Movie Man Dan

Young Adult

2012-01-31T09:30:00.000Z

Nasty Girl

There must be something narratively appealing about successful types venturing home in films only to rediscover themselves in the unlikeliest of places. However for every Beautiful Girls or Grosse Pointe Blank there's a Sweet Home Alabama. So can Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody's tale of a screwed up teenage fiction writer add anything new?

Undoubtedly yes. Here, Charlize Theron plays Mavis Gary, a successful ghost writer of a popular school-based series. Struggling with writer's block and an alcohol problem, when an email pops up announcing the arrival of a newborn for her former high school flame Buddy (Patrick Wilson) she decides to make it her mission to return home and rescue him from his suburban ordeal.

What soon becomes apparent is that Mavis is clearly suffering from two major problems; an addiction to whiskey and a delusional personality. It's when she bumps into another old high schooler, Patton Oswalt's crippled Matt, that her dependency on the former increases as he gently exposes the futility of the dark mission she has set herself a course for.

Anyone who's watched Theron (herself an Oscar winning actress) as the bumbling but childlike Rita in sitcom Arrested Development will know a little of what to expect her. Gone though are the goofy, childlike charms as Theron quickly establishes Mavis as a thoroughly dislikeable but magnetic screen character. She might think she's made it in the big city (the 'Mini-Apple' of Minneapolis in a running gag) and can scorn those who've settled for life back in her home town Mercury, but her drunken disdain for the town, and her pet pooch show just how screwed up she is.

Thankfully then both Reitman and Cody as director and screenwriter have crafted a dark, disturbing and comic tale around her with a little more creative diligence than it seems Mavis can muster herself. When she's not eavesdropping on teen chatter as inspiration for her book, she's invading Matt's home distillery to help herself to his liquor and forgetting to tell her parents even that she's back in town. Which means it falls to Oswalt and Wilson to provide the warmth and humanity on screen that she so lacks.

While comedian Oswalt has been gathering plaudits for his turn providing the film's more touching moments, Young adult is very much Theron's film as she goes about her business of seducing her former beau without remorse. Though the ending might annoy those who hope she might get her comeuppance, there's a certain pleasure to be had from knowing it's going to take a lot more than a front lawn showdown and a girly heart-to-heart to make her change her ways. Some people really do never grow up.

VERDICT - A terrific turn from Theron and a fab soundtrack (who wouldn't want to hear Teenage Fanclub's 'The Concept' on repeat?) make this dark comedy, from Juno's creators, Cody-ly cool.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 3rd Feb

Chronicle

2012-01-31T08:00:00.000Z

Review Coming Soon

Think a teenage X-Men filmed on a camcorder but with a touch more bite.

Cert 12A - Released Fri 3rd Feb

Martha Marcy May Marlene

2012-01-31T07:00:00.000Z

Cult Viewing

While the older Olsen twins blazed a trail in the late nineties and early noughties on the big and small screen, younger sister Elizabeth chose to tread the boards instead. It seems to have paid off, as now she looks to make a name for herself with a break out performance as a damaged former cult member in Sean Durkin's directorial debut.

When Martha (Olsen) flees from the community that she's been living with for two years, she finds acclimatising to life back in the outside world increasingly difficult. While her strange behaviour seems odd to her sister (Sarah Paulson) and her husband, a paranoid Martha tells them nothing of where she's been, beginning to worry that perhaps she'll never be free.

Though cults no doubt make for fascinating and captivating viewing, there's been surprisingly little of them to chew on. Kate Winslet's Holy Smoke and TV's Signs and Wonders were powerful both dramas, but in the last decade the idea's rarely been tapped. So it's refreshing to see Durkin adapt his own short (Mary Last Seen) into something longer and unsettlingly memorable.

Told through two linear timelines, we gradually see how Martha (renamed Marcy May at the community) becomes disillusioned with the promise of freedom and love as things spiral towards a deadly conclusion. These flashbacks and memories haunt the second timeline, in the present, as Martha struggles to adapt to life with her sister and begins to realise she may need help to move on.

With some clever editing that switches almost unnoticeably at times between past and present the film's structure takes a little getting used to. However, despite the lack of an obvious flashback signal, Martha Marcy May Marlene captivates from the first scene as a disheveled Martha runs through the forest to escape. That is succeeds in continuing to intrigue owes a huge debt to Olsen, whose Martha embodies a sense of confusion and vulnerability that makes it easier to elicit sympathy from the viewer than it obviously does for her bewildered family, who become increasingly frustrated with her.

While they can't understand what's upsetting Martha, the fact that we see just how powerful an effect the cult and it's leader Patrick (an underused John Hawkes) has had on her through her back story shows the chasm Martha feels between these two colliding worlds. While the abrupt ending will annoy many, the metaphor it brings (looking over your shoulder) suggests Martha will indeed never be free; something terrifyingly unfinal which justifies such an open-ended denouement.

VERDICT - A terrific performance from Olsen anchors a technically impressive debut from Durkin. It's not easy getting away from it all, is it?

Cert 15 - Released Fri 3rd Feb

Carnage

2012-01-30T06:30:00.000Z

Awards and All

You may have noticed that a lot of cinemas have begun broadcasting theatre live from London into your local multiplex, for those who prefer popcorn with their playscripts. Now it seems Roman Polanski has joined the trend by presenting Yasmina Reza's play 'God of Carnage' as a sort of filmed live production.

Set in real time, Carnage depicts the fractious meeting between two sets of parents, the Longstreets (Jodie Foster & John C. Reilly) and the Cowans (Kate Winslet & Christoph Waltz) after their children become involved in a violent confrontation in a local park. What starts as a brief, cordial and polite obligation turns into an increasingly juvenile episode as views are shared, drink is poured and frustrations boil over.

Despite the legal and personal difficulties faced by Polanski, creatively he seems to be in a golden patch. After 2010's superb thriller The Ghost comes this relatively brief (80 minutes) but thoroughly enjoyable stage adaptation in which we see adults behaving like children and children - in the film's closing shot - behaving like adults.

He's helped by the film's singular setting, a Manhattan apartment, and the various opinions and lifestyle choices it exposes. Far from descending into farce, although there are farcical elements in Reza's screenplay, Carnage instead allows its actors, not its elements to shine. Yes, Kate Winslet's uptight Nancy vomits all over Foster's prized book collection, and there's a rather comic scene or two with a hair-dryer, but Carnage is all about what happens when adults reveal their subconscious juvenile tendencies.

Of the four, it's the women who impress most as Winslet, the clenched-up businesswoman and Foster, delivering her best performance for a while, come to blows. John C. Reilly plays his rather one-note chauvinistic role well enough but Waltz trumps him with better lines and a more caustic wit to steal most of the film's laughs.

Never outstaying it's welcome (unlike the Cowans) and with a sharp script which exposes many a middle class ideal, Carnage is the mark of a director at ease with his style. The stage-like feel may not be to everyone's tastes and it's hardly likely to cater for the blockbuster crowd, but in an actor's season, awards and all, Carnage is a little gem.

VERDICT - A top cast and a sparkling script are well served by the film's setting and direction. Polanski has found his funny bone and he likes it.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 3rd Feb

The Descendants

2012-01-26T06:30:00.000Z

Payne and Pleasure

Famous for his bitter-sweet male psyche comedies, Alexander Payne has, like a good Pinot Noir, left enough time since his last directorial offering (2004's superb Sideways) to let it breathe and make many a film fan salivate. Now, he's back with another tale of a man in a crisis with The Descendants, and an on-form George Clooney.

Clooney plays Matt King, a wealthy land owner and lawyer who struggles to deal with the aftermath of a boating accident which leaves his wife in a coma, nearing death. When he discovers she had been having an affair he decides, along with his two young daughters, to track down his wife's lover so he can say goodbye too.

You can see why Payne chose this story, adapted from a novel by Kaui Hart Hemmings, and chose Clooney to play the leading man. Considered unsuitable for the role of philanderous actor Jack in Sideways, Clooney here is perfectly cast as the cuckolded husband who, very much like other male Payne characters (Miles Raymond, Jim McAllister and Warren Schmidt) has his values and identity questioned from the start.

He's supported by an equally fantastic turn from Shailene Woodley as his daughter Alexandra; at first a precocious, bratty teen, she learns to assume motherly duties to younger sister Scottie while supporting her father through a difficult few days. With the loss of a partner, some exposed secrets and the sale of hereditary land to negotiate, the waters of this Hawaii-set drama look choppy to say the least.

So what could become overwrought and weepie-ish in other director's hands is given the usual bitter-sweet treatment in Payne's to wonderful effect. With some fine physical comedy (Clooney's run, spank and spying stand out) and some witty one-liners, The Descendants turns out the be a rare thing indeed; a warm and sentimental film that shows the dark and lighter side of life with equal panache.

It may not have Sideways' masculine audience in mind - casting Clooney in the lead hints at its female-leaning tendencies - but it shares that film's exploration of a man coming to terms with his emotions at a difficult moment in his life, and will certainly stay with you once the film's touching finale has faded. With its sensitive script and wonderful performances The Descendants proves that old proverbial phrase, that where there's Payne there's pleasure.

VERDICT - It might have been a long time coming but Alexander Payne has hit gold once more thanks to some superb performances and a witty but moving screenplay. That next film can't come soon enough.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 27th Jan

Like Crazy

2012-01-25T06:30:00.000Z

Unlike Crazy, Stupid, Love

You might hear a lot about this quirky, indie romance in the next few weeks. A huge hit at Sundance, Drake Doremus' take on a well told tale (boy meets girl) adds a splash of Romeo and Juliet, 500 Days of Summer and Before Sunrise to bring a touching and achingly real story bang up to date.

After a late semester romance in LA, Brit Anna (Felicity Jones) returns to the UK having overstayed her visa, leaving her true love Jacob (Anton Yelchin) behind. As work and other love interests begin to take over, can their love survive when perhaps it was just an extended fling all along?

Like Crazy is bound to polarise even die-hard romantics, with those who yearn for Anna and Jacob to find the path towards true love despite its obstacles on the one hand, and the more realistic ''live in the moment' types on the other. Whichever side you find yourself on though won't hamper your enjoyment of this pleasantly non-rom-com in the traditional Hollywood sense.

Whereas Crazy, Stupid, Love took a more comic approach to eventually decide that our one true love is usually our true love after all and 500 Days of Summer took quite the different view, here Like Crazy throws all kinds of obstacles in the way before coming to its conclusion. While Anna struggles with life back home, and the consequences of her decision to overstay her visa become increasingly difficult, Jacob meets the beautiful Sam (Jennifer Lawrence) and does his best to move on.

It's at this point that Doremus cleverly plays with the notion, through his own cast, that perhaps Romeo and Juliet might not have made it in the long run. After the initial passion, the idea that Anna and Jacob might make such a difficult long distance relationship work seems smudgy at best, and the use of both Sam and Simon (Anna's other man) introduce enough doubt for the lovers and audience alike.

That such love is believable in the first place owes a huge debt to Jones and Yelchin who, through improvised dialogue, create a familiar sense of finding that first true love. Both exude a sense of desperation, loneliness and love that's rarely caught with such low-key fare, with Jones showing just why the buzz around her is so deserved. Which means we're treated to montages of pillow talk, hand-holding on the beach and a truly touching moment through glass doors.

As the time passes (although it's never clear just how much time is elapsing between meets) and love itself is questioned the film moves towards and ending that will feel ambiguous and yet at the same time true. We've probably seen a little too much of the 'what happened next' to make us want to see more by now anyway and so, read positively, the ending will please the romantic within us while annoying it a touch too.

VERDICT - Pitch perfect performances, a lovely soundtrack and a satisfyingly ambiguous climax mean Doremus' take on fated-love is a gorgeous watch that will leave you feeling tingly and a little like, crazy.

Cert 12A - Released Fri 27th Jan

Haywire

2012-01-18T19:49:00.000Z

Pinch of Salt

Steven Soderbergh killed off an A-list cast in Contagion, so it's no surprise therefore to see him using an unknown in his latest movie, an all-action spy romp, and then building a snazzy little film around her with another A-list cast ready to be disposed of.

Mallory Kane (MMA fighter Gina Carano) is double crossed after a mission in Barcelona turns out to have a different goal from the one expected. Now she's angry and wants answers, and she'll fight to the top to make sure she gets them.

After the jazzy cool of his Oceans films, it's great to see Soderbergh doing what he does best; having fun. In a genre dominated recently by no-nonsense and often brutal, choreographed fighting, Carano seems a natural choice to play the rouge agent Kane; no initial star power, but plenty of power punches. Whereas Angelina Jolie's Evelyn Salt was tough and armed, Carano could probably take her down in seconds, all without need for a Walter PPK.

If you're going to cast an, as yet, untried lead, then it helps to have a top notch cast build around you and Soderbergh's done just that with McGregor, Fassbender, Douglas, Banderas and Tatum (okay almost top notch) all along for a ride which not many will make it through.

The plot itself may be paper thin (cleaning up loose ends apparently) but it's always going to be secondary to the action, which borrows heavily from Bourne's rough and ready arsenal. No heart-thumping music, no witty quips, just a girl, a guy and a serving tray or two.

Of course given its lean budget, what Haywire lacks is a touch of class. Locations such as Barcelona, San Diego and Dublin appear low-key and unglamorous here in a genre where globe-trotting is normally a picturesque perk of the job. Thankfully David Holmes smooth score and some terrific fight sequences render the background secondary anyway.

However it's Carano who emerges as the film's trump card; a rising action star if ever there was one. She may need to work on that delivery if she's going to do more than just fight, but with Haywire, she's been given a fighting chance of making it as a star.

VERDICT - A brief but fun action workout that will invigorate those tired of traditional Hollywood shoot-em-ups. The Bourne Legacy had better raise its game a little.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 20th Jan

J. Edgar

2012-01-17T08:00:00.000Z

Brokeback Bureau

Clint Eastwood needed to find his form once again after Hereafter's rather dull misfire. It probably seemed like a good bet; take one of America's most iconic figures and a bankable A-list star - what could go wrong? Well, something.

J. Edgar sees an aged Hoover (Leonardo DiCaprio) relaying his memoirs as he describes what drove him up to the head of the FBI, what it cost him in terms of personal sacrifices and the success and recognition it bought. Has it been at too steep a price though, and can the paranoid Hoover's account be considered reliable?

Taking in a large time span, Eastwood's biopic follows Hoover from his initial rise to power through various cases (the Lindbergh baby kidnap features prominently) via a succession of Presidents. As well as covering his professional life, Eastwood does his best to delve into the personal life of a man who was famously guarded, even when delighting in hoarding a wealth of personal information from surveillance on the key figures of the day.

Evidently it appears there were three main people in Hoover's life, his oppressive mother (well played by Judi Dench), his dutiful secretary (Naomi Watts) and his close friend Clyde (Armie Hammer). In the end it appears motherly love smothered the boy who was unable to express his true desires as a man and so retreated behind a desk and listened in on others and theirs.

