Captain America has been out for a week and still nothing huge is coming out. But that doesn’t mean that nothing interesting is coming out. There are two movies I couldn’t choose between for this weeks pick so I cheated and did both! I just want to say something before really starting this blog. I was at work the other day preparing for this and searching the internet for all the movies coming out. I got a different list from Google than IMDB gave me. I then used the IMDB app which gave me a different list than both the IMDB website and Google. So please keep in mind that these lists may not be complete but I’ll always try my best to let you know about all the movies coming out each week. On with the show. Here are the list of movies coming out the week of May 13th.
Billiam’s Pick(s) of the Week:
The Lobster: I’m surprised that Joaquin Phoenix (Gladiator, Her) isn’t somehow tied to this movie because this seems like just the kind of oddball movie he’d do. This time it’s Colin Farrell (In Bruges, Miami Vice) starring in it along side Rachel Weisz (The Lovely Bones, The Mummy) in a movie that was probably thought of when the writer was on drugs. This takes place in a “dystopian near future” where you get sent to The Hotel if you haven’t found a romantic partner. Once in said hotel, you have forty-five days to find someone or you’ll get turned into the animal of your choice. Farrell’s character picks, you guessed it, a lobster. Only time will tell if he finds someone.
When I first read the premise I zeroed in on the word “dystopian” I imagined a Terminator-esque world where everything is dark and murky, but the trailer shows a bright world where the sun shines and the trees are green. But there’s some sort of filter put over all of it. For those of you who don’t know, filters were invented by Instagram to make pictures look cooler. But all bad jokes aside, there a darkness to the light that tells you right away that everything isn’t alright. This isn’t a horror, it’s actually a dark romantic comedy, which piques my interest even more. This would have been my top pick, if the next movie wasn’t also interesting.
Billiam’s 2nd Pick:
High-Rise: Who doesn’t love Tom Hiddleston? Raise your dead inside hands! For those of you who didn’t raise your hands, you may want to pay attention. High-Rise is based on a book by J.G. Ballard, the same guy who wrote Crash. This time around the movie isn’t about race relations in LA but high-rise experiencing class warfare, literally. Tom HIddleston (Thor, War Horse) plays a man who moves into a new apartment right as everything starts to fall apart and an all out war breaks out between the rich tenants in the top floors and the less fortunate ones on the bottom. This one has an all star cast including Luke Evans (Fast & Furious 6, Dracula Untold), Elizabeth Moss (The West Wing, Mad Men), Sienna Miller (Foxcatcher, Burnt), and Jeremy Irons (Die Hard: With A Vengeance, The Borgias). There’s probably some social commentary in the story but for those of us who go to movies to be entertained, it looks like there’s plenty to look at. This looks like it’s going to be a dark action comedy with more focus on the dark aspect with a tongue-in-cheek undertone that will pop up in certain scenes. The Lobster looks like the better quality movie but High-Rise looks like the more entertaining one.
This movie comes out in theaters on Friday but you can already rent it on Amazon for ten bucks. I want to see it in theaters and if I get the chance I’ll be sure to tell you if it’s worth the ten dollar per person fee or if you’re better off getting a friend or two together and splitting the ten bucks. From the trailer alone I think the latter will be the case, but who knows?
Money Monster: I feel like this one should have been the pick of the week, but I just can’t get excited for it. This movie gets George Clooney (Batman and Robin) and Julia Roberts (Mystic Pizza) back together for the first time since Ocean’s Twelve. In its defense, this looks like a good movie. It’s just that the first two I talked about look better. This one is about one of those television financial adviser people (you know, the ones who are always yelling and sweating) who gets held hostage by a man who lost everything when the market crashed. This has two of Hollywood’s most bankable stars in a movie directed by Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), how can you lose? I still kind of want to see it even if I can’t get excited for it. Who knows? Maybe this is the only one I’ll be able to see. My friend Glenn wants to see The Lobster and High-Rise too and planning with friends is always harder than going on my own. Either way, Money Monster looks like your standard Hollywood thriller. Check out the trailer and see if this is more your style.
Last Days in the Desert: Ewan McGregor as Jesus Christ. I mean, Ewan McGregor is a gift from God, but playing Jesus? Sure, I’ll bite. This movie is about the Temptation of Christ. For those of you who aren’t up with your Biblical lore, this is after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, and the son of God fasts in the desert for forty days. While wandering the desert he gets tempted by Satan and has to keep his faith. This movie may have borrowed some of the ideas from the Bible but the full story of the forty days is unknown, so the writers had to make some stuff up so we’ll see how that goes. I’ve complained before about super niche movies like God’s Not Dead, movies that seem like they were made to pander to Christians. But this doesn’t look like that kind of film. This seems like a legitimate movie that just happens to be about a Biblical story. It may be worth a watch even if you’re not a believer in God. You can always pretend it’s a Star Wars movie and he’s Obi-Wandering the desert! Amiright? I’m right. You’re welcome for that joke.
