Previewed: July's Releases

July's Releases

The month of many movies is finally upon us with a plethora of choices to keep nearly everyone happy. As usual I look at what is on offer and let you know what I think is worth watching and what should not even be touched with a bargepole. Enjoy.

Best Movies in July 2011

                           1. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
                           2. Super
                           3. Horrible Bosses
                           4. Captain America: The First Avenger
                           5. The Tree of Life
                           6. A Separation
                           7. Cars 2


Action/Fantasy/Thrillers
Trust (8th July)
Part thriller, part drama Trust revolves around the dangers of the online world as a teenage girl is targeted by an online sexual predator and the knock on effects for her parents. David Schwimmer's latest foray onto the big screen after the acceptable Run Fatboy Run. In a month filled with good films, this will get pushed into relative obscurity where it shouldn't belong. 

Cell 211 (15th July)
A Spanish film this one. The story of two men on different sides of a prison riot- the inmate leading the rebellion and the young guard trapped in the revolt, who poses as a prisoner in a desperate attempt to survive the ordeal. Has gained critical acclaim from Spain with a Hollywood remake already mooted for 2013. 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (15th July)
Don't think much needs to be said about this. Expect a media frenzy storm as the day approaches as the saga finally comes to a close. Harry Potter and Co's final battle with Voldermort will have the cinema's packed to the rafters and even if your not a fan you will probably somehow find yourself in there with everyone else. Watch out for my Potter Marathon post next week when I try and watch all 7 movies in one sitting with some live text updates. Fun fun!

Hobo with a Shotgun (15th July) [my review]
Having already reviewed this gives my a bit more insight than usual. I will let the review (link above) do most of the talking but suffice to say this doesn't hold back on the gore and guts. Want a plot synopsis? Read the title. If this is your type of thing then it's rather enjoyable!

Captain America: The First Avenger (29th July)
After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers (Chris Evans {no not that one UK readers}) volunteers for a top secret research project that turns him into Captain America, a superhero dedicated to defending America's ideals. So yet another superhero enters our midst which will no doubt in part be another advertising opportunity for The Avengers film out next year. Looks good enough to merit praise on it's own though. In terms of hero movies this year, I'm placing it below X-Men but above Thor and Green Lantern. Go watch.


Animations/Children
Cars 2 (22nd July) [my review]
Lightning McQueen (Owen Wilson) and his pal Mater (Larry the Cable Guy) head overseas to compete in the World Grand Prix. But the road to the championship becomes rocky as Mater gets caught up in an intriguing adventure of his own: international espionage. Pixar is back and despite my belief that Cars is probably the weakest of their franchises, it's still not half bad! Should be a good laugh and looks visually stunning.

Arrietty (29th July)
Think The Borrowers in anime and you have this film just about worked out. The latest product of Studio Ghibli Inc. (Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke) looks like a feast for the eyes once again. If this is your kind of thing then the cinema will be the only place to do it justice. I on the other hand will be waiting for the DVD.


Comedy
Larry Crowne (1st July)
After losing his job, a middle-aged man (Tom Hanks) reinvents himself by going back to college and develops a crush for his public-speaking class teacher (Julia Roberts). Closest thing to your romcom this month. Not quite my cup of tea but you never know.

Super (8th July) [my review]
After his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer, an everyday guy transforms himself into Crimson Bolt (Rainn Wilson), a superhero with the best intentions, though he lacks for heroic skills. Another one I have already seen (link above) and it comes highly recommended by me. A lot grittier and more real than Kick Ass could ever hope to be. You have to watch this.

Beginners (22nd July)
A young man (Ewan McGregor) is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover. Sure to be making most viewers laughing one moment and then crying the next. Any other month I might make my way to see this but there are too many other choices to keep me occupied.

Horrible Bosses (22nd July)
Three friends conspire to murder their awful bosses when they realize they are standing in the way of their happiness. Ever wished your boss would just disappear? Then this is the comedy for you. A host of A-listers in what has the potential to be one of the best comedies of the year. One near the top of the must see list for this month.

Zookeeper (29th July)
A group of zoo animals decide to break their code of silence in order to help their lovable zookeeper (Kevin James) find love. This looks like more of a low brow slapstick comedy than anything else. This one is heading for a flop. Avoid unless you want to zone out for a few hours.


