Last week the Cruisemeister held on to the number one spot and Meryl Thatcher was the highest new entry at number 3 on the box office chart, so I'm feeling a little smug - what with my first box office predictions from last weekend being right. This weekend I'm seeing the film that I've chosen as top film and I suspect Steven Spielberg's World War One epic will deservedly take it's place at the top of the charts. If you're looking for something less mainstream there's Michael Fassbender shagging everything in sight and the collapse of the financial services system, both of which look excellent. Please note that we are also starting the year with our first complete dud, earning just one blob, but you'll have to find out what it is. First though, the film of the week is War Horse.
War Horse
Steven Spielberg proves he's a master tear jerker once again, and I mean that as a good thing, with his deliberately Fordian adaptation of Michael Morpurgo's classic children's story. I cry watching the trailer (thanks to John Williams and Benedict Cumberbatch) so goodness knows if I'll make it through the screening later today. Emily Watson also stars.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Margin Call
Writer-director J. C. Chandor has won plenty of plaudits for his cinematic debut, with the first significant narrative based on the economic collapse in 2008. Kevin Spacey, Zachary Quinto, Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons, Mary McDonnell and a dozen other recognisable stars form part of the chain of command trying to identify and ultimately offload toxic debt in this David Mamet like view of investment banking.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Shame
The final of the three big hitters from this week. Turner prize-winner Steve McQueen's long hard look at sex addiction with Michael Fassbender as a seemingly high-flying executive who's life unravels as his addiction slips completely out of control. Carey Mulligan is his needy sister.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Tatsumi
Animated biopic, which seems unlikely, until you discovers it's about Manga pioneer Yoshihiro Tatsumi, whose short stories, also included in the narrative in part created the medium of Japanese graphic artistry.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Useful Life
Interesting addition to the current theme of movies about/informed by movies (The Artist, Drive etc.) this Uruguayan picture follows a recently unemployed art-house projectionist filling his days unable to go to the cinema. I expect it's a narrative we could all relate to.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Kartalus Son Darak
Turkish comedy, with a sextet of women trying to cheer up the psychologist who's just moved into their apartment block. It's a limited audience, but should do well in it's small market.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Nanban
Tamil comedy of which, as is traditional in these things, I know nothing about the plot or characters, other than the poster's very bright and the trailer's quite fast. Nanban is literally translated as friend.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Vettai
Police soap opera from India with two brothers, one of whom is a detective the other fighting crime outside of the establishment. Could be an interesting look at vigilantilism, but probably just descends into familial homilies.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Darkest Hour
Yes, it's Chris Gorak's Moscow set alien invasion movie which garners the first all-important one blob excitometer rating. Saving the budget by having invisible aliens isn't so much the issue as saving the budget by having a weak script and uninvolving characters. Almost so bad it's unmissable.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●○○○○○○○○○
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Horror of the trenches (Out this week - 13/01/12)
Friday, 22 July 2011
Starting Over Again (Out this week - 22/07/11)
Considering the date there's a surprisingly few releases this week. What's the date I hear you ask? It's the first weekend of the school summer holidays - the traffic forecasters are predicting hell on Earth on the motorways that roughly head toward the beach so what better way to spend the evening than going to the cinema. For the kiddies there's Potter week 2 or a sub-standard Pixar, but if I had to choose - and of course I do - I'd pick, as film of the week, gay dad romance Beginners.
Beginners
I'm probably not as keen on this quirky relationship drama as I'm making out, but I hear Christopher Plummers performance as an Octogenarian coming out for the first time is exquisite and MacGregor and Laurent make a lovely couple so I'll give it a try.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Big Picture
If you fancy a thriller this week your only option is this French effort starring Romain Duris as a lawyer who kills his wife's lover in a fit of rage (I thought that was fine in France) then runs away to start a new life. Catherine Deneuve also stars.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Cars 2
After last years critical and commercial super success with Toy Story 3 it can probably be said that Pixar are coasting with the return to the merchandise friendly automobile franchise. Oddly this is also an example of stunt casting with Owen Wilson and Larry the Cable Guy joined by Michael Caine, Vanessa Redgrave (as the Queen) and Lewis Hamilton. Or you could watch the German Grand Prix on Sunday!
