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This week, there are SIX new films out for you to choose from, led by First Love. Here are the titles, with more info below:First Love
Sonic The Hedgehog Movie
Emma 2020
A Guide to Second Date Sex
365 Days
Waiting for Anya
First Love
Leo (Masataka Kubota) is a young boxer, successful but unable to show emotion. He has a fight scheduled and is sure that he will win. Instead, his opponent knocks him out. This triggers a chain of unpleasant events involving drugs, corrupt cops, the Yakuza, a female assassin – and Monica (Sakurako Konishi), an escort that he must rescue. It’s one hell of a night for Leo.
Director: Takashi Miike
Writer: Masa Nakamura
Stars: Sakurako Konishi, Masataka Kubota, Becky, Bengal, Masayuki Deai, Mami Fujioka, Takahiro Miura, Jun Murakami, Nao Ohmori
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Read the review!
Sonic The Hedgehog Movie – It’s here. Just accept it.
I won’t be seeing it, though.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Emma 2020 (as I’ll call it to differentiate from previous incarnations, and for SEO purposes) is a new version of Jane Austen’s beloved comedy about finding your equal and earning your happy ending, is reimagined in this.
Handsome, clever, and rich, Emma Woodhouse (Anya Taylor-Joy) is a restless queen bee without rivals in her sleepy little town. In this glittering satire of social class and the pain of growing up, Emma must adventure through misguided matches and romantic missteps to find the love that has been there all along.
For me, watching this trailer, it really isn’t my bag whatsoever.
Emma 2020 is released in the UK this weekend, so on the one hand it could be seen as in the Jan/Feb dumpster slot for terrible films, or alternatively, they could be going for Valentine’s Day. YMMV.
Director: Autumn de Wilde
Novel: Jane Austen
Adaptation: Eleanor Catton
Also stars: Josh O’Connor, Johnny Flynn, Mia Goth, Gemma Whelan, Bill Nighy, Callum Turner, Rupert Graves, Chloe Pirrie, Miranda Hart, Tanya Reynolds, Amber Anderson
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
A Guide to Second Date Sex
Laura and Ryan are perfect for each other: they both love Meryl Streep, have been totally destroyed by previous relationships, and they have no idea what they are supposed to do tonight. They also both know that they’ll have to pretend to be completely different to how they’ve ever been previously, in the hope of getting it right this time. How bad can a second date really go and what is there to lose? Ryan and Laura are about to find out.
This has got a decent cast, and it looks like it could be interesting.
Writer/Director: Rachel Hirons
Stars: Naomi Willow, Alexandra Roach, George MacKay, Michael Socha, Gillian Elisa, Holli Dempsey, Kae Alexander, Tom Bell, Gregory Scott, Emma Rigby
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
365 Days
Massimo Torricelli, a young and handsome boss of a Sicilian Mafia family, has no other option but to takeover after his father has been assassinated. Laura Biel is a sales director in a luxurious hotel. She has a successful career, but her private life lacks passion. She is taking one last shot to save her relationship. Together with her partner and friends, she takes a trip to Sicily. Laura does not expect that Massimo, the most dangerous man on the island, will get in her way, kidnap her, hold her captive and give her 365 days… to fall in love with him. “365 dni” is the first Polish erotic film. It is based on the best-selling novel of the same name from author Blanka Lipinksa.
This does rather look a bit of a mess, albeit stylish. Not sure I’ll bother.
Director: Barbara Bialowas
Writers: Barbara Bialowas, Tomasz Klimala
Stars: Michele Morrone, Anna Maria Sieklucka, Bronislaw Wroclawski
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Waiting for Anya
During the harrows of WWII, Jo, a young shepherd along with the help of the widow Horcada, helps to smuggle Jewish children across the border from southern France into Spain.
However, I was bored to tears with this…
Writer/Director: Ben Cookson
Novel: Michael Morpurgo
Stars: Anjelica Huston, Jean Reno, Thomas Kretschmann, Sadie Frost, Noah Schnapp, Nicholas Rowe, Gilles Marini
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.