releasing this week: The A-Team

To be perfectly honest, if you haven’t seen Inception or Toy Story 3 then you should probably go and see one of those first. If you have seen them though then there’s a couple of options this week. For me, the major one this week is The A-Team. But, for the first time in a while, there’s another real option… For the younger ones, The Karate Kid is also out this week.

There’s some new kids in town. Well… may be they’re old kids. Hmm…

I’m sure you all know by now that The A-Team was a very popular TV show back in the ‘80s. It was about a good-hearted bunch of ex-Special Forces soldiers who found themselves on the wrong side of the law. Given that they were out on their collective ear with a very specialised skill set, they had limited options. So, they decided to become an underground crack team of mercenaries. Makes sense.

Fast forward to 2010 and remake fever has set in, the ‘80s are back in vogue and everyone likes a big summer action flick right?

The thing is, while I was alive for the whole of the ‘80s, just about, I was very young. So, while I appreciate The A-Team in general, I don’t really remember anything specific about it except that every week the 4 boyos got themselves into some kind of malarky involving… well… why don’t I let the fans over at Wikipedia tell you? Where else can you find a clear and concise explanation of what happens in every A-Team episode?

I have to imagine that something similar happens in the new version of A-Team. Except with a little more violence, more ridiculous escapes and bigger explosions. Sounds good to me.

I’m sure there’s many asking, why plunder a beloved ‘80s TV classic to make a new film? To be honest, I can’t answer that (of course) but I will say that I’m glad I don’t really remember it. I think that if it were my cherished memories they were marching through I’d be a bit less enthusiastic about the idea. Fortunately, they’re not, so bring on the flying tank. It sounds class.

Other films releasing this week…

The Karate Kid – Another ‘80s remake, but of a movie this time. Personally I have no interest in this, I never saw the original, I didn’t know there were like, 4 films along the same theme, I have no idea what happens in them and to be honest I’m not overly interested in finding out. Ok, I’m mildly curious about what the hell “Wax on, Wax off” means but that’s about it. For those who are thinking of going along, I gather that there is a lack of Karate, though perhaps not in the way you imagined it.

Gainsbourg – biopic of Serge Gainsbourg, French singer, songwriter, actor, director, poet, drinker and legend. Apparently. The film is based on the graphic novel of Gainsbourg’s life by Joann Sfar, who also directs this version. Sounds like an interesting one. As you can imagine though, it is on limited release. You can catch it in the IFI, The Screen on D’Olier Street, Cineworld and Light House Cinema in Smithfield.

Guess there aren’t that many films out this week… but A-Team and Karate Kid are both available all over the country and there’s always Inception and Toy Story 3

My pick? Toy Story 3. Go on. It’s wonderful. If you’ve already seen it, then go again, why not? You’ll love it. 😉

The A-Team, Karate Kid and Gainsbourg are all in cinemas today – 30th July 2010.