However, despite the fascinating subject matter Eastwood's film lacks a singular focus, taking in far too many different plot strands and time periods to make it worthy of the material. DiCaprio is as solid and committed as ever, lacing Edgar with a steely determination in his youth and a powerful mistrust of others in his older age. His scenes with Hammer show a tenderness and friendship that obviously meant something more to both of them, even if one was reluctant to express them.

However he's hampered by some poor make-up and unintentionally comic moments. It's hard to take seriously a character who, upon hearing of his mother's death, retreats upstairs to indulge in some cross dressing. And who needs Twitter or the press to relay court judgements when you can have a little boy shout out breaking news from an open window? Armie Hammer too is impeded by some shoddy make up and given little to do as an older Clyde but portray a stroke victim as both he and DiCaprio end up looking like French & Saunders' famously comic old men in an unnecessary and ill-fitting finale, which throws up an interesting plot twist but then does nothing with it.

Which means J.Edgar never feels as powerful as its Untouchables setting means it should be. With a leaner running time and a much larger focus on Hoover's early career, the film might have worked, for it's here that Eastwood's movie has its strongest moments. However, hiring some veteran actors to portray an older Edgar and Clyde (James Caan and Robert Duvall perhaps) might have solved the ageing problems and left the younger actors where they were strongest.

VERDICT - A messy but interesting biopic benefits from DiCaprio's superb performance. But thanks to some dodgy make up and unnecessary plotting, growing old disgracefully was never more apt.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 20th Jan

Shame

2012-01-12T16:56:00.000Z

Sex 'Drive'

It just so happens that Carey Mulligan has bookended 2011 and 2012 by starring in two very similar and very stylish films. However, whereas Drive was an ode to noir and night, Shame ditches the romanticism and gets straight between the sheets.

Brandon (Michael Fassbender) is a lonely New York professional and predatory sex addict. When he's not delving into his porn collection or meeting various women for sex, he's hurrying to the toilet at work to relieve his appetite. When his flighty sister (Mulligan) comes to stay unexpectedly, Brandon's world, normal in his eyes, suddenly appears anything but.

Having worked together on 2008's Hunger, director Steve McQueen and Fassbender have obviously built up a level of trust, meaning that the opening shots of Brandon strutting confidently around his sterile apartment completely naked give Shame an element of surprise from the first frame. However, despite it's fairly graphic sex scenes and filthy dialogue, the film rarely feels titillating, especially when you consider that Brandon isn't enjoying himself anywhere near as much as you'd expect.

So, to elicit any sympathy for what must come across to many as one of life's better addictions takes a real feat of skill and Fassbender, outwardly confident but mentally fragile as Brandon, pulls the role off superbly. Catching himself in the mirror during a particularly degraded session, he's clearly disgusted with himself and yet can't stop his desire, meaning that it's going to take something pretty major to shake him up.

That comes in the form of his sister, Sissy, equally as sexually liberal, who holds a mirror up to Brandon's world by sleeping with his boss and generally showing little regard for her brother as a guest in his house. Despite relatively little screen time, Mulligan is a magnetic performer once again (much as she was in Drive), showing how lonely and vulnerable Sissy can be - a good match for her older brother.

But this is very much Fassbender's film, capturing in his performance the essence of the unfulfilled Brandon. When faced with real intimacy in the form of a co-worker, he struggles; nervous and flustered on the date and then a little over-eager when it comes to the act, aware for once it might actually mean something more than sex.

However the annoyingly inconclusive final reel gives no hint as to which direction his character arc will take, meaning you'll have to decide for yourself whether he learns anything come the end. There's no shame in doing that though, but go with your partner to this one - it's not exactly a family sort of film.

VERDICT - Superb performances and a fantastic soundtrack make Shame a must-see. On this form, McQueen, Fassbender and Mulligan will soon grow additive.

Cert 18 - Released Fri 13th Jan

Margin Call

2012-01-11T06:30:00.000Z

Spocks and Shares

Efforts to elicit sympathy on behalf of Wall Street's money-grabbing traders have hardly been helped by Inside Job's scathing documentary approach or Ben Affleck's casting in last year's The Company Men. Now J.C Chandor tightens the margins to bring a new twist on the tale that plays like Before Sunrise but with money and without much warmth.

Set over the course of one night on the eve of the 2008 crash, Margin Call sees young hotshot Peter Sullivan (Zachary Quinto) stumble upon just what the impending recession might do for the company he works for. When the top dogs (Paul Bettany, Kevin Spacey and Jeremy Irons) learn of this fate, it's all hands on deck to ensure the firm survives. With a fine ensemble cast (Stanley Tucci, Demi Moore feature prominently) whose career won't be getting the same treatment?

Margin Call's biggest asset is that cast, and Chandor's script which, much like Iron's no-nonsense CEO, likes to keep things simple enough for pretty much anyone to understand. What it and similar films struggle with is how to make us actually care for those involved who've pretty much been dipping their hand in the pot when they like without much thought for the consequences.

It's here though in dealing with those consequences that Chandor's cast come into their own. Quinto and Tucci kick things off well, allowing Spacey to take the reins when things threaten to get nasty and steady the ship. Irons is surprisingly human and charming in what could have been a ruthless one-note role while Moore and Bettany make an impact with relatively small screen time.

However this is pretty much Spacey's film. Struggling with the knowledge that his and others' actions will drastically affect others, he's even granted the final, most emotional scene; a funereal metaphor that, while suggesting the party is well and truly over, shows there's life in his old dog yet.

VERDICT - An excellent cast lift what could have been a turgid tale. It's not going to have us weeping like a War Horse, but it gives a glimpse behind how those that caused the crash got burned.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 13th Jan

The Artist

2012-01-08T06:00:00.000Z

Sounds of Silence

If you go down to the multiplex today, you're sure of a big surprise. With the release last month of the delightful Hugo and now Michel Hazanavicius’ enchanting The Artist, someone in Hollywood has decided that making films about films is suddenly cool. Thankfully for us, it's win-win all the way.

It's the late '20s and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is the hottest silent movie star on the big screen. When he inadvertently gives wannabe film star Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) a shot at fame, little does he realise he's spelling the end of his reign as 'Talkies' take over. What next then for the man who's famous for not opening his mouth?

What singles out The Artist as more than simply a gimmick is the fact its silence is used as the key story telling device. What could have been trite and perhaps dull is in fact the most startling thing most cinema-goers will see at the flicks this year - that is if the lack of conversation doesn't put them off - and it really shouldn't.

Continuing the story's silent motif long after 'Talkies' have dominated the screen, Hazanavicius' use of the device cleverly illustrates what life must have been like for those still stuck in their own silent world. In one impressive sequence, the disorientated Valentin discovers his props, but not his voice, can create sound, something that has an astounding effect on the audience. For a man who doesn't even speak to his wife it must be a sweat-inducing shock.

As the adored and now struggling artist, Dujardin is thoroughly impressive; all charm and smiles as he gets into character, managing to convey sentences of dialogue with a mere flick of his eyebrow. Bejo is similarly enchanting as his counterpart Miller, rising in stock as quickly as his is declining, so much so that it's obvious to all what a perfect pair they are from the start. And then of course there's the dog, so effective there's even a campaign to give him his own Oscar award. Simply put, the acting is a delight.

It's not going to be for everyone - a black and white silent movie will never convert those pining for Zookeeper 2 - but for those who loved either Sylvian Chomet's The Illusionist or Hugo recently and want to be enchanted by cinema once again, The Artist is the near-perfect remedy.

VERDICT - Much like Hugo, The Artist is a love letter to cinema; one that doesn't require a reading, just an essential viewing.

Cert PG - Released Fri 6th Jan

Girl Model

2012-01-01T12:09:00.000Z

Model Agencies?

After bringing us the entertaining Tabloid, the disturbing Dreams of a Life and the inspiring Interrupters in recent months, Dogwoof return with one of their most impressive features yet; a captivating expose of modelling that shows dreams of a better life are sometimes just that.

Girl Model follows the journey of Nadya, a fresh-faced, Russian 13-year-old and the indifferent scout Ashley who discovers her. Tracking the path from being picked out at a local casting call to Nadya's attempts to make it on the Japanese modelling circuit, the allure of success and fame is quickly eroded as both Nadya and Ashley showcase just how fickle the industry can be.

Cleverly switching between the counterpoints of innocence (Nadya) and experience (Ashley), David Redmon and Ashley Sabin's film doesn't judge, it just presents. While Nadya and her room-mate struggle in an alien environment, the woman tasked with discovering and nurturing her soon shows that the latter has little room in her job description.

Instead, while the girls grapple with life away from home, living on barely any money and with the jobs they were promised on arrival failing to materialize, the agents who are supposed to be looking after them shower themselves with praise. One compares himself to Noah - "I'm not saving animals, I'm saving girls," - while the other, called Messiah, struggles to explain when asked why they're taken on in the first place when it's clear no agency makes any money from new faces.

But what makes Girl Model all the more startling is that through a series of home movies shot around a similar age to the girls she is supplying, a younger Ashley reveals herself to be just as disillusioned and lonely, thus highlighting her lack of empathy when she should be the very person girls like Nadya can turn to. That the girls leave in debt to a company that promised them money is almost as shocking as the contract clauses that state they can be fired for gaining a centimetre or two around their waist - it's no wonder that some girls gorge on chocolate as a means of escape.

It's this lack of accountability though that makes Girl Model all the more frustrating. Much as Charles Ferguson so expertly did with Inside Job, you yearn for someone to question the motives and behaviour of the adults on display. Sadly, as the closing scenes play out, it's clear that this cycle will go on; that the promise of riches will always entice those eager enough and that there'll always be someone on hand to supply promise after promise. The reality however is far more compelling.

VERDICT - A brief but captivating documentary that shows how corrupt and exploitative the business can be. Should be essential viewing for any teenage girl in any country.

Cert E - Released Fri 10th Feb

Pick of 2011: Review of the Year

2011-12-31T16:00:00.000Z

Movie Man Dan's Movie Highlights

2011 has been a pretty average year at the flicks. Not bad average, but with just the right mix of dumb blockbusters, great new independent films, franchise bulldozers and unnecessary remakes.

While The King's Speech seems a long way off now, since then 2011 has delivered some excellent films. Here's Movie Man Dan's pick of them.

Best British Film - Tyrannosaur

Richard Ayoade could stake a good claim with Submarine, but Paddy Considine surprised us all by being as good behind the camera as he is in front of it with his directorial debut. A tough, uncompromising tale of repressed anger, it signalled out all involved as true British talents.

TRAILER REVIEW

Best Male Performance - Ryan Gosling (Drive)

While Oldman might be tipped for an Oscar, 2011 was without doubt the year of Ryan Gosling. With Blue Valentine, Ides of March and Crazy, Stupid, Love all showing him off, it was Drive that showcased what he could do really without opening his mouth much. As the brutal but compassionate 'driver' mark my words, it will become his signature role.

TRAILER REVIEW

Best Female Performance - Olivia Colman (Tyrannosaur)

No show-boating, no Oscar-baiting. Colman's all-smiles-but-sad-underneath screen persona might be well known to British audiences, but this lifted her from TV sitcoms to the big screen proper. Masking her torment and then exploding with rage, it became a powerhouse performance that surely, surely deserves to give her, not Meryl Streep, awards galore next spring.

INTERVIEW REVIEW

Funniest Film Moment - Stephen Merchant's Killing Spree (Hall Pass)

Okay, so the Farrelly's film was crap, but Merchant lifted every scene he was in, and then as an added treat for those who stayed for the credits, provided the funniest laugh of the year with his dream-like recreation of his own 'Hall Pass' moment. Brilliant!

WATCH REVIEW

Scene of the Year - Warrior's Fight Scenes

A tough one this, as Super 8's terrific train wreck sequence probably scores as most people's 2011 film action moment. However, never have I felt such exhilaration and physical tension while watching any movie as I did with Warrior's superbly staged fight scenes. Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton excel in this sports drama gem that surprisingly few saw - correct that when it's released on DVD early next year.

TRAILER REVIEW

Surprise of the Year - Crazy, Stupid, Love.

While Rise of the Planet of the Apes managed to be a summer blockbuster with brains and The Lincoln Lawyer surprised anyone who'd not seen A Time To Kill by showing that Matthew McConaughey could act, Crazy Stupid Love came out of nowhere to be the rom-com of the year. It might look like a standard rom-com, it might sound like one too, but with Gosling and Carrell on top form, this was much much better than your standard rom-com fluff. Much better.

TRAILER REVIEW

One to Watch - Jessica Chastain

While Hailee Steinfeld stole the spotlight at the start of the year for her excellent turn in the Coen's True Grit she's seen it eclipsed by an unknown at that time who's starred in around 50% of Hollywood's output since, it feels. Tree of Life, The Debt, The Help, Take Shelter - they've all been lifted by Chastian's terrific performances. Next up is another Terrence Malick film and a Tom Cruise blockbuster. I never knew Julia Roberts had a twin.

INTERVIEW THE HELP REVIEW THE DEBT REVIEW

Laziest Film of the Year - Hangover Part 2

There have been a lot of lazy films in 2011, but none more so than Todd Phillip's Hangover Part 2. It's not just the gall they have to make Godfather comparisons, but did no one realise while reading the script that someone had pretty much just gotten hold of the first film's draft and tipexed out Las Vegas and pencilled in Bangkok? At least when they make Part 3, in a rumoured L.A, they only have to delete the Vegas bit I suppose.

TRAILER REVIEW

Best Director - Nicolas Winding Refn for Drive

While any number of directors could be considered here - Paddy Considine, Lars von Trier, Martin Scorsese, one managed to make not just a stunningly stylish and endlessly cool piece of cinema but a contender for film of the year, which will no doubt be many critics' favourite. It's a close second for me, but it remains a fabulously brilliant piece of work thanks to Gosling, Mulligan and Refn.

INTERVIEW REVIEW

Best Film - Inside Job

For me, the best film of the year provokes a unique response. While Warrior managed to pack the excitement of every sports movie in one film and Black Swan emerge as a stunning psycho-melodrama, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 stole the summer with a fitting send off. However Charles Ferguson's documentary on what caused 2008's financial meltdown not only became both the scariest and most relevant film of the year, but it actually made you want to get up and do something, so much so that the whole 'Occupy' movement did just that.

If you haven't seen this then rectify that in 2012 and get ready to seethe. Inside Job is the most important film you'll see this year.

TRAILER REVIEW

Mission Impossible 4 - Ghost Protocol

2011-12-22T06:00:00.000Z

Cruising and Bruising

It might seem like an impossible mission for Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt to take on a genre much changed since 1996's debut; Bond, Bourne and Bauer have pretty much encapsulated the essence of the heroic male spy and despite 1's complex plot, 2's flashy style and 3's frenetic pace, this new mission has got a lot to live up to.

