As a subcategory of the horror genre, the exorcism film does not have the best reputation. For every The Exorcist, there are a dozen Posessed’s and Beyond the Door’s. Yet, when done well, there is rarely something as profoundly [...]
Showing posts with label New Movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Movies. Show all posts
The Descendants follows Matt (George Clooney), a father who struggles to balance the discovery that his comatose wife had been having an affair with the grief of his two young daughters, Alex (Shailene Woodley) and Scottie (Amara Miller). Clooney is soft spoken and refreshingly dumpy, strung up in high-waisted slacks and boxy, floral-printed shirts. With his expressive eyes and constantly pursed mouth, Clooney wars with the often stilted dialogue and unfortunate voice-overs to evoke a solitary resignation as he proceeds through Matt’s misfortune. When Clooney delivers the line, “No one wants to do this,” it is one of the only moments that we believe him.
Disappointingly, in an attempt to slip Clooney under the guise of a well-meaning everyman, Payne has effectively erased Clooney’s charm and replaced him with a heap of mediocrity. He may be more likable than previous characters, but he is less interesting, and not even his lush eyelashes can elicit something beyond apathy from the viewer.
Yet the comedic portions’ failings are epically upstaged by the film school quality voice-over. Clooney audibly struggles to deliver heavy lines like, “My family is like an archipelago.” The film fails to provide any precedent for the voice-over, at times representing it as a memoiric reflection, at others a direct thought from the scene.
Furthermore, the filmmakers made the bizarre choice to set the movie in Hawaii. Most of this implementation feels simply phony, as if it was added in as an afterthought, like the acoustic ukulele that pursues the characters in every non-dialogue scene. It becomes clear through Matt’s narration, however, that this is meant as a clumsy metaphor for family and tragedy, indicating the the persistent tranquility of nature despite human strife, and the destructive reactions of humans to the natural order of things, whether it’s resistance to death, or the desire to develop a nature reserve.
If only Payne had taken another message from the setting and worked on making his film flow and feel more natural. Perhaps then we could walk out of the theater feeling touched, rather than hungry for a trip to the beach.
The Devil Inside (January 2012)
I can’t even talk about this movie because it looks so.freaking.good. Yes, most of us learned from The Last Exorcism that we shouldn’t judge a film by its exorcism theme, but this includes several promising elements:
- Freaky jumping out things
- Weird whispering
- Women wearing no makeup in hospital gowns
- “Real Footage” but not a full film in handicam
- Done by choosy director William Brent Bell (Stay Alive)
- That lip thing with the cross? Awesome.
Atrocious (August 2011 but I’m guessing none of you saw it)
I know what you’re thinking. Wahh, so many horror movies ripping off Blair Witch Project because that’s the first movie ever that used a handicam. This movie looks awesome and here’s why: it’s in Spanish, its tagline is “2011’s answer to Paranormal Activity,” and that footage looks totally real. In case no one’s noticed, when something works in the horror industry, it tends to stick. Has no one seen one of the first slasher movies?
The Divide (January 2012)
Post apocalyptic survivors trapped in a bunker get crazy and weird (surprise). Admittedly this looks a lot like one of my favorite horror films (The Hole), and given that comparison, the whole ever-popular post-apocalyptic trope seems a bit unnecessary, but the action at the end promises some bland but surprising imagery and some pretty rad action. Also, who here realized Milo Ventimiglia was still alive?
Filth to Ashes, Flesh to Dust (Technically September 2011, but I haven’t seen it anywhere)
I have no idea what this movie is about except that there are boobs and the acting style resembles that so beautifully highlighted in The Room. Sold.
Rare Exports (Christmas)
Perhaps you’re wondering how you’re going to spend your Christmas. Let me help you answer that question: watching this.
A remake of Sam Peckinpah’s original psychological thriller, Straw Dogs promises an exciting plunge into rural America with a hint of psychotic violence. The combo of a great cast (Alexander Skarsgard, Kate Bosworth, James Marsden, and The Shield’s fantastic Walton Goggins) and a simple plot–a couple moves to the countryside and falls victim to local harassment and brutality–should create a project with real bite and a profoundly disturbing aftertaste. Skarsgard, in particular, will be a pleasure to watch in a role that lets him fully assume the hostility of his stature and features without any romantic ropes tying him down.
A promising young stuntdriver gets in over his head with an organized crime circuit. Go see it!
While Sarah Jessica Parker may not have always been the favorite lady on Sex and the City, most lovers of the show will squeal at the chance to see the actress on screen again. Most were even willing to forgive her for Did You Hear About the Morgans? (and let’s face it, for Sex and the City 2). But this film might really be pushing it. Casting SJP as a working mom juggling children, a successful career, and all the other stuff women just have to do, might be entertaining if SJP can put aside Carrie and assume the new role. But being famous for a woman hated and loved for an acute narcissism may prove difficult training for a moralistic film about priorities. One thing can probably be expected: good shoes.
