The Friday Feeling – Movies out this Week

Another week rolls by and once again we find ourselves arriving at Friday. The weekend beckons and thoughts of work find themselves left to one side. The approaching weekend also brings more good tidings in its wake, with new cinematic morsels to tempt the taste-buds. So what does the line-up look like this week? Well we have a new comedy starring “The Most Handsome Man on the Planet”, a new motion-capture take on a Christmas classic, a demonic tale of teenage infatuation, and more besides.

First up is The Men Who Stare at Goats, a comedy starring George Clooney and directed by Grant Heslov. The story is based on Jon Ronson’s book of the same name which focuses on the US Army’s exploration of New Age concepts and the potential military applications of the paranormal. The film follows Bob Wilton, a reporter, who happens across the implausible story after encountering special forces operator Lyn Cassady. As they embark on a new mission, Lyn reveals his twenty-year involvement in a top secret, psychic military unit and shares details of their activities, each more bizarre than the last, the best of which is staring at goats in order to stop their hearts psycho-kinetically. Clooney plays Cassady, while Ewan McGregor is on-hand as Wilton. Jeff Bridges and Kevin Spacey add to the star-power for Heslov’s directorial debut. Helsov and Clooney have a production company together, Smoke House, and the pair activity write movies together, including the Oscar nominated Good Night, and Good Luck. So the pedigree is all there and while I have yet to see it myself Lottie has and has reported that it is really rather good.

Second up is something I’ve been anxiously waiting for ever since it was announced, Disney’s A Christmas Carol. The film is a motion-capture animated take on the Charles Dickens Christmas favourite. If anyone is unfamiliar with the story please do me a favour and watch The Muppet’s Christmas Carol, easily the best take on this ever! Basically it’s a morality tale of a bitter and twisted old man, Ebenezer Scrooge. This wrinkly old curmudgeon is visited by the ghost of his former business partners and warned that if he doesn’t mend his ways then he’ll be forever sorry. Ignoring their advice Scrooge is visited again during one night by the ghosts of Chrsitmas past, present and future, outlining to him how he life was, is and is yet to be. The film is written and directed by Robert Zemeckis who is no stranger to the whole motion-capture scene having made The Polar Express and Beowulf. Jim Carrey stars in a multitude of roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge as a young, middle-aged, and old man, and the three ghosts who come to visit Scrooge. Other stars involved are Gary Oldman, Colin Firth and Westley himself Cary Elwes. The subject matter fits Disney’s somewhat mawkish sensibilities and the trailers make it look very interesting indeed. Of course it’s a story that has been adapted to death already so I’ll be curious to see what if anything can be added here. Bring the kids along if you’ve got them, and I’m deadly serious about the Muppets by the way.

The third movie out this week is Bright Star, a romantic ldrama based on the last three years of the life of poet John Keats. The story centres on Keats’ romantic entanglement with the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, before his early death of tuberculosis aged just 25. The film’s title is a reference to a sonnet by Keats named “Bright star, would I were stedfast as thou art”, which he wrote while he was with Brawne. The film is helmed by Oscar nominated female director Jane Campion (there’s only ever been 3 fact-fans, kudos to anyone who can name the other 2). Campion also wrote the screenplay inspired by the biography of Keats by Andrew Motion, who also served as a script consultant on the film. Perfume star Ben Whishaw plays Keats while Candy star Abbie Cornish plays his muse Brawne. It all makes for what I’m sure will be a great date movie, and blokes can use it to distract their partners from gorgeous George in the screen next-door.

Finally I’ll finish with Jennifer’s Body, the dark comedy and horror film written by Juno scribe Diablo Cody. The movie was released on Wednesday so some of you might have already had a chance to see it. Hot young thing Megan Fox plays Jennifer Check, the arrogant and popular girl, who after an ill-advised trip into the woods becomes a hungry, man-eating demon. Momma Mia star Amanda Seyfried plays Needy, her surprisingly needy best friend who’s really a bit of a wet fish. Girl Fight director is on hand for this very female centric take on the horror genre. I’m seen it and found all a bit meh. Lottie has also seen it and she’s written a much more coherent and understandable verdict here.