Peeking ahead at this Friday’s releases, the week may well peak today. And today’s film is hardly a show stopper either. Still time to see Submarine!
Limitless
A writer takes a clear pill that makes him super-human and potential filling. All goes swimmingly until the pills run out and he’s told he will die without them. Expect lots of running, jumping and driving around in fast cars.
There’s a reason we stopped posting “news” about castings and films in development so much, and this past week has been a reassurance that we’re doing the right thing. Way back when, Gordon-Levitt was rumoured to be in The Dark Knight Rises as possibly The Riddler. Then it was announced that he wasn’t.
Not long ago he was back in the running for the film and then recently was “officially” confirmed to be playing Alberto Falcon and my Google Alert went wild. Now a source has claimed that he isn’t actually playing Falcon… which trumps the previous fictitious official announcement.
Oh internet, how you run with a rumour until it is reported as news on the biggest film sites. We’re just going to sit back and wait until there’s some kind of proof. If you do need wild speculation reported as facts and instant notification when a new poster is released, there’s always Empire.
One good film out today, though you are obliged to stay in watching Comic Relief or go down to your local community centre and do something funny for money. Submarine can wait for Saturday, don’t worry.
Anuvahood
A comedy about “wannabe bad boys” that actually looks quite funny from the trailer. You still won’t catch me watching it though.
The Lincoln Lawyer
Supposedly tense thriller about a lawyer fighting a case while working out of his car. How tense can a film starring Matthew McConaughey be?
Submarine
The best thing out in a while. As beautiful as it is funny, and filled with more amazing debuts than… erm… hard to think of a comparison. Oliver is a 15 year old boy trying to save his parents’ marriage and if possible enjoy a wonderful evening of love-making with the dimmer set to halfway. Just see it. You’ll love it.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
A film following two married couples as they deliver dialogue that should be performed by Woody Allen, the very man who wrote and directed the mess. He used to be so good.
Ballast (limited release)
Gritty drama looking to the fallout after a man’s suicide.
Benda Bilili! (limited release)
A heart warming documentary about a band from Kinshasa. There is some debate in the two near identical synopses on IMDb as to whether it is “five paraplegics and a young able-bodied teenager” or “four paraplegics and a young able-bodied teenager”. Can’t wait to find out which!
Between the Canals (limited release)
Irish crime film set on St. Patrick’s Day. Something tells me this should have had a Thursday release.
Route Irish (limited release)
Ken Loach directs “the story of a private security contractor in Iraq who rejected the official explanation of his friend’s death and sets out to discover the truth.”
Not long ago Mild Concern favourite Zooey Deschanel became the face of Rimmel London and they’ve been ruining her face ever since. The most recent advert (above) is the worst yet. It looks more like a poor computer rendering of Ms Deschanel than a real face.
If you’re going to hire someone for their look, try not airbrush that very look away, ok?
Back to films…
On Monday of this week there was a film first… of the dubious kind. Venus & the Sun became the first film iPhone app, with apple users able to download an app from apple which has a few games and the opportunity to pay to download the short film. The film was also released on DVD the same day and you can even buy it on memory stick from the film’s website.
The short film itself is pretty mediocre, though nowhere near as bad as I had expected. Keeley Hazell, “glamour” model, plays a version of herself who loves Latin and hates it when she is recognised for her modelling, until the moment she isn’t. Hazell does an OK job at her role, though was more convincing when talking in Latin than in English. The film isn’t going to be winning any awards and they couldn’t even get the prop newspaper’s Page 3 to be on the third page.
SO the short itself is pretty unremarkable but more interesting is the fact that it is so easy to see. Normally short films are the preserve of the film festival and tracking down a copy of a short you’ve read about is near impossible. The internet should be opening up distribution and perhaps, in spite of its lack of flair, Venus & the Sun is taking a step in the right direction for the distribution of short films.
Currently browsing the mildconcern.com weblog archives for March, 2011.
