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This weekend there are TEN new films out for you to choose from: comedy in The Lobster, gothic horror in Crimson Peak, biopic drama in The Program, horror in Howl, more comedy in Superbob, CGI for kids in Hotel Transylvania 2, a Netflix film in Beasts Of No Nation, supernatural nonsense in The Diabolical, rival gangs in North V South, and the potential flop of the year – Pan.
The Lobster is a hell of a weird comedy, but one I’m hugely looking forward to from this trailer.
Colin Farrell and Rachel Weisz star in a love story set in a dystopian near-future where single people are arrested and sent off to a creepy hotel. There, they must fall in love within 45 days or…, they’ll be transformed into an animal and released into the woods.
The Lobster features a vast cast including Jessica Barden, Olivia Colman, Ashley Jensen, Ariane Labed, John C Reilly, Blue Is The Warmest Colour‘s Léa Seydoux, Skyfall‘s Ben Whishaw and the ever-reliable Michael Smiley, who’s in everything.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Crimson Peak is the latest movie from visionary filmmaker Guillermo del Toro (Pacific Rim, Hellboy, Pan’s Labyrinth, Blade II, Mimic, Cronos), and now the official international trailer is released.
In the aftermath of a family tragedy, an aspiring author is torn between love for her childhood friend and the temptation of a mysterious outsider. Trying to escape the ghosts of her past, she is swept away to a house that breathes, bleeds… and remembers.
It certainly has the weird and bizare look you’d expect, and stars Charlie Hunnam, Jessica Chastain, Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Doug Jones and Burn Gorman.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Program stars Ben Foster (Six Feet Under, Hostage) as cyclist/drugs cheat Lance Armstrong.
When Irish sports journalist David Walsh (Chris O’Dowd) becomes convinced that Armstrong’s performances during the Tour de France victories are fueled by banned substances, with this conviction, he starts hunting for evidence that will expose him.
Also starring Lee Pace, Jesse Plemons, Bryan Greenberg and Dustin Hoffman, while I don’t particularly give two hoots about Armstrong, Ben Foster is a great actor and I love the look of this and can’t wait to check it out.
The Program is written for the screen by John Hodge, from the book by David Walsh, and it’s directed by Stephen Frears.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
In Howl, When passengers on a train are attacked by a creature, they must band together in order to survive until morning…
This British horror flick stars Ed Speleers, Holly Weston, Elliot Cowan, Amit Shah, Sam Gittins, Shauna Macdonald, Duncan Preston, Ania Marson, Rosie Day, Calvin Dean and Sean Pertwee, and looks surprisingly engaging (and daft) from the trailer, so I’d say it’s a….
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Superbob: Faster than a Speeding Bullet, Crap with Girls: After a freak meteor storm turns postman Bob into a superhero, he must face his greatest challenge: going on his first date in six years. Featuring stellar support from top tier comedic talent, Bob must balance international politics, saving the world and getting the girl.
The film stars Brett Goldstein as Bob, plus Catherine Tate, Natalia Tena and Laura Haddock, and looks like a great British comedy so I definitely want to see this.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Hotel Transylvania 2 is the sequel to… Hotel Transylvania. Just in case you weren’t sure. I’ve still to get round to seeing that, but it does look like one of the few CGI animated movies worth watching, but I’d best get round to that before this one comes out, and now there’s a new trailer online.
When the old-old-old-fashioned vampire Vlad arrives at the hotel for an impromptu family get-together, Hotel Transylvania is in for a collision of supernatural old-school and modern day cool.
The film stars Adam Sandler as Dracula, plus Selena Gomez, Steve Buscemi, David Spade, Fran Drescher, Andy Samberg, Keegan-Michael Key, plus Mel Brooks as Vlad and Kevin James as Frankenstein.
Ceelo Green will not be reprising his role as the voice of Murray The Mummy due to his arrest. Hence, Keegan-Michael Key has replaced him.
Genndy Tartakovsky returns as director, but as for the script, the first film was written by Robert Smigel and Alan Partridge‘s Peter Baynham, but this time round, Baynham is replaced by… Adam Sandler. Oh dear…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Beasts Of No Nation is a new film financed by Netflix, and stars Idris Elba as the father of Agu (Abraham Attah), a child soldier fighting in the civil war of an unnamed African country. It’s had good write-ups, but I’m in two minds as to whether it wows me…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe
The Diabolical stars Ali Larter (Final Destination, Final Destination 2) as Madison, a single mother, and her children, who are awoken nightly by an increasingly strange and intense presence. She seeks help from her scientist boyfriend Nikolai, who begins a hunt to destroy the violent spirit that paranormal experts are too frightened to take on.
However, there looks to be zero scares in this supposed horror film.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
North V South looks like turkey of the week with a premise of two star-crossed lovers navigating through all-out war between the North and South criminal underworlds, and starring Freema Agyeman, Keith Allen, Geoff Bell, Steven Berkoff, Steve Evets and Bernard Hill, but then there’s one bigger epic fail of a movie to come…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Pan is the story of Peter Pan (Levi Miller), an orphan who is spirited away to the magical Neverland. There, he finds both fun and dangers, and ultimately discovers his destiny – to become the hero who will be forever known as Peter Pan.
Hugh Jackman takes the role of Blackbeard, Rooney Mara is Tiger Lily (who plays Bob Geldof’s other children?) and for some reason, Cara Delevingne pops up as a mermaid. The cast also includes Amanda Seyfried, Garrett Hedlund, Nonso Anozie, Paul Kaye, Emerald Fennell, Kathy Burke, Adeel Akhtar, plus Bronson Webb as Steps – what, all five of them?!!
And Levi Miller, as Pan, still looks the spitting image of my 7-year-old nephew, Alex! I know that comparison will be lost on almost everyone and their cat who reads this, but I had to mention it anyway 🙂
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.