The first film I’ve chosen to highlight this week is… Dinner for Schmucks from Jay Roach, director of the Austin Powers films. He’s also directed Meet the Parents and Meet the Fockers

I can’t say that his CV particular fills me with excitment but the ones I’ve seen are enjoyable enough films. They certainly don’t put me off seeing this film. The reason I do want to see it, is that it stars Steve Carell and Paul Rudd. I’m a big fan of The US Office and Paul Rudd is just a funny guy, I’ve liked him in everything I’ve seen him in, from Friends to last year’s I Love You, Man.

It’s actually a remake of a 1998 French film called Le Dîner de Cons; the basic premise of the film is that these people have a party and each person has to bring the biggest idiot they know. For a laugh presumably. There’s probably a bit more to it than that but it’s the gist of it.

I’m thinking it could be a good laugh. Hopefully it’s a good laugh. I do wonder how slapstick they’re going to go with it. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.

Unsurprisingly to regular readers, I’d imagine, is the second film I’m highlighting this week, The Last Exorcism.

I love horror films, but as I’ve mentioned before, loving horror films means that you tend to go to all the ones that are on, and often times this can mean that you end up watching all sorts of crap.

I’m fairly hopeful that The Last Exorcism isn’t crap. Course I’m always hopeful that the latest horror film I’m going to see isn’t crap, but the reason I’ve slightly more hope with this one is that I’m finding the ads for this one really creepy. They kept showing them in the middle of the night on the various digital channels I watch and I kept having to look away. So that’s a good sign right?

Hopefully.

I haven’t seen loads of exorcism films, the last one I saw was The Exorcism of Emily Rose back in 2005. I did not like that film. I definitely this one ain’t anything like that.

Anyway, as the title would suggest, this one is about a minister who’s decided to let a film crew film his last exorcism. So I guess that means documentary stylee. Looking forward to it.

Other films this week…

Jonah Hex – This film’s been mauled both at the box office and by the critics… but it’s written by the guys who did Crank and Crank: High Voltage so err… I might like it. They didn’t direct Jonah Hex though so perhaps it’s just that an outside director isn’t capable of understanding their vision…

The Switch – One of the bigger films out this week, romantic comedy starring Jennifer Aniston and Jason Bateman. Apparently it’s reasonably decent but I’ve my doubts as to whether I’ll be seeing it.

Now we get to the smaller films, all of these are only in 1 or 2 screens around the place.

Certified Copy – French drama by Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami starring Juliette Binoche. While on a book tour, an English writer meets a French woman who runs a gallery specialising in antiques. I’m not entirely sure what ensues but the Guardian made it sound really interesting. Could be worth a look.

22 Bullets – Belgian gangster/revenge film. The 22 bullets referring to the 22 bullets the main man’s former friend left in him. I hope that’s not a spoiler. Stars Jean Reno and is apparently based on a true story.

Soulboy – British film, set in the 1970′s and referring to the Soulboy youth subculture that grew out the Mod culture. Coming of age comedy/drama. Pat Shortt’s in it.

Why Did I Get Married Too? – Tyler Perry follows up to 2007 comedy Why Did I Get Married?

Bonded By Blood – Film charting the rise of drug dealers, Tony Tucker, Patrick Tate and Craig Rolfe, also know as The Essex Boys. Their careers culminated in their being killed in a Range Rover in Essex in 1995. Apparently there’s a lot of swearing in. Like, enough to be notable.

Black Dynamite – Send up of the old 1970s Blaxploitation films. When his brother is killed by a mysterious organisation, former CIA agent and Vietnam veteran, Black Dynamite, vows to clean up the streets. Definitely want to see this one. Only playing in The Screen on D’Olier Street.

Dinner for Schmucks, The Last Exorcism, Black Dynamite, The Switch, Jonah Hex, Bonded By Blood, Certified Copy, 22 Bullets, Why Did I Get Married Too? and Soulboy are all in cinemas now. And have been since Friday 3rd September.

Now I know that at this stage some of you would have already Scott Pilgrim vs. the World. It came out on Wednesday so I’m a little behind on posting this. I usually try to get it out to give people a guide for weekend viewing but I’ve even failed on that this week… Sorry about that.

