Drama:
Draft Day – Sports
Drama – Apr 11
Plot
Summary: Sonny Weaver Jr. is the general manager of the sorry and
struggling Cleveland Browns professional American football franchise. This
year, however, he plans to turn it all around by acquiring the number one pick
in the NFL Draft. It is make or break time. Key
Filmmakers Involved: Director/producer Ivan
Reitman. Actors Involved: Kevin Costner,
Jennifer
Garner, Tom
Welling, Ellen
Burstyn, and Chadwick Boseman.
Potential: Draft Day is Ivan Reitman’s
seventeenth feature film. I will forever think fondly of him as a filmmakers
thanks to Stripes
and Ghostbusters,
but his recent work has been mostly a series of letdowns (though, I will say
that No
Strings Attached grew on me and I now think of it as being quite funny and
enjoyable). Draft Day looks like a very sappy/clichéd sports drama, but it
should still find an audience among sports fans. Field of Dreams is
incredibly sappy and clichéd and who does not get choked up watching it?
Although, to be fair, I do not think Draft Day will be anywhere near as good or
moving as Field of Dreams. I think it will be a throwaway movie that I only want
to see because I love sports and sports movies in general (I also enjoy Kevin
Costner; he made a number of great films once upon a time). This is probably a
miss for anyone who does not also count themselves among lovers of sports and
sports movies. And even then, this will probably be disappointing. Trailer: Here.
The Railway Man –
Drama – Apr 11
Plot
Summary: Based on a true story, Eric Lomax was a victim of WWII’s Death
Railway in which Japanese soldiers tortured their British prisoners who refused
to aid Japan’s war effort by building a railroad. Years later, he returns to
Asia to find the man who tortured him and exact revenge. Key Filmmakers Involved: Director Jonathan Teplitzky
and writer Frank
Cottrell Boyce. Actors Involved: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman,
Stellan
Skarsgard, Jeremy
Irvine, and Hiroyuki
Sanada. Potential: On paper, The Railway
Man has the makings of a very good drama. Notably, it has a fantastic cast. I
have not seen any of director Jonathan Teplitzky’s films, so I cannot speak to
his quality as a filmmaker, but with this cast and this subject manner I think
it is likely that this will be a good character drama. It is probably worth
renting for fans of character dramas (though maybe check Rotten Tomatoes
first). It played to mostly positive reviews from critics during its festival
screenings. Trailer: Here.
Comedy:
Dom Hemingway –
Comedy/ Crime Drama – Apr 2
Plot
Summary: Dom Hemingway made his living as a safecracker, but he got
busted and spent twelve years in prison for not ratting out his friends. Now he
is out and wants to collect what he thinks he is owed (and also reconnect with
his daughter). Key Filmmakers Involved: Writer/director
Richard Shepard and composer Rolfe Kent. Actors Involved: Jude Law, Richard E. Grant,
Emilia Clarke,
Kerry Condon,
and Demian
Bichir. Potential: Richard Shepard’s
previous six feature films are all mediocre (though The Hunting
Party has a few moments), but he has done some good work on television. I
have enjoyed his directing work on Girls, for
example. Dom Hemingway looks like a riotously fun film. Not necessarily good,
but very fun and entertaining with Jude Law giving a great central performance
and good support from Richard E. Grant (playing a character in his wheelhouse).
It was released in the UK last year and played to mixed reviews, but more on
the positive side of mixed. I will probably rent it, as it looks enjoyable. Trailer: Here.
Alan Partridge: Alpha
Papa – Comedy – Apr 4
Plot
Summary: Alan Partridge (for those unfamiliar with the British
television character) is a famous DJ in Norwich; however, he has fallen on hard
times and his radio station has been taken over by a media conglomerate. With
new layoffs and restrictions weighing heavily on the employees of the station,
the building is taken over by former employee and everyone held hostage. Now,
Alan must work with the police to resolve the situation, and also hopefully
save his show. Key Filmmakers Involved: Writer/producer
Steve Coogan,
writer/producer Armando
Iannucci, and director Declan Lowney. Actors Involved: Steve Coogan and Colm Meaney.
Potential: Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa (as it
is called in the UK) has a very good comedy team behind it and the character is
one of the most successful among British TV comedies. This is his feature film
debut. Coogan is very funny (probably best known from 24
Hour Party People, Tristram Shandy: A
Cock and Bull Story, and The Trip – he
was also nominated for an Oscar this year co-writing Philomena
and is also good in the film) and Armando Iannucci is a fantastically funny
writer (with things like In
the Loop and Veep).
Director Lowney has a good track record with British comedy, especially on TV.
Will this film work for those unfamiliar with Alan Partridge and British comedy
in general? I do not know, but it is still worth a rental as it looks to be
quite funny. Fans of British humor will definitely want to check it out. Trailer: Here.
Cuban Fury –
Comedy – Apr 11
Plot
Summary: Bruce Garrett was a British salsa dancing prodigy, but that was
a long time ago, his career long ruined. Now, he works a boring job like
everyone else. Life gets more interesting for Bruce however when his new boss
turns out to be an attractive American woman who just happens to be into salsa.
In an attempt to win her heart, Bruce stages a comeback. Key Filmmakers Involved: Director James Griffiths
and wonderful cinematographer Dick Pope. Actors Involved: Nick Frost, Rashida Jones,
Chris O’Dowd,
and Ian
McShane. Potential: Cuban Fury stars
some great people and that alone might be enough to make it a worthy comedy
rental. Director James Griffiths makes his feature directorial debut, but has
directed a few TV comedy series. Sadly, the film debuted in the UK last year to
very mixed reviews, many called the humor juvenile. But maybe it is still worth
a look for big fans of Nick Frost. Trailer: Here.
The Other Woman –
Comedy – Apr 25
Plot
Summary: A high powered woman in New York thinks she has a monotonous
relationship with a man, only to discover that he is married (though,
theoretically and probably likely they still could be in a monotonous
relationship, no?). Deciding that this is not okay and feeling betrayed, she
teams up with his wife to plot revenge upon the man. Key
Filmmakers Involved: Director Nick Cassavetes. Actors Involved: Cameron Diaz,
Leslie Mann,
Kate Upton,
Nikolaj
Coster-Waldau, and Taylor Kinney.
Potential: The Other Woman looks kind of
funny in a vapid, soulless Hollywood comedy sort of way – the kind of movie you
put on and just enjoy for its silliness and mindlessness, engaging with its
clichés because you do not want to actually care or think. Plus, you could do
worse. Cameron Diaz and Leslie Mann will probably make for a decent comedy
paring, though I fear this will retreat into becoming as much a romantic comedy
as just a buddy revenge comedy. Director Nick Cassavetes has never had the
ambition to make anything interesting. This is his eighth feature film (the
best of which so far is My Sister’s Keeper,
I guess – although, I have never seen it, but I cannot recommend any of his
other films I have seen and My Sister’s Keeper has a decent IMDb rating, but mixed
reviews). The Other Woman is probably a rental at best, begging to be watched
when you just want to enjoy something light and disposable (we all have those
moments). Trailer: Here.
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