Two Screen Grabs Taken From This Week's New Trailers, Delivered Completely Without Agenda

And people say Hollywood is running out of ideas. Tsk.

Obscurity Files - Folks!

One of those films that you'll never be able to scrub out of your memory once you've seen it, let's take a closer look at the Tom Selleck/Don Ameche "comedy" Folks!. Ladies and Gents, brace yourselves for fun...

LAKE MUNGO DVD review

A genuine stand-out in the overcrowded 'found footage' genre, Lake Mungo is out now on DVD. Check out the trailer and my full review, next...

QUARANTINE 2: TERMINAL DVD review

Picking up nowhere near where the previous film left off, this zombie virus sequel is out now on DVD. Check out the trailer and my review, next...

CEDAR RAPIDS DVD review

Starring Ed Helms from The Office and The Hangover in his first lead role, Cedar Rapids is out now on DVD and Blu-ray. Watch the trailer and read my review, next...

It's Time For A Bit Of Housekeeping...

Hi folks.


If anyone's been wondering why there's been such a lack of new reviews up recently, I'll blame it on a number of factors. Firstly, I've started a new job in an actual cinema that takes up a lot of my time, but they pay me to turn up so continue to turn up I shall. Secondly, my new abode has some appalling internet access that, whilst it may sound like a prime example of a 21st Century problem that no-one should really care about, is unfortunately both true and a major set back.


However, this hasn't meant that I've stopped watching films at the cinema and on DVD/Blu-ray, and I have built up a massive backlog of reviews that I need to type up and publish here for your reading pleasure. Never mind the cathartic pleasure I get from reviewing films, I'm really doing this for you lucky people* (Actually I'm lying. I've just realised that the Total Film Movie Blog Awards are just around the corner and I'm hoping to place higher in my category than I did last January ✝).


I've still got some big plans for the site that I'm working on, but for now I'm kinda hampered by my work schedule so please bear with me whilst I get some reviews written up. Here's a bold statement that I probably won't be able to stick to... I'm going to publish at least 50 reviews before the year is out.


Okay I'm off. I think I better get some writing done.


*That's clearly a joke.
✝ I came in fourth place, thanks for asking.

Who Gives A Damn About Brendan Fraser?

For reasons that I hope are obvious after seeing this trailer, despite being the sequel to a film that I didn't think was that great when I saw it in the cinemas, the awkwardly titled Journey 2: The Mysterious Island has made it onto my must see list for next year. Gone is original lead Brendan Fraser and in his place is the man who likes to be called Dwayne, but usually gets simply called The Rock.

Sure, it looks about as geologically accurate as the first film and is so brightly coloured you'll finally be glad you're wearing the light dimming 3D glasses, but by having a massively improved cast (hello Sir Michael Caine, even if you are dressed like Sean Connery in Medicine Man), it should be a lot of fun. As trade offs go, switching the original star Brendan Fraser for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is like swapping a Moped for a Maserati, him alone being worth the price of admission. Need proof?

Have you ever seen Brendan Fraser bounce berries off his pectorals in 3D? I think not.

Remember Folks, Cute Doggy DVD's Are For Life, Not Just For Christmas

Other festive household pet movies are available.

Not To Be Confused With... #1

We Need To Talk About Kevin's Marketing Campaign Finally Collapses Under The Weight Of Its Own Title

George A. Romero: The Dead Posters

Seeing as it's Halloween this week and we're feeling in a spooky mood, let's take a look at the posters for George A. Romero's ongoing Dead saga, films that are synonymous with October 31st and will no doubt be getting many a viewing tonight.

"What Is Hidden In Snow Comes Forth In The Thaw"

With just under two months to go until David Fincher's adaptation of Stieg Larsson's Girl With The Dragon Tattoo is released, it's now time for the marketing campaign to really kick in, starting with this excellent new poster. Keep reading to see the image in full, as well as find out what its cryptic new tagline means.