For those who don’t know much about Scott Pilgrim though, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is the latest film from super-cool director Edgar Wright. You may remember him as the write/director of such films as Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and the excellent TV show, Spaced. I was trying to think of a better way to describe him but I couldn’t. He’s just really cool. It’s based on a comic book series of the same name from Bryan Lee O’Malley, six graphic novels from 2004 to 2010.

The premise is simple, our hero Scott Pilgrim is a slacker musician who one day, quite literally finds the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately for him the path to her heart is riddle with obstructions in the form of her seven evil exes. If he is ever to capture her love he must battle them. To the death!

I got to see this at the premiere courtesy of a Phantom 105.2 competition (thanks guys!) and I can say that it is great fun. It probably won’t be to everybody’s taste – in addition to it being based on a graphic novel; it’s heavily influenced by video games. Which is not to say that you have to be into video games to enjoy the film or the action but let’s be honest… There’s gonna be some people out there who just aren’t cool with the style at all. It’d be a great pity if people avoided it just because of that… but it would be understandable

Personally, while I wouldn’t say that I loved it but I had a great time watching it and I definitely think it’s worth seeing. It’s nice to see a wide film doing something a little different from the norm. I heard this hasn’t been doing brilliantly in the US but I hope that Edgar Wright will still be afforded to a chance to direct the kind of films he wants to do…

Other films that opened this Friday…

Grown Ups – Adam Sandler’s latest collaboration with director Dennis Dugan. Five high school friends and basketball team-mates are reunited after the funeral of their high school coach and decide to spend Fourth of July holiday weekend together, for the laugh. I assume there lies the promise of hilarity ensuing. Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Rob Schneider all star. I gather it’s not very good but I wouldn’t want to discourage you from making up your own mind. I won’t be seeing it though.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid – Based on a series of humorous novels of the same name by Jeff Kinney. It’s about a wise-crackin’ 11 year old who’s on a mission to become the most popular kid in school. It’s pitched at kids so not getting many evening showings.

The Girl who Played with Fire – Second film in the adaptation series of Steig Larsson’s best-selling Millennium Trilogy. The first film of which was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I never finished this book but I’ve heard it’s really good… but the main thing I’ve heard is that you pretty much have to go straight into the third novel so I’m not sure how this will effect this particular film. Easy enough for people to go straight into the next book but the next film in this installment The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest won’t be out here till the end of November. Also I’d be slightly worried because, as much as I liked TGWTDT, I thought it was a very stripped down version of a great book… so I’ll probably finish this book first before seeing this one.

Even though the film is in Swedish, the popularity of the novels means it’s getting a bigger release than you’d expect of a foreign language film. You might even be able to find it outside Dublin. Well, in Cork and Galway anyway.

Oh yeah, almost forgot, Avatar is back in cinemas this week with 9 extra minutes (No way! Didn’t they make enough money? I hear you exclaim… I guess not).Whatever about the extra 9 minutes, I do actually recommend you see it if you didn’t catch it the first time ’round. In 3D, at the cinema, really is the only place to see this. That’s why, even though this is obviously a cheap ploy to get more money out of me. I probably will see it again. Truth is I meant to see it twice the first time around and just didn’t get around to it. Undoubtedly they’ll pick up a few more like me along the way as well. I just wish they didn’t cheapen the venture by trying to claim that 9 extra minutes is worth the money. Bah.

That’s all for this week. Sorry I was late again this week, you’d never know, might be before Friday next week.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Grown Ups, Diary of a Wimpy Kid and The Girl Who Played with Fire are all in cinemas now.

… that’s right, Piranha 3D is most definitely, and unashamedly…

… a B movie.

Then again, what were you expecting from a film about prehistoric killer fish?

Truth be told, there isn’t much to be said about Piranha 3D. It’s pretty much exactly what they promised. Between the fake website, the leaked set photos and the fact that it’s apparently used the most fake blood ever in a film, there was never another way Piranha 3D could go.

What surprised me though is that it’s actually pretty good. Not good like Snakes on a Plane, which actually had a plot and all, but good fun. This could have all gone horrible wrong. Lordi knows every time I think “How badly can you mess up a slasher flick?” I come across a film that proves exactly how big a mess can be made.

Fortunately, Piranha 3D has pretty much everything you want from this type of gorefest… Ridiculous deaths, miraculous escapes, plucky heroic acts, stupid cowardly selfish acts, hot girls, idiot men, dodgy techno, a floating penis… Alexandre Aja really crammed it all in there. Everything and the kitchen sink… Really, I wouldn’t be surprised if they only stopped at 80,000 gallons of fake blood because there wasn’t anything left down the fake blood bank. Personally, I could have done with slightly less boobage, I’m just not a big fan of staring at boobs, but I can appreciate how the film would have been diminished with less of them, so fair enough.

