Suddenly we've stumbled into 2011, into the thick of the prestige awards season and naturally the quality of the films has increased. Whilst there is no doubt which of this weeks movies seems to be the most interesting you could easily see 5 of them and not be really disappointed. You may notice as the weeks go on that I have slightly changed my scoring mechanism - this should aid films that previous would have got between 1 and 5 blobs, although this week you can't tell because the overall quality is excellent and we also have a one blob that couldn't get anything more! I went to the cinema last night and the biggest queues and consequently the box office champ (I just love anecdotal evidence) is set to be Danny Boyle's latest but my top pick would be 
The King's Speech
It's been winning audience awards at festival after festival and is hotly tipped to be among the top performing films at this years Academy Awards. It's also a fascinating look at the relationship between George VI (Colin Firth) and his speech therapist Lionel Logue (Geoffrey Rush). Helena Bonham Carter completes the acting trio headlining the movie.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●●●●○
The Next Three Days
Russel Crowe can't cope with his wife behind bars so decides to break her out in this English language remake of the French thriller Pour Elle. Almost certainly hokum but will it be enjoyable hokum?
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
127 Hours
Danny Boyle dares to bring the true story of Aron Ralston to the big screen complete with (spoiler alert) graphic scenes of bone sawing. James Franco spends almost the entire film alone as the clock ticks for our trapped hero.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●●○○○○
Abel
Diego Luna's directorial debut broke Mexican opening weekend records back in 2010 when it opened to universal praise. With it's tale of shifting family dynamics in modern Mexico and it's focus on the young boy in the family this could be one to watch.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
It's a Kind of Funny Story
Keir Gilchrist is the teenager who checks himself into a mental institution following a bout of suicidal thoughts. With Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck directing and Zach Galifrankias and Viola Davis offering support it's difficult to know where this teen One flew over the Cuckoo's Nest is heading.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●●○○○○○
Amer
Not to be confused with Abel above this is a French movie about three key sensual moments in our heroine's life, it almost looks like arthouse porn as "her carnal search sways between reality and fantasies becoming more oppressive".
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●●○○○○○○
No One Killed Jessica
In our first Bollywood release of 2011 I'm guessing that Jessica is already dead but the provenance of her departure is in question. It's a thriller not an inquest by the way.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Season of the Witch
On the flipside to January seeing the release of award fodder we also get some prime turkeys that the studios struggle to find the best time to release them. Nicolas Cage is outacted by his wig in this 14th Century action horror.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●●●○○○○○○○
Midgets vs. Mascots
Dire looking sub-Jackass mockumentary about two teams (Midgets and Mascots, natch) competing for a place in the will of a millionaire porn star dwarf. Probably not how Gary Coleman would like to be remembered.
Runs like a Gay Excitometer: ●○○○○○○○○○
Saturday, 8 January 2011
The Voice of the Nation (Out this week - 07/01/11)
Tuesday, 16 November 2010
Tuesday Trailers - Next Three Days
And before you know we're looking at films opening in 2011, the barrier has been broken. As with any year January is full to the brim with high end prestige pictures, but for some reason this prison escape drama, as corny and predicatable as it looks, is appearing high on my radar. Maybe it's just the thought of Russel Crowe kicking some serious ass but I'm really excited to see how this remake of the French hit works.
The Next Three Days is released on 07 January 2011
Monday, 7 June 2010
Liam Neeson
Happy Birthday to
Liam Neeson
58 today
You've got to admire Neeson. Not just for his braod talent, but for his seeming inability to say no. Over the last year it seems he's gone for any old script that's landed on his desk, including Box Office behemoths like Clash of the Titans and next weeks The A-Team. Both of which look utterly avoidable. I am looking forward to the following trivumulate though: French re-make The Next Three Days, kids adventure The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and civil rights pic Selma.
Saturday, 1 August 2009
Film News (01/08/09)
Three pairs of films this week, and if you're not a major franchise, a criminal or a spy then you may as well just go home.
The Next Three Days
It's barely been a few weeks since the Pour Elle was in cinemas yet this hasn't stopped the Hollywood machine comiisioning a remake of the French Prison Escape drama, and casting Russell Crowe as the films protagonist. I'm a Crowe fan, so I can't wait to see what he does with this - although imagining that he doesn't already know how to break someone out of prison might be a stretch.
Alien Prequel
The idea of a prequel to Alien, possibly explaining how the Space Jockey crashed on the obscure planet or possibly just explaining why the Company were interested in the Alien has been around for a long time, but the brave step of hiring writer Jon Spaihts to complete a screenplay shows Fox are really pushing nthis one through. Frankly as long as it doesn't have any Predators showing up I'm there.
Matt Helm
Get Smart took $130m in the States last year, which goes to prove that comedy spies are as popular as ever. With that in mind Dreamworks have dusted down the rights for Matt Helm, previously a Dean Martin vehicle from the 60's, with just a few tweaks to up the action sequences, and just the right touch of tongue in cheekness it could be a perfect anti-Bond franchise.
Parsifal Mosaic
Talking of Anti-Bond, Robert (Bourne writer) Ludlum's back catalogue continues to be plunged with the daft sound Mosaic next in line. Involves dead lovers appearing in train stations and the secret services turning on their own to protect the nation. Sounds daft but with a reasonable cast and crew it might just be watchable.
Pirates of the Caribbean 4
Will we all go to see another 2 and a half hours of Johnny Depp in excessive make-up crowding around a couple of up and coming actors and generally steal every scene from under their noses? Of course we will! But when will Depp squeeze in a bit of Keith Richards impersonating is the more important question.
The Town
In easily the most bizarrely love triangle you'll have heard of the bank robber and cop closing in on him both fall for the same teller. All eyes will be on Rebecca Hall juggling the guys in Ben Affleck's next directorial venture.
Saturday, 6 June 2009
Film News (06/06/09)
Theres a trio writer directors making the headlines this week. Um, and a couple of other stories that I can't fit into a single witty headline.
How do you Know
Writer-director James L. Brooks has recruited his old buddy Jack Nicholson to join the supporting cast of this Reese Witherspoon vehicle set to start lensing next month. Nicholson's replacing the notoriously diffident Bill Murray, who forgot to checks hi messages, or something. Jack has won 2 Oscars whilst working for Brooks in the past, so hopefully there'll be some good things coming. The film only has How do you Know as a working title, but I prefer that to the untitled blah blah blah...
When Jack and James last worked together they made the world fall in love with Helen Hunt, and this yappy dog.
Creed of Violence
Writer-Director Todd Field (I'm determined to make that link work) has been hired as a writer to adapt Boston Teran's latest novel (it's due to be published later this year). Field only usually writes when he's going to direct as well, so I can almost get away with the opening words. Plot revolves around a desperado and a Government agent halting an arms smuggling operation in 1910.
Hamlet
It's been a couple of years since the last Hamlet adaptation, so we're due another. This time brought to the 21st century and starring an "age-appropriate" Emile Hirsch. I've seen some snark about this project, but I'm sure Hirsch has the acting chops to be able to carry the role. His work in Into the Wild was incredible, and Hamlet's similar just with an even weirder family.
Invictus
Kris Tapley over at Incontention had the scoop on the title for Eastwood's Mandela biopic, so I'll just link to that. The title comes from a poam by William Earnest Henley, that was a favourite of Mandela's during his time in prison.
Next Three Days
Yesterday the French Film Anything for Her came out in the UK, so this week the US remake has been announced. Writer-Director Paul Haggis (we're back with that ridiculous link) will be finding ways to make a film with little commercial appeal, yet strangely award magnety.
The French Film Poster.