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 3 review

Building on the mythology of the Paranormal Activity franchise by taking us back to 1988 and the origins of the demon, the third installment is out now. Watch the trailer and read my review, next...

Anyone Fancy A Dip?

Showcasing all the advanced gender politics of a teenage boy's wet dream, we now have the first teaser trailer for the sequel to last year's Piranha 3D, cannily titled Piranha 3DD. Here's hoping the extra D doesn't stand for diminished returns, and instead is just a cheeky reference to the boosted assets it has on show this time around. In other words, the tits.


I was a fan of last year's remake of Joe Dante's terror classic, which knew exactly how stupid it was and exactly what its audience wanted to see (*cough* Kelly Brook naked underwater ballet scene *cough*), but it's a different crew behind the camera this time around, so all bets are off. The return of the continuity-bothering Ving Rhames and the appearance of Mitch Buchanan himself, David Hasselhoff, do seem to suggest that we're in for a similarly tongue in cheek ride, perhaps even reaching a whole new level of ridiculousness. Shotguns for legs, anyone?


I do spy a problem in that there probably isn't many cinemas who will advertise the film with its current title. It's not overly gratuitous in any way, but your average audience will either confuse it with Piranha 3D or ask for an explanation as to why this is "3DD", a question no-one will be eager to answer. At best they'll have to advertise it as Piranha 3DD 3D, which is just confusing. I foresee them resorting to a much easier to understand title, like Piranha 2, for example. But then there's another problem, that there already IS a Piranha 2, the original sequel directed by some nobody called James Cameron. Perhaps they'll resort to adding a subtitle. The original Piranha 2 had "The Spawning", so might I suggest "The Porning"?


Hmmm. On second thoughts that's more stupid than what they've already got. Piranha 3DD should be with us in all its boob baring glory early next year. 


Apparently it's got some fish in it as well.

The Walken Dead

How to create a successful Youtube parody in three easy steps...

1. Mash together two popular culture icons that have no real connection to each other. CHECK.
2. Hire your amateur friends to appear in return for the promise that "this thing might really take off and we might all get famous". CHECK.
3. Be funny for the first thirty seconds but then go on slightly too long until the central joke is absolutely run into the ground. DOUBLE CHECK.

THOR BLU-RAY review

Out now on DVD and Blu-ray is Kenneth Branagh's Thor, the latest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Watch the trailer and find out what he's good for, next...

INSIDIOUS BLU-RAY review

From the makers of the original Saw and Paranormal Activity, the creepy horror Insidious is out now on DVD and Blu-ray. Watch the trailer and read my review, next...

Pain, Lines Not The Same and Automobiles

We've all seen our favourite films be released and re-released on DVD and Blu-ray, and I'm sure that by now we're all used to seeing every iteration being tagged with some humourous tagline or another (apparently Extended, Director's Cut and Special Edition just don't cut it anymore), but couldn't they have come up with a better one than "All Flights Cancelled. You're Scre" for Planes, Trains and Automobiles, a film that's not only one of John Hughes' best comedies, but arguably one of the best films of the 1980's?

The most recent US re-release of the film was titled the 'Those Aren't Pillows!' edition, which whilst hardly a relevant gag to put on the cover of a DVD, at least evokes happy memories of picturing John Candy's chubby digits nestled between Steve Martin's rosy cheeks. For the new UK Blu-ray release though, not only have they chickened out of writing the word 'screwed' on the cover (ooooh, scandal), they've failed to get the correct quote from the film anyway. As always, a quick search on the IMDb shows us the truth...

I'm assuming that is the scene the cover is alluding to, otherwise what's the point of the whole "You're Scre" line? Seeing as it's the punchline to one of the greatest exchanges in movie history (yeah, I said it), it might have been reasonable for them to place "you're fucked" on the cover, with a simple asterisk used the save the blushes of those of a sensitive nature. Or maybe, when you've got two massive stars in John Candy and Steve Martin and a iconic director in John Hughes, along with one of the longest and most instantly recognisable titles in movie history already on the cover, they should know when to just leave it alone.


