Carrie Trailer

There will come a time when horror remakes are bold enough to state that that is what they are. Until then, we have the likes of Carrie, which is of course based on the acclaimed novel by Stephen King and the well regarded Brian De Palma big screen version need not be mentioned here (nor the less well remembered 1999 sequel Carrie 2: The Rage which I still reckon should have been called Carrie 2: Carrie On Regardless).

This isn't something I'd say often, but I don't think the idea of remaking Carrie is completely redundant. The themes of adolescence and coming of age are timeless and De Palma's version has dated horrendously in some areas. It's still a classic of the genre, but an updated version isn't going to change that.

The core moments from the previous adaptation are all here and well displayed in the trailer (Prom, crazy mother, awkward communal showers, but now with added camera phones), with all of the effects given the requisite Hollywood makeover needed for 2013. The trailer does recall the attention given to Let Me In, another remake that starred Chloe Moretz in a central role.

Sissy Spacek is a tough act to follow, but I think that Chloe Moretz is a great screen presence and Julianne Moore looks to have nailed the role occupied by Piper Laurie in the original. The trailer does give away a little too much about the ending, but then "socially awkward teenager goes to prom" doesn't really get the crowds in; revenge fuelled shit fits do.

Directed by Boy's Don't Cry's Kimberley Peirce, Carrie arrives in cinemas at the end of November.

The Good, the Bad and the Blu-rays

This week's new releases are dominated by the return of Middle Earth, but there's still a classic Cronenberg film and a documentary about an obscure punk poet to contend with.

Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 - The Motion Poster

It's safe to say that I'm not a fan of the recent trend for motion posters. I mean, what exactly is it meant to be, a trailer or a poster? It's in contention (along with the trailer for the trailer) for being the most useless piece of modern movie marketing. Having said that, what I do like is Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs, so anything related to that is okay in my book.

After seeing the original on Blu-ray I instantly regretted not catching it during its theatrical run, as this charming, witty, brightly coloured food extravaganza was meant for the big screen. Yes, it's technically aimed at kids, but it helped make the point that Pixar don't have a monopoly on great animation anymore. Well, I don't plan on making the same mistake twice, so when the sequel (where the food created in the first film has evolved into "foodimals") arrives at the end of the year I'll be first in line. Okay, I might not be first in line, but I'll be pretty close to the front. Definitely not near the back.

Scheduled for release in late October and directed by Cody Cameron and Kris Pearn (after the directors of the original, Phil Lord and Chris Miller moved on to live action with 21 Jump Street), this very welcome sequel sees original cast members Bill Hader, Anna Faris, Andy Samberg, and Neil Patrick Harris as the voice of Steve the Monkey returning, as well as Terry Crews and Kristen Schaal being new additions to the cast.

SPRING BREAKERS review

Starring Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens as bikini clad bandits and James Franco as a gangster rapping drug lord, Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers is now in cinemas.

Obscurity Files - Don't Tell Her It's Me/The Boyfriend School

Starring Steve Guttenberg as Gus Kubicek, a lonely cartoonist in recovery from cancer, Don't Tell Her It's Me (AKA The Boyfriend School) sees his sister, Lizzie (Shelley Long), try to kickstart his life again by setting him up with journalist Emily (Jamie Gertz). The only problem is, Jamie isn't interested in Gus. She's interested in Lobo Marunga, the quasi-Aussie biker who just happens to be Gus in disguise.

The New Poster Tagline For Fast & Furious 6 Doesn't Seem To Understand The Basic Principle Of Great Britain Being An Island.

Obscurity Files - Dead Heat

Take one of Saturday Night Live's biggest stars of the '80s trying to break into movies and team him up with an up and coming actor with matinee idol looks and what do you get? A cop drama that slowly reveals itself to be a gore-filled zombie comedy. When downtown LA's jewellery stores are raided by a heavily armed gang of almost indestructible men, it's up to Detectives Mortis and Bigelow (Treat Williams and Joe Piscopo) to uncover what's going on.

Before Midnight - The first trailer for the return of Jesse and Celine

As all time favourite filmmakers go, Richard Linklater ranks very highly on my list. After first seeing Dazed and Confused as a teenager and then quickly digesting the rest of his filmography in a short space of time, it helped shape my cinematic tastes for the years that have followed and probably explains why the site you are currently reading is called Slacker Cinema. A major highlight of that filmography was 1995's Before Sunrise, the Vienna set romance that introduced the characters of Jesse and Celine, played by Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.

Linklater, Hawke and Delpy returned to those characters in 2004's Before Sunset and now, another 9 years later, are back once again with Before Midnight. Now married with kids, Jesse and Celine's relationship has reached a new completeness, the questions from the final scene in 2004's installment satisfyingly answered. Now, living within their own romantic legend, Before Midnight continues the ongoing love story.

Jesse and Celine seem to have found themselves a comfortable life (this time on a Greek island), and equally, Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy seem even more comfortable in the roles that they are best known for. Also back on board as co-writers (along with Linklater, Delpy and Hawke received an Oscar nomination for Before Sunset) it's reassuring to know that they wouldn't have risked returning to these roles had they not had something relevant to say.

Receiving great word of mouth after its debut at Sundance in January, Before Midnight arrives in cinemas this summer.

The Good, the Bad and the Blu-rays

After a ridiculously long absence from the interwebs, here is the return of my weekly guide to the DVDs and Blu-rays you should be spending your money on, as well as the ones you definitely shouldn't.

Pineapple Express 2 Trailer

At long last, starring Seth Rogen and James Franco in the roles that defined their careers, it's the trailer for the sequel you've all been waiting for.



Poking fun at a previous film to promote a new one sounds like a strange move, but it is, of course, a joke, with today's date being the reason behind its release. Still, it's a pretty good joke that not only has me in the mood to re-watch the original Pineapple Express, it also has me further sold on the premise of the film it is really promoting, This Is The End.

Previously seeming a bit wanky (what with Rogen, Franco, Hill, McBride, etc, play themselves watching the end of the world from a celebrity party), this comedy is starting to look like the quintessential Seth Rogen film (high concept seen through a haze of smoke), and the ideal one for him to make his directorial debut with, alongside regular co-writer/producer Evan Goldberg.

Who knows whether this is purely a stand-alone joke made as a piece of viral marketing (quite expertly, I might say), or if this footage will actually feature in the film in some way. Personally, I could stand to see a bit more of Jonah Hill's Woody Harrelson impression.

This Is The End is released this summer. Sadly, Pineapple Express 2 will probably only ever exist in the hearts and minds of those too lethargic to make it.