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This week, there are SEVEN new films out for you to choose from, led by Dark Waters. Here are the titles, with more info below:Dark Waters
Colour Out Of Space
Wendy
Downhill
True History of the Kelly Gang
Portrait of a Lady On Fire
The Invisible Man 2020
Dark Waters stars Mark Ruffalo as corporate defence lawyer Robert Bilott, who takes on an environmental lawsuit against a chemical company which exposes a lengthy history of pollution.
It comes from those behind Spotlight, and I’m on the fence as to how good this will be, though. Time will tell, of course, but I think I’d rather watch Hideo Nakata‘s Dark Water.
Director: Todd Haynes (Wonderstruck)
Writers: Matthew Michael Carnahan, Mario Correa
Magazine article: Nathaniel Rich
Also stars: Anne Hathaway, William Jackson Harper, Bill Pullman, Tim Robbins, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, Bill Camp
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Colour Out Of Space is a low-budget movie from Richard Stanley (Hardware), and based on a short story by HP Lovecraft, about a secluded farm which is struck by a strange meteorite that has apocalyptic consequences for the family living there and possibly the world…
Well, I’m not really sold on it from the trailer, but in Stanley’s hands it could be worth a look.
Screenplay: Scarlett Amaris
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Joely Richardson, Madeleine Arthur
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Wendy is, it says here, the classic story of Peter Pan, wildly reimagined in this ragtag epic from Benh Zeitlin (Beasts of the Southern Wild). Lost on a mysterious island where aging and time have come unglued, Wendy must fight to save her family, her freedom, and the joyous spirit of youth from the deadly peril of growing up.
For me, Peter Pan might’ve been worth a look when I was a kid but not now, and if they’re appealing to kids then they’ve missed the half-term cinema rush by releasing this now.
Director: Benh Zeitlin
Writers: Benh Zeitlin, Eliza Zeitlin
Stars: Yashua Mack, Devin France, Gage Naquin
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Downhill stars Will Ferrell and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as themselves, no doubt… again.
Barely escaping an avalanche during a family ski vacation in the Alps, this married couple is thrown into disarray as they are forced to reevaluate their lives and how they feel about each other.
Sounds awful. And looks awful from the trailer.
This is also proved by the fact that this Christmas film is scheduled in the Jan/Feb dumper slot, and also because it’s a dumb comedy that somehow requires TWO directors.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
True History of the Kelly Gang is based on Peter Carey’s novel and tells the story of Australian bushranger Ned Kelly and his gang as they flee from authorities during the 1870s.
This true history can stay buried for me.
Director: Justin Kurzel
Screenplay: Shaun Grant
Stars: George MacKay, Essie Davis, Nicholas Hoult, Russell Crowe
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Portrait of a Lady On Fire follows the story of a female painter, who, after being sent to an isolated island in Bretagne at the end of the eighteenth century, is obliged to paint a wedding portrait of a young woman in secret.
Brittany, France 1770. Portrait painter Marianne (Noémie Merlant) is commissioned to paint the wedding portrait of Héloïse (Adèle Haenel), a reluctant bride to be who has just left the convent. The painting must be done in secret, and so Marianne observes her by day and paints by night. Intimacy and attraction grow between the two women, but their freedom is short-lived.
The premise looks utterly ridiculous, with the Marianne having to paint the portrait without Héloïse knowing… cue lesbian love affair… Zzz….
Writer/Director: Céline Sciamma
Stars: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luà na Bajrami
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
The Invisible Man 2020 looks like a candidate for an early stinker for 2020’s releases as it follows Cecilia (Elisabeth Moss – The Handmaid’s Tale, Us), who receives the news of her abusive ex-boyfriend’s suicide. She begins to re-build her life for the better. However, her sense of reality is put into question when she begins to suspect her deceased lover is not actually dead.
It’s written and adapted from the HG Wells novel (really?! Certainly doesn’t look like there’s much left!) by Leigh Whannell, whose Upgrade I’ve still to check out, but he’s also going to be responsible for the remake of… Escape from New York… oh, no, please don’t bother!
Also stars: Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Harriet Dyer, Amali Golden, Sam Smith (not the singer)
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.