releasing this week: Skyline, We Are What We Are, You Again and Mammoth

So in the initial incarnation of this article I managed to leave one out, You Again. I’ve popped in on the end now. I guess I’m just highlighting all the general releases this week…

The big film this week though is Skyline.

Unfortunately, I actually can’t tell you much about Skyline at all because I’ve been steadfastly avoiding all information about it. It looks like the kind of film I might really really like… or the kind of thing that might really really disappoint. So, either way I don’t really want to know anything about it.

What I have gleaned is this. There’s a group of people played by fairly unknown actors – aside from Dashiell from Sabrina, the Teenage Witch * – and they’re roaming around the place trying to survive an alien attack on Earth…. or something like that… Actually I have no idea. Alright, alright, I’ll go have a look at a trailer… or maybe the Wikipedia article.

Ok, I chickened out of the Wikipedia article because they have a tendency to tell you everything about a movie, but I did have a look at the latest trailer. Which definitely showed me more than I wanted to see but I guess it didn’t really shed much more light on the plot beyond what I’d already said in the last paragraph. So I guess I was right. Wah hey!

Anyway I will definitely be seeing this one on the big screen, the effects look cool. Course they should, the film is directed by a couple of special effects guys… Course that makes it a bit more likely that it’s going to really really disappoint. That and the fact that these guys directed AVPR: Alien vs. Predator – Requiem. Then again, for me, all I really needed to know is that it’s 92 minutes long – so can’t be that painful – , and that there are aliens in it. Whether it’s crap or not I’ll worry about after… Sure, my time is cheap.

Second up is We Are What We Are (or Somos Lo Que Hay)

This being a Mexican film about a family of cannibals, it’s on a limited release. It’s only showing in the Irish Film Institute, Cineworld on Parnell Street and Light House Cinema in Smithfield.

Actually, to say it’s a film about a family of cannibals is somewhat misleading. It kind of implies that “cannibals” is the operative word. It’s more of a coincidence to be honest. Basically it’s a film about a family. It’s almost a family drama, well… it is a family drama really. Kind of. It’s kind of a lot of things, but not enough of any.

I’m not gonna get into a review here because, well, I’m just supposed to be doing a round up. I guess it will suffice for me to say that I don’t really recommend We Are What We Are. The best I can say is that it looks pretty good, in a cinematography sense, and I wasn’t bored by it. I just didn’t think it was that good. I’m willing to hear disagreement on this though so if you’ve seen it and loved it let me know.

In one cinema this week we have Mammoth

I really wish I’d taken the time off to go to this press screening not the We Are What We Are one. Alas they only give very short notice on screenings so it’s hard to ask for the time off. Damn day job.

Anyway this is the latest film from Lukas Moodysson. You may remember him from such films as Lilya-4-ever – a good movie – and Together – a movie I’m almost 100% certain that I’ve seen but I don’t seem to have rated it on IMDb. So I can’t remember if I liked it or not… I feel like I did though. In my mind I think of him as a good director so I reckon this one could be worth having a look it.

This is Moodysson first English language film and it stars Gael Garcia Bernal and Michelle Williams – I’m so glad it turned out someone from Dawson’s Creek could act. At least it wasn’t a completely waste of time.

I gather Mammoth it’s something along the lines of Babel in that it’s about intersecting stories on a global scale. To be honest, the reviews haven’t been great, but I’d be willing to give Moodysson a chance. It is showing in The Screen cinema, Hawkins Street (just off D’Olier St.)

And finally, You Again. A G-rated family comedy.

Kristen Bell plays a geek who was bullied all through school by a classmate, Joanna. Now she’s all grown up and successful, naturally she is concerned when she discovers that her brother’s fiancée is the very same Joanna that taunted her. Features a decent cast of older Hollywood, Jamie Lee Curtis, Sigourney Weaver and the inimitable Betty White

Personally, I can’t really see how this makes a family comedy, but hey, what do I know? I’m very unlikely to see it but I imagine it’s lighthearted fun. Well, lighthearted anyway. Without the “P” in front of the “G” I can’t imagine that they go too far into dealing with the obviously very real problem of bullying in schools. I presume it’s all handily wrapped in a bow and everyone lives happily ever after. Feel free to let me know if I’m wrong…

So that really is it for this week. Sorry about the mix-up last night, all the films are here now. Skyline, We Are What We Are, You Again and Mammoth are all in cinemas from Friday 12th November 2010.

* Course, you might know him better as Turk from Scrubs