Busy-ish week with lots of fine looking European movies competing for our collective attentions this weekend. Which, for the uninitiated basically means I will largely ignore the supposed big hitters that will blast their way into the box office charts -even the plasticine based one which looks quite good - and instead focus all my attention on the arthouse circuit this weekend. I suppose one of the real tragedies of our age is that even though there are three very highly praised foreign language pictures this week, any one of which could have made my film of the week, none of them has opened in as few as 5 cinemas let alone the 425 that The Hunger Games is still holding on to. Oh well, eschewing messed up relationships and miniature trees I have chosen Corpo Celeste as the runs like a gay film of the week.
Last week no-one was surprised to see Katniss Everdene smash it on the box office chart both sides of the Atlantic as well as Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Singapore, South Korea and Sweden, as well as virtually everywhere else, so I get no kudos for jumping onto that particular bandwagon, even if I haven't personally added to it's gargantuan haul. This week we have dancing teens and wrathful Gods but I suspect Ardman Animation have the necessary edge to be next weeks number one with Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
Corpo Celeste
Coming of age dramas might seem like a done to death genre but Alice Rohrwacher Cannes hit seems to take a interesting twist focussing on the confirmation classes of our heroine Martha and her readjustment following a recent upheaval.
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The trailer certainly hints at the complex moral and religious layers confronting young Catholic girls.
Babycall
Noomi Rapace gets the opportunity to shine as a character both far removed from her revelatory turn as Lisbeth Salander as well as sharing some common DNA as a young mother escaping an abusive past who accidently overhears a shocking event somewhere in her apartment block. Superior Scandinavian thriller.
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Bonsai: A Story of Love Books and Plants
Looking slightly more surreal is this South American picture flicking between two timelines - the present where a writer tries to impress his new found love and the past the story the writer is telling of a previous relationship and how it failed. Looks really intriguing, but also only showing in one cinema.
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Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
Aardman are back with their first feature length hand crafted animation since The Curse of the Were Rabbit. Hugh Grant plays the less successful than ambitious Pirate Captain intent on winning the Pirate of the year award, with David Tennant as Darwin who gets caught up with his nefarious plans. Imelda Staunton and Selma Hayek are along for the ride.
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Tiny Furniture
Five films in before the first US production and even this with it's vague indie stylings feels miles apart from the bombastic blockbusters that usually clog up screens. Flirting dangerously with an overdose of quirk the trailer at least gives us a glimpse of the multi talented (writer/director/actor) Lena Dunham who will be one to watch out for in the future.
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Les Lyonnais
Probably forgettable French crime drama, based on a true story, that nonetheless looks epic enough in scope to consider itself as an vague relative of the Godfather trilogy and more recently Mesrine. It'll be interesting if this finds an audience.
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Streetdance 2
Back when the first Streetdance came out a couple of years ago I remember being really captivated by the 3D trailer which promised the dancers jumping out of the screen at you, it's interesting the inevitable sequel is underplaying that aspect which perhaps shows the public loss of interest in 3D screenings. Anyhoo this looks like it will still appeal to the same crowd as the rest of the dancing movies with it's mix of beautiful people and displays of rhythm. I think Tom Conti learnt his French accent from watching "Allo Allo".
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Switch
I am assured it has a very limited cinematic release as well as the DVD issue this trailer points to even if I can't find a listing that proves that. Eric Cantona, who has done an awfully good job in changing career from footballer to actor, must run through a lot of streets to prevent bad things happening to fellow runner Karine Vanasse. Or something like that anyway.
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3
Two things struck me whilst watching the trailer for this Tamil language action romance. Primarily I really like the graphic where the heart monitor turns into writing, lovely job, and then I decided I need to go to India to give some lessons in kissing as the leads miss each others mouths twice in quick succession and clearly need help.
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Wrath of the Titans
It seems slightly disingenuous to end with this mythology sequel especially as it seems infinitely better than it's 2010 forebear. That said expect it to fail miserably at the box office and for the studios to continue to doubt the leading man credentials of Sam Worthington. Liam Neeson and Ralph Fiennes are on hand to do some thesping as a couple of the Gods in need of Perseus' aid.