Drama/Documentaries
A Separation (1st July)
A couple, Nader and Simin have different ideas about living abroad. Simin wants to go to give her daughter a better life but Nader refuses to go because partly so he can care for his father who suffers from Alzheimers. However Simin is determined to get a divorce and leave the country with her daughter. Powerful drama in Iranian that just wins best foreign movie of the month from me.

As If I Am Not There (1st July)
Taken from true stories revealed during the International Criminal Tribunal in The Hague on the Bosnian War of the 1990s. A schoolteacher in Sarajevo takes a job in a small country village to avoid the worst of the war. But when Serbian soldiers overrun the village, they shoot the men and keep the women as labourers (the older ones) and sex objects (the younger ones). Will fly under the radar but looks impressive. Subtitled.

Beetle Queen Conquers Tokyo (1st July) 
Just because this list wouldn't be complete without a strange documentary, I give you this. It looks into the cultural and historical ties underlying Japan's deep fascination with insects. Doubt I would ever go to the cinema to watch (more suited to a TV listing) but it looked strange enough to warrant a place.

The Conspirator (1st July)
Mary Surratt is the lone female charged as a co-conspirator in the assassination trial of Abraham Lincoln. As the whole nation turns against her, she is forced to rely on her reluctant lawyer to uncover the truth and save her life. Looks OK- I can see it being eclipsed by some of the other movies out this month though.

The Tree of Life (8th July)
The story centres around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence. If it hits the right notes and doesn't come across as too pretentious then I'll bet it will be a forerunner to nick a couple of Oscars. Could go either way so I'm going to sit on the fence until I've seen it.


Horror
The Violent Kind (22nd July)
Yet again we have a month short on horror films. Tagged as 'From the producers of Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre' (the crappy remakes not the originals) it follows a night at a secluded farmhouse with a small group of hardened young bikers and their girlfriends. They become tormented when one of the girls is savagely possessed and a gang of "Rockabillies" seemingly from the 1950's descends upon them to collect what is growing inside her. Yeh one to avoid.


And due to the volume of enticing films out this month, I've been left with the best of the rest that I did not have time to preview but which still seem interesting so have a look yourself if you have a few spare moments:

Holy Rollers (8th July) : Jews and drugs. Jesse Eisenberg. Crime/Drama.
A Better Life (29th July) : Mexican gardener seeks better life for son. Drama.
Poetry (29th July) : Ageing woman undergoing Alzheimers finds poetry. S Korean. Drama.

Done. Seems like movie goers will be a few pennies poorer come the end of this month if they all live up to expectations. Anyway back to the reviews. Next up from me is Bridesmaids. [my review] As always, check out the trailer below.

Farm
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Reviewed: 13 Assassins [2011]

13 Assassins [2011]

15 - 141mins - Action/Adventure/Drama - 6th May 2011

Being the film buff that I like to pretend I am, I am still yet to see Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai- a work that has supposedly spawned many films since and is widely regarded as one of the first films to introduce plot structures such as recruiting a group of characters to to accomplish a specific goal and having a main hero undertake a task unrelated to the main plot. 13 Assassins leans on this movie which it has clearly been influenced by.

The story follows the efforts of a group of samurai as they aim to assassinate the evil Lord Naritsugu (Gorô Inagaki) whose malevolence and monstrosities against his people know no bounds. Unable to touch Naritsugu due to his links with the former and current shogun , a senior politician realises that he has to be stopped before he obtains a higher rank and becomes an even more dangerous threat. He secretly enlists the help of a trusted samurai Shinzaemon Shimada (Kôji Yakusho) to gather a group of samurai together with the task of eliminating Naritsugu.

Despite me not being the best judge of the way of the samurai, I was not born in the 1840's in Japan, I felt that 13 Assassins portrayed what it could well have been like during that time. Setting the film in a time of relative peace was a good choice as it meant many of the samurai had no real life combat experience or know-how which gave them more depth- they are trained killing machines and yet for some of them, they have never even killed.

