Another month, another batch of films bypassing theatres and heading straight for retail and rental shelves and on demand services… Some may be too niche to gamble on cinema-going audiences going to see them, while others may just not be strong enough candidates based on their critical reception. That doesn’t mean they’re not worth checking out from the comfort of your couch though. Read on to see what’s out this August.
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
In a Nutshell: Japanese workaholic and shockaholic director Takashi Miike returns to the world of samurai he last visited in 2010’s brilliant 13 Assassins. Like that earlier film, Hara-Kiri is a remake of a 1960s feature, getting underway with the arrival of a mysterious samurai who turns up on his feudal lord’s doorstep, asking to perform ritual suicide in his courtyard.
The Buzz: 79% on Rotten Tomatoes. 38 critics reviewed Hara-Kiri, digging its emphasis on character and complimenting the restraint shown by usually over-the-top Miike. Critics, eh? Take out the exploitation elements and they start saying things like “it may well be Miike’s best film, a patient, ominous piece of epic storytelling that conscientiously rips the scabs off the honourable samurai mythology” (Village Voice).
Reason to Watch: Did you like 13 Assassins? Good. Now watch this.
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The Brass Teapot
In a Nutshell: Juno Temple finds a magical teapot (hey, guess what it’s made of?) that bestows cold, hard cash on its owners. But what seems to be a solution to the financial problems she and her husband face proves more complicated. This is a movie, after all – it couldn’t be too easy!
The Buzz: 26% on Rotten Tomatoes. 23 reviewers had a crack on the teapot, many sharing a consensus that the film’s premise is too flimsy to stretch to feature length. Nevertheless, many found it has enjoyable elements, particularly in its performances, meaning it is “too agreeable to fully dismiss” (Film.com).
Reason to Watch: Temple is fast-proving an ever-reliable actress. If her turns elsewhere have left you wanting more, particularly in a leading role, step on up.
42
In a Nutshell: Jackie Robinson was the first black Major League baseball player and yes, this is the milestone it sounds. Robinson’s struggle didn’t end with taking the field, however, with 42 not just telling the real life tale of his journey to becoming a professional athlete but the racism he endured as a baseballer – even from his own team. Chadwick Boseman plays Robinson, with Harrison Ford as Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey.
The Buzz: 77% on Rotten Tomatoes. 146 reviewers weigh in on the film,and while they hint at 42 being hokey and a little generic, “the beauty of the Jackie Robinson story is that it’s so naturally inspiring that not even lethal amounts of bombast, sentimental writing, soaring strings, hammy acting or desperate hyperbole can tarnish it beyond repair” (Miami Herald).
Reason to Watch: Triumphs over long sporting odds and all sorts of adversity are a dime a dozen in biopics, but 42 promises to be eye-opening in its depiction of how much one man was able to change about American society in an era that is remarkably recent.
The Details
In a Nutshell: Bourgeois suburbanite Tobey Maguire juggles the time-consuming tasks of dealing with hungry raccoons invading his backyard and a spot of infidelity in this black comedy from the director of 2004’s awesome Mean Creek.
The Buzz: 47% on Rotten Tomatoes. 34 reviewers have their say, and many are fairly brutal. If nothing else, this black comedy sounds like it marches to the beat of its own drum, and as an encouragingly positive New York Times review states “its refusal to settle into a cozy niche may be commercially disastrous, but I take it as a sign of integrity”.
Reason to Watch: Maguire doesn’t always impress as a leading man, but seems well-cast as a fellow whose life spirals out of control. Plus, he’s got strong actorly backup in the form of Elizabeth Banks, Kerry Washington, Laura Linney and Ray Liotta.
Passion
In a Nutshell: Director Brian De Palma (Scarface, Body Double, Mission: Impossible) remakes Alain Corneau’s 2010 French thriller Love Crime about two women’s corporate and personal power struggle. Pitting Rachael McAdams and Noomi Rapace against each other, Passion reportedly plays up the original’s erotic elements (hey, it’s Brian De Palma – surprised?).
The Buzz: 50% on Rotten Tomatoes. 20 reviewers checked out Passion, evenly split on its merits, but we’re going to be optimistic that the film will prove entertaining based on comments like the following from Globe and Mail: “Where Corneau flirted with erotic tension, De Palma flaunts it. Where Corneau went for nightmarish reality, De Palma does noirish dreams”.
Reason to Watch: C’mon, this is a Brian De Palma film. Generally speaking they’re worth a watch – some great, some schlocky and others downright terrible, but there’s usually plenty to entertain. Even in Femme Fatale. Yep.