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Saturday, 31 March 2012
Coming of age in Italy (Out this week - 30/03/12)
Friday, 2 September 2011
Salma Hayek
Happy Birthday to
Salma Hayek
45 today
There's no denying that Salma Hayek's career is at least in part based on her obvious sex appeal. Sure she's a great actress too, but let's face it without the snake dance in From Dusk to Dawn there never would have been an oscar nominated performance in Frida. The next project for the Mexican bombshell is Oliver Stone's Savages where she'll power walk her way through the drug cartels, see the picture for an idea of how it works.
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Salma Hayek
Happy Birthday to
Salma Hayek
44 today
I didn't dare making that picture any bigger for fear of it coming out of the screen. By golly she knows how to sell her assets. If only Salma put half as much effort into choosing her films, Grown Ups and Cirque Du Freak were the last two both of which left a nasty taste in the mouth. Nothing in the pipeline looks particulary satisfying either.
Saturday, 28 August 2010
Geeks of the world unite (Out this week - 27/08/10)
If last week was all about the action then this week is all about the desire to avoid ay action. Most of this weeks heros are trying to avoid fights rather than jump straight into them. It's difficult to try to estimate which film is due to take the box office gold or whether last weeks muscle fest will hold on to the top spot. I'm thinking my film of the week will just about edge the lead and that's Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. 
Aashayein
Our first Bollywood release of the week is this fast paced chase drama starring John Abraham. (No, that's right he really is from Mumbai and is a genuine Bollywood leading actor.) It has amazingly taken over 8 months to come to Britain - usually Bollywood films have global day and date releases.
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Chak Jawana
Interminable long trailer invlving six friends and their wacky adventures did absolutely nothing for me. I hope someone sees it though.
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Diary of a Wimpy Kid
The graphic novel this is based on is reasonably popular in the States but I can't see it translating well over here, especially as the middle school setting is an alien concept to the target age range.
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Dog Pound
Canadian adolescent detention centre drama that explores the usual cliches of inmate violence drugs and vicious screws. So indebted to Alan Clarke's Scum you should catch up with that instead.
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The Girl who Played with Fire
No we all know Noomi Replace's iconic Lisbeth Salander in the adaptation of the Swedish bestsellers the second film was bound to be a little anti-climatic. Our heroic non-couple from the first film return to solve another string of grisly murders.
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Grown Ups
Woeful looking "comedy" with Adam Sandler and his usual collection of unfunny mates reuntiting after the death of their former gym coach. Only the presence of Salma Hayek (and her hilarious reaction to a snake in the onset interviews - catch it on You tube) prevents this film from getting just one star.
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The Last Seven
British apocalytic horror thriller where seven people awake in London to find they are the only humans left in the city. The trailer rips off 28 days later but with less iconic streets to close from traffic.
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The Maid
Catalina Saavedra got a lot of awards attention for her titular servant in this Chilean drama, as well as exporing the mind of the main character the film delves into the complex relationship between staff who become not quite part of the family.
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Scott Pilgrim vs. The World
Based on the cult graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O'Malley this sees Michael Cera's generation X(box) teen battle his latest squeezes seven evil ex-boyfriends. Director Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz) is revered enough over here for the box office to outperform the underwhelming response in the US. Chris Evans, Brandon Routh and Anna Kendrick are among the supporting cast.
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Wah Do Dem
Mumblecore goes on holiday to Jamaica as Sean Bones misses his cruise ship and must cross the island without money to get to the capital Kingston and make his way home. Has garnered some nice reviews on the festival circuit.
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And I missed three films from last weeks releases.
The Human Centipede (First Sequence)
How could I have missed this eh? Torture porn continues to develop into ever increasing levels of ickiness with a deranged German doctor connecting three lost tourists by opposing ends of the digestive system. Persoanlly I can't see that working as a method of maintaining health by I do't suppose that matters to the target audience.
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Lafangey Parindey
A bare knuckle fighter meets a blind rollerstaker in this Bollywood romance - she teaches him to love, he teach he to see with her ears. You couldn't make this up.
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Naan Mahaan Alla
Very well received crime drama from India focusing on the quest for revenge following he murder of the leads father.
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I apologise for no Danny in cinemas last week - but the good news is that he turns up this week as the Angl of Death in The Last Seven so tradition insists:
Tuesday, 2 September 2008
Salma Hayek
Happy Birthday to
Salma Hayek
42 today
Salma has a long way to go to receive redemption after her shocking performance at the 2007 academy award nominations announcement. Unfortunately her next film is Beverly HIlls Chihuahua so I guess she's not that worried about her image.
