There are A LOT of releases this week, far too many for you to decide what to see without a little help, which is where I come in.
My top choice for this week is ‘I’m Still Here’ has caused a lot of kerfuffle, what with it being Joaquin Phoenix’s retirement from movies to follow a rap career, his weird turn on Letterman and now the announcement that this is all a hoax, despite denials in the past. Well, this is a real show of Phoenix’s acting talents and I can’t get this mockumentary out of my head; he is totally believable and makes his character quite poignant in a smelly way. His rapping is bad, though, so you’ll be really glad when he stops. Final decree? See it if you can. Watch a bit here.
Because I like to laugh, ‘The Other Guys’ is worth having a look at. It is a funny, solid buddy-cop movie starring Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell as an unlikely pairing in a cliche-ridden New York police department. It’s a little offbeat, but with some great dialogue. I would have been able to review it better if the guy in front of me didn’t have to get up out of his seat every 5 minutes. Final decree? Don’t expect it to be Anchorman or Zoolander quality though. Watch ‘The Other Guys’ trailer here.
Seriously creepy is ‘Winter’s Bone’ which has made a star of Jennifer Lawrence, its lead actress (who has a spread in the latest issue of Esquire, where she says she likes English accents). This is a dark scary gothic tale of a young girl seeking out her deadbeat father in the middle of a neighbourhood of violent psychopaths (to whom she is related). Do not go if squeamish or fully squeam because, ew. Final decree? It’s not a horror film but it is a horror story. Watch the ‘Winter’s Bone’ trailer here.
…and the rest….
‘Just Wright’ stars Queen Latifah as a therapist who falls for her basketball playing client in this female fantasy for those who can’t run a blow dryer. Great cast. Watch the ‘Just Wright’ trailer here.
‘Devil’s premise is a hoot: a bunch of people trapped in a lift and one of them is…. you got it. Watch ‘Devil’ trailer here.
‘The Horde’ – French zombie thriller from 2009, badly dubbed but sort of funny/annoying for it. Watch ‘The Horde’ trailer here.
‘Ik Kudi Panjab’ – Indian drama of a girl who wants to be equal to the boys in the Punjab. Watch ‘Ik Kudi Panjab’ trailer here.
‘Night of the Demons’ is when a Halloween party turns out to have – wa-hey! – real demons. Watch ‘Night of the Demons’ trailer here.
‘Release’ is a low-budge drama about a priest in jail who is thought to be a pedophile. Watch ‘Release’ trailer here.
‘The Kid’ is the homegrown tale of a boy slipping between the cracks of society; features a crackingly evil performance from Natscha McElhone. Who knew?!? Watch ‘The Kid’ trailer here.
‘F’, home-grown hood horror makes good despite being low budge. Watch ‘F’ trailer here.
‘Grease Sing-A-Long’ – DIY ‘Grease’, as per. Exclusively at Londinium’s Vue West End.