Love and Friendship: Here I thought that Masterpiece Theater has already done everything Jane Austen. Well, maybe they did, but this time it’s on the big screen with Kate Beckinsale (Underworld series) and Chloe Sevigny (Big Love). I keep forgetting that Kate Beckinsale is from London. I was watching the trailer and thinking to myself that “wow, that’s a really good accent.” Turns out her accent in movies like Click was really good. This movie has a very specific crowd. It’s a romantic period piece which means it’s not for everyone. Luckily I’m a fan of movies like that so I can safely say that this one looks good. A strong single mom back in that day was something of a scandal and, at least according to the preview, they’re handling it with a light touch. Instead, they’re focusing on the comedy and romantic aspect of it. The comedy is dry, which is typical of British media, so if you see it just be ready to have a sensible chuckle. This is an Amazon Studio’s production so I bet that it’ll be available on demand and on Prime sooner rather than later. That way if you don’t feel like seeing this in the theater, you can sit at home and watch.
The Darkness: This is about a British rock band the formed back in 1999 and had a hit called “I Believe in a Thing Called Love.” Wait… no. This is different. This is a movie staring Kevin Bacon (Footloose, Mystic River), Radha Mitchell (Silent Hill, Pitch Black), and Ming-Na Wen (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Mulan). Oh yeah, do any of you remember Paul Reiser? He was the bad guy in Aliens and had that show with Helen Hunt called Mad About You? Apparently he’s still acting. You learn something new every day. This movie looks…. interesting. This seems like the kind of movie I’ll watch, but only once it goes on sale. Even then it’ll probably sit on my shelf for months before I get bored enough to pick it up. But who knows? This could be right up your alley. I like horror movies but not as much as my girlfriend or Raz. They might be more stoked than I am. Though it could be really good. This is from the same producers as Sinister and Insidious, two of my favorite modern scary movies. As always, watch the trailer and see if this is a movie you want to see. It comes out on Friday the 13th so who knows, it may be the perfect one to watch.
What We Become: This one is a limited release but it seems like a better option for the Friday the 13th movie than The Darkenss. This one, however, is a Danish movie, so you’ll have to do some reading. Thanks to The Walking Dead and Fear the Walking Dead, zombies are still as big as ever. The only problem is that our expectations are higher than ever… well… at least mine are. I’ve been watching zombie movies since I was a kid and if I’m going to get my butt out of the house and into a theater, then it better be a unique movie. This one is it. Watch the trailer, it looks awesome. I really want to see this one but I’m not sure if it’ll come to my area. The trailer reminds me of 28 Days Later but better. Unless you’re really into foreign films, then you’re not going to know any of these actors so I can’t sell you on star power. I can, however, just show you the trailer and see if that’s enough. Check this one out, it may be worth a watch.
Also Come Out the Week of May 13th
Kill Zone 2: The first Kill Zone was released back in 2005 and starred the master Donnie Yen (The Ip Man Trilogy), Simon Yam (Ip Man 1 and 2) and Sammo Hung (Ip Man 2). This one still has Yam in it but the star is the amazing Tony Jaa (Ong-bak, Furious 7). It looks good but not good enough to see it in the theaters. This one is about an undercover cop who gets thrown in jail and the prison cop who he teams up with.
Search Party: I just can’t get into this movie. I’ve seen the trailer and it has T.J. Miller and Alison Brie, but I just don’t care. Check out the preview if you want, it could be up your alley. This one is about a man who had his wedding ruined by his best friend and ends up getting in trouble in Mexico. His friends then have to drive to Mexico to help him out.
Dheepan: This could be a good movie. It already has quite a lot of buzz, but I watched the trailer and learned nothing! It’s good that the trailer didn’t give anything away, but I’d like to get a feeling for the plot or anything like that. According to IMDB this is about, and I quote, a Sri Lankan Tamil warrior who flees to France and ends up working as a caretaker outside Paris.
Sunset Song: Another period piece, but this one is not like a Love and Friendship period piece. This one seems way more depressing with the possibility of heavy tears. This one is about a young married couple torn apart by war when the husband enlists because he knows that if he doesn’t they’ll come for him and force him to.