New Release Review: American Reunion (Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg, 2012)

American Pie is back. It is actually the eighth installment in the American Pie film series (how did that happen?) but only the fourth in the original series, which culminated in American Wedding (2003). American Reunion is written and directed by Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg (Harold and Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay) and the premise is to once again round up the old gang in East Great Falls for their 13-year High School Reunion.

Jim Levenstein (Jason Biggs), Kevin Myers (Thomas Ian Nicholas), Chris ‘Oz’ Ostreicher (Chris Klein) and Paul Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas) decide to return home a few days before to give themselves plenty of time to catch up and allow some freedom from their daily lives, and hopefully from the presence of Stifler (Seann William Scott), who still lives there. Of course, after no time at all Stifler turns up, and ecstatic to see his old buddies, proposes they party like it is 1999, and find the spirit of their youth. While die-hard fans will relish the gang’s return, and I’d like to say that the film re-captures the classic gross-out antics of 1999’s American Pie, but it honestly never comes close.

Emily Blunt and Jason Segel To Launch New Film in Australia

Courtesy of NBC Universal, it has been confirmed that Emily Blunt and Jason Segel will partake in an Australian tour to launch their new film,

Comic genius Jason Segel (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and the delightful Golden Globe winner, Emily Blunt (The Young Victoria), will head to our shores on Monday 30th April (Sydney) and Wednesday 2nd May (Melbourne), to talk us through the trials and tribulation of the longest engagements ever to hit the big screen.

The director and writer/star of Forgetting Sarah Marshall re-team for the irreverent comedy. The new film from Nicholas Stoller, producer Judd Apatow (Knocked Up, The 40-Year-Old Virgin) and Rodney Rothman (Get Him to the Greek) looks at what happens when an engaged couple, Segel and Blunt, keep getting tripped up on the long walk down the aisle. The film was written by Segel and Stoller.

The Five-Year Engagement hits cinemas on May 3.

Preview Line-up for the 2012 Sydney Film Festival Announced

The preview line-up for 2012 Sydney Film Festival has been announced. These first 25 titles include 22 Australian premieres, 15 features and 10 documentaries, including the winner of the U.S Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, Beasts of the Southern Wild, the winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, Tabu, the winner of the FIPRESCI Prize at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, Neighbouring Sounds and the winner of the World Cinema Grand Jury Documentary at Sundance, The Law In These Parts.

The full line-up and short synopses can be found at the official Sydney Film Festival Website, but I will list the titles below.

The full program of 150+ features, documentaries and shorts from across Australian and around the world will be announced on May 9, 2012.

Features

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Tabu
Neighbouring Sounds
The Loneliest Planet
Rampart
Once Upon A Time in Anatolia
Faust
Harold's Going Stiff
A Simple Life
A Royal Affair
Goodbye
Barbara
Beauty
Monsieur Lazhar
Some Guy Who Kills People

Documentaries

The Law In These Parts
Woody Allen: A Documentary
Crazy Horse
Under African Skies
Maori Boy Genius
Side by Side
El Gusto
First Position
Golden Slumbers
Searching for Sugarman

New Releases (05/04/12)

There are a six releases hitting Australian cinemas on Thursday April 5. They are Titanic (in 3D), James Cameron's spectacular epic returns to the big screen, American Reunion, which brings the band from American Pie back together again, Pirates! Band of Misfits, an animated adventure from the creators of Chicken Run, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, the comedy/drama starring starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, This Must Be The Place, starring Sean Penn as a former rock star on a quest to avenge his estranged father, and Goodbye, First Love, a French romantic drama that recently played at the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival.

Summaries courtesy of Rotten Tomatoes.

Titanic 3D - Inspired by the 1985 discovery of the Titanic in the North Atlantic, the contemporary storyline involves American treasure-seeker Brock Lovett (Bill Paxton) retrieving artifacts from the submerged ship. Lovett looks for diamonds but finds a drawing of a young woman, nude except for a necklace. When 102-year-old Rose (Gloria Stuart) reveals she's the person in the portrait, she is summoned to the wreckage site to tell her story of the 56-carat diamond necklace and her experiences from 84 years earlier. The scene then shifts to 1912 Southampton where passengers boarding the Titanic include penniless Jack Dawson (Leonardo DiCaprio) and society girl Rose DeWitt Bukater (Kate Winslet), returning to Philadelphia with her wealthy fiance Cal Hockley (Billy Zane). After the April 10th launch, Rose develops a passionate interest in Jack, and Cal's reaction is vengeful. At midpoint in the film, the Titanic slides against the iceberg and water rushes into the front compartments. Even engulfed, Cal continues to pursue Jack and Rose as the massive liner begins its descent. Titanic is being re-released in converted 3D. I was lucky enough to attend the launch and special presentation at Event Cinemas George Street. The info and my thoughts are linked in the title. If you haven't seen Titanic on the big screen, it is well worth a look.

American Reunion - All of the American Pie characters we met a little more than a decade ago return to East Great Falls for their high-school reunion. In one long-overdue weekend, they will discover what has changed, who hasn't and that time and distance can't break the bonds of friendship. It was the summer of 1999 when four small-town Michigan boys began a quest to lose their virginity. In the years that have passed, Jim and Michelle married, Kevin and Vicky said goodbye and Oz and Heather grew apart. Now these lifelong friends have come home as adults to reminisce about, and get inspired by, the hormonal teens who launched a comedy legend.

Pirates! Band of Misfits - Hugh Grant stars in his first animated role as the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain - a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas. With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson included), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate of the Year Award. It's a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London, never losing sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!