The thing I found most surprising about it was the quality of the support characters. I would have expected nothing but there were actually loads of people you’d know in this film, Richard Dreyfuss, Christopher Lloyd and Ving Rhames all made an appearance. Dina Meyer (Starship Trooopers), Ricardo Chavira (Desperate Housewives) and Adam Scott (who particularly stood out in the CSI and L&O episodes I’ve seen him in) may not be as well know but you’d certainly know them if you saw them.

I also want to make particular mention of Kelly Brook and Jerry O’Connell. Perfectly cast in their respective roles. I’ve always liked Jerry O’Connell, Stand By Me is one of my favourite films, he made Joe’s Apartment tolerable (no mean feat considering my morbid fear of cockroaches) and yes I’ll admit, I was a big fan of Sliders. As for Kelly, I presume this means that Ms. Brook has given up on the idea of having a real acting career? Ah well, at least she’s not doing crappy ads for breakfast biscuits with Johnny Vaughan. Shaking her tits in a Hollywood B movie is still 10 times better than that.

I suppose I have to throw a little criticism in here. It’s not perfect. There’s some stupid stuff in it, stupider than it should be… and I do think that Christopher Lloyd is criminally underused, though that might have been his choice. Also, there’s a few people I would have kept alive, it would have been nice to see them in the sequel. Given the critical response though I’m sure they’ll manage to rope in a few more names to fill their spaces.

Oh! Also, I’m still convinced that 3D films lately are much too dark. Would it really be that hard to turn the light up a bit? Maybe it is that hard but it’s still something they should work on. I, for one, am getting a bit sick of squinting at every dark scene in a 3D film. Avatar looked great so there’s no excuse. It seems like I wouldn’t be hard… just do it already! Of course, in the grand scheme of Piranha this was a fairly minor annoyance, I just though I’d mention it.

So the fact is, Piranha 3D is a triumph of its excess. I’m definitely looking forward to the sequel (presumably Piranha 3D 2?) and if you like a laugh and you’re not squeamish, I recommend you give Piranha 3D a look. Though not necessarily in 3D.

7.5/10

First up, if you haven’t heard of this film yet then shame on you. The biggest film of the week, The Expendables.

I have to admit, I stepped up to the hype for this a little late. I heard about it a good few months back but I didn’t really think that much about it. I didn’t like the look of the poster, thought it looked a bit serious and I kept getting it mixed up with The Losers, which I thought looked a bit crap. To be perfectly honest I thought it was going to be just another one of those little crappy action films you see popping up all the time. As a result I missed the fact that Stallone was directing it and that it has the best cast of action legends EVER.

Course when I realised that I was fully on board. I’m a little ashamed that I made those assumptions about it really… but come on! The title isn’t up to much really and the teaser poster didn’t exactly grab the eye. Really! What was a supposed to think?

Fast forward to today (or rather the other day, since I’m late with this) and The Expendables is upon us. Stallone, Statham, Li, Lundgren? What’s not to get excited about? Ok, Statham is the new kids on the block here but as far as I’m concerned, those Crank films are legendary. Sure some people don’t like them, but those people are wrong.

Now let’s be honest. I’m sure The Expendables isn’t going to be the most intelligent movie in cinemas at the moment… but what I’m hoping is that, with that much muscle on show, it’s going to be the most action packed and hopefully the most fun. Lordi knows action needs it after that mess that was The A-Team.

Oh btw, for those of you who’ve been wonder what Cordelia’s been up to, she’s in this…!

Now, Piranha 3D, on the other hand, I heard about ages ago but I’ve been dying to see it ever since.

Savage prehistoric killer fish. Of course I’m going to see this film. I honestly can’t think of one reason I wouldn’t see this film. The build up to this one has been pretty good too, over the last few months they’ve been releasing tantalisingly gory photos, had NSFW fake website and the director, Alexandre Aja (of Switchblade Romance fame) decided to tell us all that they used 80,000 gallons of fake blood making Piranha. I don’t know how that compares to other films but… it sounds like a lot. It’s a lot right? I think it’s a lot. There’s gonna be a lot of blood in this film. So like I said, why wouldn’t I see this film?

