🍿#16: Old

This week's best trailers, a new news intro for SP and a feature review of M. Night Shyamalan's Old.

“I am an old man, and most people hate me. But I don't like them either so that makes it all even.”

~  It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946

Let’s try something new

I’ve been trying to think of a way to mix up the introduction to Salty Popcorn for some time, and I think I’ve got it... From now on, there’ll be more of a focus on the latest news from the world of movies and showbiz.

This means that you’ll hear about even more upcoming films than in previous issues of SP!

Without further ado, here are your headlines:

• Hollywood heavy-weight Universal is reportedly set to pay $400m to start a new trilogy that will carry on the story of The Exorcist, with Ellen Burstyn reprising her role as Chris MacNeil. Read more.

• Martin Scorsese, Christopher Nolan and Rosamund Pike are among the 100+ A-listers imploring the BBC not to axe Radio 4’s The Film Programme. Read more.

• If you watched Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead, then you’ll be glad to know that the prequel, Army of Thieves is on the way. Here’s a trailer.

• With The Venice Film Festival a little over a month away, the festival’s lineup has been announced. Kristin Stewart plays Princess Diana in Spencer, and Benedict Cumberbatch stars in Jane Champion’s highly-anticipated The Power of the Dog. See the full lineup.

• And finally, here’s one for Schitt’s Creek fans: A ‘witness protection comedy’ penned by the show’s writers is set to star Annie Murphy (who plays Alexis in SC). Read more.

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Upcoming Releases

The Last Duel

UK: 15 October // USA: 15 October

Ridley Scott directs an all-star cast in this French period drama based on the true story of Marguerite de Thibouville (Jodie Comer) who claims to have been raped by her husband’s best friend, Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver).

Naturally, the husband, Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon), challenges Jacques Le Gris to trial by combat…

The Card Counter

UK: 5 November // USA: 10 September

The Card Counter is the latest film to be written and directed by frequent Scorsese-collaborator Paul Schrader. The film follows the story of William Tell (Oscar Isaac), a gambler and former serviceman who sets out to reform a young man seeking revenge on a mutual enemy.

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Fact of the week

While I’m struggling to verify the legitimacy of this week’s fact, I really felt this had to be shared…

Apparently, NASA screens the 1998 Bruce Willis sci-fi click Armageddon as part of its management training programme. Trainees are then tasked with spotting as many scientific inaccuracies as possible, of which there are at least 168.

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Review: Old

Star rating:

2 (out of 5)

Worth a watch? 

No

Where to watch: 

USA: Only in cinemas

UK: Only in cinemas

Runtime:

1hr 49m

Blurb: 

Based on the graphic novel Sandcastle, by Pierre Oscar Lévy and Frederik Peeters, Old follows a group of holidaymakers that wind up on a secluded beach that somehow causes them to age rapidly.

The review (NO spoilers):

Old got old really quickly. That’s not to say I was bored, but there were a few eye rolls on my part. It’s a shame, as having seen a 5* review in The Guardian, I walked into the cinema with high expectations that the film simply didn’t live up to.

On top of a flimsy plot, the film’s pacing is way off. From the start, everything feels rushed. I don’t mean that in a ‘time-flies-when-you’re-having-fun’ way, I mean it felt frantic and the longer it went on the less I enjoyed it. With a ‘short’ introduction and a slow ending, all the action is crammed into the middle, making it one long climax that leaves the audience feeling underwhelmed.

What’s more, we’re not given a chance to feel anything for the characters. Despite a couple of moments where we might sympathise with them, it’s difficult to feel any empathy. This is partly because of the pacing and partly because there are too many characters to care about. While it’s clear that we’re supposed to be backing the Cappa family, there isn’t enough backstory or context to make them feel like true protagonists.

Perhaps I’ve come to expect too much from M. Night Shyamalan but his early work, including The Sixth Sense, The Village and Signs are the films I think of when his name crops up - all of which left a mark on me. Maybe that’s because I was younger with less discerning tastes — or just less of a snob — but I’m not so sure.

If and when Shyamalan makes another film, I’ll strive to remember this experience, along with The Happening and Split, though I will say the latter was pretty good until the ending.

For a different opinion, take a look at the slightly kinder review on from Karl at SmashCut and the 5* review from The Guardian critic Peter Bradshaw.

Scroll down for the critic’s cut and what’s coming in the next issue.

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If you liked Old…

The Visit

2015 | UK: Netflix // US: Amazon Prime ($4.20)

Whether you’re a fan of M. Night Shyamalan or Old put you off him altogether, you might still enjoy his 2015 film The Visit. It’s the only one of his films that I’ve wanted to see and have actually enjoyed since 2004.

This feels much more like a traditional horror and although things do get a little freaky, it’s easier to get caught up in the film’s reality than any of his more recent work.

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In the next issue:

Stillwater

UK: 30 July // USA: 30 July | Watch the Trailer*

*I think this trailer gives a little too much away.

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The Critic’s Cut 🚨SPOILER ALERT🚨:

At its heart, the film’s premise is solid: There’s a beach where people age much, much faster than they do in ‘normal’ places, which is terrifying - because facing your own mortality is terrifying.

However, as soon as there’s an explanation for why the ageing process is sped up, it becomes ridiculous. I find it impossible to believe, even in cinema, special rocks leaking special minerals would make that happen… Similarly, I also struggle with the idea that special coral can do anything to counter the effect.

What I do believe is that sometimes, especially with supernatural horrors, is that some things are best left unexplained.

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Do you know someone who’d like a taste of Salty Popcorn? Feel free to send this issue on.