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This week, there are EIGHT new films out for you to choose from, led by Halloween 2018. Here are the titles, with more info below:
- Halloween 2018
They Shall Not Grow Old
Hunter Killer
Fahrenheit 11/9
Dogman
Touch Me Not
The Hate U Give
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween
Halloween 2018 (or Halloween or Halloween 11!). Yes, remember Halloween? It was the great horror movie from John Carpenter which was then trashed by a run of utterly risible sequels, leading up to the godawful Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, which was completely unnecessary, other than being a cash-grab for Jamie Lee Curtis. Oh, as was Halloween Resurrection in 2002.
Well, now she’s doing it again. Is it Halloween H40: 40 Years Later? No, it’s just Halloween. This is happening a lot with sequels when they reboot them, like the videogames Thief and Hitman.
Oh, and don’t forget the third film that was just called Halloween, which was Rob Zombie’s 2007 remake of the original, which even spawned a 2009 sequel, but no-one cared enough for more.
So, Jamie Lee Curtis is back as Laurie Strode, and we’re told she has come to her final confrontation with Michael Myers (Nick Castle), the masked figure who has haunted her since she narrowly escaped his killing spree on Halloween night four decades ago.
The dumb thing with this is that it just throws the series’ history out of the window, as Michael Myers has actually been locked away in prison for 40 years. So who else did she bump off, beforehand?
And it says “Executive Producer: John Carpenter“, but don’t get too excited, as Executive Producer could mean anything from being really hands on, to just having a financial interest.
Ok, so another Halloween return in 2038? See you in the ticket queue!
Director: David Gordon Green
Also stars: Judy Greer, Virginia Gardner, Will Patton, Toby Huss, Miles Robbins, Jefferson Hall, Haluk Bilginer, Andi Matichak
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
They Shall Not Grow Old sees Peter Jackson restoring B&W silent footage of the First World War, with some additional recollections from war veterans, even going to the point of creating a 3D version of this film, although it’s most likely that cinemas will be showing it in 2D, and the BBC will broadcasting the film before long.
I’ll most likely see this on TV or Blu-ray and I really am looking forward to it.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Hunter Killer – or ‘Submarine Has Fallen‘ – sees Gerard Butler as Captain Joe Glass, an untested American submarine captain whwo teams up with US Navy Seals to rescue the Russian president, who has been kidnapped by a rogue general.
I’m not sure when this was filmed, but it must’ve been a while ago as it also stars the late, great Michael Nyqvist (John Wick).
However, it’s full of explosions and looks like it could be pretty good.
Director: Donovan Marsh
Also stars: Gary Oldman, Caroline Goodall, Taylor John Smith, Common, Ryan McPartlin, Michael Trucco
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Fahrenheit 11/9
Filmmaker Michael Moore examines the current state of American politics, particularly the Donald J Trump presidency and gun violence, while highlighting the power of grassroots democratic movements.
I’ve seen a couple of Moore’s documentaries and they can be okay, but either way, say what you like about Donald Trump, he can’t hear you… unless you tweet him.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Dogman
Marcello, a small and gentle dog groomer, finds himself involved in a dangerous relationship of subjugation with Simone, a former violent boxer who terrorizes the entire neighborhood. In an effort to reaffirm his dignity, Marcello will submit to an unexpected act of vengeance.
There aren’t many English language trailers for this online and, in fact, I could only find one, and it didn’t give me too much of an idea what was going on, but it could work out.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Touch Me Not
Together, a filmmaker and her characters venture into a personal research about intimacy. On the fluid border between reality and fiction, the film follows the emotional journeys of Laura, Tomas and Christian, offering a deeply empathic insight into their lives. Craving for intimacy yet also deeply afraid of it, they work to overcome old patterns, defense mechanisms and taboos, to cut the cord and finally be free. Touch Me Not looks at how we can find intimacy in the most unexpected ways, at how to love another without losing ourselves.
Well, it looks weird as hell, but like Dogman, it could be worth a look.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
The Hate U Give centres around Starr Carter (Amandla Stenberg), who is constantly switching between two worlds: the poor, mostly black, neighborhood where she lives and the rich, mostly white, prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Now, facing pressures from all sides of the community, Starr must find her voice and stand up for what’s right.
Alas, while the premise looks timely, the plot looks as structured as a join-the-dots picture, it’s like it could’ve been used as the plot for an episode of the Teletubbies.
The Hate U Give is released on Monday, which means it counts towards next weekend’s releases, and so will have a 7-day ‘weekend’, which is ridiculous, but it’s by far not the first film to do that. In fact, a film can be released on a Saturday, such as Transformers: Age of Extinction, and have a NINE day ‘weekend’!
Director: George Tillman Jr
Writer: Audrey Wells
Novel: Angie Thomas
Also stars: KJ Apa, Regina Hall, Anthony Mackie, Sabrina Carpenter, Common
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween is the sequel to the 2015 Jack Black movie, but released in February 2016 in the UK, and which doesn’t have Jack Black.
With a premise that simply reads: Two young friends find a magic book that brings a ventriloquist’s dummy to life, at least this sequel is uncut whereas the first one was cut down from a 12-cert to a PG at the insistence of the studio, Sony. I hate censorship at the best of times, but especially when you’re cutting from a 12 to a PG, since kids can go and see both of them! And it’s also aimed at young kids who will be going with their parents (or someone of 12 and up) anyway! You’re hardly going to get toddlers wandering into a cinema on their own!
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.