet? I know it hasn't in America as this weekend the biggest opener is a Farrelly brothers re-imagining of a classic comic trio that precisely no-one really wants to see. However here we have the first big box office behemoth opening this weekend in Battleship presumably to avoid Euro 2012 which is known to affect cinematic attendance in the UK. I think we can safely assume it will take the box office crown this week, but I also suspect that - based on the reviews - it will be the second box office disappointment for Taylor Kitsch. Last week I foolishly imagined Mirror Mirror would lead the pack however not only did it fail to pass The Hunger Games but Titanic 3D, which I suspiciously avoided last week, was the clear box office champion. I hang my head in shame.

Mozart's Sister

Classic music fans everywhere will be fascinated by this French movie concentrating on the early life of Wolfgang's older sister, a prodigy whose genius was later overshadow by that if her male sibling mainly because of his gender. Clearly this film is in the shadow of Amadeus but could well be an interesting companion piece that displays a different side to that well known family dynamic.

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Exquisite costuming, but the translations seem to let the trailer down.

Blackthorn



Sam Shepard picks up the mantle of Butch Cassidy from Newman in this 20's set Western focussing on Cassidy's (now called Blackthorn) career as a Bolivian horse trader, only he gets the itch to return back to the States and right a terrible wrong. Cue plenty of contemplative vistas and shoot-outs. Stephen Rea also stars.

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Cabin in the Woods



Twisty Turny horror movie produced by Joss Whedon and directed by one of his prodigies Drew Goddard. It's spent an awful long time on the shelves due to the financial implosion at MGM but that shouldn't be considered indicative of it's quality given the high praise from most critics. Thor himself (Chris Hemsworth) leads the usual selection of disposable teens but it's the presence of Richard Jenkins and Sigourney Weaver in a potentially spoilerish cameo that make this seem like an interesting spin on the deserted cabin horror sub-genre.

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La Delicatesse



Do you remember when Audrey Tatou was set to be a huge star? Well, whilst her international career prospects may have been stalled by The Da Vinci Code she is still a bona fide draw in France and for French exports hence we're seeing this uninspiring looking lump of whimsy in which Tatou falls unexpectedly for another man after her "the one" is tragically killed. Should do reasonably well at cinemas.

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Battleship



Oh, come on, this slice of boring Hollywood crap designed purely to sell toys and appeal to pre-pubescent boys should be throttled at before it gets a chance to throw away millions on hum-drum sub Transformers CGI. What's worse is I hear the plot sees the US Navy firing the first guns so therefore seems to applaud the aggressor. Is this really the type of message we want our children to see at cinemas? Liam Neeson pops up as an Admiral and Taylor Kitsch and Rhianna are among the sailors looking to kick start their acting career with this bilge.

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Oru Kal Oru Kannadi



Something tells me this cheap looking trailer will not be the one that persuades non-Bollywood followers to try something a little different (bearing in mind Houseful 2 made the UK and US top tens last weekend). It's about a guy and a girl and the guy's best friend who gives him all the worst advice in how to woo her, which is at least very familiar to all audiences.

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Edge



Carol Morley's recent semi-doc Dreams of a Life was exceptionally well received in the last quarter of last year and it's probably that good will which has led to her previous feature starring local girl (to where I'm living) Maxine Peake getting it's release. That said the glooming looking chamber piece about six characters in a dour hotel is hardly likely to gain the same traction.

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Gospel of Us



I did want to give more blobs to this cinematic oddity, but finding reviews or in reality an audience for this strange experience seems difficult. It's the filmed elements of Port Talbot's acclaimed Passion Play from last year with Michael Sheen in the role of Jesus. I do wonder why it wasn't opened last weekend but I'm sure the producers have their reasons and I do hope that non-Christian cinema-goers see this which is as much about community as it is about God.

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