Saturday 27 April 2013

Obscurity Files - Jake Speed

Never heard of the literary hero Jake Speed? Let me tell you why...

Wednesday 24 April 2013

THE BLING RING - New trailer for Sofia Coppola's latest film

She may have her detractors out there, but this is a house in which any new Sofia Coppola film is met with excitement, and so here is the new trailer for her Hollywood Hills Burglary film, The Bling Ring. Based on real events that saw celebrities such as Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan burgled when they were out of town, The Bling Ring stars Emma Watson as she continues her evolution from cutesy child actress to rebellious twenty-something.

Coppola is known for directing female actors well and has gotten some stand out performances from unexpected places (Scarlett Johannson and Elle Fanning spring to mind), so the pairing of Coppola and Watson could turn out to be a great move, particularly for Watson who is trying to move on from her schoolgirl wizard past.

It's interesting that this is coming out in the same year as Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, as there's some clear similarities between them. Both show a generation who are willing to settle for infamy when fame isn't available and assume that they are entitled to privileges that they haven't earned. The fact that the film features burglary victim Paris Hilton as herself lends it a new level of irony that I doubt she can appreciate.


The events depicted may be fresh in the minds of a lot of people and the trailer gives away far too much to those susceptible to spoilers, but it looks stylish, hip and a lot of fun. The Bling Ring is released in the US in June and the UK in July.

Tuesday 23 April 2013

The new trailer for THOR: THE DARK WORLD presented to you in graph form because I felt like it.


If you insist, here's the actual trailer for reference.


Thor: The Dark World will be arriving in cinemas this October in the UK and November in the US, and yes, I did "borrow" the basic idea for this from Total Film. Whatya gonna do, sue me*?

(*Please don't sue me.)

Monday 22 April 2013

Sunday 21 April 2013

EVIL DEAD review

Re-imagining the trip into the woods for a new generation, Evil Dead sees a whole new group forced to suffer through a terrifying ordeal in one night of madness that few will survive.

Obscurity Files - Up The Creek

Picking up where Animal House left off, here's my thoughts on the Tim Matheson led campus comedy, Up The Creek.

Thursday 18 April 2013

MADE OF STONE - New trailer for Shane Meadows' documentary about The Stone Roses

The importance of the Stone Roses to legions of fans is obvious, and from this first trailer for the upcoming documentary about them, it's clear that director Shane Meadows is one of those fans. Although this documentary follows the band's 2012 re-emergence and subsequent live shows, it looks like with this film getting released and the Stone Roses related narrative feature/nostalgic love letter Spike Island arriving in a couple of months time, 2013 might be the year that their legacy is felt cinematically.


From the trailer it looks like an opportunity for Ian Brown, John Squires and company to shed some light on what caused the breakdown of the band and what prompted them to return after 20 years, as well as something of a personal journey for director Shane Meadows, here making his first documentary feature.

The Stone Roses: Made of Stone is premiering in Manchester (where else?) on 30th May before general release on June 5th.

Wednesday 17 April 2013

Only God Forgives - New poster for Ryan Gosling's reunion with Nicolas Winding Refn


Derek Cianfrance's The Place Beyond the Pines isn't Ryan Gosling's only re-pairing with a director this year; he also has Only God Forgives, the follow up to Nicolas Winding Refn's Drive. The first poster has been released today, and it's suitably striking and more than a little bit ugly. But that's kind of the point for a film that will be known, at least a little bit, for its more shocking aspects.

Emblazoned with a garish neon Dragon that can be attributed to the film's Thailand setting, Only God Forgives sees Gosling star as Julien, a Bangkok drug trafficker seeking to avenge his brother's death in the criminal underworld, and as can be seen in the red band trailer, taking a few knocks along the way.

It's a poster that is certainly a talking point to generate interest in the film, but considering Gosling's current megastar status, I expect to see this poster usurped by one with his face on sometime in the near future.

Tuesday 16 April 2013

Just in case I haven't persuaded you to watch Pitch Perfect yet, here's a video that should change all that.

Along with the excellent news that there will be a Pitch Perfect sequel arriving in 2015, today also saw the release of this music video for Anna Kendrick's When I'm Gone, more commonly known as Cups for reasons that will become apparent when you watch it. If they don't become apparent I don't quite know what to suggest, really.

Based on one of the most memorable scenes in the film and showing off the vocal talents of Anna Kendrick (who appears to have a music career now); I doubt it's all one shot once the cups start to move, but I sure as hell can't see the edits. Either way, it's an impressive piece of choreography that propels it beyond its current party trick status.

Monday 15 April 2013

The Good, the Bad and the Blu-rays

You want comedy? I got it. You want horror? I got it. You want horror-comedy? You better believe that I got it.