For those wondering about the plot, basically, a whole load of piranhas attack a load of spring break revellers, and Kelly Brook. I assume she’s not meant to be on spring break from college as well… It’s a simple concept, basically a b-movie slasher with killer fish instead of, well, a slasher. I’m off to it this evening so I’ll let yis know how it is on the twitter later.

Other films releasing this week…

Salt – Action spy thriller starring Angelina Jolie. Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a spy on the run after being accused of being a KGB double agent. I’ve heard good stuff about this one. I like Jolie and I think she makes a very credible action star so I think this could be one to watch as well. It’s on my list anyway but since the list for this week is fairly long, I’m not sure when I’m going to get a chance to see it. Maybe if it’s still around in a few weeks.

Marmaduke – Family comedy based on the dog-centric comic strip of the same name by Brad Anderson. A nice family moves to a new neighbourhood with their loveable, large and boisterous Great Dane.

The Illusionist – New animated drama from the director of the Oscar-nominated Les Triplettes de Belleville. When a stage performer, one of a dying breed in a world of rock stars, find himself on the fringes of entertainment, he decides he needs to step back to a simpler world. He is living a quiet understated life… till he meets one ardent fan. Looks beautiful.

Mother (Madeo) – I first came across this film when it was featured in the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival earlier this year; in fact I did a little feature on the Korean films which were at the festival. Unfortunately, even though I was dying to see it, I managed to miss it. I was delighted when I heard it was getting a general release. Delighted.

It’s by Bong Joon-ho the director of monster movie, The Host, but more importantly the director of Memories of Murder. If you haven’t seen it I highly recommend it. This is a murder mystery film. I tried to describe in that feature I linked to earlier but I made it sound crap, so I’m not going to bother this time. Basically all you need to know is, it’s a Korean murder mystery. Kind of, I guess. Go see it. Showing exclusively in the IFI.

The Expendables, Piranha, Salt, The Illusionist, Marmaduke and Mother are all in cinemas from Friday 20th August 2010.

Splice was one of those films that sounded interesting enough to take note of but not interesting enough to actually find out any more about it. Cross bred mutants? In my head it had fallen into the Species category… could be interesting but more likely to turn out crap.

This has meant that, in some weird messed up way, I was quite happy with Splice. Kind of. It’s kinda like being happy about eating coal because it doesn’t taste like dog shit. It’s a good thing… but you’re not exactly going to jump for joy.

Just in case you have no idea what I’m talking about, Splice is about two scientists working in a pharmaceutical company who create an all new gene-spliced life form using human DNA. That part’s fine, good solid sci-fi topic which everyone can understand; moral dilemma, scientific advancement vs. ethics, money vs. social responsibility. All well and good. And obviously, genetic engineering is a hot-button topic at the moment. I’m cool with that. I love those kinds of films. But Splice never quite makes it to the heady heights of moral debate.

That’s the basic problem with Splice. I get the feeling that it thinks it’s was a bit heavier than it is… it never quite crosses the boundary from schlock-horror over to meaningful discussion of the topic. Now, to be fair, I’m not entirely sure if it was meant to because every time they look like they’re going that way they veer off in some other direction… but I have to imagine it did mean to. If it thought it was a B-grade splatter horror then there should have been a hell of a lot more splatter.

Never mind though, if you can accept what you’re getting then it’s not really that bad. That really is the best I can say about. It’s pretty much exactly what I thought about the other Vincenzo Natali films I’ve seen, Cube (which he also wrote) and Cypher. Half way there. Those films were better though, Splice verges a little too far into the ridiculous for me to really recommend it everyone. In particular, there were one of two crucial scenes that, in my opinion, were a little too shoe-horned in. They should have been able to flow far more naturally into them. Oh well, I guess they did what they could.

Despite that, personally, I did enjoy it… a bit. Aside from those scenes I can’t point anything that sticks out as particularly wrong with it. Those scenes themselves are ok, they don’t ruin the film and in general… the acting is fine, it looks reasonable, it’s not particularly boring… it’s just…. not as good as it should be. For me, I liked the ideas behind it. I guess I’m just sucker for sci-fi, even if the ideas aren’t particularly well dealt with, I’ll be happy watching them unfold. However creakily.