If you like your Blu-rays with unnecessary bumph on the cover, Planes, Trains and Automobiles is out to buy from Monday. Luckily, the film inside is still awesome.

JULIA'S EYES BLU-RAY review

Now out on Blu-ray and DVD, this Spanish language thriller from the same team that brought us The Orphanage (El Orfanato) is worth taking a look. Watch the trailer and read my review, next...

KILLING BONO DVD review

Starring Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan, now on DVD and Blu-ray is this tale of rock stardom gone wrong. Check out the trailer and read my review, next...

SUCKER PUNCH BLU-RAY review

Out now on DVD and Blu-ray is Zack Snyder's latest action 'spectacular'. Watch the trailer and read my review, next...

Back To The Footwear

I think I might be misquoting, but as Dr Emmett Brown once said...


"Trainers. Where we're going we'll probably need really cool Nike Air Mag instant lace-up trainers."

American Reunion: Something Horrible Must Have Happened To The Rest Of The Class Of 1999 For There To Be Only 8 Survivors

Joking aside, I'm unhealthily excited about this.

SCRE4M BLU-RAY review

The long awaited return of the Scream franchise arrives on DVD and Blu-ray this week. Read my review and check out what the Blu-ray extras have to offer, next...

Mmmm... Posters

This week has seen a whole bunch of posters released for the recent festival darling, Martha Marcy May Marlene. Starring Elizabeth Olsen (younger sister of Mary-Kate and Ashley) and recent Winter's Bone Oscar nominee John Hawkes, it tells the story of a young girl who runs away from home to join a dangerous cult. Quite how that story relates to the film's hi-tech, QR enabled posters I don't know, but they sure look cool. If you have a fancy smart phone you can  use the poster as a link to the film's trailer, or click here if you're like me and still live in the world of pay-as-you-go.


There's a hell of a lot of buzz around this one, and one things for sure, it's going to be a darn sight better than New York Minute. Check out the posters next (click to enlarge), and then head over to IMP to take a look at the motion poster.

SUBMARINE BLU-RAY review

Out now on DVD and Blu-Ray is Richard Ayoade's directorial debut, charting the highs and lows of teenager Oliver Tate's love life. Read my thoughts on the film and what the Blu-Ray extras have to offer, next...

FINAL DESTINATION: THE NEW CLASS?!

Depending on your level of reverence towards the 90's kids telly classic Saved By The Bell, you'll either find this Final Destination based 'homage' hilariously random or incredibly disturbing. Ha! Take that, you incredibly easy target!

via slashfilm

Congrats Luke Goss, That Must Be The Most Nonsensical Name For A Film I've Ever Heard

Against Unbelievable Odds, Super 8 Just Got A Little Bit Cooler

As if I wasn't looking forward to this Friday's release of JJ Abrams' Super 8 enough already, I've just discovered this awesome retro arcade game that ties in with the film and achieved the impossible of making me want to see it even more.

The Dude Wines, Dines & Designs...

Regular readers of the site may have seen the recent article about the work of Grindhouse poster designer extraordinaire Tom Hodge, better known as The Dude Designs. His retro styled posters for Hobo With A Shotgun and Father's Day hark back to the bygone era of video nasties and exploitation cinema and left me immediately wanting to see those films.

As It Turns Out, Zooey Deschanel Could Be Any More Awesome.

Indie cinema's most loveliest actress singing the love theme from the Steve Martin comedy classic The Jerk whilst playing the Ukelele? Yes, this is my kind of thing.


via HelloGiggles

Obscurity Files - Fear X

It is with great pleasure that I welcome a guest writer to Slacker Cinema for the first time today. Paul Martin, writer for www.filmdoom.com, gives us his appraisal of one of Nicolas Winding Refn's early films. I hope you enjoy his contribution as much as I did, and recommend you head over to Film Doom as soon as you've finished reading it.

Out in September, Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive is one of the most purely enjoyable movies I've seen so far this year. And with that automotive thriller a near-certainty to bring the Danish director to a wider audience, it seems as fine a time as any to look back at his English-language debut, 2003's Fear X.