As sources of horror go, nothing is quite as profoundly terrifying as the concept of a plague. This is largely rooted in the knowledge that humanity has fallen prey to the devastation of a contagion, such as the Bubonic Plague that is estimated to have wiped out up to 60% of Europe’s population. Now, Steven Soderbergh’s Contagion adapts the horror of an indiscriminate scourge, touching on themes of vulnerability and exposure. No one is safe. With a cast that includes Kate Winslet, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Marion Cotillard, Gwyneht Paltrow, Laurence Fishburne, and Dmetri Martin (what?), this promises to be one hell of a ride to the Doctor’s office.
The fact that viewers are still so obsessed with fighting movies grates on me. If you want to convince me otherwise, you don’t have to explain to me about how it represents a primal state or has high stakes or speaks to something deep inside the human spirit. You just have to pluck that hard-headed brit from Inception and put him on a poster shirtless. Color me interested. Still, Warrior’s plot is less than colorful, actually described as an “underdog” story. Perhaps the fact that the film focuses Mixed Martial Arts, a fighting style that centers itself in meditation and body awareness, will give it another dimension. But I think the real core strength of this film will rest on the brawny shoulders of Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton (remember him? From Kinky Boots?)
At first look, this film appears to be the buck-teethed lovechild of Boogie Nights and Happy Gilmore. If you think that parentage might put out something a little less than attractive, you’re right. But with parentage like this, Bucky is born to be...OK. While the trailer stinks of the “every good part of this movie is in the ads” conundrum, a look at the IMDB page lists character names like Miles Deep and Dick Shadow. If it supplies the right sly wit with its crude humor, it just might be worth $1 to rent it from Redbox in six months.
This film fest darling is coming to limited theaters this weekend, documenting the journey of a group of friends that enlist in the army in hopes of making money and earning their college tuition, only to discover the real horror of modern war in Afghanistan. With a trailer that combines a Garden State soundtrack melancholy with grainy images, this already feels like the kind of movie that’s mean to the viewer’s self confidence. A documentary to hurt, and remind. If its laurels say anything, this is worth a watch and a good think sesh.
Like Crazy
Out 10/28/2011
This trailer makes me want to cry. It makes everyone want to cry. Life is full of scraped knees, broken hearts, and missed opportunities. So what if it’s a cliche, it’s still true. Don’t deny it. Just cry.
Straw Dogs
Out 9/16/2011
Because just writing “Alexander Skarsgard” over and over again isn’t adequate commentary, I’ll note that this movie is a remake of an original that my boyfriend describes as too good of a movie to remake. This trailer’s got everything it needs to fill seats, with the menace of a film that’s not afraid to break unspoken rules and the casting to back that up. Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard Alexander Skarsgard...
Contagion
Out 9/9/2011
Contagion has been billed as the ultimate horror movie for the modern world. You can be pretty sure you won’t get mauled by a Great White Shark or attacked by a Vampire that looks like Colin Farrel, but you can’t avoid touching things. Add to that the freaking incredible cast (thank you, Kate Winslet, for coming back), made possible by the fact that each actor had to spend only about 5 days on set, and you’ve got an A-lister germfest even worth forgiving some of the hokiest credits ever seen in a trailer.
Shark Night 3D
Out 9/2/2011
Sharks! In a lake! “This is insane! It’s a lake!”
‘Nuff said.
Atrocious
Technically out 8/17/2011, hopefully in theaters nearby soon!
Cue whining about how it’s just a remake of The Blair Witch Project. Atrocious is billed as “2011’s Answer to Paranormal Activity,” and it appears to have all the necessary traits and more. That means gritty, shaky handicam, haunted house evidence, and a few teasing shots of blood, blood, blood. There’s a reason they keep remaking The Blair Witch Project, it’s because it work...ed. And it will work again. Maybe this time. Maybe.
The Thing
Out 10/14/2011
This snowy horror has all the trademarks of blockbuster horror that won’t quite deliver on its promise. Still, the icy isolation worked as a suspense technique in that one X-Files episodes, and I want to believe it will work again.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER
Apparently the lead actresses of Black Swan needed to show the world that they hadn’t committed fully to critically acclaimed, beautiful dramas by playing roles of women entangled in romance with their bestie guy friends. Where Natalie Portman put out No Strings Attached, a film that saw her trying to maintain a sex-only relationship with Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis adds her friendmance to the mix with this weekend’s Friends with Benefits. To indicate how old the premise is, we can consider what might have happened if the couples were swapped–matching Kunis with Kutcher. That’s right, we’ve seen that before. Still, Kunis has the While the premise is old, Kunis has the right sort of magnetism to spice things up. The real point of interest is the somewhat puzzling Justin Timberlake. Plunging into his acting career, the pop star has selected an array of peripheral character roles without ever attempting a leading man. If he can convince the audience that a friend would actually want to be with him–and not one functioning off of NSYNC nostalgia–he might be able to sell this concept. Maybe.