Enter Brad Bird, showing in Pixar's The Incredibles that he can fuse comedy and action highly effectively; something Cruise's Hunt has always struggled with. Having made his mark in an animated world, what can he bring to the real one too?

Framed for a botched mission which leaves the Kremlin in ruins, Hunt and his team Benji (Simon Pegg), Jane (Paula Pattton) and Brandt (Jeremy Renner) have no choice but to track down the man behind it (Michael Nyqvist's crazed terrorist), stop the nuclear war he's intent on creating and clear their names in the process.

Despite some stellar action sequences, the first mission required at least two viewings just to make sense of the plot, and Ghost Protocol shares a similar DNA.

In-between impressive moments infiltrating Russian government HQ, climbing the world's tallest building and negotiating the craziest car park known to man, it's often hard to work out exactly why such heroics are necessary. Stopping the bad guy from launching a nuclear weapon seems to be the answer, but we're never sure why he'd want to do that in the first place and so Ghost Protocol rarely feels as tense as it's constantly ticking clock wants it to be, a problem the third instalment seemed to have covered.

However, that aside, what this mission does well is make those moments spectacular fun. The Kremlin heist is a master-stroke of technical wizardry while the much talked about climb of Dubai's Burj Khalifa is every bit as exhilerating and heart-pumping as you'd expect; palms will sweat. A subsequent stunning chase on foot and by car through a sand-stormed Dubai means the film's mid-point is its most enjoyable segment by far.

Cruise, now 50, is again impressive as the film's stunt-performing star while Pegg provides the laughs and Patton the glamour. An unnecessary sub-plot involving Brandt and Hunt's hidden secrets threatens to over-confuse the final third, but thankfully is kept largely in the shadows as events go down to the wire. If making this fourth episode dazzling fun felt like mission impossible then despite its faults, it's mission accomplished.

VERDICT - Some stunning action sequences mask a rather muddled but fun plot. Catch it in IMAX if you've a head for heights and enjoy the view.

Cert 12A - Released Mon 26th Dec

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

2011-12-15T14:30:00.000Z

Fast and the Curious

Guy Ritchie's take on Arthur Conan Doyle's classic sleuth surprised everyone a couple of years ago with its cheeky sense of fun and smart action sequences. Back to solve their next case, do we detect a sense of déjà vu or has Ritchie solved that dreaded diminishing sequel curse?

Put simply the answer is a resounding yes to both. Whereas the first Holmes introduced us to Robert Downey Jr's eccentric detective and Jude Law's reluctant Dr Watson, here the characters are given plenty of room to breathe, a decent plot with which to manoeuvre in and a genuinely creepy adversary in the form of Jared Harris' Professor Moriarty.

Set not long after the events of the first film, bombings across Europe have brought the continent to the brink of war. However Holmes, deep in the case already, is barely eating and sleeping while Watson is about to embark on his honeymoon. Seemingly behind it all, the elusive Moriarty is in Holmes' sights, but he's going to need a little bit of help to snare him.

Having established his characters and setting last time round, Game of Shadows instead allows Ritchie to really explore what he can do with a big budget. Like any good sequel (Aliens, Toy Story 2), this second offering is funnier, faster and fiendishly entertaining fun.

An almost Victorian Bond film, the action shifts from Paris to Germany before ending spectacularly at the Reichenbach Falls in a nod to a classic Conan tale. An early back street fight scene establishes Holmes' technique of outlining his and his opponent's every move, and the chess game motif that reoccurs throughout the film shows this is an altogether cleverer blockbuster.

That doesn't mean it's not full of action though. A frenetic chase through London's back streets, a dazzlingly explosive train ride (which doesn't do much for marital harmony) and a Matrix-style forest escape rival the best Bond has produced. As Holmes, Downey Jr is as eccentric as ever while Law plays Watson as the likeable Everyman once again. Harris is suitably dastardly (just watch the lighthouse hook scene without wincing) while Stephen Fry brings the element of surprise with a 'cheeky' appearance or two.

There may be niggles over a lack of depth for the female characters (McAdams, Rapace and Reilly) but that's like saying Sex and the City is a little female-orientated. Holmes is a boy's adventure at heart, and it's heartily fantastic fun.

VERDICT - Bigger and funnier than the original, Game of Shadows doesn't lurk in the corner - it lights up the screen. The ending might stretch credulity but when it's this much fun, who cares?

Cert 12A - Released Fri 16th Dec

Puss in Boots

2011-12-07T16:09:00.000Z

Furry Tale Fun

The Shrek franchise may have been given the boot at last but that doesn't mean its better characters can't earn their own spin-off. In the wait for Eddie Murphy's donkey to get his own tale, Antonio Banderas' Puss rides into town in a fun tale of magic beans, golden eggs and dancing cat fights.

When Puss learns of a hidden treasure in the clouds he decides to make it his next quest. However he's foiled in his first attempt to snatch the magic beans that will take him there by Kitty Softpaws (Salma Hayek) and then meets up with old comrade Humpty Dumpty (Zach Galifianakis). Can the feuding trio make it up to heaven and back for the gold, or is there a rotten egg or two hiding in there somewhere?

Mercifully forgoing all the endless pop-culture gags that blighted Shrek and most Dreamworks animations, it's refreshing to see that in Puss, the studio has gone for jovial adventure and character-based jokes instead. Cue a range of cat-quips (landing on your feet, nine lives, catnip etc) that make both Puss and Kitty completely endearing.

Of course, most of that credit must go to Banderas and Hayek, who share an obvious on-screen/off-screen chemistry that doesn't show most of their scenes were probably recorded separately. Puss' arrogance and impressive sword skills reference Zorro while Kitty, looking oddly like 'Batcat' and times in her mask, is easily the better dancer of the two; something showcased in the terrific flamenco dance-off in the first act.

Of the supporting cast, Galifianakis does a good job creating the double persona of the orphaned Humpty, while Billy Bob Thornton makes a gruff Jack, eliciting one of the best jokes of the film with a request for muffins. There's plenty of parody too to be had in the Western setting and beanstalk fairy-tale, as the plot speeds along to it's fun denouement, meaning this Puss has earned another of his on-screen lives.

VERDICT - Fast, furry fun, Puss in Boots is far better than the last two Shreks, with Banderas stealing the show once more. This Puss does land on its feet.

Cert U - Released Fri 9th Dec

Another Earth

2011-12-06T08:28:00.000Z

Second Life

There must be something captivating about young, troubled women staring up at unusual planets in outer space. It broke and then re-assembled Kirsten Dunst in Melancholia and now gives rising star Brit Marling a chance to start again in Mike Cahill's sci-fi drama.

On the night scientists discover Earth's duplicate planet, a bright young student Rhoda (Brit Marling) kills a music professor's wife and child in a car accident. Released from prison four years later, she seeks out and strikes up a friendship with the widower John (William Mapother). At the same time the first space mission to Earth 2 is heading off and she enters a contest to board it.

Low budget sci-fi has no choice but to root itself in the story rather than expensive special effects. Duncan Jones' Moon, to which this bears a resemblance, is an excellent model for any aspiring sci-fi film maker and Cahill clearly makes good use of his script on limited means. Hey, even Lars Von Trier's Melancholia, which explored the effect of armageddon on a family, only splashed the cash for that final shot.

Here Cahill explores the effect of this new scientific discovery on a pair of lost souls, connected by the cosmic events that bookend their key moments on earth. Cue much discussion between the pair as their relationship grows. "If Earth 2 really is a parallel planet to ours," John asks at one point, "then what would you say to your mirror self?" Rhoda's response? "Better luck next time."

However the decision to explore a macro concept on a micro scale is what stands Signs out as one of M. Night Shyamalan's best films and it certainly works here as Cahill develops the pair's relationship amidst the bigger questions. Marling is a compelling presence as the troubled Rhoda; Mapother similarly impressive, and while some elements seem out of place (the whole janitor storyline for example), their journey towards redemption echoes Rabbit Hole's take on grieving but getting on.

That won't be what you take away from Another Earth though. Instead the closing shot opens up a realm of possibilities that, while straining the laws of science if we're truly led to believe Earth 2 is a parallel planet, is well worth talking about; which is exactly what you'll be doing.

VERDICT - A fascinating idea played against the backdrop of a difficult relationship, Another Earth might look like Melancholia, but its gaze is much brighter.

Cert 12A - Released Fri 9th Dec

Hugo 3D

2011-12-02T05:00:00.000Z

Hugo the Victor

It must be one of the ultimate movie in-jokes - to write a love letter to the dawn of cinema and then wrap it up in a children's mystery, but Martin Scorsese could be forgiven at his age for being nostalgic.

1930's Paris and the young, orphaned Hugo (Asa Butterfield) spends his days winding the train station's clocks and evading capture from Sacha Baron Cohen's Inspector/Child Catcher. When he meets book-lover Isabelle (Chloe Moretz) the pair begin an adventure to bring to life a forgotten clock robot and decode his final message.

From its swooping opening shot, which rushes along platforms and through crowded ticket halls, to its closing montage, Hugo is a delight to watch on the big screen - even Amelie makes Paris look a little grubby after watching this. Racing through the walls of the Parisian station, the blue-eyed Hugo steals to survive, while making sure the war-veteran Inspector doesn't cart him off to the orphanage like the other young boys he finds hanging around at the station.

It's when he meets young Isabelle and her toy-maker godfather Georges (Ben Kingsley) that the movie takes its most interesting turn as the film switches from its Oliver Twist tale of woe to an more Enid Blyton-esque adventure which sees the pair solve one mystery, only to discover one that runs much deeper.

However, while what emerges will certainly delight the eyes, it's also true that it struggles to engage the mind the same way or build on an intriguing set up. Once the mystery of who Georges really is is solved, the film loses tension as it glides along to a slightly over-sentimental ending.

Scorsese never really gets over the language barrier too - never has Paris been inhabited by so many genteel English folks - that it begs the question of what Kings Cross has to do to bag the more obvious setting for the film. If it was good enough for Harry Potter, then surely it's good enough for Hugo Cabret too? Perhaps Jean-Pierre Jeunet, so good with showing Paris off to the world, might have been better suited for a French version of this tale's quirky antics.

That's not to say though that Hugo isn't still thoroughly engaging, because it is, and those with a passion for cinema will hugely enjoy a trip down memory lane; those without will certainly be swept along for the ride by Scorsese's wonderful attention to detail too. Hu-should-Go see it really soon.

VERDICT - A fascinating story that looks beautiful on the big screen. Scorsese's homage to cinema itself will have you on the first train to Paris, hooked and booked.

Cert U - Released Fri 2nd Dec

My Week With Marilyn

2011-11-24T21:30:00.000Z

Heaven Days

A week, as Harold Wilson once said, is a long time. However it never feels that way in Simon Curtis' adaptation of the memoirs of Colin Clark, a young assistant to Sir Laurence Olivier, detailing a difficult film production and romantic encounter with the iconic star.

When Clark (Eddie Redmayne) gets a job on the production of The Prince and the Showgirl, he gets to meet the object of his infatuation, Marilyn Monroe (Michelle Williams). However as things get more tense on set, Clark finds his connection to Monroe is something a touch more personal than professional; getting a rare glimpse of the girl behind the showgirl.

While Williams has been grabbing all the plaudits for her portrayal of the starlet, My Week With Marilyn actually starts off as an ensemble piece in which Kenneth Branagh's Olivier, so besotted with his co-star at first, becomes ever more angry, impatient and frustrated with her innocent act. Utilising Vivien Leigh (Julia Ormond) and Dame Sybil Thorndike (Judi Dench) well in these earlier scenes, the film starts as brightly and politely as the crew, forgiving of Ms Monroe's errors and ego at first.

However as things become more strained, and the action begins centering on Clark and Monroe's few days of 'romance' (a tender friendship really), it's hard not to feel the film loses a certain spark which made the first third so much fun.

An Monroe, Williams' interpretation borders on impersonation at times, but with the right level of coquettish playfulness and troubled inner-soul. Redmayne plays Clark with a necessary degree of naivety, even if he does ignore repeated warnings not to get too close to the object of his affection with a kind of schoolboy ignorance while Branagh impresses as the man who worships Monroe on the screen but struggles to like her off it.

So it's a shame that other characters are either sidelined or underused. Emma Watson's love interest is sparky and adorable but with little to do while Ormond does a lot with the little screen time she is given as the purveyor of experience. However the biggest disservice goes to Dench, so warm and friendly in those early scenes, it's a waste when she suddenly disappears. Her Dame Thorndike is a calming presence - just watch how she deals so effectively with her nervous co-star - that the film suffers when her motherly role is removed.

So while it certainly remains fun and breezy though throughout, it never quite gets under the skin of the troubled star despite a few efforts. As an interesting 'true' take on a troubled production, My Week With Marilyn is a story about one guy's idea of heaven and another's idea of hell.

VERDICT - Some great performances and a bubbly treatment mean it's an easy watch without doubt. Williams will certainly get an Oscar nod, but a darker tone would have actually lifted the film and made this week compelling rather than charming.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 25th Nov

Moneyball

2011-11-23T06:30:00.000Z

Pitt Your Wits

Think of a baseball movie and undoubtedly one of Kevin Costner's trilogy (Bull Durham, Field of Dreams and For The Love Of The Game) spring to mind. However Bennet Miller's take on the well-told tale dwells on the amazing true-life winning streak the Oakland A's managed to put together with a little statistical help at the turn of this millennium.

Here Brad Pitt plays fabled manager Billy Beane, a man who never made it as the player others thought he'd be and instead is looking to do something different with the beloved team he manages. When Jonah Hill's 'statto' Peter Brand comes along, at first the board is highly sceptical. However when the team starts winning and then doesn't stop, it looks as if the pair have hit upon a winning formula; one that might change the game of baseball forever.

The fact that baseball barely figures on the sporting radar in this country, or that it's too mystifyingly complex from the rounders games most of us associate it with from our childhood, shouldn't put you off from seeing what is a thoroughly engrossing movie.

Mixing archive TV footage with acted highlights, Moneyball places much more emphasis on the backroom dealings than it does with on-the-field events. Nowhere is that typified more than in Beane himself; a man who prefers to listen to snippets of the game or work out in the gym rather than rough it in the dug-out for fear of jinxing the result.

As Beane, Pitt gets a chance to fuse his well-established charm with a more determined and ruthless streak rarely seen on the screen. His scenes around a table with the scouts and board highlight the difference between old and new styles as Beane refuses to back down on his new experiment, even in the face of a string of results few football mangers would have been given the luxury of.

Meanwhile Hill, so often labouring in the same juvenile comedy, impresses in his most understated and interesting role to date while a sorely underused Philip Seymour Hoffman gets little screen time as the reluctant coach in a sub-plot that deserved more depth and focus.

However Moneyball is something of a rare beast; a sports movie with very little sport that actually makes you want to see more of the sport it shows so little of. With Pitt on form as the intriguing and stubborn real life Beane, Moneyball strikes a hugely satisfying home run.

