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This weekend there are seven new films out for you to choose from: fantasy in Cinderella, sci-fi in The Signal, a thriller in Reclaim, animated nonsense in The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, more sci-fi in Seventh Son, alleged comedy in Get Hard, and drama in The Face Of An Angel.
Cinderella is the tale that’s been told many a time, and now Disney have brought out a live action version, starring Lily James as the titular heroine.
The story of Cinderella follows the fortunes of young Ella whose merchant father remarries following the tragic death of her mother. Keen to support her loving father, Ella welcomes her new stepmother Lady Tremaine and her daughters Anastasia and Drizella into the family home. But, when Ella’s father suddenly and unexpectedly passes away, she finds herself at the mercy of a jealous and cruel new family…
Cinderella is directed by Kenneth Branagh and also stars Cate Blanchett, Richard Madden, Hayley Atwell, Helena Bonham Carter, Holliday Grainger, Stellan Skarsgård, Nonso Anozie, Sophie McShera and Derek Jacobi… but it’s not my bag.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
The Signal is a bizarre film which centres around a group of college students who are lured to the middle of the desert by a hacker.
Brenton Thwaites (The Giver) stars alongside Sarah Clarke, Olivia Cooke and Laurence Fishburne. Directed by William Eubank, who also wrote the film along with Carlyle Eubank and David Frigerio, if you can figure out what’s going on, you’re a better man than I… but on the balance, I’ll say it’s a…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Reclaim stars Ryan Phillippe and Rachelle Lefevre as Steven and Sharon who, after their newly adopted daughter goes missing in a small town, will stop at nothing to uncover the truth behind her disappearance and the dangerous secret behind the adoption agency they trusted. Risking their own lives, they will discover just what being a parent means and how far they will go to get their child back.
Also starring Luis Guzmán and John Cusack, it looks like it might be worth a look, especially with Cusack’s presence as the bad guy.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water is the sequel to the film which graced box-offices in 2004, so it seems odd to wait a whole 11 years to release a sequel – yes, it’s not out until after you’ve chanted in the New Year.
This time round, SpongeBob Squarepants (Tom Kenny) goes on a quest to discover a stolen recipe that takes him to our dimension, our world, where he tangles with a pirate. The sizeable cast also includes Antonio Banderas – most recently seen in a cheesy commercial talking to animated food items which should also remain non-animated in real life, Clancy Brown, Thomas F Wilson, Bill Fagerbakke, Rodger Bumpass, Mr. Lawrence, Kaitlyn Ervin and Carolyn Lawrence, and directing reins are in the hands of Paul Tibbitt, who has done the honours with a number of episodes beforehand.
This is one for the children, though, and not for me….
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Seventh Son stars Jeff Bridges as John Gregory, who is a seventh son of a seventh son and also the local spook, has protected his country from witches, boggarts, ghouls and all manner of things that go bump in the night. However John is not young anymore, and has been seeking an apprentice to carry on his trade.
Most have failed to survive. The last hope is a young farmer’s son named Thomas Ward. Will he survive the training to become the spook that so many others couldn’t? Should he trust the girl with pointy shoes? How can Thomas stand a chance against Mother Malkin, the most dangerous witch in the county?
Seventh Son also stars Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Kit Harington, Antje Traue, Ben Barnes, Djimon Hounsou, Olivia Williams, Jason Scott Lee, and isn’t one I’ll be rushing to see.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Get Hard is meant to be a comedy, but the only joke is how it ever got made as it falls into the age-old dull trap of white/black buddy comedy where it plays the race card as if the films of the ’70s and ’80s never existed.
Will Ferrell plays millionaire James King, who is nailed for fraud and bound for San Quentin, and then turns to Darnell Lewis (Kevin Hart) to prep him to go behind bars.
Also starring Alison Brie, give Get Hard a…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
The Face of an Angel is a thriller which asks why are we fascinated by murder? Inspired by the killing of British student Meredith Kercher in Italy, it looks beyond the salacious headlines to explore both the media and the public’s obsession with violent stories, whether fictional or real.
Thomas Lang (Daniel Brühl) is a film director who is offered the chance to adapt a book by American journalist Simone Ford (Kate Beckinsale), which recounts the controversial trial of American student Jessica Fuller (Genevieve Gaunt) for the murder of her flatmate Elizabeth Pryce (Sai Bennett). To help with his research, Simone takes Thomas to Siena, where he is disturbed by the media frenzy that has developed around the case.
After visiting the crime scene, Thomas, who is separated from his wife and daughter, begins to question not only the motives of the people around him, from the financiers of the film to the press corps, but also his own. As Thomas descends into his own personal torment, he is rescued by his friendship with a young, guileless British student, Melanie (Cara Delevingne).Through Melanie he begins to realise that he no longer wants to make a film about violence and guilt – he wants to make a film about love and innocence. He wants to make a film that will honour the victim, that will focus on the life, the love and the happiness that have been taken from her.
Personally, I wasn’t sold on The Face of an Angel from the trailer, even with Michael Winterbottom in the director’s chair, but perhaps it’ll answer the question I have every day when I open the paper: What is the point of Cara Delevingne?
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.