THE BIG RELEASE
The Fighting Temptations
Advance word: Well it was going to be out now, but the distributor moved it to 12th December. Call it an early Christmas present for Beyonc茅 fans. (By the way, did you know it's been clinically proven that Brits can only say the word "Beyonc茅" with an Essex accent.)
ALSO OUT
Christmas-themed movies rarely stick in the mind much beyond, ooh, Boxing Day, but Will Ferrell's Elf may just be the exception. It's directed by Jon Favreau, which gives us some hope, anyway. We've less hope for Robert Downey Jr's version of The Singing Detective (fans of the TV series need not apply), and none whatsoever for long-on-the-shelf Jackie Chan/Lee Evans actioner The Medallion (aka Highbinders). There are a couple of Brit pics to look out for: Daniel Craig and Anne Reid star in Roger Michell's Cannes-opened The Mother (the screenplay's by Hanif Kureishi, which should tell you all you need to know). At the other end of the scale there's Octane, a low-budget horror pic starring Madeleine Stowe, Mischa Barton, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers. It's by Marcus Adams, who announced himself with some style in 2002 with Long Time Dead.
A perfect example of a film that does one thing exceptionally well and another exceptionally poorly.