I suppose part of me is just annoyed that it wasn’t brilliant and I’m being slightly harsh on it because of that. I think it had some genuinely original ideas in it. No mean feat in a subject which has been so throughly debated. It could have been great and, to be honest it wasn’t really that far off the mark. But it was definitely off.

Bottom line is though, if you’re looking for a decent scary horror flick, don’t bother. If you’re thinking there might be a good examination of the ethics of genetic engineering then guess what, there isn’t. If you’re looking for a bit of gore… well, there’s a bit of that, but it’s not really worth it… In fact, the only reason I would give for anyone to go and see this film is if you’re a fan of David Cronenberg. In that case you might find it kind of interesting to see another take on the genre he perfected. I am a fan of Cronenberg… so… I think it was kind of worth seeing. Well, I don’t regret seeing it anyway so… that’s got to count for something…. right?

If you have seen it, let me know what you think – I know I’m being somewhat non-committal in this review so I’d love to hear from anyone who did really like it. Or anyone who hated it. I’m not fussy.

5.5/10

So, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.

Ordinarily I would run a mile from a Nicolas Cage film… but Kick-Ass and The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans have bought him a temporary reprieve. Well ok, I did see Knowing recently (seriously. What was the story with the rabbits?) but since it was on a plane, which isn’t really fair on an action flick, and I had so much fun watching Bad Lieutenant, I’m letting him away with it.

To be honest, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice looks kind of ridiculous.

Nicolas Cage plays a master sourcerer in modern-day Manhatten who decides to recruit an apprentice to help him fight his arch-nemesis Maxim Horvath (played by Alfred Molina). Now this apprentice, (played by Jay Baruchel who starred in the much-funnier-than-i-thought-it-would-be She’s Out of My League) isn’t actually that keen on being a sorcerer but Cage has seen his potential and has put him on a magical crash course whether he likes it or not. Before you know it, our man Jay (or Dave rather) has to save the city, the girl and himself in a deadly magical battle with a girl with shiny eyes, a man with very long nails and the aforementioned Alfred Molina.

Or something like that.

I’m hopeful though that this film will move into that funny space just beyond ridiculous. Good stupid fun.

Despite myself, I’ve really liked all the trailers I’ve seen so far; even though Cage features heavily in them. The effects looks totally cool, Alfred Molina is sufficiently theatrical (which is what you want in a magical evil nemesis) and Cage doesn’t seem to be taking himself too seriously. If it was anyone but Cage I’d be saying go see this film immediately but since it is Cage… well. That said, I never saw National Treasure but I heard it was good so I’m hoping maybe that’s the Nic Cage we’ll get in this one.

Other films releasing this week…

The Last Airbender – I can’t help but notice that M. Night Shyamalan’s name is much smaller on posters than it used to be. This is the biggest film releasing this week but since I’ve heard so many people saying such nasty things about it, and because I don’t want to negative about both the big films out in cinemas today, I thought I’d better not highlight it. I guess it might be a good film, I gather the TV show is very popular amongst kids, but there are plenty of other places you can read about it so I’ll leave it out here. For what it’s worth, it’s a family action adventure flick.

The Secret in Their Eyes (El secreto de sus ojos) – You may remember this film from such award shows as the 2010 Oscars. I’ve seen this one. It was on the plane on the same trip where I got to watch Knowing. Fortunately for this one, you don’t need a big screen to appreciate the artistry of it.

The Secret in Their Eyes is an Argentinian crime drama. It features some excellent performances from the leads and supports and while, I’m not quite sure if it really deserved the Oscar, it’s definitely a good film. Then again I love the ol’ procedural crime dramas so maybe I’m biased.

Unfortunately you will only be able to see it in The IFI in Temple Bar and The Light House Cinema, Smithfield.

Le Refuge – French drama about a pregnant woman who, after losing her partner to a drug overdose, escapes her life by running to a house far outside Paris. Starring Isabelle Carré. Only playing in, you guessed it, The IFI and The Light House Cinema, Smithfield.

So there you have it. Not much particularly grabbing me there. Well, except for The Secret in Their Eyes, but I’d already seen that. If I’d have known it hadn’t been released here yet I might have held on for the cinema release… but oh well.

Next week is going to be a doozy though. The Expendables, Piranha 3D and maybe, just maybe, this one. Man, I wish they’d moved just one of them into this week. Any one, I’m not fussy.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Last Airbender, The Secret in Their Eyes and Le Refuge are all in cinemas from today, Friday 13th August 2010.

