At the time of writing England are still clinging on in the Euros, although we'll see how they fare against Italy tomorrow evening. So therefore in this nation addicted to the Beautiful game it's natural for studios to release high volumes of uninspiring counter programming to entice the odd soccer-phobe. This week is no exception with romantic comedies and sub-standard horror vying for our attention. Personally I'm punting on a sports related medium sized release, however if I had to choose a film to recommend - and naturally I do - the film of the week is Russian art-house project Silent Souls.
Last week I was right to trust Prometheus would hang on as Box Office champion for another week and whilst Rock of Ages struggled to find a substantial it did have the highest take for a new release. This weekend my crystal ball is a more murky. With four wide releases you'd think one of them might stand a chance with Scott's terraforming blockbuster now in it's fourth week. However each of those four has big problems. I'm going to be brave though and guess the critically derided Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter will sneak into the lead thanks to it's genre trappings and mid week release strategy.
Silent Souls
You'd be forgiven for having missed the buzz on Aleksei Fedorchenko's third feature because there has hardly been any. It's only major festival showing was 2010's Venice where it was passed over for Sofia Coppola's Somewhere for the Golden Lion but won the FIPRESCI proze as a consolation. But that being awarded by international critics should have been a clue that this is more art than movie and critics have fallen in love with it everywhere else. Following a Merjan funeral on the border or Russia and Finland it looks like an elegant and emotive meditation on life, death and sex.
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Read on for much delayed weddings, spread betting and obscure history as well as all of this weeks releases and trailers.
There's some gorgeous cinematography in the Silent Souls trailer - but also some explicit shots too, so probably nsfw.
Five Year Engagement
Billed as the romantic comedy it's OK to love it's slightly surprising that the winning combination of Emily Blunt and Jason Segal didn't do better in the States than it did (sitting at a disappointing $29m). That said they do look like a lovely couple, even if you know from the title exactly how the plot will develop. Jacki Weaver and David Paymer are among the supporting cast (Emily's mother and Jason's father).
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Lay the Favourite
I've already seen Stephen Frears latest, and I'm in a charitable mood right now so all I'll say is the combination of the cast and director, based on the memoirs by Beth Rayner seemed like a good enough bet. I was wrong. Should have believed the reviews out of sundance. Well gloves of on Wednesday - come back for my smackdown.
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Think like a Man
It's unlikely that the tongue in cheek adaptation of Steve Harley's "Act like a Lady, Think like a Man" self help book will do as well over here as it did in the US, where it led the charts two weeks in a row, partly because the African American cast aren't household names (even rap star Chris Brown, Oscar nominee Taraji P. Henson and likeable character actor Michael Ealy), but it's getting some the best reviews in it's irrelevant sub-genre.
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Where do we Go Now
Surprising everyone by winning the audience prize at Toronto last year this Lebanese musical from Nadine Labaki (Caramel) will probably suffer in comparison with the recent similar Source which also mixed song, desire and weighty themes. But where that looked at the rise of gender equality here the women aim to prevent the Muslim and Christian men of the village turning on each other.
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Cloclo
Jeremie Renier has been on the fringe of breaking out internationally for years(he himself is Belgian) in spite of a highly satisfying working relationship with the Dardennes. Hopefully this biopic of Claude Francois, the writer of cabaret standard "My Way", will illuminate a few more casual film goers of his talent.
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Grand Master
Extremely limited release - hello Birmingham - for this Mayamalan entry about a ruthless serial killer and the chess-obsessed detective out to stop him.
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Teri Meri Kahani
Hard to get hold of a synopsis for this Bollywood release but looking at the trailer it appears to be three loves stories set in 1910, 1960 and 2012 all starring the same two actors. Whether that's a comment on their being always in love and finding each other in every reincarnation (I hope so) or just an excuse to wear hsitorical costumes and fill the 2 hour running time is difficult to assess.
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With Every Heartbeat
Does the thought of a Swedish Lesbian drama instantly want to make you head to the local multiplex? If so, I'm truly sorry as this broken family feature - a newly engaged girl falls for her step-sister - has already skipped town having had a couple of brief showings in the week. Not to worry perverts, it's available to order here.
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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter
More likely to bore history fanatacists than enrage them this presidential mash-up seems to be committing the cardinals sin of plodding plot and unengaging CGI. That said I still feel it will do surprisingly well as audiences flock to see any derivative rubbish with the undead attached.