VERDICT - A great real-life story is given sparkle by Pitt, Hill and a Sorkin/Zaillian screenplay. Cliche-free, it might just be the best baseball movie Kevin Costner's never made.

Cert 12A - Released Fri 25th Nov

50/50

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000Z

Teamotherapy

You might think a comedy dealing with the effects of cancer might not have much to laugh about, but writer Will Reisner's tale, based on his own struggles, is an odd mix of the serious (doctor's appointments, chemo, glum faces) and the comic (shaving hair, sex, getting stoned).

When 27-year-old Adam (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, his girlfriend (Bryce Dallas Howard), pal Kyle (Seth Rogen) and parents struggle to deal with the effects. As things begin to look bleak, Adam's therapist (Anna Kendrick) becomes an outlet for his emotions and the pair's relationship develops despite an uncertain future.

50/50's a pretty apt title for a film that, while never trivialising the disease or its effects on anyone involved, has about that share of laughs and tears. Of course while it's never going to match Iñárritu's haunting Biutiful from last year with that approach, comparisons with Julia Davis' dark comedy Nighty Night are probably more appropriate, giving a better idea of what to expect.

What Reisner does instead is form a film which focuses on all those involved in a diagnosis such as this, from distraught parents through to deceiving, 'supportive' girlfriends. However the spotlight is very much on two such characters here. Rogen, apparently playing a role on screen similar to his support for friend Reisner, is his usual big-hearted-hidden-behind-a-fool self. When he's not trying to get Adam laid or stoned, he's looking for any way to brighten his life or use the condition to sexually further his own.

The other, more tenderly played, sees Anna Kendrick's young therapist Katherine doing her best with only her third patient and stealing the best scenes of the film too. Her's and Rogen's relationship with Adam is the heartbeat of a film that never shys away from the more serious aspects of the disease; it just maintains a positive mental attitude throughout.

Which means that, come the final third of the film, where emotion and fear tip the scales firmly towards the more serious, it's pretty clear how things are going to turn out. In a film called 50/50, the odds on either a happy or sad ending would suggest as much anyway.

VERDICT - An odd mix of laughs and tears, 50/50 is a testament to the power of friendship and support to get through a difficult situation. The three central performances, a hefty dose of PMA and some questionable macaroons make the best out of the bleak, and it's all the better for it.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 25th Nov

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1

2011-11-21T08:43:00.000Z

Making Spawn

It's not often movie-goers might be encouraged to read bad reviews of their beloved films before venturing out to make their own mind up, but in the case of this, the first part of the final film in the Twilight saga, it's strongly advised. Having feared the worst it will come as a pleasant surprise that there aren't cackles of derision greeting every frame and that, upon closer inspection, Breaking Dawn is, well, fine.

Having finally managed to make it down the aisle, Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson) head off for a romantic honeymoon before she's, you know, turned. However things don't quite turn out as planned and when an unexpected pregnancy threatens not just to kill the mood but to kill Bella, Edward and Jacob (Taylor Lautner) must make some difficult life choices.

Though strikingly similar in substance to the film treatment of the final Harry Potter book (saving the majority of the action for the final part), Twilight at least opts to keep things interesting with a few neat twists and turns, while thankfully forgoing the extended camping trip Harry and chums made us endure - we've already had tents in Eclipse, haven't we.

Of course what this means is that BD Part 1 is very much dialogue-led as Bella and Edward return from honeymoon and hide out at his pad, awaiting the demon child. It's a testament to the central trio of Stewart, Pattinson and Lautner that the film doesn't spiral into a cliched mess. At least they're taking it seriously while director Bill Condon and those around him seem to be treating events a touch too lightly - never has a polystyrene cup seemed so out of place.

However it wouldn't be Twilight without a few such touches and no doubt females will be thrilled that after 30 seconds we get the now obligatory topless Taylor shot, and then dismayed that his shirt stays firmly on for the rest of the running time. R-Pat fans don't fare so well either as their hero goes from handsome groom to a rather woeful lover (it happens to a lot of men they say) in the film's rather lightweight but enjoyable first half.

Thankfully though, BD manages to pull things together for its final third as the action increases and lives are put at stake. There's plenty of emotion on show in those final scenes to help you forget about the talking wolves and rather absurd birthing scene that might, in other director's hands, have been more imaginatively handled. Everything builds climatically to the book-splitting moment; ensuring fans will be back that final time to see what happens next - especially now Lautner's got a reason to get his shirt-off that get shirty.

VERDICT - Nowhere near as bad as some critics would have you believe, BD Part 1 might not be the best Twilight film but it's certainly not the worst either. On this evidence, expect next year's finale to take one of those titles.

Cert 12A - Released Fri 18th Nov

Snowtown

2011-11-13T07:30:00.001Z

Blizzard of Oz

Australia's serial killer history makes for riveting viewing, as Justin Kurzel's film of one the country's most notorious tales shows. With Fincher's Zodiac and John McNaughton's Henry the benchmark for such true life shockers, Kurzel's adaptation of the famous Snowtown murders (though only one took place there) is a tough but compelling watch.

Befriended by his mother's new boyfriend John Bunting (Daniel Henshall), troubled teenager Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) gains direction as he's taken under his wing. Once it emerges that John is actually torturing and killing what he deems 'lowlifes', Jamie is left with little choice but to assist as his situation becomes ever desperate.

Kurzel's debut is as upsetting as they come. Given that Saw and its impersonators have taken the idea of torture to extremes, it's a credit to Kurzel and his cast that despite only one such extended scene here, his film is far more shocking and impressive with what it both depicts and implies.

Of course the material speaks for itself. The tale of 'vigilante' men picking off those they deem unworthy for life, sometimes on a whim (especially those accused of paedophilia or homosexuality) makes for a fascinating screenplay.

However, Kurzel's film is lifted beyond what could be TV film fodder by some terrific performances and a deft touch with the camera. Lingering shots of puddled yards and open scenery combine well with a lengthy first half in which family scenes around the dinner table are punctuated by the suggestion of extreme violence, something the second half soon delivers.

Thankfully, there's little here to satisfy the gorenography crowd, just an unsettling feeling that, much like Pittaway's reluctant killer, we're getting into dark territory here.

VERDICT - A frightening tale told very well, Snowtown might mark a sour chapter in Australian history, but it does it with an impressive level of technical skill and some powerful performances.

Cert 18 - Released Fri 18th Nov

Arthur Christmas

2011-11-12T12:15:00.000Z

'Aardman, Soft Touch

Moving from plasticine to computer animation might not be as seminal a moment as when Dylan went electric, but for lovers of Aardman's very British-style mouldings, it's just as important. Can this tale of the boy who saved Christmas retain those familiar fingerprint touches we've come to love?

Having turned his Christmas Eve present drop into a military-style operation, Father Christmas can take it easy once again. However, when one child is left out this year, it's up to his son, Arthur (James McAvoy) to deliver her gift the good, old-fashioned way - on a sleigh.

From its frantic opening minutes, in which elves swoosh down from Claus' mother ship to nip, tuck and slide presents in place, through to its warming and heartfelt finale, Arthur Christmas is a sheer delight. The sort of character who would make Amelie look pessimistic, James McAvoy's Arthur is a cheery bag of worry, who just wants to make Christmas perfect for every kid.

So when he has no choice but to do things the old fashioned way, alongside Bill Nighy's curmudgeonly Grandsanta and Ashley Jensen's chirpy stowaway elf Bryony, Arthur Christmas essentially becomes a road movie - just one with eight flying reindeer.

While there may be a case made that the film goes around in circles at this point slightly, as it moves from a Mexican backstreet to the African plains, the central characters ensure things never get repetitive. With those clever touches we've come to love from Wallace and Gromit's crafters evident in a faux bomb-defusing scene (actually just removing some batteries) and a nifty wrapping-on-the-move moment late on, there's a certain 'Britishness' retained here; and that's not just in the voice cast.

In fact the greatest praise you could heap of Arthur Christmas is that it feels far more like a superior Pixar production than a Dreamworks dud, such is the inventiveness and heart on display. There's never any doubt how things will turn out - it's Christmas after all - and some of the scares might just frighten the youngsters a touch (snarly lions? We've been raised on Simba for goodness sake!), but Arthur Christmas will leave you fully happy.

VERDICT - With its terrific animation, cast and jolly Christmas spirit, you'd be 'Aard pressed to find a happier film this year, that's for sure.

Cert U - Released Fri 11th Nov

Tabloid

2011-11-11T14:46:00.001Z

'Gut her' Press

There's two sides to every story they say. Well, Errol Morris' expose of a bizzare real life incident unfortunately only presents one, and then sets about disassembling it piece by piece, leaving the viewer to decide who's actually telling the truth.

The subject of a notorious late '70s news story, Tabloid brings us the tale of Kirk Anderson, kidnapped and held hostage as a sex slave for three days at the hands of a former lover, Joyce McKinney. Her version - which the film explores - recounts her efforts to de-programme Anderson from what she saw as the Mormon 'cult' and cure him instead with three days of consensual love making. Can we trust her versions of these events though, or the sensationalist treatment of them at the hands of the press?

Told through talking head interviews, media snippets from the era and some of Morris' quirky headline effects, Tabloid rather unashamedly does exactly what its name suggests; it builds someone up in the spotlight before dissecting them in front of the gleeful viewer. It's hard not to be swayed by the hoards of witness evidence that suggests McKinney's version of the events is little more than fantasy; allowing her her moment in the spotlight before things turn nasty. Its here in the second half though that Tabloid explores the darker side of the press in, at times, a rather uncomfortable way.

McKinney herself, a former beauty queen, puts in an intriguing performance, never doubting her story even when she's discredited in the papers by her rather sordid past as a suspected call girl and S&M addict. "Thank God I went to Drama School," she even tells us at one point, perhaps aware how much of a show her life has become.

However, despite the rather mocking tones of the journalists presenting the other side of the story, what Morris' film lacks, and what it would benefit from most, is Anderson's version of the tale. Sadly, for the film maker and us, he declined to take part.

Which means Tabloid remains a fascinating documentary on an unusual episode in '70s media folklore, giving McKinney no doubt the screen time she craves. However, despite the expose treatment implied the film and the rather risque nature of the material, all we're left with is a sad tale of a deluded woman clinging on to her version of the truth come what may.

VERDICT - A fascinating tale is brought to life in true tabloid fashion. The red-tops may have loved her but the broadsheets might have done a better job in exposing the truth behind this story on screen.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 11th Nov

Trespass

2011-11-07T07:00:00.000Z

Money Games

Home invasion movies can often be ripe material for thrills. From the more mainstream action of Panic Room through to the scares of the fantastic Ils via Funny Games' twisting and twisted teasing, the simple premise of a couple trapped in their own castle is often a tense and emotional journey. What can Joel Schumacher, Nic Cage and Nicole Kidman bring home then in the lean, quick-fire Trespass?

When a wealthy couple are held to ransom for the diamond contents of their safe by a group of thugs, family loyalty is questioned once the secrets emerge. As the clock ticks by and the intruders begin running out of patience, tensions threaten to spill over leaving no one safe.

Think of any home invasion story and chances are watching Trespass will very much feel like déjà vu. From its derivative opening set up (cocksure husband, beautiful but bored housewife, unhappy teenager) Schumacher at least keeps his foot on the pedal once the intruders arrive, ensuring the threat remains constant and the 'twists' arrive on a regular basis.

However, sadly, despite the pedigree of the cast (Kidman's done this sort of thing much better in the tense Dead Calm), Trespass offers nothing new to ensure it deserves a place up with the previously listed greats.

Despite what other critics say both Cage and Kidman are nowhere near as bad as feared; the latter playing a decent damsel in distress while the former tries to outwit his captors while never coming off that convincing - Stanley Goodspeed would have taken far less time to bring around the inevitably cliched conclusion.

However the whole film lacks the required tension. After so much shouting, running to nowhere and gun-pointing, it's only in the final third that anything actually happens to move the plot forward; clearly these intruders need to mean business if they're in this business. Even Cage looks disinterested, delivering what should be a defiant line at the denouement's fiery end in an appallingly mundane manner. Youtube glory beckons.

VERDICT - In the end Trespass is fine as a dumb, derivative hostage drama. But really it's unlikely to invade your thoughts once the credits roll. You might want to lock it away in your safe. Unlike this couple, if anyone bursts in looking for it, you won't think twice about opening up.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 11th Nov

Tower Heist

2011-11-01T16:54:00.000Z

Oceans Apart

You might have thought that George Clooney et al had the whole heist movie genre all sewn up. However with Oceans 14 no longer a possibility it's left to other actors to muscle in. Whereas Oceans went for slick professionalism, can a rag-tag buddy comedy work the same magic?

When rich businessman Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda) loses the pensions of the Tower Block employees in his building, they decide to stage a heist on his penthouse apartment and take the rumoured $20m hiding within. Led by Ben Stiller's Josh Kovacs and Eddie Murphy's Slide, it doesn't take long for these men's best laid schemes to go awry.

Tower Heist comes with an impressive cast (Stiller, Murphy, Broderick, Leoni, Casey Affleck) but an unimaginative director in Brett Ratner. After a quick-fire introduction to the various employees and residents of 'The Tower', a prestigious New York apartment building, we learn that top dog Shaw is under house arrest for fraud, leaving the diligent employees penniless and in the mood for revenge.

Cue a hastily-arranged plan which throws open plenty of comic situations (stuck on a roof with only a hairpin to escape) and then squanders them without so much as a scene's worth of attention (they just get down apparently). With Eddie Murphy's criminal Slide leading Ben Stiller's modest bunch of would-be robbers, there's plenty of set up, just a lack of the necessary pay off.

While Stiller can probably coast through average film fare like this (think Along Came Polly, Night at the Museum, Heartbreak Kid etc) it's refreshing to see Murphy put in his best role since Dreamgirls, and then crushing to see how little screen time he's given once the plan gets under way.

In fact that's a criticism of the film as a whole, wasting a top-notch cast and some decent set-ups without so much as a follow through of how the plan actually worked - we're just left to wonder how the 'loot' gets out of the building at the end of the day. At least Oceans teased us with details and then, much like Derren Brown, showed us all how it was done.

VERDICT - Any film that wastes an opportunity for an in-joke when it has Matthew Broderick, a red Ferrari and an open high-rise window at its disposal is as criminal as the film's central plot line. Whereas Oceans was cool, slick and clever, Tower Heist just feels lazy.

Cert 12A - Released Wed 2nd Nov

Machine Gun Preacher

2011-10-30T09:04:00.000Z

The Butler Did It

It might be hard to imagine your local vicar upping sticks to Africa, setting up an orphanage and then waging war with a bazooka on any rebel force coming to harm the kids in it, but then the titular preacher Sam Childers (played by Gerard Butler) isn't your average God-botherer.

Ready to break the cycle of drugs and prison spells that account for his life, Childers decides to follow his wife's example, give himself to God and then save Africa - one village at a time. Ever desperate to help youngsters faced with death at the hands of a brutal civil war, his own family struggle in his absence as Childers goes from kind-hearted to obsessive in his desire to help.