Which is ridiculous because I really should be paying attention to it.

It’s by Edgar Wright, director and co-writer of one of the best comedy-horror films in a very long time. Love that film. Also it stars Michael Cera, an actor who will always have a place in my heart because of Arrested Development, best TV comedy in years.

So, since it’s coming out in like 2 weeks (25th August) I thought I’d better get it together and actually find out about it.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is actually based on a recent graphic novel series by Bryan Lee O’Malley. Graphic novels are one of those things that I kind of feel like I should be into, but I’m not. I’ve read a few but I’ve always been more up for the movie adaptations…

Anyway, the titular Scott Pilgrim is a slacker musician who falls in love with the girl of his dreams. However, in true hero fashion, to get the girl he must defeat her 7 evil exes who are coming to kill him. Video game stylee.

Sounds simple enough. Actually it sounds a bit strange but I trust in Edgar Wright. Shaun of the Dead was pure genius. He’d better not let me down.

There’s some pretty cool marketing stuff going on with this as well. Check out this interactive trailer… go on, give it a poke!

I’ll leave you with that for now but undoubtedly I’ll have more to say when it comes to the week of release…

Probably the biggest film this week is the Tom Cruise / Cameron Diaz vehicle – Knight and Day.

Now… I have to be confess, I am not a big fan of Tom Cruise… but he’s grand, I’ll watch him… I am, however, no fan of Cameron Diaz. What can I say? Every time I see her on tv I think she deserves a slap.

This all goes back to that awful bloody travel show she did back in 2005. Trippin’ – where she and her really cool friends went to really cool places to do really cool things and talk about how cool it was to do them. And tell you about the environment. Kind of. Mostly it was about how cool they were. That show made me feel sick. Gah. Look it up on youtube… you won’t thank me.

So… that’s why I was shocked when I saw the trailer for this a couple of months ago and I thought it looked pretty good. I even laughed a few times. Now I’m not trying to say that I think this is going to be a brilliant film. It’s probably not going to be appearing on any top 10 lists any time soon… but it looks like it’s one of the better action comedies to appear in a while. It’s gotta be better than Cop Out, what an waste of time.

Basically, Tom Cruise is some kind of super spy on the run and Diaz gets dragged in somehow. Kind of like Jason Bourne, except less gritty and more funny. Yer man from Buffy is in it as well, Marc Blucas, he played Finn. I wondered what he was up to these days. Actually there’s a pretty decent supporting cast – Peter Sarsgaard, Maggie Grace (Lost) and Paul Dano (There Will Be Blood) all appear.

Anyway, like I said. I thought the trailer looked pretty funny and there were some great looking explosions so I think there’s probably enough there to keep action fans amused… Then again, I did see a lot of Cameron Diaz in the trailer so personally, I’ll probably stay away… But, I reckon that as long as you aren’t expecting too much and you can stand the sight of Diaz and Cruise, then it could be a bit of a laugh.

Second this week is Step Up 3D.

I’ve never seen a dance movie before. I’ve never even seen Dirty Dancing… But I’ve always imagined that, while the plots might leave much to be desired, the dancing would be amazing. I also presume that if the Step Up franchise has managed to get to a third film then either it’s got a good story or it’s got some fantastic dancing…

Given the IMDb ratings for the last two installments I suspect it’s probably the latter.

No matter though. As long as it’s got the dancing I’m up for it – I may not watch dance movies but I’ve spent enough hours watching So You Think You Got To Dance With The Stars to have a fair idea of what’s hot and what’s not in dance these days…

And let’s face it, you already know if you’re going to Step Up 3D. This film has a built in audience. I imagine that anyone who watches those shows should be on for this. The trailer looks class, the 3D is supposed to be excellent and for about €11 (depending on 3D prices in your local cinema) you get to see some of the best dancers around, probably some of the best in the world. Cheaper than going to a live show so you can’t really complain.

I have to admit I do wonder where all these dance shows came from though. They seem to be everywhere these days. I guess you could probably trace this recent outbreak back to when the likes of Britney Spears and *NSYNC were established and wowing VMA audiences around the world…

I loved *NSYNC, I’m not ashamed of that. I still think their performance at the 2000 VMAs was brilliant. Remember when people used to sing and dance live? Bloody hell, I can’t believe it was 10 years ago though… But anyway, as far as I can see, it’s only really been in the last few years that we’ve seen proper dance crews on TV as performers in their own right. It makes sense though… 10 years for people to grow up with it, establish it on it’s own footing, make movies and then TV shows about it… sounds like a possible life cycle right?

