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This weekend there are EIGHT new films out for you to choose from: a disaster movie of sorts in Sully: Miracle On The Hudson, coming of age comedy/drama in The Edge of Seventeen, the wrong man to meet in Mr Right, real-life boxing drama in Bleed For This, French mystery in The Unknown Girl, British comedy/drama in Womble Movie, bizarre Austrian drama in The Dreamed Ones, and Disney CGI in Moana.
Sully is the nickname for pilot and accidental hero Chesley Sullenberger, who had to glide his plane along the water in the Hudson River, saving all of his 155 passengers.
Dubbed the “Miracle on the Hudson” (hence the subtitle to the UK release), this film will be coming out almost 8 years to the date when he had to carry out the manoeuvre, yet hated the subsequent press intrusion into his life, and didn’t want to be thought of as a hero.
Directed by Clint Eastwood, from a script by Todd Komarnicki, based on the novel from Chesley Sullenberger, himself, the film Anna Gunn, Aaron Eckhart, Sam Huntington and Laura Linney.
And with Tom Hanks in the lead role, is he going for yet another Oscar? Hasn’t he got enough?? However, is 208 seconds of near-disaster enough to make a feature-length movie?
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
The Edge of Seventeen‘s premise is that everyone knows that growing up is hard, and life is no easier for high school junior Nadine (Hailee Steinfeld), already at peak awkwardness when all-star older brother Darian (Blake Jenner) starts dating her best friend Krista (Haley Lu Richardson).
All at once, Nadine feels more alone than ever, until the unexpected friendship of a thoughtful boy (Hayden Szeto) gives her a glimmer of hope that things just might not be so terrible after all…
Written and directed by Kelly Fremon, and also giving Woody Harrelson a very amusing role, this is the second trailer I’ve seen. The first one (below it), a Red Band trailer, showed the film starting off looking brilliant and snappy and humourous, but for some reason, they’ve made that trailer go on for a whole four minutes and it told you the entire movie!
Then again, maybe more movies should make trailers of a similar length so I don’t have to waste two hours of my life at a time…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Mr Right is what every woman is looking for, but thankfully, in this hitman comedy, Sam Rockwell seems to have found his mojo again after throwing it down the toilet for the Poltergeist remake, which made the top of my list of Worst Films of 2015.
After a going through a painful break up, Martha (Anna Kendrick) meets a man who appears to be perfect for her. However, as their relationship develops, she learns that he is a former hit-man. Their new, but genuine relationship is tested even further as they try to save each other after his dark past comes back to haunt him.
Also starring Tim Roth, Anson Mount and RZA, Mr Right is directed by Paco Cabezas and written by Max Landis, who wrote the script for one of my Best Films of 2015, American Ultra.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Bleed For This tells the inspirational story of World Champion Boxer Vinny Pazienza (Miles Teller – Whiplash), who after a near fatal car crash, which left him not knowing if he’d ever walk again, made one of sports most incredible comebacks.
Written and directed by Ben Younger (who also directed the brilliant Boiler Room, back in 2000), and based on a story by Pippa Bianco, the film also stars Katey Sagal, Ciarán Hinds, Aaron Eckhart and Ted Levine, and it looks like a cracking drama (no pun intended re: Vinny’s medical situation).
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Unknown Girl
A doctor attempts to uncover the identity of a patient who died after she refused her treatment.
Directed by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, who also wrote the screenplay, and starring Adèle Haenel, Olivier Bonnaud and Jérémie Renier, this had a good write-up at the recent London Film Festival, but I’m not quite sure it’s working for me.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Womble Movie is a dark, yet funny, tale about a man living with Aspergers syndrome.
Written and directed by Lee Howard, and starring Johnny Vegas, Steven Arnold, Bruce Jones, Jimmy Cricket as himself, and Tom Spencer as Aloysius Rupert Womble, and there’s a teaser below which gives you a bit of information about it, but not a great deal.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
The Dreamed Ones is a film based on letters written by Ingeborg Bachmann and Paul Celan, and read out by Anja Plaschg and Laurence Rupp, and I don’t really get this. If you’ve seen it, please let me know whether it’s worth a watch, but for me, for now…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Moana
In Ancient Polynesia, when a terrible curse incurred by Maui reaches an impetuous Chieftain’s daughter’s island, she answers the Ocean’s call to seek out the demigod to set things right.
CGI animation for kids starring Auli’i Cravalho as the titular Moana, plus Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement and… er… Nicole Scherzinger. I find this dull as ditchwater.
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.