New Releases (30/05/13)

Hitting cinemas this week are The Great Gatsby, A Haunted House, Sinister and Happiness Never Comes Alone.

The Great Gatsby - Follows would-be writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) as he leaves the Midwest and comes to New York City in the spring of 1922, an era of loosening morals, glittering jazz, bootleg kings, and sky-rocketing stocks. Chasing his own American Dream, Nick lands next door to a mysterious, party-giving millionaire, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), and across the bay from his cousin, Daisy (Carey Mulligan), and her philandering, blue-blooded husband, Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). It is thus that Nick is drawn into the captivating world of the super rich, their illusions, loves and deceits. As Nick bears witness, within and without of the world he inhabits, he pens a tale of impossible love, incorruptible dreams and high-octane tragedy, and holds a mirror to our own modern times and struggles.

A Haunted House - In an outrageous send up of the Paranormal Activity movies, The Devil Inside and other "found footage" movies, A Haunted House features young couple Malcolm (Marlon Wayans) and Kisha (Essence Atkins) who have just moved in to their dream house. As they settle in, they quickly find they're not alone. But it's not the house that's haunted, it's Malcolm's girlfriend who is possessed by a demon. Malcolm hires everyone from a priest to modern day ghostbusters to rid her of this unwelcome intruder, determined not to let the evil spirit ruin his relationship or, more importantly, his sex life. [Review by Chris Elena, An Online Universe]

Sinister - A frightening new thriller from the producer of the Paranormal Activity films and the writer-director of The Exorcism of Emily Rose. Ethan Hawke plays a true crime novelist who discovers a box of mysterious, disturbing home movies that plunge his family into a nightmarish experience of supernatural horror.

Happiness Never Comes Alone - Directed by James Huth, the film is about a young jazz musician (Gad Elmaleh) who enjoys seducing young women. His carefree life of pleasure is interrupted when he meets an older woman (Sophie Marceau) with three children, two ex-husbands, and a thriving professional life, and the two, who have nothing in common, become involved in a romantic relationship.

Weekly Recommendation: Well, The Great Gatsby is not going to be for everyone, it is as simple as that. I love the book, enjoy the cast, and I also happen to like Moulin Rouge, so it could go either way for me. The mixed reception has not lessened my anticipation. I was won over by the first trailer. Sinister, screening exclusively in Sydney at Dendy Newtown, is a genuinely scary horror film with a great performance from Ethan Hawke. I can recommend it, safely.