The Films of September 13th
INSIDIOUS:
CHAPTER 2
Runtime:
105 Minutes
As the title suggests,
this the sequel to the 2011 horror film
Insidious. Both films were directed by James Wan and written by Leigh
Whannell. So far Wan has mainly worked in the horror genre. His big break was
the 2004 film Saw, which has spawned
six sequels to this point. He also directed the sleeper hit The Conjuring, which was released this
summer. That film made almost $260 million and only cost $20 mil. Wan is going
to direct the seventh film in the Fast
and Furious franchise, which is coming out in 2014.
The first Insidious got
decent reviews and was popular with the general audience. It had an even
smaller budget than The Conjuring at
only $1.5 million, but still raked in almost $100 million at the box office. The
stars from the first film, Patrick Wilson (Watchmen,
The Conjuring) and Rose Byrne (X-Men: First Class) returned for the
sequel.
No
reviews have been published yet. Insidious: Chapter 2 is rated PG-13.
THE
FAMILY
The Family is
the upcoming release from director Luc Besson. His best films include Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element. Martin Scorsese is
the executive producer. It’s based on a novel named Malavita by Tonino Benacquista.
This film stars Robert
DeNiro as a mob boss who has to go into the witness protection program. His
wife is played by Michelle Pfeiffer, and Tommy Lee Jones is a CIA agent. The Family was originally going to come
out in October, but the date got pushed up. It has been given an R rating by
the MPAA.
JAYNE
MANSFIELD’S CAR
Running
Time: 121 Minutes
The
most interesting looking film to come out this weekend is the newest effort
from director Billy Bob Thornton, who also stars in the picture. Thornton
directed the powerful 1996 drama Sling
Blade, but hasn’t directed a film since Daddy
and Them in 2001. There are several other big names in the cast, including
Robert Duvall, John Hurt, Kevin Bacon, and Robert Patrick.
Thornton,
Bacon, and Patrick play World War Two veterans living in Alabama in the late
1960s. Duvall plays their father, who was in World War One. They deal with the
cultural differences between them and a London family that recently moved to
their town.
Jayne Mansfield’s Car
has a rating of 38% on Rotten Tomatoes as of September 9th. However,
the site only has 8 reviews so far. Linda Holmes of NPR gave it a mostly
negative review, calling it “self-conscious”, “slow”, and “unsatisfying.” In
another negative review for Hollywood Reporter, David Rooney said the movie is “Thematically diffuse, tonally inconsistent and
blighted by an inauthentic feel…”
WADJDA
Running
Time: 98 Minutes
Wadjda
is notable for being the first film ever shot entirely in Saudi Arabia.
Furthermore, it’s also the first feature film made by a female Saudi filmmaker
(Haifaa Al-Mansour). Given the lack of women’s rights in Saudi Arabia, this is
quite an accomplishment.
According
to early reviews, the film has somewhat of a feminist slant and focuses on the lives
of an 11 year old girl named Wadjda and her mother. The mother is trying to
convince her husband not to take a second wife. Wadjd has been getting
excellent reviews so far. All 24 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes are positive,
giving it a 100% as of September 9th.
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