Sunday 14 April 2013

FILTH - New trailer and poster for the latest Irvine Welsh adaptation

Starring James McAvoy and based on the novel of the same name by Trainspotting writer Irvine Welsh, Filth sees McAvoy as a member of the Lothian Constabulary investigating a murder whilst engaging in all manner of debauchery and hedonism.


It's of no surprise that this originated from the pen of Irvine Welsh, as he depicts Scottish misery and drug addiction better than anyone. Of course there will be the obligatory harsh comedown and important life lessons to be doled out but, more than anything, Filth looks like a lot of fun. I've always found McAvoy to be a great screen presence, but he's still without that one defining role that people immediately associate him with. Using his own accent and sporting an unmistakably Scottish beard, McAvoy appears to be enjoying being back on home turf.

Sure to go down as one of the most exciting trailers of the year (not to mention the poster which is original and immediately iconic), its breakneck pace and montage of sex fuelled mayhem does a grand job of selling the title.

Saturday 13 April 2013

SCANNERS BLU-RAY review

Released this week in fancy new steelbook packaging, it's David Cronenberg's 1981 body horror classic, Scanners.

Friday 12 April 2013

Obscurity Files - The Heavenly Kid

A movie released in 1985 that concerns a cool kid from one time travelling to another to teach a nerd how to get the girl? No, not that movie, this one.

Thursday 11 April 2013

THE WAY, WAY BACK - Trailer

A funny thing happened at last year's Oscar ceremony, when the man previously known as "the guy who plays the creepy Dean in Community"  stood up, collected his Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for The Descendants and flashed a bit of leg. A star was born.

As well as returning to his signature role on Community, the Dean, AKA Jim Rash, has kept busy (along with his creative partner Nat Faxon who bagged an Oscar along side him) by directing The Way, Way Back; a coming of age tale starring Steve Carell and Sam Rockwell.


Nothing to do with The Way Back, the Colin Farrell/Jim Sturgess prison escape drama from a few years ago, this film tells the story of Duncan, a typically shy teen who is forced to accompany his mother to her boyfriend's beach house where he meets pretty, cool girl AnnaSophia Robb. So far so Youth in Revolt, but the trailer also shows a healthy dose of Adventureland and Dazed and Confused in the mix too.

With appearances by Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph and Rob Corddry; not forgetting writer/director's Nat Faxon (as a creepy lifeguard) and Jim Rash (as a creepy... well, I don't know what he is but he looks creepy), when it gets released later this year, The Way, Way Back is sure to offer up many awkward reminders to those of us who spent their teenage summers wishing Sam Rockwell would turn up to act as their spirit guide and help them get girls.

Wednesday 10 April 2013

Obscurity Files - Return to Horror High

Backing up the argument that you should never judge a film on the quality of its poster, let's take a look at George Clooney in Return to Horror High.

Tuesday 9 April 2013

Carrie Trailer

There will come a time when horror remakes are bold enough to state that that is what they are. Until then, we have the likes of Carrie, which is of course based on the acclaimed novel by Stephen King and the well regarded Brian De Palma big screen version need not be mentioned here (nor the less well remembered 1999 sequel Carrie 2: The Rage which I still reckon should have been called Carrie 2: Carrie On Regardless).

This isn't something I'd say often, but I don't think the idea of remaking Carrie is completely redundant. The themes of adolescence and coming of age are timeless and De Palma's version has dated horrendously in some areas. It's still a classic of the genre, but an updated version isn't going to change that.

The core moments from the previous adaptation are all here and well displayed in the trailer (Prom, crazy mother, awkward communal showers, but now with added camera phones), with all of the effects given the requisite Hollywood makeover needed for 2013. The trailer does recall the attention given to Let Me In, another remake that starred Chloe Moretz in a central role.

Sissy Spacek is a tough act to follow, but I think that Chloe Moretz is a great screen presence and Julianne Moore looks to have nailed the role occupied by Piper Laurie in the original. The trailer does give away a little too much about the ending, but then "socially awkward teenager goes to prom" doesn't really get the crowds in; revenge fuelled shit fits do.



Directed by Boy's Don't Cry's Kimberley Peirce, Carrie arrives in cinemas at the end of November.

Monday 8 April 2013

The Good, the Bad and the Blu-rays

This week's new releases are dominated by the return of Middle Earth, but there's still a classic Cronenberg film and a documentary about an obscure punk poet to contend with.

Sunday 7 April 2013

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 - The Motion Poster

It's safe to say that I'm not a fan of the recent trend for motion posters. I mean, what exactly is it meant to be, a trailer or a poster? It's in contention (along with the trailer for the trailer) for being the most useless piece of modern movie marketing. Having said that, what I do like is Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, so anything related to that is okay in my book.

