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THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | APRIL 2010

FILM 15

Up Coming Films For April

Whip It

April 9th

Girl powered comedy directed by Drew Barrymore (“Charlie’s Angels”). Starring Ellen Page (“Juno”)

I Am Love

April 9th

Sweeping Italian romance direct- ed by Luca Guadagnino Starring Tilda Swinton (“Michael Clayton”).

The Blind Side –

Mar 26th

Nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars – where the film’s lead, Sandra Bullock, also went home with a Best Actress statu- ette – after becoming a surprise Autumn mega-hit, one could be forgiven for having moderately high expectations for Hollywood import “The Blind Side.” But alas, for all the award season accolades and Middle-American seal of approval, this “based on true events” sports story pulls up lame well before the finish line.

“The Blind Side” tells the story of young African-American Michael Oher, a forgotten castoff of a broken social care system, who

bounces from school to school by day and sleeps on relative’s couches by night until someone finally lends a helping hand. We pick up with Michael (an amiable Quinton Aaron), or “Big Mike” as most call him, around the time an uncle manages to convince the local football coach of a wealthy, predominantly white high school to give the athletic teen giant a chance. Soon after, Michael is enrolled at the school, and the thoughtful uncle who helped ar- range his nephew’s big break is swiftly ushered out of the picture until a token appearance at the film’s end… probably for the sake of a more classic fish-out-of-wa- ter, rags-to-riches story arc.

the film overestimates the depth of its characters for one of its numerous halfhearted stabs at profundity that it falters.

Perrier’s Bounty –

May 14th

Cillian Murphy (“28 Days Later”) is Michael McCrea, a young Dubliner scrambling to repay lo- cal crime boss, Darren Perrier (Brendan Gleeson, “In Bruges”), before the clock runs out and the boss comes to collect his bounty. Michael’s solution? Blackmail a wealthy businessman to pay a vengeful gangster with the help of an untrustworthy loan shark. Yes, debts can be complicated, messy things, and this one turns exceedingly messy very quickly.

Complicating matters further is the reappearance of Michael’s estranged father, Jim (Jim Broad- bent, “Hot Fuzz”), who spends

the film contemplating a suppos- edly imminent and mysterious death while scarfing down instant coffee crystals and blowing lines of cocaine to stay awake, and Mi- chael’s neighbour/love interest, Brenda (Jodie Whittaker, “Ve- nus”). Though the pair make for enjoyable companions, their pres- ence and obvious subplot arcs – unresolved familial issues and, of course, unresolved romantic urg- es – ultimately slow both Michael and the story down.

Had writer Mark O’Rowe perhaps invested more carefully in devel- oping the relationships, instead of treating even the moments that need to have an emotional impact with such a blasé attitude, the trio’s interactions might have come off with greater urgency and strength.

Cemetery Junction

April 16th

Coming of age 1970s Brit com- edy directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. Starring newcomer Christian Cooke

Iron Man 2

April 30th

Sequel to the blockbusting su- perhero actioner directed by Jon Favreau (“Elf”). Starring Robert Downey Jr. (“Sherlock Holmes”) Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40
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