I could go on waffling a little longer but instead I’ll just leave you with this. To mark the release of Step Up 3D here Universal Pictures Ireland got in touch with some of Ireland’s own dance crews; led by Gillian Deegan they created a dance to one of the songs off the Step Up 3D soundtrack – ‘This Instant’ by Sofia Fresh feat. T.Pain. Enjoy.

Other films releasing this week…

I’ve gone on too long already so I’ll be brief.

Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore – Family film. Follow up to 2001′s surprise success Cats and Dogs. The international Cat and Dog networks find they have to team up to take on their mutual enemy. Kitty Galore.

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky – another biopic about Coco Chanel. This one starts just after where the Audrey Tautou one left off and, unsurprisingly, it’s about her affair with Russian musician and conductor Igor Stravinsky.

Undertow – Peruvian drama with a supernatural twist. It’s about a married fisherman, outwardly he has a happy life however he is concealing an affair with a male lover. I’m probably not going to do this justice in a couple of lines but it actually looks really good. It won the Audience Award in it’s category at Sundance, over such excellent competition as Four Lions, and it’s rated highly on the websites that matter. Showing in The Screen on D’Olier Street in Dublin only.

Knight and Day, Step Up 3D, Cats and Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, Coco & Igor and Undertow are all in Irish cinemas from today, Friday 6th August 2010.

There’s some new kids in town. Well… may be they’re old kids. Hmm…

I’m sure you all know by now that The A-Team was a very popular TV show back in the ‘80s. It was about a good-hearted bunch of ex-Special Forces soldiers who found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Given that they were out on their collective ear with a very specialised skill set, they had limited options. So, they decided to become an underground crack team of mercenaries. Makes sense.

Fast forward to 2010 and remake fever has set in, the ‘80s are back in vogue and everyone likes a big summer action flick right?

The thing is, while I was alive for the whole of the ‘80s, just about, I was very young. So, while I appreciate The A-Team in general, I don’t really remember anything specific about it except that every week the 4 boyos got themselves into some kind of malarky involving… well… why don’t I let the fans over at Wikipedia tell you? Where else can you find a clear and concise explanation of what happens in every A-Team episode?

I have to imagine that something similar happens in the new version of A-Team. Except with a little more violence, more ridiculous escapes and bigger explosions. Sounds good to me.

I’m sure there’s many asking, why plunder a beloved ‘80s TV classic to make a new film? To be honest, I can’t answer that (of course) but I will say that I’m glad I don’t really remember it. I think that if it were my cherished memories they were marching through I’d be a bit less enthusiastic about the idea. Fortunately, they’re not, so bring on the flying tank. It sounds class.

Other films releasing this week…

The Karate Kid – Another ‘80s remake, but of a movie this time. Personally I have no interest in this, I never saw the original, I didn’t know there were like, 4 films along the same theme, I have no idea what happens in them and to be honest I’m not overly interested in finding out. Ok, I’m mildly curious about what the hell “Wax on, Wax off” means but that’s about it. For those who are thinking of going along, I gather that there is a lack of Karate, though perhaps not in the way you imagined it.

Gainsbourg – biopic of Serge Gainsbourg, French singer, songwriter, actor, director, poet, drinker and legend. Apparently. The film is based on the graphic novel of Gainsbourg’s life by Joann Sfar, who also directs this version. Sounds like an interesting one. As you can imagine though, it is on limited release. You can catch it in the IFI, The Screen on D’Olier Street, Cineworld and Light House Cinema in Smithfield.

Guess there aren’t that many films out this week… but A-Team and Karate Kid are both available all over the country and there’s always Inception and Toy Story 3

My pick? Toy Story 3. Go on. It’s wonderful. If you’ve already seen it, then go again, why not? You’ll love it.

The A-Team, Karate Kid and Gainsbourg are all in cinemas today – 30th July 2010.

There are also a few other films coming out this week including a medium sized romantic comedy, a Sicilian comedy drama, a film about bees and a sci-fi horror. Guess which one of those I’m most likely to see.

Firstly though, the big one. Toy Story 3.

