Okay, so maybe claiming that Kate Hudson has an anti-charm is a bit unfair. But, generally, if you hear that a movie is going to star Ewan McGregor, even if it sounds a little stupid, your general reaction is going to be, “well, at least Ewan McGregor is in it.” And when you hear that a movie is going to star Kate Hudson, even if it looks promising, your general reaction is going to be, “well, Kate Hudson picked the script, so clearly it’s got to be awful.” What then to expect from this new romantic comedy, Born to Be King, now that McGregor is attached to star and Hudson is negotiating to be his co-star? Seeing as the film was written and is to be directed by Peter Capaldi, an actor-turned-director who hasn’t had much experience making features (he made Strictly Sinatra is 2001), it’s hard to make a prediction on which actor’s track record will take precedence based on the filmmaker’s past work. It appears we have to move on to plot synopsis to try and make a judgment. According to the Variety article that broke the news of McGregor and Hudson’s casting, Born to Be King is about an extra on a film set (McGregor) who looks uncannily like a big star stumbling into a romance with a starlet (Hudson) who is said to be at war with her co-star.

We continue our journey through a month of frightening, bloody and violent films. For more, check out our 31 Days of Horror homepage. Synopsis: A contemporary adaptation of the Bram Stoker novel, Ken Russell’s The Lair of the White Worm (1988) begins with archaeology student Angus Flint (In the Loop’s Peter Capaldi) finding a strange serpentine skull in the backyard of an English cottage. After some research, Flint makes the connection between the skull and the “d’Ampton worm,” a giant malevolent worm that was conquered in nearby Stonerich Cavern. The direct ancestor of the worm slayer is the rather charming James d’Ampton (played by a rather charming Hugh Grant), who shares suspicions with Flint that the worm may still be alive under the grounds of their otherwise quaint English hamlet. D’Ampton’s seductive and often leather-bound neighbor, Lady Sylvia Marsh (Amanda Donahue) is an immortal, supernatural force subservient to the worm, and her seductive search for a virgin sacrifice brings about all kinds of over-the-top, schizophrenic greatness.

Why Watch? Because inspiration comes to those who…hold on, someone’s at the door. As the title might suggest, this short film is an absurd boundary-pusher that smashes together two pieces of culture in the messiest way possible. Richard E. Grant (who most will remember from Withnail and I) stars here as Kafka as he stands (or sits) at the precipice of writing his masterpiece. Fate doesn’t seem to be a fan. If some humor can be called dry, the deliver here is downright arid. It’s both maddeningly calm and humorously inviting, and the visual work is meant to confound at almost all times. It’s no wonder it won the BAFTA and tied for the Oscar. Questioning what the hell you just saw is perfectly fine both during the short and after it’s finished. What does it cost? Just 23 minutes of your time. Check out Franz Kafka’s It’s A Wonderful Life for yourself:

Armando Iannucci’s ‘In the Loop’ is a smart political satire with a terrific cast.