Monday 21 January 2013

The Good, the Bad and the Blu-rays

A solid week of new releases this week, but without much Hollywood input. Instead, it's a chance to let the smaller guys have their moment.


Directed by the Soska Sisters (AKA the Twisted Twins), American Mary has been doing the rounds on the festival circuit building a lot of buzz. Rightly so if word of mouth is to be believed. Part way The Skin I Live In, May and The Human Centipede, American Mary looks like a gruesome and graphic horror that will appeal to fans of the genre.

An updated adaptation of the 1970s TV show, Nick Love's The Sweeney doesn't look like it shares an awful lot with its predecessor, but it does look a fair bit like the unnecessarily violent inner city London gangster sub-genre Love helped create with The Firm and The Business. Ray Winstone is usually dependable and is probably the best man for the job of filling John Thaw's shoes, but Ben "Plan B" Drew as his co-star is something of a risk.

The Campaign seemed to just come and go during its theatrical run, barely making any waves at all. That's surprising considering the talent involved, which means it's either a lost gem or, more likely, it's a bit shit. Still, despite it not being quite as topical as it was, this election comedy will probably find some support on the home video market, even if both the main players can do better.

Okay, now there's nothing wrong with trying to build yourself a cult following, but seriously, Danny Trejo needs to find himself a better agent or at least adjust his quality control with reading scripts. Starring alongside Buffy's Charisma Carpenter (as a librarian?!), this film used to be known as Haunted High, which would explain why everyone's wearing school uniform in the trailer, I suppose.

It's Grindhouse time again, with the decidedly grim looking Dear God No! making its way onto DVD. The beauty of the cover art from Tom Hodge surpasses what the film's storyline has to offer, an exploitation heavy bevvy of breasts, bullets and butchery. WARNING: This trailer includes a shot of a topless woman firing a machine gun while wearing a Richard Nixon mask.

I wouldn't immediately rank myself alongside the many, many Adam Sandler haters, and will always have a soft spot for The Wedding Singer and Happy Gilmore in my heart. Having said that, he hasn't made a genuinely funny movie in a long time and appears to be happy going in that direction. Andy Samberg, on the other hand, hasn't really appeared in that many big comedies to date, but made up for lost time with the future classic Hot Rod. Unfortunately, even the presence of Andy Samberg and Vanilla Ice can't stop this one from being a stinker. Please God. No sequel.

Guy Maddin's films exist in a world of his own creation. A dream like combination of noir-ish characters and intrigue shot in rich black and white, they really are a beautiful thing to watch. Here he re-teams with Isabella Rossellini for this dark and troubling re-telling of Homer's Odyssey.

Oh Corey Feldman. Corey, Corey Feldman. You were once one of the biggest stars of the '80s, and now you're reduced to starring in what is little more than a remake of American Pie but with more tits?! It's hard to believe that Clerks' Brian O'Halloran could find a film with a lower budget to star in but somehow he's managed it with this, a film that look so cheap I'm pretty sure I could do a better job with my camera phone. It looks like an utterly repulsive film extolling the benefits of exploiting teenage girls, the title being the most subtle thing about it. Here's the trailer if you're interested but be warned, it may make you want to weep for the youth of America.


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