Guest post by the impeccable Ben Fuller
Welcome to the first, of what we hope are many BSR Weekend Movie Previews.
A quick disclaimer before we get started: I have not seen any of these movies, nor have I researched any of them. The whole point of this weekly feature is for me to pass judgment on films I have not yet seen. I am trusting in the universal power of pop culture osmosis to inform my admittedly clueless opinions. All of the film information presented here, including the plot summary, has been pulled from the Opening This Week page of IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/nowplaying/). This week we are previewing”For No Good Reason”, “Locker”, “The Other Woman”, “Brick Mansions”, and “The Quiet Ones”. A real winning hand of flicks…
So, without further ado, grab hold of my hand, close your eyes, take a deep breath and let’s make the jump…
“For No Good Reason” (2012)
Trailer:
R 89 min – Documentary | Biography | History | Music
Director: Charlie Paul
Stars: Johnny Depp, Ralph Steadman, Hunter S. Thompson, Terry Gilliam
Summary: Johnny Depp pays a visit to Ralph Steadman, the renowned artist and the last of the original Gonzo visionaries who worked alongside Hunter S. Thompson.
Thoughts: I wonder how Hunter S. Thompson would feel about the person Johnny Depp has become since his death in 2005. Hunter’s death, not Depp’s, though a case could be made that Depp died then, too, since that is about the time that the choices that made him edgy and interesting stopped. Depp became completely boring as an actor starting around the time he played Willy Wonka in “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”. Hopefully, this trend will now end with his most lackluster recent turn in the very disappointing “Transcendence”. Anyway, “For No Good Reason” is a documentary about an artist that was associated with Thompson, and includes Johnny Depp as host and narrator. Looks pretty good.
“Locke” (2013)
Trailer:
R 85 min – Drama | Thriller
Director: Steven Knight
Stars: Tom Hardy, Olivia Colman, Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott
Summary: A successful construction manager’s life is drastically changed by a series of phone calls while he drives.
Thoughts: This flick is getting a lot of great and positive critical praise, at least according to the trailer. I am still not sure what it is about, even after that wonderfully detailed summary from IMDb. Tom Hardy’s accent seems even more incomprehensible than his Bane accent, which is pretty amazing. Speaking of Hardy and accents, could they just release the new “Mad Max” movie already? He can do whatever accent he wants in that, I am just really ready for some non-talking animal (pig or penguin) George Miller awesomeness. It has been far, far too long.
“Brick Mansions” (2014)
Trailer:
PG-13 90 min – Action | Crime | Drama
Director: Camille Delamarre
Stars: Paul Walker, David Belle, RZA, Gouchy Boy
Summary: An undercover Detroit cop navigates a dangerous neighborhood that’s surrounded by a containment wall with the help of an ex-con in order to bring down a crime lord and his plot to devastate the entire city.
Thoughts: I am a big Luc Besson fan – probably more so of the lower budget actioners he knocks out in his sleep as Writer/Producer. He is the behind the scenes ringleader of such awesomeness as Jet Li’s “Kiss of the Dragon” and “Unleashed” (his best non-Chinese produced films), “From Paris With Love”, “Transporter”, “3 Days to Kill”, “Lockout”, etc. “Brick Mansions” is actually a remake of the very awesome “District B13” which also co-starred David Belle (who is known as the father of modern Parkour), and Besson co-wrote and produced. This version is also noteworthy as one of the last screen appearances by the late Paul Walker. It looks like, based on the trailer, that it is pretty much a beat for beat remake of the original (with a lot of the same actors besides Belle, reprising roles). It does look like there are some added character arcs and motivations for the Walker character, which would was glossed over in the original. All of that aside, I will probably see it because of crazy insane fighting action. You don’t see these movies for the acting or the plot.
“The Quiet Ones” (2014)
Trailer:
PG-13 98 min – Horror
Director: John Pogue
Stars: Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Olivia Cooke, Erin Richards
Summary: A university professor and a team of students conduct an experiment on a young woman, uncovering terrifyingly dark, unexpected forces in the process.
Thoughts: I love horror movies and TV shows that are based on real events. But not in that “Ooohh, this really happened” kinda way. More like in the “Hey, how many adolescent kids are in the story that are totally ignored and just hanging out in the background stewing at the injustice of being left out of everything, and probably thinking ‘hey, I wonder what would happen if I threw this rock at the vase on the other side of the room when no one is looking’” kinda way. Having said all of that, Jared Harris is super creepy, so him in a horror movie is probably a good thing.
“The Other Woman” (2014)
Trailer:
PG-13 109 min – Comedy | Romance
Director: Nick Cassavetes
Stars: Cameron Diaz, Leslie Mann, Kate Upton, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau
Summary: After discovering her boyfriend is married, Carly soon meets the wife he’s been cheating on. And when yet another affair is discovered, all three women team up to plot mutual revenge on the three-timing SOB.
Thoughts: I am at a bit of a loss on what to expect from this. I am not a big fan of any of the leading ladies. The plot looks pretty Post-Judd-Apatow-Meaningful-Comedy-Era-By-The-Numbers, and I don’t think I am the target demographic. However, Nick Cassavetes has some decent chops as a director (though, not as much in main stream comedies), and it has Jaime Lannister as the scoundrel husband. It might be too much to expect Leslie Mann to not only be playing his wife, but also his sister. A cameo by the George RR, would probably be asking too much as well.