It’s Halloween and that can only mean one thing! One horror, three unknown dramas, and a blockbuster.
First on the slate is the latest Bond film. This time following a cryptic message from the past, Bond abandons a collapsing secret service on a rogue mission of revenge. That’s right it’s Skyfall 2, the fourth film in the reluctant Daniel Craig series, Spectre, released Monday 26th. Newly rebooted with returning Ralph Finnes as M, Naomie Harris as Moneypenny, Ben Whishaw as Q, and joined by Christoph Waltz, Monica Bellucci, Lea Seydoux, Andrew Scott, and Dave Bautista. Will it hit the same critical and box office acclaim as its predecessor?
On Friday we see a slew of smaller releases. Black Souls is a slow-burning Italian crime drama, hailed for its influences from Coppola’s Godfather trilogy. The film tells the tale of three brothers from the Ndrangheta crime syndicate as they embark on the largest drug deal of their careers, a deal that will not only earn them fortunes, but return them to the lands of their ancestors. Nominated for the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival, and winner of best film and direction, it looks set to be one of the most critically acclaimed foreign films this year.
Thank your lucky stars as Christmas comes early on October 30th this year. Fan favourites Hayden Christensen and Nicholas Cage team up for what can only be deemed “second best action film of the week” Outcast. This time those crazy fellas are in fural China as two war-worn Crusaders on a mission to help a prince and his sister return to their rightful place on the throne. Critics are calling it “bad” and “bad”.
The second British release this week is a remake of the classic radio play Under Milk Wood. Based in the Welsh town of ‘Llareggub’ (Read backwards), the residents recall a host of past tales and poems, lead by blind Captain Cat. Playful with picture and words, if you’re looking for a stranger release this week this film is for you.
Finally we reach the single horror film coming out Halloween week, The Vatican Tapes. If you know the concept of an exorcism film, this is it incarnate. “After a young woman begins to express increasingly erratic and strange behaviours, her father and boyfriend, along with a priest (Michael Peña?) and two Vatican exorcists, come to realize that she’s been taken over by an ancient satanic force.” Watch, eat popcorn, scream, maybe enjoy.
