Welcome to the BRAG’s weekly rundown of what’s hot in the coming seven days of cinematic releases. It’s time for a big ol’ dose of reality, with three docos and one “based on a true story” blowout hitting screens today.
But really, you’ve all been waiting to hear the goss on the latest best-selling crime novel adaptation, right? The biggest thing since Gillian Flynn accidentally committed attempted murder on feminism? It’s been highly debated, which is often a good indicator of something worth seeing…
Bonus film this week, as next week has seven pending releases. Enjoy!
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THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN
Last year, The Girl On The Train debuted on the New York Times Fiction Best Seller list at No. 1, drawing comparisons to 2012’s Gone Girl in more than reception alone. Now, Dreamworks are banking on similar success, with Tate Taylor at the helm in lieu of David Fincher and Emily Blunt playing a devastatingly convincing alcoholic.
Rachel (Blunt) lives vicariously by watching her neighbours romance each other from the window of her daily train. But when she witnesses something out of the ordinary, she rushes off the train and is entangled in the disappearance of the woman she watched.
Like Gone Girl, the book is written in first person perspective, jumping between characters. Unlike Gone Girl, the focus is (impressively) on the women – Rachel, Megan (Haley Bennett) and Anne (Rebecca Ferguson). And the screenplay is by the writer of Secretary, which is worth name-dropping because it is sexy as hell.
tl;dr All well and good but it’s missing a Tyler Perry.
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DEEPWATER HORIZON
RT: 83%
The director of Lone Survivor brings true grit and his favourite Wahlberg (Mark, basically everyone’s favourite) to this very real disaster flick. It’s 99 minutes of serious men covered in serious crude oil. And one doubts that they are shirtless.
Marky Mark wants to get back to his wife and kid, but between them is an ocean into which the Deepwater Horizon rig is rapidly spilling oil. A pressurized leak threatens to kill every soul on board, and there’s very little time to escape.
It’s picked up significantly more praise than Lone Survivor, but one can’t help but wonder at the ethics of ignoring the vast environmental crisis created by the spill in favour of fictionalised, exaggerated moments of blue-collar heroism. Given, it’s Peter Berg‘s wheelhouse and the thrill sells, but should it? These were real lives lost, and the cost of the disaster was even greater.
tl;dr Literally this film:
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THE HURT BUSINE$$
If, like me, your dream is to have MMA superstar Ronda Rousey cradle you in her arms like a child, than perhaps this is the film for you.
Vlad Yudin gets to the heart of what mixed martial arts means to its competitiors and its audience, indulging in his fascination for the human body while he’s at it. What does it mean to be a total body weapon? What is the impact on the brain, the heart, the family?
Tempered by excellent producers, this is an exciting and disturbing insight into perhaps the most violent modern sport around.
tl;dr Ronda pls lift me over your head.
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FRANCOFONIA
Russian Ark director Aleksander Sokurov makes a very specific kind of film, blending documentary and fiction with meditative walking tours of places where history oozes from every surface.
He certainly does not make films for everyone, but this pensive journey through the hallowed halls of the Louvre, arguably the world’s greatest museum, will enchant a patient audience.
For those who have never had the fortune to see the Louvre for themselves, this may be the perfect opportunity to do so without sitting through a 24hr flight.
tl;dr Art history brought to life.
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HILLSONG: LET HOPE RISE
Are you surprised that a church making hecka bucks has a cinematic release? You shouldn’t be. Hillsong has money to throw around, and so “inspiring” tales of people in worship were somewhat inevitable.
Look past the sheen, however, and see how carefully constructed is the pop-star narrative. If Jesus truly brings light to their lives, then good for them, but the polish shows this less as documentary and more as propaganda.
Oh, and it was distributed by Pure Flix, perhaps my least favourite overzealous turds next to… uh… is it too soon to say ISIS?
tl;dr Get dat paper…
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Next week – ZERO DAYS
This is not the Y2K terror, but something far more potent. The Stuxnet virus was first revealed to the world in 2009, when it was used by agents unknown to destabilise Iranian uranium enrichment facilities. Now, who knows what its capabilities are.
There are some genuinely chilling quotes here, the last in the trailer being the most profound. “This has the whiff of August 1945. Somebody just used a new weapon, and this weapon will not be put back into the box.”
Cyberterrorism is a reality, and one potentially engaged in by democratically elected leaders. The future is far more frightening than Watch Dogs and Mr Robot would have you believe.
tl;dr Get ’em on, folks. Read the signs.
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And now for THE VERDICT – maybe you only get to see one of these flicks on the big screen, and you don’t wanna waste that night out. So, drum roll please…
Any opportunity to see Ronda Rousey break another person like a toothpick works for me, and The Hurt Busine$$ looks to be a fascinating doco. Otherwise, thriller fans will have a comfortable, relatively unchallenging time engaging with The Girl On The Train.
Until next week!
