This Week In Cinemas – September 6th 2013
Posted by Daniel Mann
Sorry I’m a little late with this week’s instalment but better late then never I say. Besides, we have a lot to cover this week. We're trying something a little different this week. If you want to check out a trailer for any of the films listed below then just click the provided link in the title of said film. Anyways, lets get on with it.
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Director: Shane Salerno
Release: Limited
An unprecedented look inside the private world of J.D. Salinger, the reclusive author of The Catcher in the Rye.
See it or Wait till DVD? Personally speaking, I was never an admirer of the writings of J.D Salinger. So I whole-heartedly admit that I’m not the best person to ask as to whether you should see this documentary or not as I have no interest in this what so ever. Rotten Tomatoes has it marked down at 32%, which may be saying something with regards to its quality. Ultimately I’m going to say skip it, but if you’re a fan of J.D Salinger then you may have interest in this.
WHITE HOUSE DOWN Director: Roland Emmerich
Release: Wide
While on a tour of the White House with his young daughter, a Capitol policeman springs into action to save his child and protect the president from a heavily armed group of paramilitary invaders.
See it or Wait till DVD? It’s loud, explosive and full of dumb. For that reason, I’m recommending that you go out, grab some popcorn, and leave your brain at the door. Enjoy the mindless spectacle for what it is. Tatum and Fox play off each other rather well and have a good chemistry together while Emmerich proves once again that he can blow shit up and do it rather well. It’s dumb as all hell but I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t have fun with it so a recommendation it is.
PARANOIA Director: Robert Luketic Release: Wide
An entry-level employee at a powerful corporation finds himself occupying a corner office, but at a dangerous price: he must spy on his boss's old mentor to secure for him a multi-billion dollar advantage.
See it or Wait till DVD? The Reviews for it have been pretty piss-poor to say the least. Festering with a measly 4% over at Rotten Tomatoes. I’d say it’s a complete skip it judging by those reviews but alas I haven’t seen the movie so I can’t comment definitively on it. Shame too, the thought of having a Gary Oldman and Harrison Ford on-screen reunion was sort of alluring to this guilty as charged AIR FORCE ONE fan.
Director: Dror Moreh
Release: Limited
A documentary featuring interviews with all surviving former heads of Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency whose activities and membership are closely held state secrets.
See it or Wait till DVD? Haven’t seen it yet. I do have a strong interest in seeking it out as I have heard nothing but praise for it so far.
SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL 2013 RUNDOWN
Last but certainly not least, we have a reminder to pass along for those who live in Sydney Australia. Don’t forget that this weekend marks the Annual SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL. The program features a rich and colourfully diverse line-up of independent and lesser known treats. Consisting of tfilms ranging from the transgressively edgy to those that are just downright plain-fun. It is a program filled with the type of cinema that we absolutely love. Also, If you're in the area and happen to attend then who knows, you might just run into a couple of familiar faces that write for this very site.
Here’s a brief run down on what’s playing at the festival this weekend
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RETURN TO NUKE EM HIGH Vol. 1 Director: Lloyd Kaufman
Here at Neon Maniacs, we’re big fans of the Nuke Em High trilogy. So it’s safe to say that we’re foaming at the mouth with a nice shade of green toxic ooze for Lloyd Kaufman’s triumphant return to the place that we love the best.
THE LORDS OF SALEM Director: Rob Zombie
Rob Zombie’s latest film will have its Australian Premiere at the festival. From what I’ve heard about, it’s definitely the most suitable festival to premiere it in this country.
Director: Don Coscarelli
I really like the novel this film is based on. Unfortunately I was less then impressed with the translation to the screen. It’s a fun film but I thought it worked better in graphic novel form.
Director: Cody Calahan
To be honest, I am walking into this one as a blind man. I honestly have no idea what to expect from this other then what I've seen from the provided trailer. But the synopsis alone sounds intriguing.
MAGIC MAGIC Director: Sebastiàn Silva
Are you as sick and tired of watching Michael Cera do his one familiar shtick over and over again as I am? You know, the awkward nervous demeanour that he has been repeating ad nauseum since he made his name in Arrested Development? Well we have the medicine to your illness right here. Magic Magic is a thriller where Michael Cera sheds that awkward demeanour. Playing a role unlike anything you’ve ever seen him play before. This time, he plays a creepy little bastard. A bastard who is hell bent on playing a set of sick and twisted games at the despair of Emily Browning and Jumo Temple’s well being
ADJUST YOUR TRACKING Director(s): Dan M.Kinem and Levi Perectic
Before there was Digital Streaming, before there was Blu-Ray, before there was DVD, before there was VCD and hell, before there was even Laserdisc. There was a wonderful invention called VHS. Growing up in the Nineties, I was a VHS kid all the way. Some of my fondest film geek memories came from discovering a wide variety of classic horror and genre films thanks to the old weekly rentals section at the back of Video Ezy. When I was a teen, I would spend countless hours browsing the weekly section renting tape after tape. It was thanks to VHS that I was introduced to such a wide array of horror classics. Films such as The Hills Have Eyes, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Maniac Cop, The Evil Dead, Nightmare on Elm Street, Reservoir Dogs, Black Christmas, Prom Night, Fright Night, Maniac, The Toxic Avenger, Friday the 13th, Class of 1984, The Warriors and oh so many more. It was thanks to the wonderful invention of VHS and the musty old $2 Weekly Section that helped me to discover these films.
Sure the video quality was quite shite. There was always that nasty habit of running the risk of renting a worn out tape that just might get chewed up by the heads of your player. Leaving you to curse the machine in frustration as you missed half of a movie because of a technical error. But there was something undeniably charming about those oversized VHS clamshell boxes. Seeing a clamshell that had five or six stickers plastered on top of one another as the rental price slipped lower and lower over the years only helped to give it a flavour that couldn’t be beat. While both DVD and Blu Ray went on to give us immaculate image quality, they still lack a certain degraded charm that VHS had, with its low res, ugly as shit and incorrectly framed 4:3 boxed presentation.
In short, this documentary is for both those who still collect and treasure the format that died oh so long ago. But its also for us, the people who grew up with the format.
BEST WORST MOVIE BINGO TROLL 2: Director; Claudio Fragasso
THE ROOM: Director; Tommy Wiseau
BIRDEMIC 2: Director; James Nguyen
Play Bingo to Three of the Best Worst Movies ever made. Sounds like a hoot and a holler to us.
Director: Brian Spitz
Patrick was on top of the world. That was until he proposed to his long time girlfriend who ultimately rejected him. Why was he rejected? Because it turns out that Patrick was of an unsatisfactory penal size. This led first time director Brian Spitz and Patrick on a bizarre journey. With a camera in hand, they set off to make a documentary. Interviewing a long line of ex-girlfriends, doctors and porn stars in order to find out if size really does matter.
OZ-PLOIT
Director(s): Various
A rapid-fire collection of short Oz-ploitation features from an ensemble of up and coming young Aussie filmmakers.
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That is just a small taste of what is showing at this years festival. For the full line-up, be sure to check out the SUFF website for all the details.
SYDNEY UNDERGROUND FILM FESTIVAL Runs from Thursday 5th of September through Sunday the 8th at The Factory Theatre.
Untill next week, this is Dan signing out and wishing you all a good weekend.
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