Gambit

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Cicely

I had heard for years that Joel and Ethan Coen loved the original Gambit and had been working on a remake. That prospect excited me greatly, the original film with Shirley MacLaine and Michael Caine has a great narrative device and a fun premise to see them play with.

So it was a real surprise that, without warning, the actual finished film was suddenly released, playing only once a day on one nearby screen. For a film that I'm actively following to manage to come out without me finding out anything about it feels like quite a feat in this day and age. It wasn't even listed on any of the cinemas coming soon sites. They just dumped it. It must be really bad then right?

Well no, it was actually really enjoyable, as one would expect from a Coen Bros. script. Their slightly skewed idea of British witticism is hilarious enough, but then to get Colin Firth, Alan Rickman and Tom Courtenay to deliver the dialogue makes it that much sweeter.

Cameron Diaz is the MacLaine equivalent here, though the character has change significantly. And they use the same structure but truncated their first act more than the original film and seem to spend more time in the thick of the farce. And that's where it's all new material and there's some very silly and funny stuff to behold.

I don't know why the film has been dumped but if you try really hard, you'll manage to catch it in cinemas, and it's perfectly enjoyable too. Also seek out the original, which is equally fun.

Now You See Me

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

A fun but kind of forgettable film. Louis Leterrier keeps things moving (quite literally, I don't remember a static shot in the film...) and the cast are all very watchable. The twisty turny plot is something of a magic trick of its own, in that if you start to look closer, you'll see less and less that makes sense. But the film only aims to entertain and it does that just fine, with enough humor and action to keep the audience satisfied.

I wished they had slightly more believable magic on display. They do set up a mythology for something bigger though, and inbetween my viewing of the film and writing this post, summit have already announced there will be a sequel. Not sure it really needs one though.

Pain & Gain

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Belinda

Michael Bay forgoes his usual big budget blockbuster and gets back down and dirty with a passion project, a comedic true crime story that' taken him 10 years to get off the ground. And it's a hell of a story, so unbelievable it could only be true.

It feels a little strange laughing at these idiot characters, knowing that they were actually real people but the great cast really give it their all and create many memorable moments. In true Bay fashion, it's a little chaotic but the pace is kept up for the most part and the script is much better than his recent giant robot efforts. The 5 person narration is a little overwhelming but I guess it gets you right into the head of every character very quickly and provides some good lines. Still it seems a little lazy.

And of course it's colour graded to the nines. Looks pretty good and they even throw in GoPro footage for some unusual angles. Bay does his tracking through holes in the wall gag to follow two scenes at once again. Still the same bag of tricks, but the script doesn't really call for any Bayhem.

I thought Mark Wahlberg was fantastic but everything that Dwayne Johnson did was just hysterical. He has a good singing voice too. Who knew?

A dark satire with horrifically delusional characters that you can't help but laugh at and then feel bad about after. Strange experience but ultimately I enjoyed it muchly.

100 Bloody Acres

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes

An admirable effort. The comedy didn't really work for me but there were a few moments of levity and some nice character work.

The Conjuring

IMDB
First time viewed: No
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Belinda, Tyler, Therese, Tom, Peter

Write Up.

Had to go back again to finish off the screening from last time! Love the 70'sness of it all.