There are no superheroes hitting the streets this weekend, although there is still plenty of Spider-man to go round if you haven't caught him yet, so while the world collectively draws it breath ready for the Bane onslaught in a few days we get a collection of foreign language pics (France, India, Spain and Belgium are all in play) as well as a couple of high profile American releases that have waited for their international roll-out. There are a couple of films that I personally want to see, both American (so apologies to the international readership) but neither score particularly high on the anticipation rating, partly because I have had limited expectations in the run-up and partly because I'm almost ashamed of my anticipation. Yes, I'm a dirty mac wearing Channing Tatum fan and the Runs like a Gay Film of the Week is Magic Mike.
To the surprise of absolutely no-one The Amazing Spider-Man was victorious in last weekend's box office statistics, jumping straight in as the 13 biggest seller of the year so far, outperforming the entire run of Battleship or Wrath of the Titans in just a few days. That said I expect it's more front loaded than Avengers Assemble so will likely drop off the top over the next few days as Ice Age 4: Continental Drift finally roles out to all of the UK. Given the animated sequel was at the top of the charts based on just 15% of Uk screens it should easily destroy all opposition. Of the real new entries I expect Magic Mike will probably have the upper hand, seeing it's event night status that served it so well in the States repeated here.
Magic Mike
Loosely based on Channing Tatum's male revue background - he stripped for a few months to make ends meet early in his career - the fact that Steven Soderbergh was interested in directing changes our perspective on the project from titillation to more considered curiousity. Indeed reviews indicate this is a film about strippers but not about stripping - even if there are a lot of abs on display.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Read on for supply teachers, wayward teens and Armageddon gone wrong, as well as all of trailers fit to watch.
I personally think this trailer tries a little too hard to appeal across the board, and either more flesh or less funny might have worked better.
Detachment
It's good to see American History X director back from the wilderness after the oft-repeated locked out of the edit story and his last two features still locked up in lawsuits and post production troubles. Here Adrien Brody is the substitute in the starriest high-school in America, complete with some serious screwed up kids and teachers.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Giants
Feted at Cannes 2011 for it's refreshing take on adolescents Bouli Lanners's film follow three teenagers, two of whom are abandoned brothers, on a lugubrious summer of adventures, long slow afternoons and petty crime.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Little Nicholas
Kids fable, which does make you wonder with this and The Giants out whether there's a plan to lure all the schoolkids just released from term into Arthouse cinemas, about a young boy whose cosy life is turned upside down when his Mum gets pregnant. I'm sure it's a topic a lot of us can relate to.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
If the idea of spending the last few hours before Armageddon in the company of Keira Knightly and Steve Carell sends you into a suicidal funk then it's unlikely that I can say anything to change your mind, but the reviews for this end of days road movie/rom com have been far better than you'd imagine and Melinda Dillon pops up among the comedy cameos.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Soul of Flies
I do quite like the idea of magical realism, even though I've only seen the fringes with Biutiful and Undertow, so I think I'd probably like the chance to see this Spanish film directed, edited, lensed, written, produced and starring the not so Spanish sounding Jonathan Burley about two brothers meeting each other for the first time at their father's funeral.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Billa 2
Been there done that Bollywood release about a boy from the slums rising to become a criminal mastermind. I don't know what the state of organised crime is in India, but if all the movies are to be believed I am never going to go there.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Cocktail
Far more likely to inspire me is that romance, part financed here in the UK, with it's massively over-complicated love rectangle that shames even A Midsummers Night Dream. Although frankly if Bryan Brown doesn't appear in a dodgy shirt I'm going to ask for my money back.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Electrik Children
Fascinating American indie about a sheltered Mormon girl hearing rock music for the first time (Blondie as it happens) and believing it to be the cause of her unexpected pregnancy. Billy Zane plays her Bible thumping father.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Prey
Morality tale for ex-cons here, with a bank-robber becoming best buddies with his cell mate, only to find out far too late that he's a serial killer who now knows an awful lot about your family and you must break-out in order to stop him. So the heroes a bank-robber. Glad I've straightened that up.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Spirit
Reading online synopses for Bollywood movies can be utterly confusing. For instance this is a serious drama about the dangers of alcoholism and one man's struggle to tunr his life around. Now watch the trailer... No, I didn't get it either.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Tortoise in Love
Somewhat of a curiosity - even if the results are surprisingly good. The residents of sleepy Oxfordshire village Kingston Bagpuize have got together and decided to make a rom-com using the residents and local companies as much as possibly. And it's got a small but significant opening. Could be the future of cinema - the community model. Keep an eye on it's long-term impact as a concept more than the film itself.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Absentia
American horror that crept out for one day to avoid a direct to DVD tag. I'm sure the central conceit, that people declared dead in absentia have in fact been abducted by a weird monster, will probably fall apart on closer inspection but the production values look fine.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Comes a Bright Day
Quite nice trailer for a nice looking British indie which indicates the jewel heist plot is merely hiding a nice romance between Craig Roberts and Imogen Poots. All rather too nice for me thank you.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Sunday, 15 July 2012
Stripper Joe (Out this week - 13/07/12)
Saturday, 14 August 2010
Marcia Gay Harden
Happy Birthday to
Marcia Gay Harden
51 today
California girl Marcia continues to enliven otherwise middling films with her strong and prickly presence - The Mist was my first film to be reviewed here and her Mrs Carmody often haunts my darkest dreams - coming up will be the Tony Kaye directed Detachment where Marcia plays the principal to Adrein Brody's long term substitute teacher.