The Dude Designs...

They say you should never judge a book by its cover, but I don't think the same idiom applies to movies. There's nothing I enjoy more than a good movie poster, and I often base my decision on whether to watch a film on how creative the poster design is. The granddaddy of the art form is Saul Bass, followed closely behind by the amazing Drew Struzan (whose work we've featured on the site before), but it's exciting when someone new arrives on the scene with a cool body of work to admire.

It's All Gone a Bit Gondry

Following on from his previous installments that looked at the work of directors such as Sofia Coppola, Wes Anderson, David Fincher and Danny Boyle, YouTube editor supremo keesvdijkhuizen has now created this ode to one of my favourite directors, Michel Gondry.

As A Great Man Once Said...

Well, that tagline might not be completely accurate, but any excuse to mention Ferris Bueller, I suppose. Slacker Cinema is going to be going through a bit of a transitional phase over the next month or so, what with me moving cities and starting a new job (I know, can you believe no one pays me to do this yet?), so the time in which I get to write about stuff is probably going to drop off quite a bit. At least for a while anyway.


I'll not be completely away from my computer and/or twitter, so hopefully you'll still see some posts popping up now and then, as long I can think of things to write about in a shorter amount of time! Basically what I'm saying is, bear with me for a while and I'll be back, bigger and better than before.


In the mean time, why not have a root around my back catalogue of witty observations and lengthy film reviews, the most popular of which can currently be found at the bottom of this page? Go on, it'll put a smile on your face and mine, I promise.

Prepare Yourselves For The Best Knock Knock Joke I Could Think Of Off The Top Of My Head

Knock, knock.


Who's there?


Orange.


Orange who?


Orange you getting a bit sick of those annoying cinema ads yet?


Actually, the latest one is at least mildly amusing and might not make me want to scratch my eyes out until at least after the tenth viewing. By my estimation I had to watch the Rio one about thirty times in total, and that one started to grate on me as soon as they turned the stupid Pigeon orange. Whether this latest ad will make audiences want to go and watch Potiche, I doubt it, but kudos to Orange for choosing to promote a smaller film and not just backing the next big blockbuster which doesn't need the added exposure and isn't out for months anyway. I expect they'll do that next time instead.

Alvin & the Chipmunks - Making the most out of the same slightly altered character images since 2007

How Alvin can all of a sudden get his bulbous undercarriage into shorts, I'll never know.

Full Metal Jacket

I've just written an article for Hope Lies about Stanley Kubrick's Full Metal Jacket, as part of a larger cross blog project with many contributors assessing the work of the great director. I recommend you head over there now to check my article out as well as the others, and please leave any comments you have too.


Click on the following image to go there now.

Sheffield Doc/Fest - The Wrap Up

The 18th Sheffield International Documentary Festival came to a close on Sunday with a number of award announcements for a few lucky winners. Read on to see what I thought of the final day's screenings, plus a round up of the festival as a whole.

Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Four

My last full day at the festival was a rollercoaster ride of highs and lows, and that was just the weather. Read on to see what I thought of Life in Movement, the outdoor screening of Albert Maysles' Grey Gardens and the 'Secret Screening' that closed the day.

Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Three

Now at the halfway point of the festival, read on to see what I thought of James Marsh's newest documentary Project Nim, Michael Rapaport's tribute to A Tribe Called Quest, Vivienne Westwood's not so dirty laundry and Ozwald Boateng's impeccable suit.

Sheffield Doc/Fest Day Two

Read on to find out what I thought of what day two of the Sheffield Documentary Festival had to offer, including a number of European premieres such as Shut Up Little Man! and Bombay Beach.

Sheffield Doc/Fest Day One

As I'm sure you're aware, the Sheffield Documentary Festival (Doc/Fest) is now underway. Here's my thoughts of what the first day had to offer, including the premiere of Morgan Spurlock's newest documentary POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.