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This week, there are FIVE new films out for you to choose from: Paul Thomas Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis take on the fashion world in Phantom Thread, Gerard Butler makes a rare action film (ahem) in Den of Thieves, a spooky horror story would be something you’d expect for Halloween but Helen Mirren’s betting on it working now in Winchester, Denzel Washington does something I haven’t seen in a long time – makes a film I’m actually looking forward to with Roman J Israel Esq., and World War I is revisited in Journey’s End.
Phantom Thread is set in the fashion world of 1950s London, where Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a dress-maker, commissioned to design for members of high society and the royal family.
Since this is from writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson, it looks weird as hell and could possibly be disappearing up its own backside, but usually, PTA puts out a decent film.
Plus, since Daniel Day-Lewis is in it, and he’s quitting acting, is this is very last film?
Also stars: Lesley Manville, Camilla Rutherford, Vicky Krieps, Richard Graham, Jane Perry
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Den of Thieves (or San Francisco Has Fallen?) centres around the planning a bank heist, with a thief getting trapped between two sets of criminals. Is Nick Flanagan (Gerard Butler) one of the good guys or the bad guys? He says the latter, but either way, a load of cars will get blown up.
There’s possibility in this trailer, but as Den of Thieves is released now, this is the dumping slot for crap movies. Then again, if it is like London Has Fallen, I’ll really enjoy it.
Writer/Director: Christian Gudegast
Also stars: Pablo Schreiber, Sonya Balmores, 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), O’Shea Jackson Jr, Oleg Taktarov
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Winchester, subtitled The House That Ghosts Built, centres around ecentric firearm heiress Sarah Winchester (Helen Mirren), who believes she is haunted by the souls of people killed by the Winchester repeating rifle..
Given that it’s a spooky story, October would’ve been a better release date for this, but no. However, the trailer shows Ms Mirren is on top form as always, and I’m very much looking forward to seeing this.
Writer/Directors: Michael Spierig, Peter Spierig
Also stars: Jason Clarke, Sarah Snook, Angus Sampson, Laura Brent, Tyler Coppin
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Roman J Israel Esq. marks something I haven’t seen in a long time – a Denzel Washington film I’m actually looking forward to.
I usually find him a no-trick pony, despite the critical acclaim he usually gets, but here, I found a trailer which swept me along and made me laugh, so perhaps it’ll be a case where I love it and everyone else hates it? 😉
This is a dramatic thriller set in the underbelly of the overburdened Los Angeles criminal court system, where the Denzel’s titular character is a driven, idealistic defense attorney who, through a tumultuous series of events, finds himself in a crisis that leads to extreme action. Colin Farrell costars as the monied, cutthroat lawyer who recruits Roman to his firm.
Writer/director Dan Gilroy also brought us one of 2014’s best films, Nightcrawler, so I’m really looking forward to this.
Also stars: Shelley Hennig, Carmen Ejogo, Nazneen Contractor
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Journey’s End is the seminal British play about World War I, set in a dugout in Aisne in 1918.
It tells the tale of a group of British officers, led by the mentally disintegrating young officer Stanhope (Sam Claflin), variously awaiting their fate.
Possibly entertainming, but doesn’t look wildly different from anything we’ve seen before.
Director: Saul Dibb
Also stars: Paul Bettany, Asa Butterfield, Stephen Graham, Toby Jones, Tom Sturridge, Robert Glenister, Miles Jupp
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
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.