New Releases (01/08/13)

In cinemas this week: The World's End, The Way Way Back, 100 Bloody Acres and Greetings From Tim Buckley. 

The World's End - The third installment of director Edgar Wright's trilogy of comedies starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, following the successes "Shaun of the Dead" (2004) and "Hot Fuzz" (2007). 20 years after attempting an epic pub crawl, five childhood friends reunite when one of them becomes hellbent on trying the drinking marathon again. They are convinced to stage an encore by Gary King (Simon Pegg), a 40-year-old man trapped at the cigarette end of his teens, who drags his reluctant pals to their hometown and once again attempts to reach the fabled pub - The World's End. As they attempt to reconcile the past and present, they realize the real struggle is for the future, not just theirs but humankind's. Reaching The World's End is the least of their worries.

The Way Way Back - The funny and poignant coming of age story of 14-year-old Duncan's (Liam James) summer vacation with his mother, Pam (Toni Collette), her overbearing boyfriend, Trent (Steve Carell), and his daughter, Steph (Zoe Levin). Having a rough time fitting in, the introverted Duncan finds an unexpected friend in gregarious Owen (Sam Rockwell), manager of the Water Wizz water park. Through his funny, clandestine friendship with Owen, Duncan slowly opens up to and begins to finally find his place in the world - all during a summer he will never forget. Link to Cam Williams' review at Graffiti With Punctuation.

100 Bloody Acres - Brothers Reg and Lindsay Morgan are struggling to keep their organic blood and bone fertilizer business in motion. Their secret "recipe" for success (using dead car crash victims in their product) was a huge boom to business, but lately supply has been gravely low. Months have passed since their last find, and an important new customer is now waiting on a delivery. When junior partner Reg stumbles upon 3 travelers stranded on a remote country road, he cooks up a radical solution to their problem, and a way of finally gaining the respect of his bossy big brother. But when Reg starts to fall for Sophie, one of the intended victims, things get complicated. The Cairnes' brothers witty horror-comedy blends sly Australian humor, gory fun, and a clever storyline that gives "recycling" a whole new context. Link to Ash Beks' review at The Last Podcast Show

Greetings From Tim Buckley - In 1991, a young musician named Jeff Buckley (Penn Badgley) rehearses for his public singing debut at a Brooklyn tribute concert for his father, the late folk singer Tim Buckley. Struggling with the legacy of a man he barely knew, Jeff finds solace in a relationship with an enigmatic young woman (Imogen Poots) working at the show. As they explore New York City, their adventures recall glimpses of Tim's (Ben Rosenfield) own 60s heyday, as he drives cross-country with a girlfriend and finds himself on the verge of stardom. Leading up to the now-legendary show that launched Jeff's own brilliant career, Greetings From Tim Buckley is a poignant mirror portrait of father and son, two of the most beloved singer-songwriters of their generations.  

Weekly Recommendation: 'The Way Way Back' and 'The World's End' are essential this week. Both are excellent, though I am still processing the latter and unsure to what I extent I like it. Right now it sits behind 'Shaun of the Dead' and 'Hot Fuzz' but time will tell. You can skip 'Greetings From Tim Buckley' altogether. I rarely found myself gripped by the rock biopic.