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This weekend there are EIGHT new films out for you to choose from: slick period noir in Inherent Vice, censored comedy in Kingsman: The Secret Service, a great thriller in Free Fall, cops vs bikers in Cymbeline, inflatable CGI robots in Big Hero 6, trash in… erm… Trash, and drama in Anna and Modern Day Slavery, and Son Of A Gun.
Note: No-one should go and see Kingsman as it’s censored, and definitely no-one should see that or Big Hero 6 in IMAX because NONE OF EITHER WERE FILMED IN IMAX! YOU ARE PAYING EXTRA FOR NOTHING!!!
Inherent Vice stars the always-watchable Joaquin Phoenix as Larry “Doc” Sportello who, during the psychedelic 60s and 70s, is surprised by his former girlfriend and her plot for her billionaire boyfriend, his wife, and her boyfriend. A plan for kidnapping gets shaken up by the oddball characters entangled in this groovy kidnapping romp based upon the novel by Thomas Pynchon.
Paul Thomas Anderson never turns out a bad film (Magnolia being my favourite) and this film also stars Benicio Del Toro, Jena Malone, Owen Wilson, Reese Witherspoon and Josh Brolin.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Kingsman: The Secret Service shows Colin Firth taking a rather comedic turn in this film based upon the acclaimed comic book and directed by Matthew Vaughn, whose Kick-Ass bored me, but I loved his take on the X-Men with X-Men First Class.
This film tells the story of a super-secret spy organization that recruits an unrefined but promising street kid into the agency’s ultra-competitive training program just as a global threat emerges from a twisted tech genius.
Kingsman: The Secret Service also stars Mark Hamill, Samuel L Jackson, Mark Strong, Michael Caine, Jack Davenport, Sofia Boutella and Samantha Womack. I like the look of this, but… sadly, it’s been censored by 20th Century Fox, down from an 18-certificate to a 15, so in this form, I can’t recommend it.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Free Fall stars Sarah Butler as Jane Porter who, when the sudden and shocking death of a coworker sends everyone reeling at Gault Capital, she uncovers a very dangerous secret. Her boss, charismatic billionaire Thaddeus Gault (Malcolm McDowell), is suspected of massive financial fraud. An assassin, Frank (D.B. Sweeney), is dispatched to silence her forever.
Jane’s flight from the office is forestalled when her pursuer shuts down her elevator. Now, trapped and alone, Jane must find a way to escape her steel cage before the killer reaches her. This brooding and relentless thriller plunges our heroine, Jane, into a free fall of betrayal and terror. To survive Jane must find the inner strength and courage to defeat the powers that hold her and her dreams captive by fear…
Also starring Ian Gomez and Adam Tomei, this looks pretty good but there’s a lot of competition for those cinema screens this week.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Cymbeline (aka Anarchy, the title everywhere else) holds a big cast with (it says here) an epic battle between dirty cops and a drug dealing biker gang, set in a corruption-riddled 21st century America.
Starring Dakota Johnson, Ethan Hawke, Milla Jovovich, Anton Yelchin, Penn Badgley, Ed Harris, Bill Pullman, John Leguizamo, Spencer Treat Clark, Delroy Lindo and Vondie Curtis-Hall, this new trailer looks a lot better than the original teaser trailer, so there’s more chance of me going to see it.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Big Hero 6
The special bond that develops between plus-sized inflatable robot Baymax, and prodigy Hiro Hamada, who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.
Note: This film wasn’t shot in IMAX in any way, but it’s still ending up on some IMAX screens, so if you do see it, go for the usual 2D or 3D screens.
Damon Wayans Jr and Genesis Rodriguez seem to be the only slightly-famous people here, and it’s been plugged to death wih trailers and went to No.1 in the US, but still, for me it’s a…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Trash-picking goes on in the slums of Rio, and two boys find a wallet in amongst the daily detritus of their local dump. However, little do they imagine that their lives are about to change forever. But when the local police show up, offering a handsome reward for the wallet’s return, the boys, Rafael and Gardo, realize that what they’ve found must be important, since all the bad guys are after their blood in order to get it.
Directed by Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot), it stars Rooney Mara, Martin Sheen and Wagner Moura.
Trash looks rather like formulaic… ‘trash’, but if you want something that’s bound to be feel-good nonsense, then now’s your chance.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Anna and Modern Day Slavery
When human trading becomes one of the world’s most profitable businesses, one brave hacker, risking everything, makes it her mission to end it
Starring Paula Preston, Pawel Palcat, Francesca De Luca and Joanna Bondarowska, the trailer is too short to get a handle on the film, but I’ll err on the side of…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Son Of A Gun stars Ewan McGregor, Brenton Thwaites (Oculus, Maleficent) and Alicia Vikander (Ex Machina) in a thriller where, locked up for a minor crime, 19 year old JR (Thwaites) quickly learns the harsh realities of prison life.
Protection, if you can get it, is paramount. JR soon finds himself under the watchful eye of Australia’s most notorious criminal, Brendan Lynch (McGregor). But protection comes at a price. Lynch and his crew have plans for their young protegee. Upon release, JR must help secure Lynch’s freedom, staging a daring prison break. As a reward, he’s invited to join the crew as they plan a gold heist that promises to deliver millions. However, as things start to go wrong, a deadly game of cat and mouse ensues. JR finds himself unsure of whom he can trust and on a collision course with his former mentor.
Unfortunately, while there’s a fair bit going on in the trailer, not a bit of it is in any way engaging, and so this is going to be a…
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.