I really love the Toy Story films… oddly it’s taken till now for me to realise that I don’t have a list of my favourite films on this site*. Well… I’ll have to get around to doing that later but if it was here you’d know that both the Toy Story films are on it. I’ve seen a lot of movies in my time but the Toy Story films get 2 berths in the top 10.

So… when I first heard they were making a Toy Story 3 I was, naturally, extremely worried. I didn’t understand why they were doing it. Actually I still don’t know why they did it, Pixar is a hugely successful and much lauded film company, they have no need to try and cash in on former glory. In a way that was mildly comforting though… maybe they were only doing it because they had a good idea… maybe? Could it be?

Fast forward a few years or so I guess, I’m not sure when I first heard, and it appears that I had nothing to worry about. Reports from everyone I know are glowing. It has a score of 92/100 on Metacritic. IMDb users have seen fit to catapult it into their top 10 with a score of 9.0/10. 99% of critics on Rotten Tomatoes can’t be wrong, can they?

Naturally, this worries me. Anyone who reads this blog will know that if there’s one thing I try to avoid its high expectations. I really don’t like being disappointed, it makes me sad and more practically, it makes it difficult for me to justify the money I spend on going to the cinema. Usually I’m very successful at keeping my expectations low… you’ve seen my reviews, I’ll find something to like about most films. This time though I can’t help it. I really love the Toy Story films…

…I don’t know what I’m going to make of Toy Story 3 but I know that if I don’t like it, it’s gonna hurt.

Other films releasing this week…

Colony – In that first paragraph I was implying that the sci-fi horror was the other film I would see from this week. That’s mainly because I’ve already seen this one.

I’ve been going on about this on twitter a bit and I also highlighted it when I talked about the programme for JDIFF 2010. This is a film about bees and beekeepers. Specifically about how they seem to be dying out. If you’ve never heard of Colony Collapse Disorder then go see this movie.

If you have heard of CCD then well… truth be told it’s not the best documentary I’ve seen on the subject. It’s still a very good documentary. It just that it goes more for the human element, whereas I’ve heard of CCD and I’m already worried about the bees so I’m more interested in the science.That’s just me though and I can’t deny that them beekeepers are an interesting bunch! Go on everyone, give it a look. You might just learn something.

This is on for a limited week long run in the IFI and this Friday night’s 18:10 screening will have a Q+A with the co-director Ross McDonnell and Trevor Sargent TD. I don’t know if it will be releasing in cinemas around the country after that so best to catch it in the IFI while you can.

Splice – This one looks pretty interesting. Nothing new, crazy scientists create a new species and guess what… it’s dangerous(!), but I like the look of the poster and it has that dude I like from Stargate: Atlantis in it. He always seemed like a funny guy. Also it’s directed by the guy who made Cube and Cypher, Vincenzo Natali. What a great name.

I liked Cube, and Cypher was pretty entertaining too, but fact is, I’m always up for the ol’ sci-fi horror. The first trailer didn’t look great but the second one seemed ok so that’s enough for me

Oh, it’s a pretty limited release though… so if you want to see it be prepared to have to seek it out and don’t be surprised if it’s gone in the next week or two. At the moment it’s scheduled to be in Dundrum, Swords, Cineworld and Vue in Liffey Valley in Dublin. I’m not sure if it’s showing outside of Dublin at all.

The Rebound – You shouldn’t have too much of a problem finding a cinema showing this one. Romantic comedy about a cougar. Starring, ironically enough, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Justin Bartha. To be fair I don’t think Zeta-Jones’s character is particularly setting out to be a cougar… I probably won’t see it but I’ve heard it’s surprisingly decent so possibly worth a look if you’re in that kind of mood.

Baaria – Scilian drama (I gather there’s a comedy element too) by Giuseppe Tornatore. It follows the story of three generations of a Scilian family and their relationship with their small town, and the people in it, in the years around WWII. To be honest, I’m very unfamilar with European cinema (aside from UK films) and all I know about this director is that he did Cinema Paradiso. Haven’t seen it but I hear it’s a classic. So, again, I’m very unlikely to see this but it was nominated for a Golden Globe so it could be pretty decent.

Toy Story 3 has been on previews since Monday so you can go see it now. Colony, Splice, The Rebound and Baaria are all in cinemas from this Friday 23rd June 2010.

* = It is on my IMDb profile page though… you can see it here.