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This weekend there are SEVEN (count ’em!) new films out for you to choose from: comedy/drama in Wish I Was Here, action in A Walk Among The Tombstones, documentary-ish for Nick Cave in 20000 Days On Earth, sci-fi in The Giver, Woody Allen drama in Magic In The Moonlight, supposed comedy in Think Like A Man Too, and godknowswhat in The Riot Club.
Wish I Was Here is only the second feature film to be directed by Zach Braff, who you’ll remember best as JD from Scrubs, after 2004’s unsurpassable Garden State, which featured Natalie Portman at her hottest ever.
It tells the tale of Aidan Bloom (Braff), a struggling actor, father and husband, who at 35 is still trying to find his identity; a purpose for his life. He winds up trying to home school his two children when his father can no longer afford to pay for private education and the only available public school is on its last legs. Through teaching them about life his way, Aidan gradually discovers some of the parts of himself he couldn’t find.
Wish I Was Here also stars Josh Gad, Kate Hudson, Mandy Patinkin and Donald Faison, who’s best known as Turk in Scrubs, and I really want to see this! However, Peter Bradshaw, from the Guardian, has NOT given this a good review.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
A Walk Among the Tombstones stars Liam Neeson as private investigator Matthew Scudder, who is hired by a drug kingpin to find out who kidnapped and murdered his wife.
However, in a film which also stars Boyd Holbrook, Dan Stevens and Whitney Able, I failed to find any excitement in what looks like yet another example of Neeson going through the motions. Remember when he used to be a good actor?
Also, if you pay a lot of money to go and see this (and The Equalizer next week) at the cinema, you may not be aware that they’re censored! In both cases, it’s mostly for violence to get from an 18-cert to a 15, but you can see more info here.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
20000 Days on Earth
Writer and musician Nick Cave marks his 20,000th day on the planet Earth. Drama and reality combine in a fictitious 24 hours in the life of musician and international cultural icon Nick Cave. With startlingly frank insights and an intimate portrayal of the artistic process, the film examines what makes us who we are, and celebrates the transformative power of the creative spirit
Starring Nick Cave (obviously), Susie Cave, Warren Ellis, Darian Leader, Ray Winstone and Kylie Minogue, I don’t know a great amount of his music, but this does look fascinating.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
The Giver is an intriguing new sci-fi thriller starring Jeff Bridges, which is the good part, although the bad side is that Taylor Swift has been given a staring role also.
In a seemingly perfect community, without war, pain, suffering, differences or choice, a young boy is chosen to learn from an elderly man about the true pain and pleasure of the “real” world.
Also starring Meryl Streep, Alexander Skarsgård, Katie Holmes, Cameron Monaghan and Brenton Thwaites, it looks good, so I’ll err onthe side of…
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Hit!
Magic in the Moonlight is a new Woody Allen romantic comedy starring Colin Firth as an Englishman brought in to help unmask a possible swindle, with personal and professional complications ensuing…
As always Allen gathers together a large cast and this one is no exception as it features Emma Stone, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Eileen Atkins, Erica Leerhsen, Simon McBurney, Antonia Clarke, Jeremy Shamos and Ute Lemper. Alas, the trailer didn’t grab me at all.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
Think Like A Man Too
In the highly anticipated sequel (really?), which was inspired by Steve Harvey‘s best-selling book Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man, all the couples are back for a wedding in Las Vegas. But plans for a romantic weekend go awry when their various misadventures get them into some compromising situations that threaten to derail the big event
A number one hit in the US, for no apparent reason, it stars Adam Brody, Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Meagan Good and Regina Hall, but I will not be going to see this dross.
Hit or Miss? Verdict: Miss!
The Riot Club
Two first-year students at Oxford University join the infamous Riot Club, where reputations can be made or destroyed over the course of a single evening.
The film stars Natalie Dormer, Sam Claflin, Jessica Brown Findlay, Douglas Booth, Holliday Grainger, Sam Reid, Tom Hollander, Ben Schnetzer, Freddie Fox and Tony Way, but it’s not one that I particularly want to see. It’s bad enough seeing certain political bigwigs on my TV who are just like this lot!
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.