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This week, there are SEVEN new films out for you to choose from: The Rock saves the day in Skyscraper, Ethan Hawke joins the clergy for First Reformed, CGI sequelitis comes with Incredibles 2, there’s British comedy/drama in Pin Cushion, a crime drama with Adele Exarchopoulos from Blue Is The Warmest Colour in Racer and the Jailbird, twee drama in The Butterfly Tree, and spooky family times for The Secret of Marrowbone.
Skyscraper sees Dwayne Johnson doing for The Towering Inferno what San Andreas did for Earthquake. His family get trapped up the building thanks to a bad guy, but can Dwayne save them? What do you think? 😉
Oh, and spot the obvious Die Hard rip-off moment!!!
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Read the review!
First Reformed centres around Toller, a former military chaplain (Ethan Hawke), who is wracked by grief over the death of his son. Mary (Amanda Seyfried) is a member of his church whose husband, a radical environmentalist, commits suicide, setting the plot in motion.
This looks an intriguing drama from writer/director Paul Schrader, but it all felt rather weird when media quotes started comparing this to Scorsese’s Taxi Driver… and it’s also a rare new film which is shot in 4:3.
As least it can’t be worse than Dog Eat Dog.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Read the review!
Incredibles 2 follows a film I never got round to seeing properly. Yes, I know CGI movies aren’t my bag (and so should you, by now), but I still felt it might be worth a look. I think I managed about 20 minutes, in the end.
However, this time around, Bob Parr aka Mr Incredible (Craig T Nelson) is left to care for his baby, Jack-Jack, while Helen aka Elastigirl (Holly Hunter) is out saving the world.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Pin Cushion
Super close Mother Lyn and daughter Iona (Dafty One and Dafty Two) are excited for their new life in a new town. Determined to make a success of things after a tricky start, Iona becomes ‘best friends’ with Keely, Stacey and Chelsea. Used to being Iona’s bestie herself, Lyn feels left out. So Lyn also makes friends with Belinda, her neighbour. As much as Lyn and Iona pretend to each other that things are going great, things aren’t going great for either of them. Iona struggles with the girls, who act more like frenemies than friends, and Belinda won’t give Lyn her stepladders back. Both Mother and Daughter retreat into fantasy and lies.
I got bored trying to even read the premise, but after watching the trailer…
Director: Debora Haywood
Starring: Lily Newmark, Joanna Scanlan, Loris Scarpa, Bethany Antonia, Saskia Paige Martin, Sacha Cordy-Nice, Nadine Coyle
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Racer and the Jailbird
Set against the background of a brutal crime gang in Brussels, a tragic love story between Gigi, a high-flying gangster, and Bibi, a young racing driver with very upper-class roots.
Adele Exarchopoulos was the best thing about Blue Is The Warmest Colour but I’m not 100% sold on this.
Director: Michaël R Roskam
Starring: Matthias Schoenaerts, Adele Exarchopoulos
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
The Butterfly Tree
Evelyn, an ex-burlesque queen, bewitches single dad Al and his teenage son Fin with her zest for life. When father and son discover they are competing for the affections of the same woman, it reopens old wounds over the death of Fin’s mother.
It was all a bit twee and predictable from the trailer, so…
Director: Priscilla Cameron
Starring: Melissa George, Ewen Leslie, Ed Oxenbould, Sophie Lowe
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
The Secret of Marrowbone
A young man and his three younger siblings, who have kept secret the death of their beloved mother in order to remain together, are plagued by a sinister presence in the sprawling manor in which they live.
The horror is all a bit spooky-spooky, but I’m not 100% sure if it’s worth watching.
Director: Sergio G Sánchez
Starring: Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth, George MacKay, Kyle Soller, Robert Nairn
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
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.