It’s no surprise to find that Prometheus is top of the UK Box Office again this past week, with Men In Black 3 and Snow White and the Curiously Accented Huntsman is in third.
The Pact did pretty darn well and went in at 4th but perhaps most impressive was Plan B’s debut feature Ill Manors coming in at number 9 and taking considerably more (around £250,000) than George Lucas’s World War 2 Adventure Red Tails (around £190,000) in the process. Pretty good going for a bleak and grimy Brit Flick.
Both however did considerably better than Simon Pegg’s a A Fantastic Fear of Everything, which limped in at number 20 with takings of just £35,000, helped no doubt by a slew of negative reviews.
This week’s big release is the movie adaptation of hit stage musical Rock of Ages. The cast is a mix of big name stars, Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Paul Giamatti, and up-and-coming newbies like Jualianne Hough and Diego Boneta. More importantly than that however is the list of bands and artists whose songs feature on the soundtrack, *deep breath*….Bon Jovi, The Scorpions, Def Leppard, Foreigner, Journey, Poison, Europe, Twisted Sister, Whitesnake, Pat Benatar and REO Speedwagon (to name but a few). My word, it’s like Hair Metal threw up on a Broadway stage and they filmed the results. If nothing else, the release of this film prompted me to dig out Slippery When Wet (I say ‘dig out’, I mean, search for it on my iTunes), and that can never be a bad thing.
Also out this week is Olympics-related drama Fast Girls, paranormal thriller Red Lights, new Cronenberg offering Cosmopolis and there’s a timely re-release for Spielberg’s classic Jaws.
If you want to check to see if any of these films are playing near you, you can visit Find Any Film and they’ll be able to help.
Jaws *Pick of the week*
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If ever there was a film you should seek out and see on the big screen when you have the chance, it’s this one. Steven Spielberg’s breakthrough blockbuster is re-released in cinemas this week and what better way to ease yourself into the summer mood (don’t let the weather fool you…it is summer), than by watching the movie which put a generation of people off swimming in the sea. Roy Schneider, Richard Dreyfus and Robert Shaw head out into the Ocean blue in search of the great white shark that has been terrorizing the beaches of Amity Island. From the very first minute when that John Williams theme kicks in, it’s truly a masterclass in tension. Simply put, if you haven’t seen it before, go and do so right away.
Jon Lyus says:
It’s Jaws. On the big screen. This is the very definition of a must-see.
Rock of Ages
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A starry cast and an impressive array of 80’s metal anthems come together in this latest attempt to turn Broadway pay-dirt into Hollywood success. The story follows two young dreamers who make their way to LA’s sunset strip in the late 1980’s hoping to make it in the topsy-turvey world of Rock and Roll. Naturally, the two of them fall in love, meet an array of interesting characters and help to save a legendary rock club from closure with the help of a prima donna rock star called Tracee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). It’s Hairspray…..with added hairspray basically. To some it’s going to be brainless fun and to others it sounds like two hours of total torture. If a romantic musical set to Bon Jovi, Def Leppard and Journey sounds like your cuip of tea, then you can’t go far wrong here.
Tracy Ladd Says:
I will be seeing Rock of Ages this weekend, but I can’t say it’s one I’ve been waiting for. The first trailer did nothing for me and the second, well, that didn’t do much for me either. So why am I going? Because of the teenager in my house. I really loved Adam Shankman’s Hairspray so hopefully this will turn out to be entertaining. Tom Cruise singing though……if his singing voice in Top Gun is anything to go by, it could be cringe-worthy. We’ll see.
Jon Lyus says:
The trailer played out like a nightmare of mine but I have to say that it got the audience going. Tom Cruise will sell this one of course but I have a feeling that Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand will make a fun double act. Can’t see myself rushing out to see it but it’s sure to do well.
You can read Adam Lowes’ review here.
Red Lights
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This is latest film from Rodrigo Cortez, the director of the absolutely brilliant Buried. It focuses on a psychologist called Margaret Matheson (Sigourney Weaver) who along with her assistant has become something of an authority on the paranormal. The two of them turn their attentions to a renowned psychic who has returned to prominence a fear years after his harshest critic mysteriously passed away.
It also stars the excellent Cillian Murphy, Toby Jones, and the legendary Robert DeNiro, who quite frankly, needs to do something good again soon or just call it quits before he does any more damage. It’s a battle between those who seek to de-bunk mystics and those who profess to hold the gift. Reviews have been fairly average thus far, but it’s a strong cast and a director who seemingly has a bright future ahead of him so it could still be one worth checking out.