After seeing the original on Blu-ray I instantly regretted not catching it during its theatrical run, as this charming, witty, brightly coloured food extravaganza was meant for the big screen. Yes, it's technically aimed at kids, but it helped make the point that Pixar don't have a monopoly on great animation anymore. Well, I don't plan on making the same mistake twice, so when the sequel (where the food created in the first film has evolved into "foodimals") arrives at the end of the year I'll be first in line. Okay, I might not be first in line, but I'll be pretty close to the front. Definitely not near the back.


Scheduled for release in late October and directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn (after the directors of the original, Phil Lord and Chris Miller moved on to live action with 21 Jump Street), this very welcome sequel sees original cast members Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, and Neil Patrick Harris as the voice of Steve the Monkey returning, as well as Terry Crews and Kristen Schaal being new additions to the cast.


Saturday 6 April 2013

SPRING BREAKERS review

Starring Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens as bikini clad bandits and James Franco as a gangster rapping drug lord, Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers is now in cinemas.

Friday 5 April 2013

Obscurity Files - Don't Tell Her It's Me/The Boyfriend School

Starring Steve Guttenberg as Gus Kubicek, a lonely cartoonist in recovery from cancer, Don't Tell Her It's Me (AKA The Boyfriend School) sees his sister, Lizzie (Shelley Long), try to kickstart his life again by setting him up with journalist Emily (Jamie Gertz). The only problem is, Jamie isn't interested in Gus. She's interested in Lobo Marunga, the quasi-Aussie biker who just happens to be Gus in disguise.

Wednesday 3 April 2013

Obscurity Files - Dead Heat

Take one of Saturday Night Live's biggest stars of the '80s trying to break into movies and team him up with an up and coming actor with matinee idol looks and what do you get? A cop drama that slowly reveals itself to be a gore-filled zombie comedy. When downtown LA's jewellery stores are raided by a heavily armed gang of almost indestructible men, it's up to Detectives Mortis and Bigelow (Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo) to uncover what's going on.

Tuesday 2 April 2013

Before Midnight - The first trailer for the return of Jesse and Celine


As all time favourite filmmakers go, Richard Linklater ranks very highly on my list. After first seeing Dazed and Confused as a teenager and then quickly digesting the rest of his filmography in a short space of time, it helped shape my cinematic tastes for the years that have followed and probably explains why the site you are currently reading is called Slacker Cinema. A major highlight of that filmography was 1995's Before Sunrise, the Vienna set romance that introduced the characters of Jesse and Celine, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

Linklater, Hawke and Delpy returned to those characters in 2004's Before Sunset and now, another 9 years later, are back once again with Before Midnight. Now married with kids, Jesse and Celine's relationship has reached a new completeness, the questions from the final scene in 2004's installment satisfyingly answered. Now, living within their own romantic legend, Before Midnight continues the ongoing love story.


Jesse and Celine seem to have found themselves a comfortable life (this time on a Greek island), and equally, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy seem even more comfortable in the roles that they are best known for. Also back on board as co-writers (along with Linklater, Delpy and Hawke received an Oscar nomination for Before Sunset) it's reassuring to know that they wouldn't have risked returning to these roles had they not had something relevant to say.


Receiving great word of mouth after its debut at Sundance in January, Before Midnight arrives in cinemas this summer.

Monday 1 April 2013

The Good, the Bad and the Blu-rays

After a ridiculously long absence from the interwebs, here is the return of my weekly guide to the DVDs and Blu-rays you should be spending your money on, as well as the ones you definitely shouldn't.

Pineapple Express 2 Trailer

At long last, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco in the roles that defined their careers, it's the trailer for the sequel you've all been waiting for.



Poking fun at a previous film to promote a new one sounds like a strange move, but it is, of course, a joke, with today's date being the reason behind its release. Still, it's a pretty good joke that not only has me in the mood to re-watch the original Pineapple Express, it also has me further sold on the premise of the film it is really promoting, This Is The End.

Previously seeming a bit wanky (what with Rogen, Franco, Hill, McBride, etc, play themselves watching the end of the world from a celebrity party), this comedy is starting to look like the quintessential Seth Rogen film (high concept seen through a haze of smoke), and the ideal one for him to make his directorial debut with, alongside regular co-writer/producer Evan Goldberg.

Who knows whether this is purely a stand-alone joke made as a piece of viral marketing (quite expertly, I might say), or if this footage will actually feature in the film in some way. Personally, I could stand to see a bit more of Jonah Hill's Woody Harrelson impression.

This Is The End is released this summer. Sadly, Pineapple Express 2 will probably only ever exist in the hearts and minds of those too lethargic to make it.