NATIONAL RELEASES
12 Rounds (20th Century Fox): A thriller about a New Orleans detective Danny Baxter (John Cena) discovers his girlfriend (Ashley Scott) has been kidnapped by a ex-con (Aidan Gillen) tied to Baxter’s past, who then forces him to complete 12 challenges in order to secure her safe release. Directed by Renny Harlin (whose career has been on autopilot for the best part of a decade) and scripted by Shane Black under the pseudonym Daniel Kunka, it has got negative reviews in the US and generally looks like a cross between Die Hard with a Vengeance and Speed …with a wrestler in the lead role. Fox will be hoping for reasonable box office in a week without any major blockbuster rivals, but the lack of star power could hamper it. [Vue West End & Nationwide / Cert 12A]
Drag Me To Hell (Lionsgate UK): A horror movie involving an unsuspecting young woman (Alison Lohman) becomes the recipient of a supernatural curse cast upon her by an older Eastern European woman (Lorna Raver). It marks a return to the horror genre for director Sam Raimi and early buzz and reviews have been very good indeed. Lionsgate (distributing in the UK whilst Universal have US rights) have done a good job marketing the film and word of mouth may see this score a better than expected opening weekend. [Odeon West End & Nationwide / Cert 15]
Obsessed (Sony Pictures): A modern day take on Fatal Attraction, which sees a successful professional man (Idris Elba) with a beautiful wife (Beyoncé Knowles) threatened by a temp in his office (Ali Larter) who turns out to be a stalker. Last month the film topped the US box office despite some horrendous reviews and may do OK business here amongst undemanding audiences. N.B. Fans of The Wire (currently airing on BBC2) might note that Elba played Stringer Bell in the critically acclaimed HBO show. [London & Nationwide / Cert 12A]
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IN SELECTED RELEASE
Fermat’s Room (Revolver Entertainment): A 2007 Spanish horror film about four mathematicians who are invited to a house, where they are trapped in a room and must solve puzzles given by the host in order to survive. [Odeon Covent Garden & Key Cities]
Fireflies In The Garden (The Works): A semi-autobiographical story which centres on the complexities of love and commitment in a family torn apart when faced by an unexpected tragedy. Directed by Dennis Lee, it features an unusually starry cast which includes Willem Dafoe, Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds, Hayden Panettiere, Emily Watson and Carrie-Anne Moss. Despite the people in it, the lack of a major distributor points to a film that is just going to come and go. [C’World Haymarket, Odeon Covent Gdn., P’House Chelsea & Key Cities / Cert 15]
Fugitive Pieces (Soda Pictures): An adaptation of the novel of the same name by Anne Michaels, which is the story of Jakob Beer, a boy orphaned in Poland during World War II who is saved by a Greek archeologist. Directed by by Jeremy Podeswa, it stars Stephen Dillane, Rade Šerbedžija and Rosamund Pike, but the fact that it is only getting a UK release two years after premiering at the Toronto Film Festival suggests the audience is limited. [London & Key Cities / Cert 15]
Jonas Brothers: The 3DConcert Experience (Walt Disney): A 3-D concert film starring the Jonas Brothers trio. [Cineworld Haymarket & Nationwide / Cert U]
Sleep Furiously (New Wave Films): A documentary directed by Gideon Koppel, explores Trefeurig, the Welsh farming community in Ceredigion where he grew up, and where his parents found refuge from Nazi Germany during the Second World War. [Curzon Soho, Apollo Piccadilly Circus & Key Cities / Cert U]
> UK cinema releases for May 2009
> DVD Picks for this week including The Reader and 30 Rock: Season 2 (W/C Monday 25th May)
We have 2 copies of Drag Me To Hell to give away on DVD courtesy of Lionsgate.