It is a totally bonkers return of the Wachowskis, the movie masterminds who reinvented action spectacle cinema with The Matrix – before dropping the bomb heavily on their own feet with the increasingly disappointing sequels. Here, Channing Tatum looks like Will Ferrell in Zoolander (well, to us he does anyways), Jupiter is actually Mila Kunis’ intergalactic savour of the universe, or something like that as The Wachowskis set about going interstellar in their own with this gloriously OTT sci-fi action romp. The story is not so important here, what is important though is that it marks the return of the Wachowskis to mega spectacle movies after the disappointing double whammy of Speed racer and Cloud Atlas. Boom! There’s silly sci-fi action, bombast, dialogue to make you ponder – it’s the kind of crazed Hollywood super nonsense we just love. Whatever happens, it’s gonna be one to talk about.
Jupiter Ascending is out February 6 courtesy of Warner Bros.
Also out this week…
The Interview
The North Koreans, or not, probably didn’t like this film. The Guardians of Peace hackers certainly didn’t and decided to release shit loads of private emails from Sony head honchos about the slebs they work (or don’t) with about what they really think. Hollywoodland became engulfed in a true shitstorm of preposterousness that saw a stoner comedy flick become the central globla talking point that even President Obama had to comment on it.
The story surrounding the film’s arrival in the public consciousness – in which the aforementioned hackers Wikileaks-ed a major Hollywood studio and threatened violence on all who saw or showed the film, or even suggested they might like to do either of the above – is as preposterous as the film’s plot. Seth Rogen’s journo and James Franco’s TV producer set out to interview Kim Jong Il but wind up hired by the CIA to off said humour-free international ruler. No matter how good it is, there is truth in the old adage that there is no such thing as bad publicity! Stoner-com meets international politics and world leaders, only a spliffed out slacker could come up with something as ludicrous as this!
The Interview is out through Sony Pictures
The Rendelsham UFO Incident
A sci-fi flick of a different nature and stature to Jupiter, this is based on the writings and story of a hitherto unexplained encounter in the titular Suffolk forsest, as discussed at length by the ‘real’ Fox Mulder Nick Pope, a former employee of the Ministry of Defence.
The Rendelsham UFO Incident is released through Altitude
Selma
David Oyelowo stars as Doctor Martin Luther King and Tom Wilkinson as President Lyndon B Johnson in this story of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches in the US civil rights movement. There was much talk of the film’s omission from the big categories when this year’s Oscar nominations were handed out and it is clear to see why, it is an astounding performance by Oxford-born Oyelowo, and deserved recognition.
Selma is out through Pathe
The Turning
There is a plethora of acclaimed Aussie talent in this anthology adaptation of Tim Short’s celebrated 2005 collection of short stories about love, loss, addiction, friendship and life. Not all of them make the cut here as theatrical run times mean there isn’t room for every one of them, but *deep breath* Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Hugo Weaving, Miranda Otto and Mia Wasikowska all take a turn in this moving montage of life lived.
The Turning is out through Soda Pictures
