Movie News: New Last Exorcism Poster

Released on August 27th in the US and early September for UK viewers, The Last Exorcism is is just around the corner.

Here is the latest poster from the horror, showing a possible spoiler on one of the more creepier events that 'unfolds' throughout the film. Still, it's unarguably effective.

The film, shot Blair Witch style, focuses on a minister that specialises in exorcisms. Vowing to end after this one specific case, he's unaware that this is the case that will defy all knowledge of what he's came up against before after a girl shows behaviour of true possession.

This Week's DVD/Blu-ray Choice, 9th August

This week's chosen flick is the football drama, The Blind Side.

Based on the extraordinary true story, The Blind Side follows young Michael Oher born into the wrong side of the tracks, but adopted by the wealthy, fun-loving Tuohy family - lead admirably by Leigh Anne Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock in her first Oscar winning role). Michael transcends from a homeless, troubled boy to a loved, sought-after football player. While the theme addressed may not be particularly original, it's typically moving and occasionally witty, mostly, unsurprisingly, due to Bullock. If a hook for viewings was possible, Bullock is it. A fantastic performance and instantly likable presence remains as the film's highlight.

Dishonourable Mentions:

Scott Charles Stewart's Legion is also released this week. After God loses all faith in mankind, he orders all angels to bring the Apocalypse to the Earth. Straying from his orders, Archangel Michael (Paul Bettany) sheds his earned wings and heads to a secluded diner in the desert where an group of unlikely people will be pitted in the middle of an extravagant war. While it may sound intriguing and original, what we're actually left with is a befuddled, badly acted, terribly scripted piece of nonsense that, despite a dreary amount of worthy action sequences, is an all-round disappointment - especially after the fantastically explosive red-band trailer released months before it's release.

Next week: Whip It!, Centurion, The Joneses

Weekly Round-Up, 6th August.

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore -

Lackluster sequel serving no real, nor memorable, purpose. Click the link for the full review.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid -

Live-action adaptation of Jeff Kinney's novels, proving downright successful as we follow a wise-cracking, larger-than-life sixth grader as he, and his hilariously inadequate friends, attempt to survive the jungle that is school. A well-written, genuinely laugh-out-loud comedy with an enjoyable lead performance by Zachary Gordon, but a vastly underused Chloe Grace Moretz (Hit-Girl in this year's Kick-Ass) is slightly disappointing.

The A-Team (2010) -

The full-length remake of the classic 80's TV show, with Liam Neeson and Hollywood hunk Bradley Cooper helming the hilariously OTT foursome of brotherly soldiers whose plans always come together. An explosive, unbelievably farfetched but outrageously entertaining action romp. A sequel would be welcomed with open arms!

Repo Men -

A distinctly underwhelming action starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker as two repo men, working to reclaim artificial organs (Artiforgs) in the most violent of ways after the client's inability to pay the extravagant cost. Things change, however, when Law is unwillingly fitted with an artificial heart, he must stray from the company that has kept him in lockdown for so long, fighting his way and earning his freedom. An enjoyable premise is weighed down by the annoyingly desperate urge to appear intellectual, therefore borders on the boring.

Fright Night -

Charlie is living next door to a vampire with an insatiable appetite for blood. What does he do? Bands together with the town's 'vampire hunter' and rid the neighbourhood of the bloodsucker. A classic horror that contains to frighten and amuse. A re-watch was on the agenda for a long time due to the uproar in news surrounding the remake. Keep a weary eye!

Donnie Darko -

Richard Kelly's masterpiece depicting a young boy's newly-found friendship with a large, imaginary bunny that predicts the end of the world. Outstanding performance from a young Jake Gyllenhaal, with a premise that is shrouded with intellect and originality. A true cult classic.

The Hunting Party -

Richard Gere and Terrence Howard star as a news reporting duo that embark on an unauthorized mission of finding the top war criminal in Bosnia. Decent performances, but the overall film lacks an emotional punch.

Movie Special: Dysart's Sail-In Film Festival

Ever feel a sense of accomplishment when an event coordinated with such excellence crops up in your inhabited area? Well, i do.

Click the link below to read details on Dysart's Sail-In Film Festival, a unique experience for film fans of all ages.

CLICK HERE

Cinema Review - Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

How often do sequels surpass it's predecessor? From what i've experienced over the years, sadly not very often.

The old age battle between household pets continues in The Revenge of Kitty Galore, centering around Kitty Galore, a former spy of an organisation named MEOWS (original, huh?). Scorned by the enemy, Kitty sets out with the diabolical plan of turning all humans against man's best friend. That is until lackluster police dog Diggs is hired by a covert agency to stop Kitty in her dirty paw tracks, but must team with another cat to accomplish such a risky task.

Toy Story 2, Pixar's smash-hit sequel, proved that said theory can be obliterated by merely providing viewers with a family flick that doesn't demean it's demographic, all-the-while maintaining a partially intelligent script with grounded, well-rounded characters. Sadly, Kitty Galore is absent almost everything that is guaranteed to stray from the curse of the sequels.