Marc Forster's adaptation of this true story is a compelling but ultimately flawed account. While Childers' tale deserves big-screen acclaim, this disjointed effort doesn't do it justice as it flits between Sam's time in Sudan with difficult family and financial dealings back home that aren't fully explored.

Butler is thoroughly convincing though, moving from bad guy to good guy to bad ass as his mission becomes more desperate. With the help of a group of freedom fighters, his efforts to bring safety to those that could only expect to be killed or trained as child soldiers is a story of redemption that works well for the first two thirds of the film.

However the final third brings confusion and mixed messages when it should be clear and uplifting. Is fighting violence with violence the only answer, Old Testament-style? Or is Childers fighting a losing battle; one that should be settled through discussion and diplomacy, as hinted at by those in the know (a local doctor and Freedom Fighter Leader)?

Forster's film doesn't have the answer - maybe Childers doesn't either. Despite it's stuttering pace and episodic structure (several scenes and plot strands feel disconnected from the central story), Butler's conviction and the worthiness of the material mean that Machine Gun Preacher is always watchable.

VERDICT - A pedestrian screenplay and confused message means MGP isn't the uplifting tale of redemption that deserves telling, although thanks to Butler it is one sermon you won't mind hearing.

Cert 15 - Released Wed 2nd Nov

The Ides of March

2011-10-29T06:45:00.000+01:00

The Other Guys

You probably don't need another movie to tell you that politics is a ruthless game where it pays to get your hands dirty if you want to make it to the top. However George Clooney's fourth directorial offering is going to do just that.

Instead of focusing on the presidential candidate Mike Morris (Clooney), here the director turns the attention to his idealistic campaign manager Stephen Myers (Ryan Gosling) in the week his boss in nearing a crucial vote in Ohio in the race to becoming the Democratic nominee. However, when Myers' opposite number Tom Duffy (Paul Giamatti) makes a startling proposal it begins a chain of events that could leave the campaign in ruins.

For the first half of Clooney's well-acted ensemble film, things are pretty much as expected - politics is a dirty game and Myers, Duffy and Philip Seymour Hoffman's Paul Zara will do pretty much anything to ensure their man gets to the top. However when Evan Rachel Wood's intern, the sprightly Molly, appears things take a much darker twist as Myer's cool composure cracks under some poor, vanity-induced decisions.

All of which means that the film's second half, which sees the key players' facades crumble and their true characters revealed, is by far the stronger. Gosling, as has been proven by the superb Drive and Crazy, Stupid, Love this month, magnetises us to the screen with another fantastic performance; utterly believable as the cool, young hotshot who succumbs to flattery.

Of the rest Clooney gets to show there are two sides to what could have been a one-note good guy while Hoffman and Giamatti impress in smaller but significant roles. Wood too manages to give life and depth to her Lewinsky role as the naive intern, eliciting our sympathy and arousal in equal measures.

That each character is so well developed probably owes a lot to Clooney's assured writing and directing. Fast becoming one of the most gifted natural actors we've ever seen in front of and behind the camera, his collaboration with Alexander Payne in next year's The Descendants becomes all the more appetising. For now, The Ides of March, so significant a title, is a near-perfect entrée.

VERDICT - With Clooney and Gosling on top form as director and actor, this political thriller tells us nothing we didn't already know, but does it in a truly captivating way. It's got my vote.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 28th Oct

The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn

2011-10-28T08:22:00.000+01:00

Haddock & Whips

It's been said that Spielberg's big screen realisation of Hergé's Tintin is the closest anyone's come to capturing Indiana Jones' frenetic adventures via motion capture. While that's certainly true, it's hard not to feel that, in all the hustle and bustle of the excitement, there's something of that wise-cracking, whip-thrashing hero missing here.

The film's basically an extended chase sequence, as young reporter Tintin (Jamie Bell) stumbles upon a model of The Unicorn; a ship with an infamous history. However it seems he's not the only one interested in the replica, as soon he's outrunning the dastardly Sakharine (Daniel Craig) with a little help from a certain Captian Haddock (the excellent Andy Serkis).

To say that Tintin moves along at breakneck speed would be pretty accurate - if you were Sebastian Vettel. Rarely stopping for breath, it's a measure of the film's success that exposition and plot isn't sacrificed for thrills as the action moves from Belgium to North Africa Indy-style, taking in boats, planes and bikes.

Some might find the 'escape into peril' plot line a little repetitive as our heroes emerge from one bad scrape straight into another. However in Spielberg's assured hands each scene is as thrilling as the next, making good use of it's motion capture technology as it films what would normally be impossible away from an animator's hand. An extended pirate flashback sequence mid-way through and a fabulous chase through Morrocco's busy streets show just how effective the method can be.

While Craig brings out his bad side enough to suggest he's not all rugged hero, Serkis steals the film with a terrifically comic performance as the drunken Haddock, emerging as an unlikely hero. Though Simon Pegg and Nick Frost rustle a few laughs as bumbling Inspectors it's a shame that Jamie Bell's Tintin is a rather dull bore. Perhaps injecting a little personality and humour for the inevitable sequel might ensure he's not upstaged by his Gromit-like dog, Snowy; usually one step ahead of the game.

However they're minor niggles when the film is as much fun as it is. With Peter Jackson rumoured to be directing the next instalment, this is one rollicking voyage then that you really want to get on board with.

VERDICT - Thoroughly entertaining, Tintin shows that Spielberg still knows how to create an action master class. Thanks to Serkis' performance and some great animation Tintin emerges as a slice of fried gold.

Cert PG - Released Wed 26th Oct

The Help

2011-10-16T17:00:00.000+01:00

I Need Somebody

There may be a certain irony in Tate Taylor's big screen adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's best-seller novel, that the oppressed black community are helped by a white woman who, some might say, uses them as a springboard to progress her own career. However, with such an entertaining story to tell, you might need help yourself if you fail to enjoy it.

When wannabe writer Skeeter (Emma Stone) decides to write about the black maids who work for white housewives in Jackson, Mississippi, she causes all sorts of trouble for the local community. Helped by the motherly Aibileen (Viola Davis) and opinionated Winny (Octavia Spencer), she soon feels the consequences of her actions when head socialite Hilly (an excellent Bryce Dallas Howard) gets wind of the book.

With its '60s setting and sun-drenched scenery, The Help looks beautiful up on the big screen, as it noses into the various houses of both the white and black communities of the time. Though it's easy to pour scorn on the ignorance of the time, in which black maids were forced to use a separate bathroom and eat off separate plates, at least Taylor fleshes out her baddies with enough meat to make the argument both realistic and thoroughly engaging.

Stone gets to be her usual sprightly self, displaying the same sassy spark which has served her so well in Easy A and last month's Crazy, Stupid, Love. However it's both Davis and Howard that linger most after the credits roll; the former bound by society and her caring nature, the latter revelling in abusing it. There's also a fantastic turn from Jessica Chastian as outcast Celia, stealing every scene she's in, whose story arc builds towards a redemptive ending that shows not all the white folk feel the same way.

Despite the presence of an unnecessary romantic subplot, which only serves to undermine Skeeter's ideals by suggesting she might just want to be 'one of the girls', Taylor's film never feels as long as it's running time might suggest.

While it can certainly be argued that her decision to keep the tone breezy and light glosses over issues that deserve more attention (domestic violence, the Civil Rights Movement itself) this is a tale of decent folk doing the decent thing in an indecent world. And Davis deserves every ounce of Awards recognition hopefully coming her way.

VERDICT - A sparkling adaptation of the popular novel with some fine performances, especially from Davis. It might be a little too breezy for some of its subject matter, but as David Brent might naively put it, who says racial segregation has to be depressing?

Cert 12A - Released Wed 26th Oct

Everything Must Go

2011-10-12T08:00:00.001+01:00

Manic Street Cleaners

For an actor who usually plays daft characters hitting rock bottom at some point along the way (Ron Burgundy, Chazz Michael Michaels, Jackie Moon) the chance to star in a more dramatic version of such a story must have felt like second nature to Will Ferrell. Can we warm to Ferrell's more serious side then when we're so used to him tickling our funny bone?

Fired from his job, recovering alcoholic Nick Halsey (Ferrell) returns home to discover his wife has left him, the locks have been changed and all his possession are scattered on the front lawn. With a little help from pregnant new neighbour Samantha (Rebecca Hall) and bored teenager Christopher Jordan Wallace, Halsey decides, reluctantly, to use the opportunity to sell it all, turn his life around and turn a profit at the same time.

Of course Ferrell's no stranger to more dramatic roles, as 2006's Stranger Than Fiction showed, but in Dan Rush's adaptation of one of Raymond Carver's short stories, he gets another outing in which to show us he's more than just a likeable buffoon on the big screen.

After an opening five minutes in which pretty much nothing more could possibly go wrong, Ferrell's given some interesting material to work with, managing to utilise his comedic talents via plastic tubs, a penknife and a BMX in the midst of a dramatic story, much as Bill Murray did in the superb Lost In Translation.

As the realisation dawns he's going to have to move on with his life, the emergence of Hall and Wallace propel him to act, leading to moments of quiet reflection and emotional upheaval, which Ferrell manages to pull off extremely well, while both Hall and Wallace impress in nicely-written roles.

Hinting at darker moments in the past, Rush's screenplay optimistically looks to the future rather than dwell on what's gone; something Nick and Samantha come to learn as his time on the front lawn comes to a close. The ending might be a tad schmaltzy for some, but it's also surprisingly satisfying - not something you often here people say come the close of any Ferrell movie.

VERDICT - Well acted and nicely upbeat, Everything Must Go lingers a little longer than its evangelical spring-clean-your-life message might suggest. Not everything must go then.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 14th Oct

Tyrannosaur

2011-10-11T06:58:00.000+01:00

Tea & Wrecks

It was unlikely that one of the country's finest actors, having learnt his craft from Shane Meadows, would make anything less than a gritty British drama about domestic abuse. However Paddy Considine's Tyrannosaur, adapted from his short film Dog Altogether, is a disturbing but ultimately redeeming debut in which acting takes centre stage.

Joseph (Peter Mullan) is a man possessed with a deadly rage. In trying to turn over a new leaf he meets kindly charity shop worker Hannah (Olivia Colman), herself suffering at the hands of a man happy to dish out abuse. As things come to a head and the two form an unlikely bond, both must deal with their demons head on.

Tyrannosaur is essentially a double-header in which most of the action takes place in Hannah's cluttered shop, the local pub or Joseph's grubby estate, where a chavvy thug with a dog sees fit to terrorise the neighbours. With Colman and Mullan grabbing most of the screen time, their relationship anchors the film's plot with an odd mix of heart and rage that spills out from both at times.

While Colman has been grabbing the plaudits for her superb performance, Mullan turns in one of depth; his Joseph is a volcano of repressed rage that often manifests itself in brutal acts of aggression - his dog bearing the scars of one such episode early on. It's no surprise that he's reluctantly grasped by Hannah's story; the plot hints at himself having been the domestic abuser in the past.

In a film where the two happiest scenes take place at a funeral and a prison recreation room, it's no understatement to say that Considine's film is grim and disturbing at times. However, for those that stick with it, Tyrannosaur rewards them with one of the finest films of the year and two of the best performances.

VERDICT - An actors film from a terrific actor-turned-director. Considine handles the material with stunning depth and sensitivity while Colman deserves nothing less than awards nominations and, hopefully, glory. Much like the titular creature, this will hang around with you for years.

Cert 18 - Released Fri 7th Oct

Johnny English Reborn

2011-10-10T06:00:00.000+01:00

Big Fish, Small Bond

It's a shame that one the country's most gifted comedians is usually better in small doses on the big screen. Though both his goofy Mr Bean and bumbling Johnny English characters seem to draw the crowds, Rowan Atkinson's cameos in Four Weddings, Love Actually and The Lion King are much more memorable and far funnier; less is obviously more. So in his second spy spoof outing as hapless MI7 agent Johnny English, can more mean more this time?

Dismissed from duty after a botched assignment in Mozambique, Secret Service agent Johnny English (Atkinson) is recalled from his Tibetan hideout when the Chinese PM is targeted for assassination. Teamed with the suave agent Simon Ambrose (Dominic West) and former Bond girl Rosamund Pike as psychologist Kate Sumner, his new boss Pegasus (Gillian Anderson) may not fully trust him, but can we do so to deliver more laughs in this second outing?

After a lacklustre first film, it's pleasing that Reborn feels like a funnier and far leaner offering; rarely wasting any of its time to linger on complex plot or character development when a gag or two can be thrown in. Though this scattergun approach worked extremely well on the Zucker brother's superb Airplane! and Naked Gun films, here sadly there are a few too many misses than hits.

However, those that work owe a lot to Atkinson's physical skills. A running facial gag connected to Mozambique, a cunning way of avoiding those difficult rooftop chases and a smattering of well-vocalised words in the script give him the chance to show those skills to the full, meaning that for the most part Reborn is an enjoyable but daft way to spend ninety or so minutes.

Though the supporting cast do little but look glamorous (Pike) or smarmy (West), there's enough of them to play the straight figure to Atkinson's buffoon of a spy as he eventually (as in every Bond film and pastiche) saves the day and gets the girl. However there's also the feeling of a missed opportunity here. The locations are suitably glamorous, and the action surprisingly well-orchestrated (including a decent mountain gondola finale) but without the clever gags that make Frank Drebin such a memorable fool.

VERDICT - Loyal to the British comedy cause, a devotion to one's country deserves recognition with some better material for Atkinson to work with. Let's hope the next rebirth is worth christening.

Cert PG - Released Fri 7th Oct

Midnight in Paris

2011-10-05T10:40:00.000+01:00

Time Travel Writer

Having dallied unsuccessfully with London's charms for several years before returning to his beloved New York for the Larry David-starring, underrated Whatever Works, Woody Allen heads back to Europe once more for inspiration to the city of love itself - Paris. Can this time-travel adventure, harking back to the city's 1920's artistic heyday bring out some mojo in the old man himself too?

On holiday with his fiancée Rachel McAdams, screenwriter Gil (Owen Wilson) becomes bored with cultural snob Michael Sheen and his wife, instead taking to strolling the streets at night-time where he begins experiencing strange escapades back to the twenties to meet influential artists that shaped the capital's cultural heritage. In turn Gil is inspired in his own writing, coming to realise that perhaps the past isn't always what it's cracked up to be.

Although the time-travel genre has been mined successfully with the likes of Back To The Future and Timecrimes, Allen's detailed, nostalgic and witty take on the device allows him to indulge the inner romantic artiste as Gil meets and converses with Hemingway, Picasso and the particularly delightful Adriana (Marion Cotillard). It's here that Allen's film is at its strongest as Gil becomes increasingly aware his superficial wife-to-be isn't his true love after all once his relationship with the beautiful Adriana blossoms.

