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42 MAY 2015 JB Hi-Fi
It's good to see Mark Wahlberg in a dramatic role
where he isn't playing a cop. In this slick remake of
the 1974 film that starred James Caan, Wahlberg plays
a self-destructive English literature professor with a
gambling problem and a mountain of debt to unsavoury
characters. Despite losing plenty on the blackjack tables,
Wahlberg's compulsive gambler remains indifferent to
his financial plight, so it's difficult to feel any sympathy
for his cynical character. But there's plenty to enjoy in
the terrific performances from Jessica Lange, as his
frosty cashed-up mother, and a bald and fearsome John Goodman
as a loan shark, whose repayment terms make payday lenders seem
reasonable. Screenwriter William Monahan ( The Departed) has a flair
for colourful dialogue and tough guy ranting, which also pays dividends.
The stakes are high.
THE GAMBLER
The romance factor in Song One
is cranked up to 11, so if you're
in the mood for trembling lips
and long glistening gazes, this is
straight up your alley. We follow
anthropology student Franny
(Anne Hathaway), who makes it
her mission to convince famous
musician James Forester (Johnny
Flynn) to play at her comatose
brother’s bedside, in the hope he
will be revived. Hathaway is so
sensitive, it seems like she'd bruise
if you breathed on her, but her
genuine chemistry with Flynn and
excellent delivery overcomes any
cloying dialogue. Also, we should
all watch everything that involves
Mary Steenburgen, because she’s
brilliant.
SONG ONE
Release Date:
06/05/15
Format:
Spanish horror filmmaker Nacho
Vigalondo (V/H/S: Viral ) has come
up with a novel spin on the doco-
style horror genre for this bonkers
chiller: the action unfolds almost
entirely across various ‘windows’
on a computer screen. It makes
for a cool stylistic device, although
it means plot logic makes an early
departure. Elijah Woods plays Nick,
the web editor of a fansite devoted
to actress Jill Goddard (ex-porn star
Sacha Grey). After being snubbed
for an exclusive meet-and-greet,
Nick is contacted by a mysterious
man who offers him acess to a
juicy private live stream of the star.
However, Nick soon realises that his
unseen benefactor has some nasty
plans for the spoilt starlet…
Open Windows
Release Date:
13/05/15
Format:
Release Date: 27/05/15 Format:
Writer-director James Ward Byrkit's minimalist – but
ultra high concept – sci-fi thriller unfolds during an
LA dinner party, while a comet is passing through
Earth's atmosphere. The eight guests begin to suspect
something strange is afoot when mobile coverage
drops out, phone screens crack, and the power goes
out. Things get even weirder following their retrieval
of a box from a neighbouring house, which contains
numbered photos of themselves – one of which was
taken on that very night. We're not going to spoil
what's going on, but all is revealed relatively early in the piece,
allowing the viewer to fully appreciate the second half's myriad twists
and turns. Simple, scary, and ingeniously constructed, Coherence
stays true to its title, despite its serpentine structure.
Night of the Comet
COHERENCE
New Zealand's winning run of
horror comedies (Housebound,
What We Do In The Shadows)
continues with this cheerfully gory
gag fest. Harley Neville plays the
hapless hero, a wannabe film-
maker who has taken on a job as
a runner on a low budget zombie
movie. However, unbeknownst to
the film crew, the nearby town has
fallen prey to the undead and it’s
not long before the film set is over-
run by zombies. Writer-director Guy
Pigden gleefully lays on lashings
of blood-drenched slapstick, while
affectionately poking fun at both
zombie clichés and the whole
process of making low budget
movies. The best homegrown
zombie flick since Braindead.
I Survived A
Zombie Holocaust
Release Date:
22/05/15
Format:
Rom-com regular Katherine Heigl
is actually eerily convincing as
a homicidal homemaker in this
black comedy, which may have
something to do with the actress's
rumoured offscreen persona. When
the rigid Mona (Heigl) discovers
her spineless husband Don (Patrick
Wilson) has impregnated a young
and attractive colleague, she calmly
shoves her beloved along a path
of ever more devious and twisted
methods to remove the woman
from their carefully planned lives.
Heigl is ferocious and Wilson quite
delightful, but there aren't any
curveballs here. And Home Sweet
Hell is no Serial Mom, even though
it wants to be.
HOME SWEET HELL
Release Date:
20/05/15
Format:
Release Date: 13/05/15 Format:
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