MySky+ … Movies in August

July 11, 2014 0 Comments

Sky’s movie channels offer an unusually august line-up of premieres next month, from top comedies Don Jon and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa to blockbusters Pacific Rim and Man of Steel to the forerunner of Downton Abbey and a miniseries re-make of Rosemary’s Baby.

The satanic cult classic has been inflated to nearly three hours for its resurrection, which aired in the US three months ago — 46 years after the original first terrified filmgoers.

The New York Times thought it “more straightforward and much gorier than the original film.

“But partly because the story has been so altered, it still has mystery and suspense.”

Across town, the New York Post was less effusive: “The miniseries is often visually striking, with helmer Agnieszka Holland delivering stylish, cinematic work.

“But the new script also undermines her mood-setting efforts with cheap shock tactics.”

The trades were underwhelmed, too: “closer in tone to a remake of The Omen than of its namesake” (Variety); “ill-advised and pointless” (The Hollywood Reporter).

Don’t overlook Don Jon. Films about sex don’t come funnier or more profound than this comedy about a meticulously groomed, god-fearing bartender’s addiction to pornography.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as star, writer and director, nails male sexual sensibilities with such openness, intelligence and disarming honesty that the movie’s raunchiness is more Woody Allen than American Pie.

The Place Beyond the Pines is another standout. It opens as a crime drama about a bank-robbing motorcycle stunt rider only to switch gears to explore deeper familial issues with an epic intensity it struggles to sustain.

Nonetheless, it’s a riveting two-and-half hours of character-driven tension and intrigue that never stops surprising with its powerful storytelling and performances.

And fans of Downtown Abbey may want to check out Julian Fellowes’ Gosford Park, a clever but disjointed satirical whodunit — think Upstairs, Downstairs meets Agatha Christie — starring Maggie Smith (it was nominated for eight Oscars in 2002 and won for best screenwriting).

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