What once may have started out as original, light and frothy fun has simply become tarnished with what Brad Peyton has brought to the screen. Eighty-two minutes inexplicably feel long and overdrawn, gradually becoming tedious and often insulting with it's lackluster comedy and dodgy, overused CGI. Still, was a film of Kitty Galore's stature made for anybody over the age of 7?

While the consistent parody of James Bond may appeal to the parents unwillingly dragged along (most probably by the scruff of the neck), fodder such as this will undoubtedly entrance the younger audience with the plentiful supply of fart jokes and litter of adorable faces to gawk over. James Marsden, Christina Applegate and Bette Midler are a few of the stars lending their voices, but are almost entirely unrecognizable due to their furry counterparts blocking pretty much any identity that belongs to them.

The Goldeneye-like opening credits are brilliant, along with a scene involving a dozen felines under the influence of what i can only assume are a dodgy batch of Felix's Chicken Bites. Unfortunately, this charmless drivel is about as memorable as Chris O'Donnell's acting career (yes, he does star in Kitty and yes, he is astoundingly awful). With Toy Story 3 still floating around in cinemas, this will drown before it's given a chance to breathe.

1.5/5

Film of the Week, 3rd August

In light of seeing the sequel to Warner Bros. Cats and Dogs, it got me thinking as to which family films i've came across in my time that have contained the availability to be enjoyed by a wide demographic. Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is an example alone that doesn't contain such promise, with 80 minutes of pure entertainment for the little'uns, but 80 minutes of pure, unadulterated torture for parents.

A film which instantly springs to mind is the Joe Johnston flick Jumanji which has maintained its place as one of my favourite films ever since it's release back in 1995.

Based on Chris Van Allsburg's short story of the same name, the film centers around an ominous board game that contains supernatural powers of the bewildering kind, sucking players in, and releasing copious amounts of unusual creatures -- such as rhinos, poisonous mosquitos, troublesome monkeys and ginormous arachnids.

Alan Parrish is unwillingly sucked into the game upon playing it with his crush. Twenty-six years later, two siblings (one of which is a young Kirsten Dunst) move into the same house, unleashing the now-grown Alan (Robin Williams) and a cavalcade of other monstrous beings. To vanquish all creations back into the game, it must be played until one, of four, players reaches the end.

While the film may be too mature to be enjoyed by ages below four, those older - including parents - are in for a rollickingly good time. Williams fits tremendously as a lead, and works well with the likes of Bonnie Hunt and Dunst, but the story itself is what creates an originality that is usually so absent within family films.

Positive-

An enticing, always-thrilling story with fantastic special effects. Enough to balance out those bored, wet, half-term days -- followed by the sequel, Zathura! Dunst exudes enough enthusiasm to fall memorable, with Jonathan Hyde's villain (in both real-life and in the game) proving successful with a simple glare.

Negative-

Certain scenes, primarily those involving those pesky spiders, may be too intense for young'uns - hell, i still cover my eyes!

Other opinions...

"Jumanji puts vivid characters through paces that will quicken any child's pulse" - Peter Canavese, Groucho Reviews

"Unsatisfied with just being cute, this sucker wound up being both fun and clever" - Widgett Walls, Needcoffee.com

"This smart, scary film is still a favourite to dust off and take from the VHS bin" - Emily Blunt, Blunt Review

"A game for those who seek to find a way to leave their world behind", a tagline with an extravagant promise but, with every viewing, proves successful.

Check below for a trailer for the film!

This Week's DVD/Blu-ray Choice, 3rd August

This week's chosen flick is no other than Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island.

Set in 1954, Scorsese's latest flick focuses on U.S. Marshall Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his investigation surrounding the disappearance of a potentially dangerous inmate held at a secluded hospital for the criminally insane. Accompanied by his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), the pair can't help but feel something is odd upon Shutter Island. Twists and turns galore in this mind-bending psychological thriller, with an almost perfect build-up to a so-so ending. A fantastically unnerving score fits perfectly with the island's distinctly creepy setting, with top notch performances by DiCaprio and Ben Kingsley proving worthwhile alone. A Blu-ray purchase is recommended, purely to make the most out of the score on a surround sound system.

Honourable Mentions:

Jim Carrey's partially-serious turn in I Love You, Philip Morris was one of my surprise favourites of the year, in a more-than-average love story with fellow inmate Ewan McGregor proving refreshing from the rest of the year's romantic comedies. The story follows Steven Russell, a man whose life revolving around cons and fraud leads him to multiple prison sentences where he meets Philip Morris, with a romance blossoming almost instantly. The true story is baffling enough, so to have Jim Carrey play such a hilariously surprising role is just brilliant. Although, some may find certain scenes uncomfortable -- the dozen people fleeing from my cinema screen proved said theory.

Dishonourable Mentions:

Jackie Chan's latest 'comedy' fodder, The Spy Next Door, is also released this week, proving that Vin Diesel's The Pacifier wasn't enough to piss viewers off with it's drastically unfunny one-liners and sickly tedious storyline. Cue dozens of fart jokes and Chan's all-too-familiar need to pull tacky faces for cheap laughs.