Classic Throwback Review: Castle in the Sky (Hayao Miyazaki, 1986)

Castle in the Sky is the first film created and released by Japanese animation and film studio, Studio Ghibli. Written and directed by the great Hayao Miyazaki in 1986, it is the first of several Ghibli animations to win the Animage Anime Grand Prix. Full of magnificent visuals, thrilling action set pieces, and unforgettable characters, Castle in the Sky was a wonderful way to start my April Ghibli marathon.

In the film’s opening sequence, and like most of the Miyazaki films I have seen so far, viewers are plunged straight into the action with the world-building emerging throughout the film. Sky pirates attack an airship carrying a young ophaned girl named Sheeta. Grabbing a pendant she took from her guard, Colonel Muska, Sheeta escapes onto the side of the airship and falls. The mysterious pendant, presumably what the pirates were after, and the Secret Service was trying to defend, comes to life and starts glowing, causing her to float to earth. There, a young boy named Pazu, who works in the mines of his small village, spots and catches her in free-fall, and then cares for her in his home.

Pazu tells her stories about his deceased father; a pilot who had once taken a photograph of what he believes is Laputa, the last remaining floating city. In an era destroyed by catastrophe, human civilizations had once built flying cities. Pazu has always dreamed of one day honouring his father and finding Laputa. When the Pirates and Muska’s relentless agents turn up looking for Sheeta, convinced that the pendant holds the key to finding Laputa and its legendary hordes of treasure, the pair go on the run, finding valuable allies in the local townsfolk, and elderly miner, giant Laputian robots (what a feat they are) and ultimately the Pirates themselves.

Monday Links (02/04/12)

Ruth has also recently been watching some Ghibli films. She shares her thoughts on Whisper of the Heart + The Cat Returns.

Steve recently watched Magnolia. He calls it 'holy-shit good'. Love it.

On my birthday I went and watched The Yellow Sea with some fellow Sydney film enthusiasts. Check out Sam's thoughts.

Alex looks at Bully's Unrated Rating Scandal, and shares some info about the short film, Earrings, he is shooting this month. I wish him all the very best.

'There's a pipeline'. Diana reviews There Will be Blood. What a film.

Sati looks at 8 Actresses Who Would Be A Better Choice For Carrie Than Chloe Moretz.

Ted wants shaky cam and fast editing to go.

The Deep Blue Sea is set to have a release here in Australia, Scott shares his thoughts on the Blu-Ray release.

John ranks the films of Terrence Malick. On a personal level, his #1 is an interesting choice.

Never Too Early Movie Predictions provides an Oscar Guide: Sound Mixing Vs Sound Editing.

I have heard plenty about Turn Me on, Dammit. Colin shares his thoughts.

Tyler reveals his Top 10 of 2011. Four of his selections also made mine. His Top 2, I haven't seen.

Ryan fills in another Blind Spot with Life of Brian.

The Lorax hit cinemas this week in Australia. I haven't seen it. Richard @ The Reel Bits shares his thoughts.

Have a great week, folks.

New Release Review: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Lasse Hallstrom, 2012)

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen opens in Australian cinemas on Thursday April 5.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a British romantic comedy/drama directed by Lasse Hallstrom (What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, Chocolat) and adapted by Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire) from the novel of the same name by Paul Torday.

Britain’s leading fisheries expert, Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), is approached by a consultant, Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emilt Blunt), to help realise a Shiekh’s (Amr Waked) vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the deserts of Yemen. Initially he believes the proposal to be unachievable, not to mention expensive, but facing redundancy from his ungrateful boss – who has been pressured by the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary to ensure Alfred is on board – and problems at home, Alfred begins to warm to the project and starts to see the warped endeavour in a fresh light. He meets and befriends the Sheikh, finds an enthusiastic colleague in Harriet, and tries to beat the odds.

Monthly Round-Up: The Best Films I Saw in March

March, as per usual, was a busy month. My job kept me active with big audiences for the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival - and I watched seven films from the Festival - and plenty of screenings. I also had a birthday (my 24th), and had the opportunity to watch so many great films, but was unfortunately unable to fit them in. I was lucky enough to see the Paradise Lost documentaries early in the month, and yesterday I posted an article outlining my feelings about those films and the case they cover. 

My two DVD purchases (A Man Escaped and Hidden) are immediately two of my prized possessions. Thankfully I have seen my numbers steadily increase over the course of the Month, and I am starting to get back on track with readership and exposure. Big hits came for my reviews of John Carter, The Raid, The Hunger Games and Mirror Mirror as well as my articles on Titanic 3D and my 40 Favourite Directors.

I have decided that April will be the month where I focus on the films by Studio Ghibli, and most directly on those directed by the great Hayao Miyazaki. I have had some prior exposure to Miyazaki's film - Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. Unfortunately, the latter I didn't like so much, but the two former are amongst my all-time favourite animated films. As part of this focus, I intend to review Laputa Castle in the Sky, and then watch/review Grave of the Fireflies, My Neighbour Tortoro, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso and Ponyo for the first time, and re-watch Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away.

Finally, we are a quarter of the way through the year so I thought I would quickly list the Top 10 films of 2012 so far, by Australian release date: A Separation, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Descendants, The Raid, Weekend, Martha Marcy May Marlene, Shame, The Artist and Carnage.

New-to-me: Cinema/DVD (In Order of Preference)

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders of Robin Hood Hills

A Man Escaped

Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory