Opening in cinemas across Australia this week we have the latest unnecessary sequel in the Resident Evil series, Ben Affleck’s critically acclaimed second film as director, The Town and latest Hollywood foreign remake Let Me In. Continue reading for film details, trailers and recommendations!
Genre: Drama | Fantasy | Mystery
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 115 min
Director: Matt Reeves
Cast: Chloe Moretz, Kodi Smit-McPhee
Official Website: Link:
For session times in your area, click here.
Studio’s Synopsis:
Chloe Moretz (Hit Girl from Kick-Ass) stars as Abby, a mysterious 12-year old girl, who moves next door to Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Road). Owen is a social outcast who is viciously bullied at school and in his loneliness, forms a profound bond with his new neighbour. Owen can’t help noticing that Abby is like no one he has ever met before. As a string of grisly murders occupy the town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl is really a savage vampire.
Let Me In, a haunting and provocative thriller written and directed by filmmaker Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) and produced by legendary British horror brand Hammer Films, is based on the best-selling Swedish novel Lat den Ratte Komma (Let The Right One In) by John Ajvide Lindqvist, and the highly-acclaimed film of the same name.
Worth seeing?
Read Anders Wotzke’s 3 star review here.
Reviews have been unusually strong for a foreign remake but then again that could be director Matt Reeves insistence on virtually making a carbon copy of the acclaimed original. (Rotten Tomatoes Rating)
Box Office Predictions:
As is often the case, strong reviews don’t necessarily guarantee strong box office. Struggling to gather much interest from audiences in the States, Let Me In might collect a modest 1-2 million locally.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsWJt5tNLKg
Genre: Crime/Drama/Thriller
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 125 min
Director: Ben Affleck
Cast: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Blake Lively
Official Website: Link:
For session times in your area, click here.
Studio’s Synopsis:
Doug MacRay (Ben Affleck) is an unrepentant criminal, the de facto leader of a group of ruthless bank robbers who pride themselves in stealing what they want and getting out clean. With no real attachments, Doug never has to fear losing anyone close to him. But that all changed on the gang’s latest job, when they briefly took a hostage–bank manager, Claire Keesey (Rebecca Hall). Though they let her go unharmed, Claire is nervously aware that the robbers know her name…and where she lives. But she lets her guard down when she meets an unassuming and rather charming man named Doug…not realizing that he is the same man who only days earlier had terrorized her. The instant attraction between them gradually turns into a passionate romance that threatens to take them both down a dangerous, and potentially deadly, path.
Worth seeing?
Audiences weren’t quite ready to embrace Affleck as a director last time around but The Town has consolidated him as a director to take seriously.
One of the best reviewed films of the year and a follow up to Affleck’s powerful, yet underrated debut Gone Baby Gone, The Town is easily the top pick of the new release titles this week. (RottenTomatoes Rating)
Box Office Predictions:
While not quite in the same league, The Town is the biggest hit in the crime genre since The Departed. In the U.S. the film is on track to crack $80 million, a big jump up from Affleck’s last directorial effort, Gone Baby Gone which barely managed to crack 20 million at the box office. Locally the film should be good for about 4-5 million, about half the local gross of The Departed.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWxEKnf3Krk
Genre: Horror
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 97 min
Director: Paul W.S. Anderson
Cast: Milla Jovovich, Ali Larter, Kim Coates, Shawn Roberts
Official Website: Link:
For session times in your area, click here.
Studio’s Synopsis:
In a world ravaged by a virus infection, turning its victims into the Undead, Alice (Milla Jovovich), continues on her journey to find survivors and lead them to safety. Her deadly battle with the Umbrella Corporation reaches new heights, but Alice gets some unexpected help from an old friend. A new lead that promises a safe haven from the Undead takes them to Los Angeles, but when they arrive the city is overrun by thousands of Undead – and Alice and her comrades are about to step into a deadly trap
Worth seeing?
Read Anders Wotzke’s ★ ★ review here.
This kind of film is critic proof due the the in built fan base and the surprising longevity of the series. If hot scantily clad young women kicking undead butt is your idea of a good time, then look no further than this. It’s also released in 3D. (Rotten Tomatoes Rating)
Box Office Predictions:
The film has done the modest 50 million range of its predecessors in the U.S. but worldwide so far the mega impressive box office take is just shy of quarter of a billion dollars. Due in part to the added ticket price for a 3D release the film should easily double the final gross of previous entry Resident Evil: Extinction. Expect 5-6 million locally.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dc5iiT0f1s
CHLOE
Genre: Thriller, Drama
Rating: MA 15+
Running Time: 96 min
Director: Atom Egoyan
Cast: Liam Neeson, Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried
Official Website: Link:
For session times in your area, click here.
Studio’s Synopsis:
Starring an exceptional cast, CHLOE is a suspenseful story of love and betrayal. Catherine (Julianne Moore), a successful doctor, begins to question her husband David’s (Liam Neeson) fidelity and sets out to resolve her suspicions with the help of an alluring young woman, Chloe (Amanda Seyfried). Soon caught in a web of sexual desire, Catherine finds herself on a journey that places her family in great danger…
Worth seeing?
A remake of the 2004 French Thriller Nathalie. Reviews have been mixed at best but the strong cast and steamy trailer imply this could be solid adult entertainment.
Box Office Predictions:
With only a limited American release the specialty picture pulled in a small 3 million (though due to international pre-sales has already recouped it’s 11 million budget). Locally it could play quite well at the arthouse cinemas and ultimately pull in up to a million dollars at the Australian Box Office.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWLEz-1VzSk
THE CITY OF YOUR FINAL DESTINATION
Genre: Drama
Rating: PG
Running Time: 118 min
Director: James Ivory
Cast: Anthony Hopkins, Omar Metwally, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Official Website: Link:
For session times in your area, click here.
Studio’s Synopsis:
28-year-old Kansas University doctoral student Omar Razaghi has been awarded a grant to write the biography of Latin American writer Jules Gund. When Gund’s estate unexpectedly denies Omar authorisation, Omar is urged by his girlfriend to travel to Uruguay and petition the executor to change their minds.
The Gund “family,” living together on the author’s isolated and decaying estate, includes Gund’s widow, his mistress, her young daughter, Gund’s brother, and his partner. Omar’s unannounced arrival upsets their fragile co-existence and causes all to question their own circumstances, which in turn leads Omar himself to question to what degree, if any; he has been the author of his own existence up until now.
Worth seeing?
Read Paj Sandhu’s ★ ★ ½ review here.
Critical consensus is fairly evenly split on this adaptation of the 2002 book of the same name by Peter Cameron . While no one is denying the film is beautiful to look at and has an outstanding cast, some feel it doesn’t live up to previous entries in the acclaimed Merchant Ivory back catalog.
Box Office Predictions:
Locally the film could match the U.S. box office take of around half a million.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQf86qx3sMI
JHOOTHA HI SAHI
Genre: Bollywood, Comedy
Rating: TBC
Running Time: TBC
Director: Abbas Tyrewala
Cast: John Abraham, Pakhi Tyrewala
Official Website: Link:
Jhootha Hi Sahi is in limited release, for session times in your area, click here.
Studio’s Synopsis:
A suicidal woman’s “final” call mistakenly connects her to a man who gives her something to live for.
Worth seeing?
Rumor has it that the film was loosely inspired by the sitcom Friends and the film Notting Hill. There’s only a view Indian reviews so far but if cute premises and Bollywood are your kind of thing, then you better catch this while you can.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PyhnCtVP2vw