Sunday, 8 August 2010
Worst Honeymoon Ever (Film News 08/08/2010)
Naturally with me not being here it's been an incredibly busy week with loads of new productions appearing on the periphery demanding my attention. I'm hoping that's a good sign that we're going to gets an increase on interesting movies - personally I've been generally disappointed by the overall quality of projects getting the green light.
Honeymoon with Harry
I won't pretend this piece of news is recent, or that I am desperate to see the adaptation of Bart Baker's unpublished novel, but the genesis of the production is quite unique. First optioned in 2004 Paul Haggis (Crash, Quantum of Solace) was due to write and direct this tale of a combative father and son-in-law as they recover from the sudden death of the woman they both love. The writers strike and other projects got in the way so this was shelved and has since gained the reputation of being one of the best unfilmed scripts in Hollywood.
Robert De Niro and Bradley Cooper, having worked together on Neil Burger's Dark Fields (left - note Bobby's decidedly unsharp shoes), are anxious to reunite on the screen and have chosen this juicy concept as the vehicle for that. Jonathan Demme (Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married) has allegedly been approached to direct the piece.
Overall that's a fine team that few would argue with wanting to see on screen even if the first half of the spec comes close to the relationship in Meet the Parents.
Read on for sex education, American classics, superheroes, communing with the dead and literary dilemmas. As well as the latest production news.
The Abstinence Teacher
You wait a year for a Sandra Bullock story then two come along at once as she has is now in talks to Star in Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton's Little Miss Sunshine follow-up with Steve Carell. In it Bullock will play a free-spirited sex education teacher with liberal views facing backlash in a generally conservative small town. Sounds like it will do wonders for her image.
On the Road
I had been fairly ambivalent about the big screen adaptation of Jack Karouac's (right) ground breaking beat novel, it seem to me not that it's unfilmable but it does raise the question of why you would want to film it. That said Viggo Mortensen and Amy Adams have now been added to the supporting cast so I am beginning to waver.
The Shadow
Earlier in the year there were the stirrings of rumours that The Shadow is due a remake now the stench of the Alec Baldwin original has cleared away and the comic book receipts keep coming in. Latest twist is that Quentin Tarantino may end up directing, and whilst I'm not the greatest fan of Inglorious Basterds this would be the perfect opportunity for Quentin to indulge in all his ultra-violent fantasies and for it to fit in the universe. 
Skippy Dies
It is deeply disappointing that this will not be a final chapter to the long running Aussie children's drama about a bush Kangaroo that rescues idiots in National Parks (left). Instead it's from Paul Murray's boarding school set novel about a student who tries to commune with his dead roomie. Whether it's a celebration of innocence, an paean to hope or just downright depressing this could be a project to look out for and might just be a major career starter for two teenage boys out there.
Young Adult
This might take a bit of suspension of disbelief but in this Diablo Cody scripted Jason Reitman directed piece Charlize Theron will play a writer of "young adult" fiction who seeks out an old high school love interest who then scorns her having no wish to revisit his time as a teenager. Whether this leads to bunny boiler type actions from Charlize or a long hard look at how her life has turned out is unclear but there is sure to be ultra-hip dialogue and a nicely ironic look at society. I look forward to finding out why anyone would say no to getting back with Charlize though (I'm gay and I'd totally be up for making a go of a relationship...)
Production News
Every month I trawl though old news stories to identify which rumours have become reality and whether anything I missed is suddenly underway, and every month I am pleasantly surprised by some of the revelations. Over the last 5 weeks the you tube documentary project Life in a Day has filmed so we await to see if there is anything decent to come out of that, work has begun on the Disney fantasy The Odd Life of Timothy Green, Sam Mendes has decided for On Chesil Beach to be his next film in the absence of Bond and the above Young Adult has already begun the pre-production process, becoming only the second 2013 film that I'm interested in - look out for it in a 20 for 2013 countdown.
The films have also appeared with no fanfare:
Me.
Adaptation of a 1971 darkly comic play ("Untold Damage") which looks at the changing dynamics within a family following a tragic little league baseball injury. Was filmed for television with Richard Dreyfuss and Geraldine Fitzgerald which makes it an interesting cast to beat in this remake.
Detachment
The inspirational teacher sub genre of movies is a perennial favourite so it's no surprise to see another version roll into production, even if this seems more Half Nelson than Dead Poets Society as the substitute teacher is inspired by his students into becoming a better person. Adrien Brody will be taking the central role with a supporting cast including Marcia Gay Harden as the head and James Caan, Lucy Liu and Blythe Danner as other teachers. The big surprise is they've entrusted this to the directorial hands of barking mad Tony Kaye (American History X) - stand by for rows in the editorial suite and long protracted legal battles before it ever gets released.
I'm not sure when this pic was taken but I think Mr. Brody is enjoying his post-Predators buffness.
