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This week, there are EIGHT new films out for you to choose from: a thriller from Jo Nesbø with Michael Fassbender in The Snowman, British horror in The Ritual, a gory Double Date, a film with a wildly different look in Loving Vincent, a celebration where anything can happen in The Party, more multicoloured bricks in The Lego Ninjago Movie, the most self-satisfied film of the year in The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected), and a thriller with no thrills in 6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain.
The Snowman is far from a charming Raymond Briggs animation this time, but centres around Detective Harry Hole (Michael Fassbender), investigating the disappearance of a woman whose pink scarf is found wrapped around an ominous-looking snowman… Plus, she’s lost her head.
This trailer looks quite a silly thriller, which marks a departure for MF’s usual serious roles, but there could be something in this.
Director: Tomas Alfredson (Let The Right One In, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy)
Writer: Jo Nesbø
Also stars: Rebecca Ferguson, Val Kilmer, Chloë Sevigny, JK Simmons, Jamie Clayton, Charlotte Gainsbourg, James D’Arcy, Toby Jones, Sofia Helin, Ronan Vibert, Anne Reid.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
The Ritual
After Luke (Rafe Spall) loses a friend in grim circumstances, but which he feels responsible, he and a group of college friends reunite for a trip to the forest, but encounter a menacing presence in the woods that’s stalking them…
This looks like a British “everyone gets bumped off one by one” thriller which has a decent mix of jump-scares and black humour, and the longer the trailer went on, the more I was drawn into it.
As one character says of the cabin in the woods, “Well, this is clearly the place we get murdered in(!)”
Also stars: Rob James-Collier, Arsher Ali, Sam Troughton
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Double Date
Meet innocent Jim (Danny Morgan), terrified of girls, and on a reluctant quest to prove his manhood the night before he turns 30. He and his cocky friend Alex (Michael Socha) think they’ve hit the jackpot when they meet the beautiful siblings Kitty (Kelly Wenham) and Lulu (Georgia Groome), who seem up for anything on a wild party-fuelled night. But little do they know that the femmes fatales want to make Jim lose much more than just his virginity – Getting laid has never been so bloody difficult.
This all turns big-time gruesome for reasons that’ll become apparent, but the trailer made me laugh a lot, so I’m really looking forward to it.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Loving Vincent brings the artwork of Vincent van Gogh to life in an exploration of the complicated life and controversial death of one of history’s most celebrated artists.
It looks fascinating as it’s the first fully-painted feature film, and the first time I’ve ever heard of this sort of thing happening. I urge you to watch the trailer ASAP.
The huge voice cast includes Saoirse Ronan, Douglas Booth, Josh Burdett, Holly Earl, Robin Hodges, Chris O’Dowd, John Sessions, Helen McCrory, Eleanor Tomlinson and Aidan Turner.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Party is billed as “a comedy wrapped around a tragedy”. It starts as a celebration and ends with blood on the floor.
Based on this, there could be something in this, but then it’s only 71 minutes long, so won’t take up too much time.
Writer/Director: Sally Potter
Stars: Patricia Clarkson, Bruno Ganz, Cherry Jones, Emily Mortimer, Cillian Murphy, Kristin Scott Thomas, Timothy Spall
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
The Lego Ninjago Movie comes eight months after The Lego Batman Movie has been and gone, but while Batman made me laugh a lot, Ninjago (which I’m not hugely familiar with) leaves me a bit cold.
The premise is thus: six young ninjas Lloyd (Dave Franco – Now You See Me 2), Jay, Kai, Cole, Zane and Nya are tasked with defending their island home, called Ninjago. By night, they’re gifted warriors, using their skills and awesome fleet of vehicles to fight villains and monsters. By day, they’re ordinary teens struggling against their greatest enemy: high school….
Directed by Charlie Bean and Paul Fisher, with a zillion scriptwriters and a cast also including Olivia Munn (X-Men Apocalypse), Jackie Chan, Justin Theroux (The Girl on the Train), Michael Peña (Ant-Man), Abbi Jacobson and Zach Woods – the only saving grace in last year’s Ghostbusters reboot, I know I’ll go and see this, but compared to The Lego Movie, it’s got a tough row to hoe.
The Lego Ninjago Movie is relased in the US on September 22nd, but is out in the UK on October 13th, just in time for half-time holidays for kids.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) sounds like the least interesting movie of the year as Adam Sandler and Ben Stiller are two brothers from an estranged family gathers together in New York for an event celebrating the artistic work of their father, played by Dustin Hoffman.
There’s a large cast in The Meyerowitz Stories, but this does have a very self-satisfied feel about it, as if no-one else othre than the cast will particularly care.
Writer/Director: Noah Baumbach
Also stars: Grace Van Patten, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson, Ronald Alexander Peet, Judd Hirsch, Sigourney Weaver, David Cromer, Josh Hamilton
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
6 Below: Miracle on the Mountain
An adrenaline seeking snowboarder gets lost in a massive winter storm in the back country of the High Sierras where he is pushed to the limits of human endurance and forced to battle his own personal demons as he fights for survival.
Well, that’s the billing, but this ‘thriller’ looks like everything we’ve ever seen before, and you know he’ll be found just at the point when he gives up. Bleah!
Stars: Josh Hartnett, Mira Sorvino, Sarah Dumon
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.