Much praised at Sundance, this indie brings John C. Reilly back to the screen in another offbeat dramedy. The film evolves around the touching relationship between Reilly, a school principal, and an overweight teen outsider named Terri (Jacob Wysocki). While the film hasn’t gotten much hype, the review buzz should be enough to send viewers to the theaters. Anne Hornaday of the Washington Post describes it as “a small masterpiece of misdirection, a winsome, utterly unpredictable portrait of adolescence that flawlessly captures its cruelty and sweetness.”
Watch the Trailer:
Tonight, at midnight, the magic begins, and ends. Fandango reports that it has sold more midnight show tickets to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 than any other film in its history. Now, in preparation for the film, let’s take a look back at the path that led to the crimson cushions of tonight’s packed theaters.
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
“It's true then, what they're saying on the train. Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts.”--Draco Malfoy
Released: November 16, 2001
Gross: $974,700,000 (Worldwide)
Director: Christopher Columbus
Plot: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), the “Boy Who Lived,” leaves the Dursley family to embark on his first year at the magical wizardry academy, Hogwarts. There, he forms close bonds with Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and discovers one of Hogwarts’ many hidden mysteries: the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Memorable Quotes:
Hermione: Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed - or worse, expelled.
Trivia:
Daniel Radcliffe was in the bath tub when he received news that he’d gotten the part of Harry Potter.
Richard Harris intended to turn down the role of Dumbledore until his granddaughter promised to never speak to him again if he did.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
Director: Christopher Columbus
Plot: Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe), the “Boy Who Lived,” leaves the Dursley family to embark on his first year at the magical wizardry academy, Hogwarts. There, he forms close bonds with Hermione Granger (Emma Watson) and Ron Weasley (Rupert Grint), and discovers one of Hogwarts’ many hidden mysteries: the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Memorable Quotes:
Hermione: Now if you two don't mind, I'm going to bed before either of you come up with another clever idea to get us killed - or worse, expelled.
Trivia:
Daniel Radcliffe was in the bath tub when he received news that he’d gotten the part of Harry Potter.
Richard Harris intended to turn down the role of Dumbledore until his granddaughter promised to never speak to him again if he did.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
“It is not our abilities that show what we truly are. It is our choices.”--Dumbledore
Released: November 15, 2002
Released: November 15, 2002
Gross: $876,688,482 (Worldwide)
Director: Christopher Columbus
Plot: Hogwarts is in uproar in Harry’s second year as rumors abound that the Chamber of Secrets has been reopened, with promise to kill all without a pure line of magical parentage. Harry must solve the mystery of the Chamber as well as Tom Riddle’s Diary, which responds when written in, and the truth about the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh)
Memorable Quotes:
Tom Riddle: Haven't I told you? Killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me any more. For many months now, my new target has been you.
Ron: Follow the spiders? Follow the spiders?! Why couldn't it be "follow the butterflies"?
Trivia:
Hugh Grant was originally cast to play Gilderoy Lockhart.
Richard Harris (Dumbledore) died a few weeks before the film’s release.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
“When in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin.”--Dumbledore
Director: Christopher Columbus
Plot: Hogwarts is in uproar in Harry’s second year as rumors abound that the Chamber of Secrets has been reopened, with promise to kill all without a pure line of magical parentage. Harry must solve the mystery of the Chamber as well as Tom Riddle’s Diary, which responds when written in, and the truth about the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Gilderoy Lockhart (Kenneth Branagh)
Memorable Quotes:
Tom Riddle: Haven't I told you? Killing Mudbloods doesn't matter to me any more. For many months now, my new target has been you.
Ron: Follow the spiders? Follow the spiders?! Why couldn't it be "follow the butterflies"?
Trivia:
Hugh Grant was originally cast to play Gilderoy Lockhart.
Richard Harris (Dumbledore) died a few weeks before the film’s release.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
“When in doubt, I find retracing my steps to be a wise place to begin.”--Dumbledore
Gross: $761,300,818 (Worldwide)
Director: Alfonso Cuarón
Plot: Harry discovers that Sirius Black (Gary Oldman), a newly escaped prisoner from the wizard prison Azkaban is out to kill him in the name of the Dark Lord. Back at Hogwarts, an army of Dementors, terrifying shrouds traditionally stationed at Azkaban, have set up a perimeter to protect the school. With the help of a new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor (David Thewlis), Harry must learn to defend himself against the paralyzing presence of the Dementors, as well as discover the surprising link between Black and his family.
