As Cannes passes its halfway mark, already a number of deals and release dates have been set, with Asghar Farhadi’s “The Past” being just the latest. But away from the Croisette, a number of smaller pictures are nearing release, and a diverse slate at that: a UK cop thriller with a stellar ensemble, a coming of age drama starring Claire Danes, and a space horror with Sharlto Copley in the lead.
Director Nick Murphy first landed on the scene with modest horror film, “The Awakening,” starring Rebecca Hall, and now he’s followed that film up with a new ensemble piece, “Blood.” Starring Paul Bettany and Stephen Graham as cop brothers who investigate a girl’s murder, only to try and cover up their actions afterwards, the film also throws supporting turns from Brian Cox and Mark Strong into the mix. The talent is definitely there, and we had a good time with it at the London Film Festival last year – keep an eye on this one as it hits UK cinemas May 31st, and hopefully nails down a U.S. release date too. [Empire]
As perhaps a reaction to the more baffling space antics of “Star Trek Into Darkness,” a new trailer for the Sharlto Copley-led space horror, “Europa Report,” has arrived with an approach grounded in reality. The film follows a six-person crew that encounter something nefarious on Jupiter’s moon, Europa. Sci-fi site io9 caught an early look at the Sebastián Cordero-directed film, calling it “the most painstakingly accurate space film we’ve seen in ages,” so amidst the possible alien threat, at least be comforted by the filmmakers’ dedication to realism. The film lands on iTunes June 27th, before cinemas on August 2nd.
And on the quieter front, “As Cool As I Am” is a family drama (adapted from the book by Pete Fromm) that sees a young teenager (Sarah Bolger) trying to navigate high school, as well as deal with her cheating mother (Claire Danes) and stubborn father (James Marsden.) The film’s trailer doesn’t do much to overcome its rather bland-looking visuals and rote story, but with an R-rating and decent cast let’s hope the execution saves the day when it hits theatres. [Yahoo]