The main draw of this movie is the combat sequences and action shots which are impressive to say the least. The whole movie is basically enacting out one long battle scene with the first half setting up the characters and the last hour being dedicated to the massive battle scene. There is quite a bit of gore to keep an eye out for in both the fighting scenes and others with many limbs being severed and plenty of guts on show. The fighting scenes are well done although if I had to find fault, I would say at points it did feel as it the samurai were fighting wave after wave of enemies leading to it feeling a bit 'samey' and instead of heading straight for Naritsugu the samurai felt compelled to slash their way through the footmen first when they could have gone for him straight away. But that's just me nitpicking.

The number of unfamiliar Japanese names being mentioned along with the fact that the samurai are all wearing similar attire and have the same haircut whilst having to spend time reading subtitles rather than watching can lead to some confusion. This does fall away though while the movie progresses as the characters take on more individual personalities especially within the samurai group.

Credit must go to director Takashi Miike who not only has created a beautiful movie in terms of cinematography and direction but also has brought the honour, tradition and way of life of the samurai and Japanese culture to the viewer in emphatic fashion. Awesome fight scene, solid acting and the ability to not shy away from the gore lead me to give this a...

Rating: B+

O and prepare to be befuddled for a bit at the end as well!

You may have noticed that another month has flown by so get ready for my preview of July's releases [my article] where there are many films that will be hitting the screens and by and large, most of them look quite good! Until then...

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms

Trailered: Johnny English Reborn [2011]

Johnny English Reborn [2011]

Release Dates:

- 7th October 2011 (UK) -

- TBA (USA) -

Director: Oliver Parker

Stars: Rowan Atkinson, Rosamund Pike, Dominic West

Johnny English (Atkinson) returns to the role of the accidental secret agent who doesn't know fear or danger in the comedy spy-thriller Johnny English Reborn. In this latest adventure, the most unlikely intelligence officer in Her Majesty's Secret Service must stop a group of international assassins before they eliminate a world leader and cause global chaos.

In the years since the first installment, MI-7's top spy has vanished off the grid and been been honing his unique skills in a remote region of Asia. But when his agency superiors learn of an attempt against the Chinese premier's life, they must hunt down the highly unorthodox agent.

Now that the world needs him once again, Johnny English returns to the action. With his one shot at redemption, he must employ the latest in hi-tech gadgets to unravel a web of conspiracy that runs throughout the KGB, CIA and even MI-7. With mere days until a heads of state conference, English must use every trick in his playbook to save the day.

With his usual blend of sarcasm and straight faced comedy Atkinson will no doubt bring his usual wit to the role which saw it succeed during it's original release in 2003. Expect laughs.

Rating: B

Farm
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Trailered: Brave [2012]

Brave [2012]

Release Dates:

- 22nd June 2012 (USA) -

- 17th August 2012 (UK) -

Director: Mark Andrews

Stars: Emma Thompson, Kelly Macdonald, Kevin McKidd

Coinciding alongside the release of Cars 2, Disney Pixar have released the first trailer for their newest project, Brave.

The movie is set in the mystical Scottish Highlands, where Merida (Macdonald) is the princess of a kingdom ruled by King Fergus (Billy Connolly) and Queen Elinor (Thompson). Merida, an unruly daughter and an accomplished archer, one day defies a sacred custom of the land and inadvertently brings turmoil to the kingdom. In an attempt to set things right she seeks out an eccentric old Wise Woman (Julie Walters) and is granted an ill-fated wish. Also figuring into her quest and serving as comic relief are the kingdom’s three lords: the enormous Lord MacGuffin (McKidd), the surly Lord Macintosh (Craig Ferguson), and the disagreeable Lord Dingwall (Robbie Coltrane).

1st Teaser Trailer:

It's a Pixar and it's an original concept. Since when have those two points failed to produce something special.

Rating: A

Farm
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Trailered: Flypaper [2011]

Flypaper [2011]

Release Dates:
- TBA -

Director: Rob Minkoff

Stars: Patrick Dempsey, Ashley Judd, Jeffrey Tambor

Flypaper follows a bank robbery with a twist. Whilst using a bank a man ,, is caught in the middle of a heist. Nothing out of the ordinary so far you say and you would be correct. However on this fateful day, the bank is being robbed by 2 groups at the same time- a slick operation after the vault and some rednecks out for the ATM machines.

Although this is too far fetched to be plausible and I have this feeling it's not going to be the best film ever produced, it will no doubt entertain.

Rating: C

Farm
Are you fanatical about film? Then follow this site on Twitter @  FAbFilms