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Chernobyl Diaries
Suspiciously long trailer for this shaky cam holiday horror from Oren Peli - producer of Paranormal Activity. It failed to get the following of his earlier success in the States and I expect it's fate here will be similarly uninspiring. Still it should last longer than most of the disposable characters.
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Rise and Fall of a White Collar Hooligan
The British fans heading to Ukraine for the football have acquitted themselves incredibly with the only violent outbursts seeming to come from the local extremists, however back in cinemas the lure of hard-nut supporters never wanes. There's a couple of I know you TV faces but in the main this tired story has the exposure it deserves.
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Saguni
Look out for the poor sound quality in this Tamil trailer - for which I can only apologise and grovel it's not my fault - concerning a village boy caught up in politics when he moves to the big city.
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Victim
Coming so soon after Ill Manors seems like a poor release strategy for this more conventional gangsters from the estates, urban crime drama. Ashley Chin is the hero looking to go straight but can't kick the life of crime he's become addicted to.
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Saturday, 23 June 2012
Keeping the old traditions Alive (Out this week - 22/06/12)
Tuesday, 30 August 2011
David Paymer
Happy Birthday to
David Paymer
57 today
The perfect example of a consummate character actor Paymer has starred in far more good films than you can probably remember, and I'm thinking mainly Quiz Show and The Hurricane, not Carpool and Bad Teacher. Next up is Francis Ford Coppola's experimental horror Twixt.
Friday, 17 June 2011
Modern Telegrams (Out this week - 17/06/11)
It's tough to predict what will happen to box office figures this week. With this years second green superhero squaring off against a very well publicised Cameron Diaz comedic video there's plenty of choice for the less discerning cinema goer (although of those I'd probably go for Diaz). Of course neither option comes close to my film of the week, which is the absorbing and poignant Messenger.
Messenger
Oren Moverman's superb evocation of the daily process of informing forces families of the death or injury of their loved one is a heartfelt and truly honest movie (I have already seen it) which comes as a great shock to see it's been nearly 2 years since it's US release.
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Bad Teacher
Cameron Diaz, who memorable burst onto screens in The Mask, has spent much of the last ten years avoiding comedy, but it's a shame as she's a delightful comedic presence. Here she is using a flimsy plot to snare Justin Timberlake. Jason Segal and David Paymer also co-star.
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Beaver
Controversy overload meets film as therapy with Mel Gibson playing a depressed executive who turns his life around with the aid of a Castoran hand-puppet with the voice of an East-end barrel boy. Jodie Foster directs her old pal, in an attempt to rehabilitate his tarnished image. Jennifer Lawrence also gets a co-starring role.
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Potiche
Catherine Deneuve and Gerard Depardieu together in one film! From Francois Ozon! About the demise of union bragaining and the rise of feminism in 1970's France. Actually this comedy, literally translated as "Trophy Wife", looks like a gem and should be well worth looking out for.
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Green Lantern
The proliferation of CGI, all the desperate seeming TV spots and fantastic cast (Ryan Reynolds, Peter Sarsgaard, Blake Lively, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Mark Strong and Michael Clarke Duncan and Geoffrey Rush in voice roles) can't hide the faint whiff of Turkey coming from this Comic Book adaptation.
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Stake Land
The trailer makes this low-budget horror flick seem like The Road with Zombies, but decent reviews and clever plotting could lead to this breaking out. Although I've heard it suffers from a lack of point to the story.
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Always Khabi Khabi
The first of the three Bollywood releases seems to be the most obvious to categorise, it's High School Musical in Mumbai (possibly), with the usual collection of teenagers stressing about their love lives and studies whilst breaking into song.
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Avan Ivan
Confusing Tamil release which describes itself as a comedy but the trailer is full of high-octane action beats. Let's face it I'll never "get" Bollywood.
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Bheja Fry 2
Sequel to the 2007 comedy hit starring Vinay Pathak as a naive holiday-maker who brings chaos in his wake on a cruise holiday in the sun. I actually giggled at some of the slapstick on display in the trailer.
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Round Up
European cinema has huge trouble moving away from the Holocaust. Of course it's a horrendous chapter in history but haven't enough interpretations been made? This time Jean Reno is a doctor questionning humanity as the Jews of Paris are arrested.
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Got to Run
I should be behind this independent British movie which snuck out in limited release earlier in the week as the combination of local independent fare and a central character addicted to jogging. However the thought of watching a girl run around the coast of the UK in a ill-fitting pair of shorts to escape from her abusive relationship just pushes me away.