With a clutch of strong cameos (Adrien Brody, Tom Hiddlestone, Kathy Bates) Midnight in Paris remains an enjoyable but sincere romp throughout it's leisurely running time, never hurrying until reaching a rather rushed and slightly unsatisfying denouement.

After a critically savaged spell in London (Match Point excluded) Allen is in Vicky Cristina Barcelona territory here, allowing the charms of Paris to speak through both timelines, while Wilson carries the movie perfectly with a likeable and positive charisma as he moves from over-romanticising the past to realising the present is where it's at.

VERDICT - Whether Gil is either dreaming, hallucinating or actually experiencing these episodes is left for us to decide. But one thing's for certain - Midnight in Paris is the mark of a director reliving the past and re-loving the present.

Cert 12A - Released Fri 7th Oct

The Debt

2011-10-01T08:55:00.000+01:00

Pay Later

You might think The Debt's choice of scheduling an odd one, given that Tinker Tailor's already snared the espionage movie fan recently. However John Madden's re-telling of the 2007 Israeli spy movie Ha-Hov is a compelling tale of repercussions and consequences long after the mission is over.

Set within two different timelines (1966 and 1997), The Debt tells of a secret Israeli mission to bring to justice a Nazi war criminal. Entrusted with the mission are three young agents; Stephan (Marton Csokas), David (Sam Worthington) and Rachel (Jessica Chastain). Meanwhile, their older selves (Ciarán Hinds, Tom Wilkinson and Helen Mirren respectrively) have to deal with the effects of the decisions they made during that time over thirty years later. The mission, as they say, isn't over until it's over.

As most of the action takes place in the stark East Berlin of the mid sixties, it's the three younger characters who get the lion's share of the screen time, in which David and Rachel pose as a married couple to track, snare and kidnap Jesper Christensen's creepy Nazi butcher, now working as a Doctor in the capital. When things don't quite go according to plan they're left with an intriguing dilemma; one which exposes cracks among the three that are felt well into the accompanying timeline.

It's here that The Debt is at its strongest, showcasing a rising star in Chastain, forced to endure uncomfortable moments on the Doctor's table for the sake of the mission. Mirren, as her older self, also gets the best out of the latter timeline's script, meaning that both David and Stephan's roles are never fully developed in either.

With a few decent twists along the way it's a shame The Debt doesn't quite live up to its promise as a tense spy thriller. Had the mid-act plot shift occurred at the end of the movie it might have lessened the emotional impact perhaps, but it would have spared us the unnecessary closing confrontation that seems tacked on to provide some kind of resolution. A shame, especially when the film hints at a more satisfying ending only moments earlier.

VERDICT - Not as complex as Tinker Tailor then, but certainly a better character study of what it really takes to be loyal to your country, The Debt doesn't quite have the pay off it deserves, but it does show that whatever your actions, you'll pay for them in the end.

Warrior

2011-09-27T08:13:00.001+01:00

Brothers in Harm

It's a brave move to schedule Gavin O'Connor's boxing tale on the same week as the year's most interesting arthouse movie (Drive) and rom-com (Crazy, Stupid, Love) are released. Braver still to kick the whole thing off with one of the film's most emotional scenes and follow it with an hour of dense character exposition. Can Warrior stand a fighting chance then this week?

Anyone who's seen last Oscar season's The Fighter will know the score here. Brothers Tommy (Tom Hardy) and Brendan (Joel Edgerton) haven't seen each other for years and barely speak to recovering alcoholic dad Nick Nolte. When both decide to enter a mixed martial arts tournament in Atlantic City, truths are revealed and sibling rivalry takes on a whole new and brutal dimension.

Originality might initially seem to be Warrior's downfall, with a plot pretty much recycled from every Rocky/boxing film ever made and one bearing striking similarities to David O. Russell's aforementioned star vehicle from earlier in the year. However what lifts Warrior above such comparisons are the strength of the performances and the unashamed emotional ride that uses every cliché in the book with remarkable pay-off.

As angry, bitter Tommy, Hardy excels in the role; hiding secrets which gradually chip away at his icy exterior, evoking enough sympathy to rival that of Edgerton's Brendan, a popular teacher in a local High School, married with kids and taking on the occasional bout of car-park fighting to earn a little extra cash; he's the epitome of an underdog. Nolte meanwhile, with lowly grunts and barely audible dialogue at times, somehow manages to unite their differences as the once abusive Dad, still looking for forgiveness.

Which means it should come as no surprise that when the pair eventually meet in the film's climactic showdown, audience's sympathies might be divided but their hearts will be beating too fast to care. O'Connor's camera gets stuck into the action meaning we feel each punch, see each kick and hear each bone-crunching move. The ending might frustrate some, but then isn't that rule no 1 - always leave them wanting more? And boy, do we want more come the closing reel - there's a whole other story waiting to tell now.

VERDICT - You have to buy into the whole bravado thing, and yes it's all been done before, but Warrior is a knockout example of how sports movies should be made; one that will leave you physically shaken and emotionally stirred.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

2011-09-24T07:42:00.000+01:00

Brom-Com

Eat, Pray, Love was the kind of vomit-inducing 'finding-yourself' rom-com most men would do well to steer clear of. So while Crazy, Stupid, Love's title might initially evoke similar feelings, the presence of a superb Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling mean for once, this superior rom-com has a lot to say to the male sex too.

When his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) decides she wants a divorce, Cal (Carell) struggles to deal with the break-up, until young lothario Jacob (Gosling) decides to take him under his wing, sort out his image problems and lead him on the road to a succession of beautiful women. Add in an unusual love triangle involving Cal's son Robbie and the family's blossoming babysitter and you can see perhaps where the film's title came from.

An additional sub-plot involving Emma Stone's Hannah, one of Jacob's attempted hook-ups, means CSL should be a confusing mess of relationship advice and standard character cliches. That it's not is down to Dan Fogleman's genuinely funny script and I Love You Phillip Morris' Glenn Ficarra and John Requa in the director's chair. Instead characters are so well-drawn; the relationships so neatly crafted and explored, you'll want to spend more time with all concerned come the closing credits.

Carell has never been better on the big screen, managing to fuse his geeky Michael Scott persona early on with something far more touching once the makeover's gloss has worn off. Gosling meanwhile proves that this month's Drive was no fluke with another charismatically cool performance, while Moore, Stone and a brief but fabulous turn from Marisa Tomei get enough screen time to ensure both sexes remain well-rounded and memorable.

However this is really one for the boys, a kind of brom-com if you like, which throws up everything that's gone before with a terrific third-act twist you'll kick yourself for not seeing coming. Taking the film into territory explored by one of 2004's most underrated films, the moment may border on the farcical, but Fogelman's deft touch means things remain touching up to and beyond the obligatory public confessions of love rom-coms seem unable to sign-off without. It may wrap up loose ends a little too neatly at the finish, but that's hardly a complaint when you're unlikely to wish for anything less for them all.

VERDICT - One of the strongest rom-coms in recent memory, it's perhaps hard to fully explain what makes it so thoroughly enjoyable - but then I guess that's just crazy, stupid, love.

Tucker & Dale vs Evil

2011-09-21T15:17:00.001+01:00

Silly Billies

"I would have gotten away with it too, if it weren't for those pesky meddling kids..." were often the villain's closing words in Scooby Doo. But what if the meddling kids actually were the villains of the piece, having misjudged the locals for evil, psychotic hillbillies? Eli Craig's debut horror parody gets stuck in for an answer.

When dim-witted but harmless red-necks Tucker (Alan Tudyk) and Dale (Tyler Labine) head out to their newly bought vacation home in the woods, they run into a group of college kids who immediately assume they mean them harm. After an innocent accident in which Katrina Bowden's Allison ends up being cared for back in the pair's cabin, the kids take it upon themselves to free her from the "evil" keeping her captive. It doesn't take long though before they're being picked off through careless but comical misunderstandings - something leader Chad (Jesse Moss) fails to recognise.

After Scream 4's so-so reception, Scary Movie 4's lack of laughs and the Final Destination franchise's attempt to construct meaning behind the mayhem falling a bit flat, it's refreshing to see a parody which actually is funnier than it has any right to be.

Craig cleverly turns the typical horror clichés on their head in a manner that means anyone who's seen Wrong Turn, Texas Chainsaw etc will know exactly how this is meant to go. They'll also be laughing a lot harder than anyone else when things take a different turn.

However in Tucker and Dale, Craig has brought one of the funniest double acts of the genre to the screen. Unaware their actions are being misconstrued as intimidating and deadly until the body count has risen rapidly thanks to some hilarious pratfalls (woodchippers and chainsaws are bound to cause trouble), it's only when they decide to fight back that the film loses some of it's charm.

As the final third moves into more standard horror cliché - despite the role reversal - a few unnecessary twists ensure things remain interesting, just not as funny.

VERDICT - Showing that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover (or a hillbilly by his scythe) Craig's film never leaves you in any doubt where the real evil lies. You might look at woods-folk and pesky college kids though in a completely new light.

Released Fri 23rd Sept

Drive

2011-09-20T10:24:00.002+01:00

Lose Control

There aren't many films where you could see a hero steal a kiss from the gorgeous love interest one second and then beat a potential attacker's face to a pulp with his foot the next, but then Nicolas Refn's Drive is no ordinary film.

Much like a cross between Michael Mann's Collateral and Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (an odd mix, but go with it) Drive sees Ryan Gosling's loner stuntman-mechanic (known only as 'Driver) moonlight as a cool, silent getaway driver by night. When he strikes up a friendship with Irene, the girl next door (Carey Mulligan) it isn't long before her husband, recently released from prison, starts causing problems for them all.

With no option but to help the ex-con on a routine raid and protect Irene and her family, one simple job is going to lead to all sorts of bloody and violent recriminations.

Of course there's not much of a clue as to where Refn's film is headed in the sumptuous first half; a blue-hued journey through LA's streets in which Gosling barely breaks a sweat, whether it's behind the wheel of a stunt car, driving robbers to safety with some nifty skills or wooing Mulligan's Irene without uttering a word. It's those silent moments in elevators and stolen glances that recall Coppola's Lost in Translation and Somewhere so effectively.

However it's the second half that will divide viewers as the violence escalates and the only way out is to go bloodier and deeper into the turmoil. It's here though that Gosling excels, as Refn throws up some startling and unsettling plot and character twists. That repressed inner aggression is just waiting to boil over, and when it does it's hard not to be glued to the screen - even if your stomach occasionally wants your eyes to look away.

VERDICT - With it's hazy, intoxicating soundtrack and slow-mo cinematography, it's clear that at its heart, Drive is as much a story of lost souls coming together as Translation was. Read into the ending what you like, but even if you're not sure where they're headed, it's clear Gosling is racing towards stardom at top speed.

Released Fri 23rd Sept

30 Minutes or Less

2011-09-18T11:57:00.000+01:00

Pizza Fun

You might expect that since The Social Network made Jesse Eisenberg a star in his own right that he wouldn't have much time for knockabout fun like 30 Minutes or Less. Although it was probably scheduled well before he catapulted up the 'A' List, re-teaming with Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer means we're in for a fun but forgettable slice of mayhem once more.

Eisenberg plays Pizza delivery guy Nick, a loser by definition, happy to waste his time away conning cash from susceptible kids while secretly worshipping his best friend Chet's (Aziz Ansari) sister. When Danny McBride's resentful down-and-outer decides to lure him to a remote scrapyard, strap a bomb to his chest and give him ten hours to rob a bank, Nick's life suddenly gets a little more urgent.

Much like a speedy pizza guy, Fleischer's films zips along with plenty of momentum, as Nick ropes Chet in along for the ride. Before you know it. the pair have $100,000 and think they can breathe easy. However, Fleischer drops enough interesting twists and turns to ensure things have no chance of going that smoothly. McBride's ex-marine father, a Mexican hitman and Chet's sister Kate all throw curveballs as Nick and Chet's desperation to beat the clock generates enough laughs.

Despite a decent Facerbook and Slumdog joke, Fleischer's film owes a debt to its leads, with Chet and McBride's sidekick, Travis providing the best laughs. Eisenberg is as watchable as ever and the short running time ensures that, despite the film lapsing into a trail of bullets and nonsense in the final third, things never get too serious to spoil the laughs.

Which means that, much like likeable loser Nick, all concerned should really be striving for better rather than coasting with a film that should actually be funnier than it is. 30 minutes or less is exactly how long you'll remember it for once you've stepped outside the cinema and decided to grab your own slice of the action - pizza action that is.

Released Fri 16th Sept

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

2011-09-13T08:12:00.000+01:00

MI Snitch

BBC TV serials seem to be decent fodder for big screen remakes these days. After the success of State of Play and the so-so Edge of Darkness comes John le Carré's tale of espionage and double-dealing - itself a huge series in the late seventies - with a mouthwatering good British cast and an appetising teaser trailer.

Dismissed after a botched assignment leaves an agent dead in Eastern Europe, George Smiley (Gary Oldman) is recruited back on a secret mission to discover which of his former spook friends is actually a Russian double-agent. Toby Jones' confident Alleline, Colin Firth's handsome Haydon, Ciaran Hinds' brash Bland, David Dencik's quiet Esterhase or Smiley himself. Roping in Benedict Cumberbatch as his assistant, it's clear Smiley's going to have to outwit the smartest spooks to find the mole.

With Let The Right One In's Tomas Alfredson behind the camera, TTSS captures the essence of this paranoid universe, with all it's glances, curtain twitches and suspicions, perfectly. Infusing London with a gloomy, overcast palate, there's a moody atmosphere that, while slow-building, escalates into a thoroughly uneasy tension - rather like the world Le Carré so perfectly depicts in his novels.

On the acting front, while Oldman gets the vast proportion of the screen time, his peers however fare less well. The other four suspects get enough scenes for Bridget O'Connor and Peter Straughan's screenplay to drop some red herrings but without the required backstory to really make us suspect, or care who the mole actually is.

Far more memorable are Cumberbatch's Peter Guillam and Tom Hardy's Ricki Tarr; the latter perfectly portraying the depths of despair and paranoia such work brings while the former stars in the film's stand-out moment, a tense retrieval of documents from the Circus library (MI6 HQ) that Bond, Bourne or Bauer would have dealt with via piercing bullets, not polite blandishment.

Which means that come the slightly anti-climactic big reveal (really, him?) you may be thinking another viewing is in order just to make sense of the labyrinthine plot. It will leave you perplexed, certainly, but also oddly satisfied. You could be an old man by the time you work out why.

Released Fri 16th Sept

Troll Hunter

2011-08-31T09:22:00.006+01:00

A Troll in the Park

Following last year's unusual Scandinavian effort Rare Exports, another well-told fable is brought to the screen as Norway unearths a big secret lurking in those dark forests. Thankfully, what could have come across as mundane and unoriginal is lifted by some dark humour, impressive CGI and breath-taking scenery.

