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This weekend there are seven new films out for you to choose from: action comedy in The Nice Guys, the life and works of a great director in Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach, engaging French drama in The Measure Of A Man, re-released Studio Ghibli animation in Only Yesterday, athletics drama about Jesse Owens in Race, dull drama with Anthony Hopkins in Misconduct, and possibly the worst film of the year in Me Before You.
The Nice Guys has the simple premise of being about private eye Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe) who investigates the apparent suicide of a fading porn star in 1970s Los Angeles and uncovers a conspiracy.
But to say just that is to sell this action/comedy very short since, based on this trailer, it looks to be the best thing out over the summer – that’s as long as the film can maintain the pace of this rather overlong 3-minute trailer.
Directed by Shane Black (Iron Man 3), who co-writes with Anthony Bagarozzi, the film also headlines Ryan Gosling as Holland March, who suffers an arm injury early on in this trailer, and then manages to be the luckiest man alive out of the two (not alongside Crowe, thankfully) when they reach the pool.
There’s also Kim Basinger, Margaret Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Ty Simpkins, Keith David, Rachele Brooke Smith, Yvonne Zima, Beau Knapp and Jack Kilmer, the son of Val Kilmer and Joanne Whalley.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach
From the director of the Cannes Palme d’Or winner, I, Daniel Blake, starring comedian Davey Johns, Versus is a funny, provocative and revealing account of the life and career of one of Britain’s foremost filmmakers, Ken Loach, as he turns eighty and looks back at over fifty years of filmmaking.
With contributions from Cillian Murphy, Gabriel Byrne and many moore, I very much want to see this, although trying to find it on at my local Odeon will be a hard task…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Measure Of A Man centres around an unemployed factory worker is trying to make ends in working-class France. Starring Vincent Lindon, Karine de Mirbeck, Matthieu Schaller and Yves Ory, this looks like a fascinating drama so I definitely want to see it.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Only Yesterday is a Studio Ghibli animation from 1991 about a 27-year-old office worker who travels to the countryside while reminiscing about her childhood in Tokyo. This new version has been released under the Studio Ghibli Forever Season banner, with new voice actors for 2016 including Laura Bailey and Daisy Ridley (Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens).
To my shame, I don’t think I’ve ever seen any films by the studio, but I was very taken with the trailer for The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya, so I really should remedy this soon.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Race stars Stephan James (John Lewis in Selma) as Track and field star Jesse Owens, who overcomes adversity to win four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
It also marks a rare drama role for Jason Sudeikis (We’re The Millers) and also stars Carice van Houten, Giacomo Gianniotti, Amanda Crew, Jeremy Irons, William Hurt, Jonathan Aris and Blackadder‘s Tim McInnerny.
Race sprints onto the screen (ho, ho, ho) this Friday…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Maybe!
Misconduct stars Josh Duhanel as Ben, an ambitious young lawyer who takes on a big case against Denning (Anthony Hopkins), a powerful and ruthless executive of a large pharmaceutical company, and soon finds himself involved in a case of blackmail and corruption.
Directed by Shintaro Shimosaw (co-producer on The Following, and The Grudge remake and its sequel), written by Simon Boyes and Adam Mason, and also starring Al Pacino, Alice Eve, Malin Akerman and Julia Stiles, this movie may have a decent cast with two heavyweights in there, but it doesn’t half look dull as dishwater.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Me Before You confirms, yet again, that every few months comes a film about a terminal disease, or alternatively someone who wants to top themselves, that is only an affliction on those who are living and healthy. Stop giving Hollywood money to produce mawkish trash like this, The Fault In Our Stars and Missing You Already and give it to charity instead.
Lou Clark (Terminator Genisys‘ Emilia Clarke) knows lots of things. She knows how many footsteps there are between the bus stop and home. She knows she likes working in The Buttered Bun tea shop and she knows she might not love her boyfriend Patrick (Matthew Lewis). What Lou doesn’t know is she’s about to lose her job or that knowing what’s coming is what keeps her sane.
Will Traynor (Sam Claflin) knows his motorcycle accident took away his desire to live. He knows everything feels very small and rather joyless now and he knows exactly how he’s going to put a stop to that. What Will doesn’t know is that Lou is about to burst into his world in a riot of color (who writes these billings??). And neither of them knows they’re going to change each other for all time.
So, Will has had a motorbike accident and just wants to end it all. This trailer, alone, made me want to go and play on the motorway instead of watching this tripe!
Also getting caught up in this cack are Doctor Who‘s Jenna Coleman, plus Charles Dance and Brendan Coyle.
I implore you to avoid this like the plague. In fact, it makes Mills & Boon look like The Revenant!
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.