Wrath of the Titans
Tagline: Feel The Wrath
The synopsis for Wrath of the Titans – a sequel to a remake, lest we forget – is enough to make your head spin. And that’s an understatement. Ready?
“A decade after his heroic defeat of the monstrous Kraken, Perseus (Sam Worthington) – the demigod son of Zeus – is attempting to live a quieter life as a village fisherman and the sole parent to his 10-year old son, Helius. Meanwhile, a struggle for supremacy rages between the gods and the Titans. Dangerously weakened by humanity’s lack of devotion, the gods are losing control of the imprisoned Titans and their ferocious leader, Kronos, father of the long-ruling brothers Zeus (Liam Neeson), Hades (Ralph Fiennes) and Poseidon (Danny Huston). Perseus cannot ignore his true calling when Hades, along with Zeus’ godly son, Ares (Edgar Ramírez), switch loyalty and make a deal with Kronos to capture Zeus. The Titans’ strength grows stronger as Zeus’ remaining godly powers are siphoned.”
On the wordy basis of that alone, Friday Flicks feels like wishing you luck ahead of this week’s new releases and going for a long lie-down. But there was high demand for this movie for a reason —Clash of the Titans did pretty decent box office.
What do those critical titans make of it? Will the movie get their wrath or respect? “If even a tenth of the care and attention lavished on the production design and action sequences had been afforded the script, this could have been an adventure of legendary proportions,” concludes Empire. “Wrath Of The Titans is at its most entertaining when the characters give up on the dull dialogue and simply let the action do the talking,” reckons ABC Radio. “A relentlessly mechanical piece of work that will not or cannot take the imaginative leaps to yield even fleeting moments of awe, wonder or charm,” writes the Hollywood Reporter. The omens don’t look good but that’s unlikely to dissuade people from going.
TIME REVIEW: Clash of the Titans: A Hit from a Myth
Bully
Tagline: A Year In The Life Of America’s Bullying Crisis
There surely isn’t a more timely documentary to be made right now than one about bullying. And Sundance and Emmy-award winning filmmaker Lee Hirsch sets about tackling the tricky topic by coming up with a cinematic, character-driven piece.
Bully follows five children (and their families) over the course of a school year. We hear from those who have lost loved ones to suicide as well as a mother awaiting the fate of her 14-year-old daughter who has been incarcerated after bringing a gun on her school bus.
When you discover that more than 18 million American children a year are affected by bullying, you can see why we needed a long look at the sensitive subject matter. And it sounds like Bully has been handled with aplomb. TIME’s Richard Corliss is clearly impressed: “A documentary as vivid as any horror film, as heartbreaking as any Oscar-worthy drama.” “Serves as a call to action against abuse of students by their peers as it follows, over the course of a year, five sobering case histories of unrelenting schoolyard persecution,” writes Variety. “Children who allow themselves to see the world through the eyes of the film’s victims will never be the same,” notes New York magazine. “It is hard to not respect anything that asks us to respect the stories of the dead, and asks us how we might help the living,” says MSN. Championed by producer Harvey Weinstein (no stranger to accusations of bullying himself), it remains hard to overlook the irony that his backing of the project could see the documentary watched by millions.
VIDEO: YouTube Bullying Confessions
Mirror Mirror
Tagline: The Snow White Legend Comes Alive
You can see the motivation for the main players in Mirror Mirror. The part of Snow White went to breakout Brit Lily Collins (Abduction). She couldn’t have a better mentor in the shape of the evil Queen, Julia Roberts, who gets to chew up the scenery as seven courageous rebel dwarfs join forces with this Snow White fighting to reclaim her birthright. And there’s even room for Armie Hammer to show that there’s more to him than J. Edgar Hoover’s trusted confidante or the twins with a serious beef with Mark Zuckerberg by portraying Prince Alcott.
You might not expect many surprises in Mirror Mirror, but the positive critical acclaim could cause the raising of at least the odd eyebrow. “This account of Snow White isn’t about to be crowned the fairest of them all, but a vibrant visual palate and sweet sense of humor ensures that it’s no bad apple either,” claims Moviedex. “There’s nothing stale in this sophisticated update that sparkles with star power, fun and humor,” says Urban Cinefile. And “visually stunning and highly entertaining on a number of different levels, Mirror Mirror is the perfect family film for both the young and young at heart,” notes Film Ink. Who saw this coming?
LIST: TIME’s Top 10 Films of 2011
NewsFeed’s Flicks Pick: Mirror Mirror seems better than we had any right to expect, but Bully is the choice of the week.