Investigating a spate of bear killings, a group of student film-makers decide to follow strange hunter Hans (Otto Jespersen). Pretty soon they learn he hunts what they had only thought of previously as fairy tales - trolls. Keen to get as much as possible on tape they delve deeper into the Norwegian fjords to hunt the most dangerous troll of them all.

Although the 'found footage' genre may have been mined once too often recently (Atrocious anyone?), Troll Hunter is a pleasing exception. While it may not hit the heights of Blair Witch or Paranormal Activity for scares, it's bizarre subject matter and stunning CGI mean it's well worth viewing.

Much as Gareth Edwards did with last year's low-budget Monsters, here director André Øvredal beautifully renders his computer creations, opting for full money shots rather than teasing glimpses. Combining myth and folklore (Christians don't last long) with an undercurrent of conspiracy and cover up by those in charge, Øvredal brings enough authenticity to the plot to keep the viewer intrigued.

What lets Troll Hunter down then (and elevated Monsters) is a lack of chemistry from the humans on show. Apart from Jespersen's wacky hunter there's little to differentiate the students from one another or care too much about their fate given we're afforded relatively little or any back story. Presenter-type Thomas is zesty and suitably curious while fellow novices Johanna and Kalle do little but shiver from their POV angle.

All of which just suggests that Øvredal knows exactly what to deliver. The trolls, like strange but scary fraggles, tower over the screen as our team run from one peril to another - even ending up in a spot of toilet-based bother at one point. Just as impressive, the Norwegian landscape looks mesmerising through the lens, creating a foreboding sense of gloom one minute and brightness the next.

Forgettable fun then perhaps, but if you feel like going for a troll in the found footage genre, then this is footage worth finding.

Released Fri 9th Sept

One Day

2011-08-25T09:53:00.007+01:00

Like This

Adapting popular novels for the big screen is always perilous. Stay too faithful and fans will always think the book triumphs over the film; go off at a tangent and they'll complain you've missed out their favourite part. Adapting your own book probably helps, especially as writer David Nicholls is no stranger to screenplays thanks to a similar treatment of his own Starter for Ten. But can One Day the movie capture the spirit of surprise hit One Day the book? Quite simply, yes.

Think a more linear 500 Days of Summer and you've some idea where this is going, as Nicholls' concept on the page - meeting the same couple over twenty years on the same day each year - is structured chronologically through the years.

University graduates Dexter (Jim Sturgess) and Emma (Anne Hathaway) spend one night together, deciding to remain friends rather than lovers. As the years pass and their fortunes vary, (Dexter becomes a popular TV presenter while Emma struggles along as a Mexican restaurant waitress) they always know they have each other to rely on.

While Nicholl's book cleverly negotiates the friends-as-lovers concept through the decades, Nicholls' film was always going to feel like a ticking clock as the years are counted off on screen - some more quickly than others. An extended French holiday sequence and friend's wedding provide two of the longer segments and the clever use of soundtrack will add a nice element of 90s nostalgia for those of a similar age.

As Dexter, Sturgess' character is given the more emotional arc, forced to deal with family difficulties, the excesses of fame and fractured relationships. Despite criticism of her accent, Hathaway's Emmerdale-barmaid tones soon become familiar as her and Sturgess share an easy, likeable chemistry on screen that evokes the book's more touching moments well.

And despite a slightly over-extended finale, when that rug is pulled out from under you you won't mind spending a touch more time with these two. It's here that One Day really hits home as we're brought back to page one and reminded of that spark that ignites love in the film's most affecting scene on Edinburgh's stony streets.

Whatever you've heard by way of reviews, ignore (but not this one!) and go and be quietly surprised and stirred. You'll yearn for One Day like this.

Released Wed 24th Aug

The Inbetweeners

2011-08-21T15:16:00.010+01:00

Boys Are Back In Town

The last time a popular TV comedy decided to send its four leads off on holiday on the big screen we ended up with SATC2. Thankfully, The Inbetweeners manages to sidestep that disaster courtesy of a high gag-rate and the promise that a sequel is not something on the sunny horizon.

Naturally, a tale of unlucky-in-love lads heading off to Greece for sun, sea and sex bares more than a passing resemblance to Kevin and Perry's not-so-large antics back in 2000. However, what sets E4's hapless boys apart from Enfield's creations when all the knob gags have subsided, is actually a little heart.

The set-up is nothing new; recently dumped Simon decides a lads holiday abroad is just what he needs to get over the love of his life Carli, while Jay and Neil drag a reluctant Will along with the promise of sex. Upon arriving though, the hotel is a dump and the resort (Malia) a hive of oddly-dressed club-hungry ravers. When Simon realises Carli has come to the same resort to party tensions surface in the group, especially when they catch the eye of four other ladies, looking for love.

Fans of the show will know exactly what to expect, and writers Iain Morris and Damon Beesley bring an assortment of knob, poo and sex gags along for the ride to highlight the boy's inadequacies in nearly every department. Neil's obsession for older ladies, an unfortunate swimming pool encounter and a bizarre club act provide some of the best laughs as they work their magic surprisingly well on the girls who've caught their eye.

Just as well really, as a rather slow start and slightly over-sentimental finish bookend the film's weaker moments. Simon Bird as Will holds everything together as both narrator and objective observer while Blake Harrison's Neil and James Buckley's Jay get the best lines. Simon's (Joe Thomas) quest for love might be the film's driving plot device, (even if Tamla Kari's Lucy, his intended, is ridiculously forgiving) but it's both Jay and Will's eventual successes which seem better written.

As with any coming-of-age movie, the acknowledgement that adulthood beckons hangs over the story's second-half as the realisation that university might spell the end of friendships suddenly dawns. It's a fitting swansong then as the four boys return home as neither men nor boys; just somewhere in-between.

Released Wed 17th Aug

Cowboys & Aliens

2011-08-13T08:37:00.004+01:00

Attack The Saloon

It must have been an interesting pitch - selling the idea that a group of no-nonsense cowboys would come under attack from futuristic alien planet leeches, but when you've delivered two of the most popular blockbusters of recent years (Iron Man 1 and 2) then Jon Favreau could probably pitch his shopping list and get the green light. While aliens haven't managed to defeat a solitary ship commander, a group of South London hooded youths or Will Smith, perhaps picking the Wild West, like Favreau, wasn't the best idea.

Thankfully it pays off from the moment Daniel Craigs's outlaw wakes in the desert, a metallic bracelet attached to his wrist, with no idea how he got there. Before he has chance to piece things together (or even get his breath back) he's upsetting the locals and locked up, ready to be transported back to town. Not the best thing for them to do when an alien invasion strikes and the only guy with a weapon capable of taking them on is handcuffed inside a stagecoach.

Even Indiana Jones (in the guise of Harrison Ford's grouchy cattle boss Dolarhyde) can't save them, which means it's up to Lonergan (Craig) to step up and reclaim the townsfolk taken from them when he downs an alien plane, sending the men of the town on a tracking mission to hunt down its pilot and take on the mother ship.

All of which means that C&A is basically Independence Day in the Wild Wild West, although don't worry, this is definately no Will Smith movie. In fact you'd be lucky to see anyone smile in Favreau's take on the Western genre, despite the amount of fun generated on screen.

Craig and Ford make for an effective pairing with enough bickering and bravado to lend some clout to what could have been a daft idea. When the actions hots up and the memories come flooding back it doesn't take long for both to begin flexing their multiplex muscles and taking on the bad guys. Even Olivia Wilde feisty heroine shows her appreciation with popcorn-dropping nude shot mid way through.

However, be warned - C&A is not that child-friendly. The beasts themselves (remarkably similar to those in this summer's other alien tale - Super 8) are quite scary while scenes in the alien's ship play effectively to type as humans are disembowelled to discover their weakness and then instantaneously fried; it seems the anal probe is only a deleted scene away.

However, what actually makes C&A so much fun is it's seriousness - there's no mugging; no knowing sly nods to the camera. Just two of Hollywood's finest embracing the idea that aliens would meet their match in the Wild West, which they probably would given the level of bare-knuckle ferociousness on display before the bad guys even show.

Whether or not C&A2 will ever surface shouldn't really matter - no doubt Romantic Poets & Aliens is in production as we speak. On this evidence though Craig and Ford deserve to ride into town for another crack of the whip.

Released Wed 17th Aug

Elite Squad: The Enemy Within

2011-08-12T12:43:00.000+01:00

The Brazil Bill

Any movie fan knows two truths; one, that sequels are rarely better than their original and two, that remakes are nearly always inferior too. In terms of crime dramas, while The Departed proves the second completely true (the original, Infernal Affairs is a masterpiece) Elite Squad 2, a tale of the war on corrupt cops and politicians, shows that the former rule has some exceptions.

Set 13 years on from the events of Elite Squad, which followed recruits in BOPE, a high ranking police unit which waged war on Rio De Janeiro's drug dealers, we're back in the city again. This time the virtuous, no-nonsense Nascimento (Wagner Moura) has been promoted to a desk job to keep him quiet after a prison riot turns into a blood bath. However it soon becomes apparent that the most corrupt people in the city aren't the slum's drug lords but the very people charged with running and protecting the city and Nascimento is going to do something about it.

In the wrong hands (Michael Bay directing, Jason Statham starring) this sort of material could be an excuse for endless gun battles and wafer thin characterisation. However director José Padilha sensibly focuses instead on the power struggles and corrupt systems at work here, using the action scenes to complement his complex story extremely well.

As for the story, there's almost too much to fit in. A liberal human rights campaigner working his way up the political ladder, a ruthlessly corrupt militia boss and a journalist on the scent of a scoop all mean that Elite Squad 2's comparisons with The Wire are well deserved. Without the episodic structure or time to delve as that show does, it's a credit to Padilha that here so much story is told and so well, all without sidelining a single thread or main character.

Whereas Infernal Affairs opted for a prequel for Part 2, Elite Squad opts for a more linear structure, setting up a third with more relish than the juiciest burger topping. If Part 3 continues the quality trend upwards then this could rival The Godfather as the ultimate crime saga. See it.

VERDICT - With a complex plot and fascinating characterisation weaved so effectively around some terrific action sequences, this is one Police Squad that doesn't joke around.

Cert 18 - Released Fri 12th August

The Interrupters

2011-08-11T12:40:00.000+01:00

Up Close And Personal

Steve James made a name for himself as a documentary film-maker with 1994's Hoop Dreams, an insight into what it takes to turn basketball pro. Years later he's back behind the lens with a year in the life of Ceasefire, a Chicago-based group who take to the streets to cure the city of its violent epidemic.

James' documentary focuses on the work specifically of 'The Interrupters', a team of ex-gang members who aim to calm potentially violent situations and make personal connections to those involved using their credibility on the streets. Shot from 300 hours of footage taken during the course of the year, the cycle of violence that emerges is both shocking but poignant.

From its opening sequence, which sees the group tackle an incident outside their HQ in real time whilst the cameras roll, through to its ending of mixed fortunes, The Interrupters' lens looks at how these individuals go about educating people. In trying to teach them not to act on their grievances with each other through violence but choose another path, we come to see how their work centres on a connection with the people involved; their culture, surroundings and upbringing that help them understand these grievances in the first place.

Though undoubtedly the material is often upsetting and depressingly cyclical (regularly as the cameras are rolling another gun-related homicide call comes through), James' film is actually one of hope. As communities come together to stamp out this epidemic, we can see where these Interrupters gain their strength to get out on the streets each day and change peoples' mindsets.

However what the film lacks are any answers on a political or economic scale. While the groups' admirable intentions are to work on a personal one-to-one level with those involved in the violence, only snippets of news footage begin to address the social and economic factors behind why people get caught in this epidemic in the first place, beyond familiarity and family history.

There's probably too much material in here to grasp a thorough understanding of the problem, and while James' film is illuminating and inspiring, it ultimately struggles to offer much in the way of a conclusion, leaving the viewer educated and in awe, but feeling slightly downbeat. However in a world filled with endless fake movie heroes on the screen, its great to see some real life ones up there instead.

VERDICT - A fascinating take on a difficult subject, The Interrupters doesn't profess to have all the answers but does make powerful viewing while it tries.

Cert 15 - Released Fri 12th August

Super 8

2011-08-03T14:54:00.007+01:00

Freaks and Geeks

If you're going to make a homage to one of the greatest directors of our age then what better place to start than with his best-known film about a lovable alien looking for his way home, helped by some sweet-natured pre-pubescent teens. Whereas Spielberg infused ET with a sense of something new and refreshing however, protege JJ Abrams' Super 8 brings us a nastier beast and, consequently, an inferior end result.

Swap the former's BMX-riding buddies for a group of horror-obsessed teen movie makers and you've got a similar storyline to start with. After a spectacular opening train crash (easily the best since The Fugitive) a murky alien is released into a small town - something the Military are soon on hand to try and clean up. As the teenage group continue to make their film, utilising the crash site having been witnesses to the wreck themselves, it soon emerges something is badly wrong and that soon, movies are not the most important thing on the young film maker's minds.

It's here that Abrams excels with Super 8 - the tale of imaginative teens growing up in the late Seventies, on the cusp of adolescence, unaware for the first half of the film that some giant alien is stalking the townsfolk like a marauding macguffin. When it's brought to their attention via their processed film of the crash itself, soon they realise that protecting each other is more of a movie than their initial project. (Stay seated at the end for the mini-masterpiece itself.)

So, sadly, after a well set-up and executed first half, it's a slight shame the film dips as the standard military bad-guys take over and the truth emerges. As anyone who's seen even a moment of Ridley Scott's classic Alien will know (interestingly released the same year as this is set), showing glimpses of the beast are far more effective than the sum-of-their-parts big reveal - Abram's Cloverfield suffered a similar problem.

However, as the film moves towards it's ET-style denouement it's clear Abrams is taking us down another road too, as once-estranged families are reunited and young love is given the chance to blossom. Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney do well to flesh out what could be one-note roles as the film's heroes Alice and Joe while the supporting youngsters (Riley Griffiths' bossy director Charles being the standout) add enough humour to rival the scares.

As with much of the film, striking the tone between those lines is something Abrams never quite manages meaning that some genuinely effective scary moments (stranded on a bus) are punctuated with comic moments to lessen their effect for this family-orientated film.

Perhaps going one way or the other might have made Super 8 the classic it so wants to be. It's still a lot of fun, but not the super fun it should be.

Released Fri 5th Aug

Horrible Bosses

2011-07-17T08:40:00.001+01:00

Beat Your Own Boss

It's a general rule that no-one likes their boss, right? Although director Seth Gordon might be taking it to the extreme in Horrible Bosses, when employees feel they have no other choice but to order a hit on them. A few comic misunderstandings later - some of which could have popped out of a Shakespeare comedy - and Gordon's flick shows to beat the boss, you do actually have to beat your boss.

