New Releases 22/08/13

In cinemas this week: Kick Ass 2, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, What Maisie Knew, Upstream Color and V/H/S 2.

Kick Ass 2 - His heroic antics having inspired a citywide wave of masked vigilantes, Kick-Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) joins their ranks to help clean up the streets, only to face a formidable challenge when the vengeful Red Mist (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) transforms himself into the world's first super villain in this sequel written and directed by Jeff Wadlow. Dave/Kick-Ass and Mindy/Hit Girl (Chloë Grace Moretz) are about to graduate high school and become a crime-fighting duo when their noble plans are foiled by Mindy's strict parents. Now, as Mindy hangs up her Hit Girl uniform and navigates the treacherous high-school social scene, Kick-Ass begins patrolling the streets with Justice Forever, a fearless group of urban watchdogs fronted by former mob thug Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey). When The Mother F**ker (the transformed Red Mist) and his minions begin targeting the members of Justice Forever, Hit Girl realizes that the only way to save Kick-Ass and his new friends is to emerge from her forced retirement. Review by Sam McCosh at An Online Universe.

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones -  Lily Collins stars as a young girl whose life is upended when she realizes that she's part of a long line of demon-slayers in this Screen Gems adaptation of Cassandra Clare's first book in her series of best-selling novels. Also stars Lena Headey and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.

What Maisie Knew - A contemporary re-imagining of Henry James' novel, What Maisie Knew tells the story of a captivating little girl's struggle for grace in the midst of her parents' bitter custody battle. Told through the eyes of the title's heroine, Maisie navigates this ever-widening turmoil with a six-year-old's innocence, charm and generosity of spirit.

Upstream Color - "Kris (Amy Seimetz) and Jeff (Carruth) get caught in the life cycle of an organism that puts a dent in their lives. The duo and others who come into contact with the creature struggle to make sense of the strange chain of events affecting them." - Excerpt/Review by Cameron Williams at The Popcorn Junkie

V/H/S 2 - Inside a darkened house looms a column of TVs littered with VHS tapes, a pagan shrine to forgotten analog gods. The screens crackle and pop endlessly with monochrome vistas of static-white noise permeating the brain and fogging concentration. But you must fight the urge to relax: this is no mere movie night. Those obsolete spools contain more than just magnetic tape. They are imprinted with the very soul of evil. *Added*

Weekly Recommendation: Having only seen Upstream Color and V/H/S 2 so far this makes it a difficult week to pick. Unless What Maisie Knew (which I really want to see) is incredible, I dare say Shane Carruth's new film will be the top choice. It is extraordinary. A stunning sensory experience with a story that will send you round the bend trying to figure it out. I have heard nothing about The Mortal Instruments and predominantly negative things about Kick Ass 2. I wasn't a big fan of the first film, so my interest has never been piqued for this unnecessary sequel. Surprisingly, I quite liked V/H/S 2 without having seen the direly received first film. It is a bombardment of nasty horrors, but for POV innovation it is an impressive achievement.