Welcome to the BRAG’s weekly rundown of what’s hot in the coming seven days of cinematic releases. Sadly, the only new stories this week are the real ones – all of the fiction is firmly planted in the franchises of the past.
Of course, that doesn’t mean it’s all bad news – one of our franchise offerings takes a whole new angle on its many historical precedents, and one is a visual feast if nothing else. Plus, Aussie documentary makers continue to knock ’em out the ballpark, so there’s plenty of good reasons to sink deep into those musty cinema seats.
Anyway who has seen my hair should assume I’m a big ol’ anime nerd, which will make approaching this first flick interesting…
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GHOST IN THE SHELL
Anticipation and trepidation are in roughly equal measure as this big-budget live action reimagining of Masamune Shirow‘s manga classic (and its celebrated 1995 animated rendition by Mamoru Oshii) hits screens this week. The trailers are tasty, but can Ghost In The Shell truly be the sum of its parts?
After its announcement, it was accused of whitewashing after casting Scarlett Johansson as Major Motoko Kusanagi (renamed simply Major in the film) and eschewing the Japan-centric aesthetic for something more globally bastardised. But that aside, how this CGI-driven action spectacular could possibly live up to its philosophically labyrinthine predecessor is yet to be seen.
My concern is that the source material is too dense for the creatives attached: director Rupert Sanders‘ only previous credit is 2012’s Snow White And The Huntsman, and the screenwriters are similarly untested (though William Wheeler did pen last year’s Queen Of Katwe).
Will Hollywood destroy yet another classic? Whaddyathink. Expect many opinions. MANY.
tl;dr every anime fan and their dog be like
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THE LEGO BATMAN MOVIE
RT: 91%
I went in expecting, at best, a decent follow-up to The Lego Movie (2014’s super-fun surprise winner) with a few more surly Batman jokes for good measure. What I got was perhaps the definitive Batman movie.
READ our full review of The Lego Batman Movie here
Director Chris McKay clearly loves his subject, and has managed to balance the camp of the Bat’s early days with his gritty Nolan-era self while not so gently critiquing every flaw in his vigilante ethos. And facilitating the funniest Batman/Joker rapport yet.
Will Arnett reprises his Lego Movie self-obsessed superhero, joined by Zach Galifianakis‘s simpering Joker, Michael Cera‘s adorable Robin, Rosario Dawson‘s kickass Barbara Gordon and Ralph Fiennes‘ endearing butler Alfred, and – no shit – Siri. Oh, and every bad guy ever.
Sing along if you know the words. DAAAARKNEEEESS. NOOOO PAR-ENTS.
tl;dr Sorry, Batfleck, your reign is prematurely over.
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SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE
And now, to the other end of animated filmmaking – after two utterly repellant efforts, the Smurfs are once again being rebooted, and Shrek 2 director Kelly Asbury has already doubled the first film’s RT score! To a towering 40%.
God forbid Sony would ever let go of a potential income stream, so now they’re GETTING SERIOUS – dropping the “the” as all good sequels do and attempting to correct the historical sausage-fest that has always been Smurf Village.
The trailer has one good chuckle, but most of its gags are stolen from better fare – Gargamel pinches Crush’s 14-year-old joke from Finding Nemo, and Brainy has a goddamn “not in Kansas” quip.
While “girl smurfs meaning business” is all well and good, it may not warrant the revisit. Just as with last week’s Power Rangers, box ticking does not a good film make.
tl;dr You could say this whole franchise effort is a real… Blue Ruin. (pictured: you after hearing this pun)
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THE FAMILY
This fascinating documentary from director Rosie Jones delves into the twisted tale of Anne Hamilton-Byrne, the charismatic figurehead of a Melbourne cult between the ’60s and ’90s that ‘acquired’ children and raised them in a makeshift family unit, priming them for WW3 survival.
Jones’ exposé uses interviews with former members of The Family and the detectives who cracked the cult open, painting a rare picture of Melbourne’s conservative suburbs and how such a group could rise to prominence.
Sick as it sounds, high praise from Louis Theroux puts this up there with the most intriguing documentaries on cults and the bizarre lengths people will go to for faith. It’s right up there with Jonestown: The Life And Death Of Peoples Temple, A, Manson and – arguably – Theroux’s own My Scientology Movie.
tl;dr Gotta watch out for anyone calling themselves a ‘family man’.
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ZACH’S CEREMONY
This refreshing coming-of-age documentary follows young Waanyi, Garawa and Ganggalida Zachariah Doomadgee from the ages of ten to 20, when he must undergo an initiation ceremony on tribal land to become a man.
First-time feature director Aaron Petersen was commissioned by Zach’s father Alec Doomadgee to follow the story; what results is the story of Zach’s struggles against racism in both black and white communities, his heritage, and his father.
This is one of the first documentaries (to my knowledge) to explore contemporary Aboriginality in conjunction with its traditional roots, and shows every sign of being the next essential piece of Australian documentary filmmaking.
tl;dr A good way to shut out the white noise.
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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…
No question here – while Ghost In The Shell presents an enormous risk, and the documentaries on offer are compelling, this week calls for shameless popcorn entertainment. And nothing delivers quite like The Lego Batman Movie.
Until next week!