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Putty Hill
Not quite mumblecore, but clearly influenced by the hand-held, off-the-cuff aesthetic, this low-key American release looks at the minutia of life in a small-town community recovering from the sudden death of a well-known young man.
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Swinging with the Finkels
Tired looking British sex comedy about a couple (Martin Freeman - proving The Hobbit couldn't come at a better time - and Mandy Moore) who decide to spice up their dreary personal life by joining the swinging circuit. Probably not as many laughs as it should have.
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Friday, 28 January 2011
20 for 2011: 3 - Twixt now and Sunrise
We're settling into the horror zone with number 3 Twixt now and Sunrise.
Bizarrely the director who's benefitted most from appearing in my top ten from 2010 is the one who should need it least: The Godfather and Apocalypse Now helmer Francis Ford Coppola. Watching Tetro was a reminder of the talent that Coppola used to be, before he wasted it on inferior studio fare in the 90's and a decade of wine production. Sure the story was pure soap opera but the look and feel of the film transcended it's origins.
This Val Kilmer starring horror may suffer from the same cliches as any number of Stephen King minor adaptations (see The Dark Half) as a writer blurs the line between fantasy and reality in his latest gothic masterpiece, but I thoroughly believe that Coppola can keep the suspense, beautiful film the sequences and, ultimately, give us enough to be able to ignore the histrionics.
Monday, 30 August 2010
David Paymer
Happy Birthday to
David Paymer
56 today
You know we like our obscure character actors here on RLAG, so lets give a quick round of applause to David, who've been popping up in great films for over 30 years. Not much on the horizon - unless you're a "Law and Order" fan - but I'm sure someone will cal him wth a great offer soon.
Thursday, 4 June 2009
Drag Me to Hell
2009. Dir: Sam Raimi. Starring: Alison Lohman, Justin Long, Lorna Raver, Dileep Rao and David Paymer. ●●●●○
I very rarely go to the cinema to see comedies, and horror films come up on my screenings with even less regularity, however Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell seemed interesting enough to go to a midnight screening at the local fleapit. Shock confession; I've never seen the Evil Dead trilogy, so I only really had the Spiderman movies to whet my interest in Raimi's powers. I'm really happy to say it was well worth the cinema ticket.
In a nutshell Drag me to Hell is the story of a loan officer, sweet Alison Lohman, who refuses to grant an extension on the mortgage of Mrs. Ganesh (Lorna Raver - great makeup). Naturally the thought of being repossesed make the old woman a bit peeved, so she uses a Gypsy curse to bring forth the Lamia, a goat-like spirit who will torment Lohman for three days before dragging her to hell!!!
It's quite clearly utter rubbish, but the trick to horror-comedies is not the story but the execution. And Raimi more than delivers in that regard.
In terms of the outright scares there are some splendid jump cuts and the possessed hankerchief (you have to see it) is genuinely frightening as it hits the car. There are also more unsettling creeps, rot and decay is a recurring theme for the Lamia to present us with. On the comedy side there's the general ickiness of being being gummed by an old woman, and I've never laughed so much at someone saying "Here, Kitty Kitty".
One aspect I found fascinating, especially from a horror, is how rounded Lohman's character is. Partly this can be put down to her down to earth performance and partly due to the film concentrating on her and not racking up a large body count like so many horror films do. Her refusal to admit the whole truth to her boyfriend, the ambition in her job, the steady change in her resourcefulness following the curse and even the highlighted attitudes towards class and equal rights in the workplace all helped to bring the audience in on her side. Of course we're implicit with the prejudices, if Lohman had played the homeless gypsy and Raver the cursed bank employee would we have felt the same? There's an interesting debate for the comments - should anyone get this far.
The performances are generally good, although I'd particularly highlight the baddies (Raver, Reggie Lee as her obsequious colleague and Molly Cheek as the Mother-in-Law) as the stand out performers. All of them manage to prevent their roles becoming the one-note monsters they could have been in lesser films.
Techincally the most impressive elements are the sound design (squelching and shocking) and the make-up department do a great job.
The double ending is a bit of a cop-out, I think it would have worked bteer if it was allowed to last longer. But overall a jolly good night out. Go and see it, or I'll get the Lamia on you!
Saturday, 30 August 2008
David Paymer
Happy Birthday to
David Paymer
54 today
You probably recognise David as being Billy Cristal's straight guy in Mr. Saturday Night, but he's actually quite a versatile actor with many good credits to his name. Next up is Drag me to Hell, Sam Raimi's reurn to horror; I don't expect David's character to still be standing at the end credits.
