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This week, there are EIGHT new films out for you to choose from: there’s a home invasion with a difference in the comedy/horror Better Watch Out, an incredibly offbeat movie in Brigsby Bear, Jake Gyllenhaal tells an empowering tale in Stronger, Takashi Miike unleashes his 100th movie with Blade of the Immortal, an intriguing documentary in Lambo, a Brooklyn widower is looking for a wife in an ultra-orthodox Jewish community in Menashe, a difficult discussion during The Dinner, and steer clear of the bull in Ferdinand.
Better Watch Out
When you think the suburbs, you think safety, but this holiday night the suburbs are anything but safe. Ashley (Olivia DeJonge) thought this babysitting job was going to be an easy night, but the night takes a turn when dangerous intruders break in and terrorize her and the twelve-year-old boy, Luke (Levi Miller), she’s caring for. Ashley defends her charge to the best of her ability only to discover this is no normal home invasion.
I hadn’t heard of this indie movie before now, but it does look damn good as a horror/comedy.
Director: Chris Peckover
Writer: Zack Kahn
Stars: Olivia DeJonge, Levi Miller, Ed Oxenbould, Aleks Mikic, Dacre Montgomery, Patrick Warburton, Virginia Madsen
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Brigsby Bear
Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children’s TV show produced for an audience of one: James. When the show abruptly ends, James’s life changes forever, and he sets out to finish the story himself.
The trailer spells out how it’s a rather offbeat movie, and it certainly fulfills that remit. And there was me thinking, from the title, that it was a bog-standard kids CGI movie.
Director: Dave McCary
Writers: Kevin Costello, Kyle Mooney
Stars: Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, Jane Adams, Greg Kinnear
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Stronger centres on Jeff Bauman (Jake Gyllenhaal – Okja), a victim of the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, who helps the police track down the killers while struggling to recover from the devastating trauma of losing his legs in the blast. He wasn’t participating in the marathon – that was his girlfriend, Erin Hurley (Tatiana Maslany), but as the trailer shows, circumstances lead to Jeff being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
The film takes its name from the phrase ‘Boston Strong‘ which came about following the tragedy.
Yes, it has come out some time later after Mark Wahlberg and Peter Berg’s Patriots Day, but as World War II shows, there are many tales to be told for any given situation.
Director: David Gordon Green
Writers: John Pollono, based on the book Stronger, by Jeff Bauman and Bret Witter
Also stars: Clancy Brown, Miranda Richardson, Frankie Shaw, Maggie Castle, Acei Martin
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Blade of the Immortal
The 100th film from Takashi Miike and… I don’t think I’ve seen any of his to date, even though I know I should….
Manji (Takuya Kimura), a highly skilled samurai, becomes cursed with immortality after a legendary battle. Haunted by the brutal murder of his sister, Manji knows that only fighting evil will regain his soul. He promises to help a young girl named Rin (Hana Sugisaki) avenge her parents, who were killed by a group of master swordsmen led by ruthless warrior Anotsu (Sôta Fukushi). The mission will change Manji in ways he could never imagine.
The trailer was quite amusing, so I could have slashing great time!
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Lambo, aka Aarron Lambert, a controversial man that provokes the system and inspires the public. A cinematic documentary that follows the struggles and successes of a voice that must be heard, from childhood through to adult life. A gritty reconstruction of a prison sentence, a life against the system and a battle for his children. Aarron Lambert is a brilliant example of a life now changed for the better, someone who is inspiring the world through his viral videos and honest outlook on life.
I’d never heard of this guy before, but I’m intrigued to learn more from the trailer.
UPDATE 19.9.18: The trailer has been removed and now another video is in its place. That tattoo… ugh!
Director: Leon Mitchell
Writer: Ross Strowthers
Stars: Toby Armour, Luke Bailey, Martyn Ford
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Menashe
Within Brooklyn’s ultra-orthodox Jewish community, widower Menashe battles for custody of his son, but to do that, he must be married… A tender drama performed entirely in Yiddish, the film intimately explores the nature of faith and the price of parenthood.
This looks like it could be pretty good, so I do want to check it out at some point. Note that the film’s releases was put back from November 3rd.
Director: Joshua Z Weinstein
Stars: Menashe Lustig, Yoel Falkowitz, Ruben Niborski
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
The Dinner
A former history teacher and his wife Claire meet at a fancy restaurant with his elder brother, a prominent politician and his wife Babette. The plan is to discuss over dinner how to handle a crime committed by their teenage sons. The violent act of the two boys had been filmed by a security camera and shown on TV, but, so far, they have not been identified. The parents have to decide on what to do.
Okay, so Richard Gere… fine, but with Steve Coogan playing his brother? And with a terrible American accent!
I’m not enticed by this, so I’ll just have a quick snack.
Writer/Director: Oren Moverman, based on the novel by Herman Koch
Also stars: Michael Chernus, Taylor Rae Almonte, Charlie Plummer, Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Ferdinand
Another lame CGI’d pile of bull.
Also note that this film is not out today, but tomorrow (Saturday), as part of a preview weekend. However, IMDB doesn’t list any additional date for it, so I guess it’s next weekend for full release. If that’s true, then that means that it won’t make next week’s charts, but will actually have an extended “weekend” in terms of box office, and so add in this weekend’s box office receipts to next weekend’s totals. Hence, they’re clearly so unsure it’ll do well on its own merit that they have to cheat by getting two full weekends out of it.
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.