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Horrible Bosses
So so looking comedy that will probably play well to fans of the central conceit - it's OK to slaughter your boss if they're despicable human beings. Kevin Spacey, Jennifer Aniston and Colin Farrell gleefully ham it up as the worst practitioners of management skills with Jamie Foxx as hit man Motherf**ker Jones - probably the best joke in the movie.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Singham
Our lone Bollywood release this week is hard to get a handle on the plot, other than it's a Hindi action drama and appears to have been in post production for years (I'm sure I've seen that title before). Good early buzz on IMDb.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Break my Fall
Very low budget British LGBT interest indie, following a young Lesbian couple as they negotiate their hedonistic lifestyle (they appear to be in a band) ans decide what it is they really want out of their relationship. Heavily influenced by the mumblecore movement.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Violent Kind
Tired looking yokels gone crazy US horror with the usual cut-out characters being scared witless and panicking in uninventive ways. Don't worry this is getting the tiniest of releases.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Friday, 4 June 2010
Out this week (04/06/10)
Unbelievably, out of nowhere, this is a really exciting week. Honestly the overall standard of releases is really quite good, and I didn't see it coming. If you ignore the first film (so I list alphabetically, who can blame me) and read the rest of the post you'll find thrillers, comedies and dramas. I've been trying to second guess which film will be the box office champ and frankly I'm stumped - feel free to guess in the comments but the film of the week, and there must be a choice for film of the week, goes to The Brothers Bloom. 
Bear
As the trailer starts we're told that Grizzly bears, the largest land mammal in North America, will attack when it's territory is being invaded. Then four annoying looking late 20's start screaming and panicking. I don't think the bear just wants a cuddle.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
Brothers Bloom
Rian Johnson's follow-up to the amazing neo-noir Brick is a far less sober affair, with con-artist brothers Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo trying to pull the wool over Rachel Weisz's eyes, only to find the set-up is a little too close to believable. Also starring Rinku Kikuchi and Maximillian Schell.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●○○○
Death at a Funeral
You might ask what the point of remaking the middling Frank Oz comedy from just 3 years ago is? Could it be because you can take the exact same story with a cast of African-American stars and make it more profitable? The US box office receipts may not totally agree with that but I sniggered during the trailer so that's something.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
4.3.2.1
Noel Clarke has made a couple of very successful, very respected struggling British youth movies, where the mostly male characters are surrounded by escalating violence and sink estates. Here he's trying to appeal to the ladies with four leading female protagonists, with the underwear fetishes and obligatory lesbianism in the trailer I suspect it'll be the lads that go for it in a big way.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Girl on the Train
Respected French drama about a girl who reports a fictitious anti-Semitic attack on a train and how her life is transformed. Catherine Deneuve plays her torn mother who know the truth.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
Kicks
As a Liverpool football star is about to leave for Real Madrid two obsessive female fans bump into him one night and invite him home to say goodbye. There are pluses and minuses to their way of saying it. Odd timing as Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez leaves the city today - unlikely the same will happen to him.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
The Killer inside Me
Michael Winterbottom's latest movie may be generating headlines for the alleged misogyny and uncomfortable violence it's fair to say there are few directors who could craft such a beautiful looking movie from it's pulpy source. Casey Affleck is perfectly cast as the serial killing deputy with Kate Hudson and Jessica Alba as two of his victims.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Rajneeti
Bollywood epic surrounding a major political election (oddly I'd jump at this if it were English language) with a selection of unlikely candidates fighting for public support. Inspired by the Mahabharata, one of the major sanskrit epics of Ancient India.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●○○○○○○○○
She's out of my League
Jay Baruchel, who you probably don't remember being in a bunch of films, gurns his way through this film with the tag line: How does a guy, who's a 5, keep a girl, who's a 10? How will this sell any tickets.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Shrink
Kevin Spacey, oh how we've missed you from serious films, play a celebrity psychiatrist on the verge of an emotional and physical breakdown. The trailer is stuffed with cliches, but it looks smart and pacey enough to get away with it. Celebrity cameos include Robin Williams, Robert Loggia and Saffron Burrows.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Sunday, 26 July 2009
Kevin Spacey
Happy Birthday to
Kevin Spacey
50 today
Kevin had been dedicating himself to the National over the last few years (probably a good job considering the dross he was doing at the cinema) but a few independent ventures have tempting him back - he was the computer voice in Moon, a celebrity psychoanalyst in Shrink and joins the ensemble in The Men who Stare at Goats. Maybe he's building up to another knock out performance like his late 90's run.