You can read Adam Lowes’ review here.
Cosmopolis
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A new David Cronenberg movie is always something of an event in itself. The maestro turns his hand this time to an adaptation of a novel of the same name in which a billionaire played by Robert Pattinson, is driven around Manhatten in his limousine and over the course of a day goes finds himself on a path of self destruction. Pattinson has received plenty of plaudits for his starring role and a lot of reviews have been pretty favourable overall. It looks like a psychological and claustrophobic movie which focuses on the soulless and isolated nature of modern day capitalism. Not likely to be an easy watch, but a riveting one all the same.
Jon Lyus says:
Cronenberg is always interesting and DeLillo’s world is one we’ve not seen on the big screen enough. Pattinson is the wild card here but I reckon this is a good move for the actor so anchored to his teen friendly past.
You can read Will Jones’ review here.
Polisse
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The winner of the Jury Prize at Cannes 2011, Polisse follows the Parisian Juvenile Protection Unit and chronicles the often horrifying nature of their day-to-day work which involves dealing with child molesters and abusive parents . The Unit has become a close-knit team, bonded by the tough job they have to do. The docudrama, fly-on-the-wall style, crates a very real and very powerful atmosphere which really plunges the viewers into the dark underbelly of inner city police work. It’s been receiving plenty of critical praise but do be warned, it’s apparently pretty heavy going in places.
You can read Craig Skinner’s review here.
A Thousand Kisses Deep
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If nothing else, A Thousand Kisses Deep certainly possesses a pretty intriguing premise. Mia (Jodie Whittaker) returns home one day to find an elderly neighbour has committed suicide whilst clutching an old picture of herself and a former lover. After begging the building’s custodian to let her into the old woman’s flat, she begins to find the place strangely familiar and recognises the contents as her own. The custodian reveals to her that the building is in fact a time machine which leads Mia to go back and forth in time in an effort to save herself from a seemingly grisly fate. It’s a novel conceit and ambitious movie which delves deep into psychoanalysis. Reviews haven’t been overly favourable though unfortunately, with many suggesting it struggles to live up to its own ambitious ideas.
The Apartment
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Another absolute classic gets a timely re-releases this week, Billy Wilder’s timeless romantic comedy The Apartment. Jack Lemmon is at his very best as struggling nice guy Bud Baxter, a lowly insurance clerk who finds a novel way to climb the corporate ladder by lending out his apartment as a place for his bosses to take their mistresses. Things take a turn for the worse however when one of them brings back the object of Bud’s own affection Fran (Shirley Maclaine). As with all of Wilder’s best movies, there’s a wonderful mix of snappy dialogue and touching sentimental drama. If you’ve never seen this one before, it’s definitely well worth seeking out.
Fast Girls
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On paper it sounds like a run of the mill sporting underdog movie made to tie conveniently in with the London Olympics, but reviews for Fast Girls have been surprisingly positive with a few even billing it as one of the feel-good movies of the summer. The story revolves around two female sprinters who are major rivals at local level but who must learn to work together when they are placed on the 4×400 relay team and go to compete at the World Championships. By all accounts it can be a bit cheesy at times, but nevertheless its looks to be an uplifting and entertaining family friendly movie.
You can read Ben Mortimer’s on-set visit report here.
A Royal Affair
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This is an historical drama set in 18th Century Denmark where a young queen, whose husband, King ChristianVII, has become mentally ill, begins an affair with her German doctor. Fans of a good period drama will find much to enjoy here and Mads Mikkelsen, who plays the doctor Johann Freidrich Streunsee, is always good value for money. If I’m honest, my knowledge of Danish history is a little ropey, so I’ve no idea if this is based on historic fact, but by all accounts its a gripping and well-crafted slice of romantic drama.
Also out this week:
Kosmos: A Turkish drama focusing on a man with exceptional powers who arrives in a remote village just in time to save a local boy from drowning but struggles to fit into the village way of life.
Requiem for a Killer: A French thriller about a contract killer in search of a new life.
The Man Who Fell To Earth: A re-release of the classic David Bowie starring Sci-Fi movie about an android arriving on earth in search of water for his dying planet.
The Squad : A horror/thriller which sees a squad of soldiers trapped in a remote Colombian outpost battling an unseen evil.