Memorable Quotes:
Dumbledore: A word of caution: dementors are vicious creatures. They will not distinguish between the one they hunt and the one who gets in there way. Therefore I must warn each and every one of you to give them no reason to harm you. It's not in the nature of a dementor to be forgiving. But you know happiness can be found even in the darkest of times, when one only remembers to turn on the light.
Sirius Black: Normally, I have a very sweet disposition as a dog. In fact, more than once, James suggested that I make the change permanent. The tail I could live with. But the fleas? They're murder.
Trivia:The cast was told that Honeydukes, the sweet shop, was coated completely in lacquer to keep the children from taking the candy decorations.
Sirius Black’s tattoos are actually borrowed from Russian prison gangs.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
“It was old magic, something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter, things have changed. I CAN TOUCH YOU... NOW!”--Voldemort
Released: November 18, 2005
Gross: $895,921,036 (Worldwide)
Director: Mike Newell
Plot: The Triwizard Tournament comes to Hogwarts--and this year, it has a surprise. The Goblet of Fire responsible for selecting the Hogwarts champions selects two: Harry, and Cedric Diggory (Robert Pattinson). The two wizards match against Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) and Viktor Krum (Stanislav Ianevski) to win the prize, but at what cost?
Memorable Quotes:
Professor McGonagall: Now, Mr. Weasley, put your right hand on my waist. Ron: Whaaa?
Harry: Why do they have to travel in packs? And how are you supposed to get one on their own to ask them?
Trivia:
Over 3,000 girls auditioned for the part of Cho Chang.
In the scene where Hermione descends the stairs in a beautiful dress, Emma Watson tripped and fell down the stairs in one take.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
“Besides, the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters. We’ve all got both light and dark inside us. What matters is the part we choose to act on.”--Sirius Black
Released: July 11, 2007
Gross: $938,212,738 (Worldwide)
Director: David Yates
Plot: With most of the wizarding world in denial about the return of Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes), Harry begins his fifth year at Hogwarts to find the school has a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, the sadistic Dolores Umbridge (Imelda Staunton). Without the school’s help, Harry and his friends must find their own way to prepare themselves and their peers for the impending battle against Voldemort and his Death Eaters, like the newly escaped Azkaban prisoner, Bellatrix Lestrange (Helena Bonham Carter).
Memorable Quotes:
Hermione: He really is out there, isn’t he? We’ve got to be able to defend ourselves. And if Umbridge refuses to teach us how, we need someone who will.
Dolores Umbridge: As I told you, Mr. Potter, naughty children deserve to be punished.
Trivia:
In nearly every trailer for the film, Dumbledore tells Harry, “Don’t fight him, Harry, you can’t win.” However, this line is not featured in the final cut of the film.
While the book Order of the Phoenix was the longest, the film is the shortest of the series.
Order of the Phoenix was the only movie not penned by Steve Kloves.
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
“Times like these, dark times, they do funny things to people. They can tear them apart.”--Arthur Weasley
Released: July 15, 2009
Gross: $933,959,197 (Worldwide)
Director: David Yates
Plot: In his sixth year at Hogwarts, Harry discovers an annotated Potions book belonging to the “Half-blood Prince” that permits him to excel in classes and leads him to a dark secret. In the meantime, dark things are brewing at the school, and Harry must ascertain what the Death Eaters are planning to save his classmates and determine the fate of the wizarding world.
Memorable Quotes:
Dumbledore: Did I know that I just met the most dangerous dark wizard of all time? No.
Trivia:
Guillermo del Toro was considered to direct the film.
The shooting script originally contained a line where Dumbledore referenced a crush on a girl he’d had. J.K. Rowling edited the line due to the later-revealed fact that Dumbledore was, in fact, gay.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
“Together, they make the Deathly Hallows. Together, they make one master of death.”--Xenophilius Lovegood
Released: November 19, 2010
Gross: $954,000,000 (Worldwide)
Director: David Yates
Plot: With Dumbledore gone, Harry races to destroy the Horcruxes before Voldemort can further his invasion of the wizarding and muggle world.
Memorable Quotes:
Dobby: Dobby has no master. Dobby is a free elf, and Dobby has come to save Harry Potter and his friends!
Trivia:
M. Night Shyamalan indicated interest in directing the film.
Over 500 wands were constructed for the film.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
Released: July 15, 2011
Gross: TBD
Director: David Yates
Plot: Harry continues the search for the Horcruxes and returns to Hogwarts for the final showdown.
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