This week on Screen Grabs: Reality TV that lives up to its name small screen stars brought to the cinema badass Brad Pitt killer lizards from South Korea and more!
56 Up
Without sounding hyperbolic it’s safe to say that Michael Apted’s Up series is one of the most interesting experiments in the history of film. The documentaries beginning with 1964’s Seven Up produced by Granada Television cast the spotlight on 14 children and have since returned to them every seven years (see: 14 Up 21 Up 28 Up etc) to track the progression of their lives. 56 Up is the latest instalment and sees several original participants return after a multiple film absence. Make sure to pack a hankie…
Killing Them Softly
Writer-director Andrew Dominik may only be three films deep but two of them star Brad Pitt and they’re all incredibly badass ( Chopper The Assassination of Jesse James and now Killing Them Softly ). This time the action takes place in New Orleans as Pitt’s trigger-man character is hired to clean up the trash following a poker game blowout. In this clip both he and his James Gandolfini do what they do best heating up the tension until it boils over. IN THEATRES THIS FRIDAY.
The Host 2
Eff yes! The sequel to the greatest Godzilla update of the 2000s (get outta here with your Cloverfield ) has finally arrived. According to my Internet sleuthing this behind-the-scenes clip is just a concept/test reel and the film hasn’t actually gone into production yet. Host director Bong Joon-Ho (also the mastermind behind 2009’s twisted Mother ) has not returned either but I still have high hopes for this South Korean chiller.
In Our Nature
Before Mad Men returns this family drama starring John Slattery (a.k.a. white-haired rapscallion Roger Sterling) should help fill the void. The plot revolves around a romantic getaway for a young couple (Jena Malone and Zach Gilford) interrupted by his dad (Slattery) and the new girlfriend (Gabrielle Union who I sheepishly recognized from Bring It On ). If you need some dinner table awkwardness before Christmas this is the dish for you.
Snitch
One-time Calgary Stampeder Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is now one of the busiest actors in the biz starring in a whopping five films in 2013. The plot of this action flick directed by former stunt man Ric Roman Waugh seems fairly nondescript but there’s a surprisingly solid cast of Susan Sarandon Benjamin Bratt Barry Pepper and the perpetually awesome Michael K. Williams (Omar!). Nothing can top the wood-swinging scenes in Walking Tall but this could still be worth a watch.
Dark Hollow
Wish the tree-sex scene in Evil Dead got more screen time? This might be the movie for you. Adapted from horror author Brian Keene’s bestselling Ghoul Dark Hollow centers on a forest-dwelling satyr (half man half goat for those who aren’t familiar with Greek mythology) with the power to wreak havoc on libidos. Freaky deaky…
Dark Skies
The darkness continues in this paranormal thriller that looks legit scary. Suburban families terrorized by evil aliens are not exactly the freshest premise but the bizarre violence possession and stomach branding here deliver some serious heebie jeebies. Keri Russell and Josh Hamilton (who I know from Noah Baumbach’s Kicking and Screaming ) play the parents while everyone’s favourite character actor/curmudgeon J.K. Simmons is the ET-busting expert.
Django Unchained
By now you’ve probably made up your mind whether or not you’re going to see Quentin Tarantino’s latest genre exercise. But if you need any more convincing here are two more TV spots (one from Sony Hong Kong) for the rip-roaring western starring Jamie Foxx Christoph Waltz and Leo DiCaprio in his most self-deprecating role yet.
The Grandmaster
Finally the kind folks at Film Comment have done the lord’s work by translating and re-upping the trailer for Wong Kar-Wai’s The Grandmasters with English subtitles. Film fans out west will have to wait a bit longer to see the martial arts epic about Bruce Lee’s kung fu master Ip Man but at least we have this high-drama clip to salivate over until it hits our shores.