Nick (Jason Bateman), Dale (Charlie Day) and Kurt (Jason Sudeikis) are not happy. Nick's boss, a slimy Kevin Spacey, works him to the bone and then overlooks him for promotion in favour of, well, himself. Kurt's boss (Colin Farrell with a comb-over to relish) wants to "trim the fat" and rid the workplace of any overweight or disabled employees while Dale's boss, Jennifer Aniston's slutty dentist, just wants to have sex. While the first two deserve immediate sympathy, the third scrapes by on his bosses' dubious methods (drugging and then photographing him in compromising positions). Needless to say, when that happens it's time to call in a hit man.

Cue Jamie Foxx as said underworld attaché who turns out to be a little less imposing than his unpublishable name suggests. As it turns out, the trio decide to dispatch each other's bosses in turn before a sudden twist thrusts them into a murder investigation before their plans have even been hatched.

With a pretty solid premise and a top-rate cast, Horrible Bosses makes the most of its assets to provide some genuinely decent laughs. In a lean year for comedy already Bateman is his usual reliable everyman (although that Arrested Development script can't come soon enough), while Day and Sudeikis provide enough titters as the clueless accomplices, even saving the life of one boss when a convenient opportunity for death strikes.

However it's the bosses themselves that steal most of HB's best moments. Spacey hams it up enough to convince as the egotistical slimeball while Farrell, shamefully deprived of screen time impresses in a deliciously Machiavellian role. However Aniston, proving to be more than just a rom-com-by-numbers star, sinks her teeth into the film, delivering a delightfully over-suggestive performance that will make you think twice about going under in the dentist's chair.

Definite fun then, with a nice use of graphics to frame the film at either end too. Horrible Bosses might just make you rejoice to be going into your workplace come Monday morning - provided you don't recognise anyone on show here that is.

Released Fri 22nd July

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

2011-07-12T08:33:00.015+01:00

Harry and Chums

We were always going to have to wait for this Part to see if the decision to split J.K. Rowling's final book in two was justified. Whereas Part 1 was a laborious and often dull beginning of the end, finally Part 2 arrives, and boy does it deliver.

For those uninitiated in the Harry Potter world, this is not a film to kick things off. Beginning very much within Part 1's rather slow pace things suddenly take a sprightly leap forward once Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to break into Gringott's bank and steal a Horcrux from Bellatrix Lestrange's vault. Voldemort has gained possession of the Elder Wand and with only a few more Horcruxes to find, the trio head to Hogwarts, a castle under seige, to finish their mission and face Harry's fateful meeting with his arch enemy.

If none of that made sense to you then perhaps you're unlikely to be reading this either but for those who've given over the last ten years to the Harry Potter movie franchise, Part 2 is the pay off they thoroughly deserve. Full of action, it's easily the most accomplished and exciting since Alfonso Cuarón's excellent Azkaban.

With so much to fit in though, and so many characters due their farewell, Part 2 often feels like a cameo itself at times, allowing only Alan Rickman's Snape and Maggie Smith's McGonagall ample screen time to make an impression. Even Hermione and Ron are sidelined as Harry's eventual showdown with Voldemort takes centre stage.

However, when it comes, it deserves the limelight. Whereas Radcliffe remains stilted at times, over-burdened with the enormity of the fate his character faces, Fiennes' Voldemort gets to enjoy himself with gleeful rage. Amid spectacular shots of battles raging, castles crumbling and curses flashing through the air, Part 2 keeps it's singular focus intact, fully aware where all this is heading; Harry and Voldemort's gripping final face-off.

Surprisingly bloody at times (shots of blood-strewn corpses littering the floor) and at others, not (we rarely see any of the heroes die), Part 2 has more action than nearly all it's forerunners put together. Managing to combine plenty of heart with heroics, it's non-stop entertainment that importantly knows how to go out with a bang (take note Peter Jackson, endings can be simple, quick and effective). While some may find the pace ultimately means character's screen time is sacrificed or rushed, this finale delivers on nearly every count.

So, while it justifies completely the decision to split the final book, it only serves to highlight how unnecessary Part 1's slow build-up was in the first place. With little time before the action begins, it feels very much like a film in which we're joining the story half way through. No-one would have argued with a three hour film that condenses Part 1 exposition and combines Part 2's explosive theatrics. Perhaps one day that director's cut might emerge.

A satisfying and exhilarating end, Harry goes out on a real high. That must be the Pot-ter effect.

Released Fri 15th July

Cell 211

2011-07-09T11:12:00.000+01:00

Heart of Darkness

With last year's terrific A Prophet and this year's rather formulaic Ghosted, prison dramas are suddenly all the rage. Perhaps it's the claustrophobic setting or maybe it's the chance to showcase some proper hardened nasties. Whichever, Daniel Monzon's superior film blends Con Air's plotting with some really tough guys who thankfully don't have time to wallow in the shower.

When new guard Juan (Alberto Ammann) is left in a cell after being injured in a prison riot, he's forced to go undercover and turn inmate in order to survive the mayhem. As the prisoners, led by Luis Tosar's Malamadre, begin to make their demands Juan fears for his heavily pregnant wife on the outside, knowing one slip could cost him his life.

It's a relatively simple premise - good man forced to act bad - but one that Monzon delivers without the clichés and instead, a surprising amount of dark twists and turns. Forced to think quickly on his feet, Juan's given little time before being thrust under Malamadre's watch, turning events in his favour while seemingly acting on behalf of the prisoners.

Meanwhile Malamadre, who appears at first nothing more than the typical prison brute, begins to showcase a more human side as events go from bad (the murder of an inmate during the riot) to worse (Juan receives some distressing news). To say too much about which direction Monzon chooses to take his story would spoil the surprise. However, much as in John Woo's Face/Off it's clear there's more to being a bad guy than just being bad.

It's this central strand which lifts Cell 211 from similar film's genre trappings, delving into character's psyches to explore which is more brutal - prisoner or guard. Nowhere is this played out more clearly than in Juan himself; forced to dish out punishment to a fellow prisoner with reluctance while unflinchingly going one step further with a fellow officer. If this is a journey into the heart of darkness, then one man's heart turns very dark indeed.

As a central duo, Ammann and Tosar (a terrific villain despite the goatee) share a chemistry on screen which connects these opposing figures extremely well while Monzon makes good use of flashback and retrospective in scenes between Juan and his wife for example to ensure the emotive element stays fresh.

In another excellent year for Spanish movies (Julia's Eyes, The Skin I Live In) Cell 211 may just emerge as the dark horse of the lot. And all without Guillermo del Toro's help too.

Released Fri 15th July

Super

2011-07-05T16:58:00.010+01:00

Rainn of Terror

If the Daily Mail could sanction a vigilante comic book super hero then Crimson Bolt would probably be it; the sort of no-nonsense, crime-fighting nutter who dishes out moral guidance - Don't deal drugs - while smashing your skull in with a wrench. It might look like harmless cartoon fun but Super is actually one of the darkest comic book inspired movies yet.

That's thanks mainly to writer/director James Gunn, who pulls no punches when it comes to exacting revenge and justice on unsuspecting street criminals. With a clear debt owing to the early Batman TV series - look out for the cartoon-style Kapow graphics - and recent offerings Kick-Ass and Scott Pilgrim, Super distances itself immediately from such frivolous antics with it's graphic and often unsettlingly violent tone.

Angry at the loss of his wife Sarah (Liv Tyler) to Kevin Bacon's drug baron, Frank (Rainn Wilson) decides (after a 'vision' from God) to take his revenge on crime itself, sparing no mercy when it comes to the perpetrators. When local comic store employee Libby (Ellen Page) joins in as Boltie, his cackling sidekick, the pair begin their trail of bloody destruction in a bid to ultimately save Sarah from Bacon's evil clutches.

After a rather glum and mirth-free opening half it's here in the film's second chapter that the laughs begin to flow. Sharing an obvious chemistry with Page, Wilson benefits from having someone to spar with; something showcased so well in his Office character Dwight's tussles with fellow employee Jim.

Though he's clearly deranged, Wilson's Frank is an obvious anti-hero in the making. Refusing to back down for even the most minor of 'crimes', he certainly stands by his 'Shut up, crime' catchphrase; one scene in particular outside a cinema will leave you shocked but secretly giggling. As Boltie, Page impresses once more, bringing her usual vibrant youthfulness to the proceedings, even if she is hiding darker passions.

However what let's Super down unfortunately is its inconsistent tone. Never sure if it's aiming to be a comic book-style Taken or just a spoof of it, the quite graphic and gleeful violence jars with it's comic undercurrent in a way Kick-Ass never did. Even when the denouement brings an unexpected level of emotion, verging off on an interesting and redemptive tangent, it's still not enough to rescue Super from the comic delight you feel it should have been given Wilson's pedigree.

Super? Sadly no, but it still packs a lot of fun and flesh for the Taken generation.

Released Fri 8th July

Trust

2011-07-02T18:32:00.002+01:00

Run Girl, Run

Who should you trust to direct a difficult and disturbing tale of online grooming? Heavyweights Clint Eastwood or Kathryn Bigelow perhaps? Certainly no-one might have expected David Schwimmer to take such a personal tale on board; although perhaps no-one knew Schwimmer had such personal insight with which to broach the subject not only admirably but deeply sensitively.

With the recent revelations some of Schwimmer's ex-partners suffered sexual abuse as children and the knowledge he's an active campaigner in the field of rape prevention and treatment it seems a wise match in terms of content and director here; even if it's a surprising one given Schwimmer's directorial debut was the fun and frothy Run Fatboy Run in 2007.

In Trust, Annie is a smart, sporty 14-year-old with kind parents Will (Clive Owen) and Lynn (Catherine Keener). When she's assaulted and raped by a man she's met on the internet - unaware until meeting him of the 20 year age gap - her parents' disbelief turns to rage, especially when Annie starts defending her attacker, 'Charlie'.

As newcomer Annie, Liana Liberato is terrific in a complex role, conveying teenage innocence one minute and the dull-eyed removal of childhood the next. Her scenes with her father Will form the basis of the film's tension as he struggles to understand what desire drove her to meet the phantom Charlie in the first place, let alone defend him amidst a sea of denial afterwards. Sensibly keeping Will's rage the right side of vigilantism Schwimmer instead focuses on the heart of the story, relationships.

Meaning the film's greatest strength sadly also can be seen as its weakness. With Keener's character either absent or emotionally estranged for the most part it falls on Owen to provide the paternal viewer's empathetic eye, something as usual he does superbly. However, after the third or fourth shouting match the story becomes slightly repetitive, never exploring angles (the videotape for example) that might have made for a more tense watch.

That's not to say it's not creepy, just that whereas The Woodsman made the viewer so uncomfortable, here any motivation's not fully explored, meaning Chris Coffey's Charlie gets limited screen time and the denouement, though realistic, feels slightly flat.

A worthy story then, and full marks to Schwimmer for exploring and exposing the shattered lives with a deft touch, drawing some fine performances from the leads in the process. As a film, it may be predictable - but it should be compulsory.

Released Fri 8th July

Bridesmaids

2011-06-15T07:18:00.007+01:00

Hangovary

With the success of boys' comedy The Hangover, it should come as no surprise that a female-orientated version hits our screens not long after. What may surprise though in Paul Feig's laugh-out-loud comedy is the darker undercurrent and, at times, the leaning towards quite a sombre drama which belies the light and frothy icing it's trailers and posters present.

When Lillian (Maya Rudolph) asks Annie (an excellent Kristen Wiig) to be her Maid of Honour things suddenly take a turn for the worse. With so much to plan and so many female friends to keep happy everything starts to unravel for Annie. It doesn't help that she's losing her best friend to pushy socialite Helen (Rose Byrne) and can't seem to put a foot right when choosing places to eat or party ideas. Or can she?

Saturday Night Live regulars Rudolph and Wiig prove to be an inspired duo, sharing a likeable chemistry that gels well with the other girls, in particular when battling the snooty Helen who's intent on stealing Annie's role. Add in Melissa McCarthy's Megan ( a foul but fun addition to the girl pack who's a close match to The Hangover's Alan but with just a few more brains) and it's unlikely things will run smoothly. Well, except for in one stand out scene involving some dodgy meat, beautiful dresses and only one toilet!

What works, works very well. Feig clearly knows how to draw laughs and when they come expect your belly to actually hurt. However that strength is also the film's biggest weakness. Tying in separate sub-plots involving Annie's sleazy sex buddy (Mad Men's Jon Hamm), her flatmate (Matt Lucas no less), and a uniformed potential love interest (Chris O'Dowd), means Bridesmaids feels like a set of sketches that never really come together convincingly as a whole arc. When they work, those sketches can be terrific fun. Bouts of food poisoning, flying traumas and OTT Parisian-themed party hysterics create a whole lot of laughter, but some set-ups last a little long and with editing, could have made for a tighter, more focused movie.

The sombre tone at times doesn't help lift the mood, particularly when The Hangover's snappy pace and quick-draw set-ups meant wallowing was never an option. However Wiig proves an inspired choice as Annie, adapting her own script written with Annie Mumolo which blends just the right level of soul-searching to keep things from slipping down a gear too low when they should be ramping up. McCarthy meanwhile practically steals the film with the best lines while Byrne plays conniving Helen with the right amount of bitchy but fragile veneer.

One for the wedding season then? Definitely, doing a far better job of out Hang-overing The Hangover sequel. We all knew girls just want to have fun - it would be great if next time they got out and did only that.

Released Fri 24th June

Ghosted

2011-06-15T07:17:00.001+01:00

Cell Mates?

With The Shawshank Redemption an impossibly high benchmark to reach for any aspiring prison-based movie, it's a wonder any get made now at all. While recent films The Escapist and A Prophet managed to add inventive twists to the genre, here first time director Craig Viveiros delivers a solid but unremarkable Brit drama.

Coming to the end of his sentence, old-timer Jack (John Lynch) decides to take new boy Paul (Alice Creed's Martin Compston) under his wing, protecting him from Craig Parkinson's creepy prison tough-nut. With tensions high among the prisoners, Jack's innocent gesture incites revenge, but who does Paul actually need protecting from most?

With a script by Viveiros and Art Malik attached as both producer and cameo there's a lot to be admired about this gritty, low-budget offering, despite never really getting over it's TV-style trappings. The setting's suitably grim; the inmates are the usual bunch of testosterone-fuelled baddies or chirpy cockney geezers and there's enough tension to keep most male viewers happy. However these strengths also form the film's biggest weakness - familiarity.

When not spotting which Holby City star might turn up next (and one gets to showcase a terrific accent) there's very little here that hasn't been seen in other prison movies or TV dramas, which means at times that Viveiros does no more than tick off the clichés. Scenes in the shower have predictably soapy outcomes while the final third twist feels too implausible to have been worth the 90-minute wait.

Ultimately, despite some typically assured performances, particularly from Lynch, Ghosted feels a little like it's proverbial title. Not only could someone else have written it, but they probably have. Perhaps with a tighter script, (one that doesn't ditch the film's baddie half-way through along with an enticing revengeful plot thread) Ghosted might have been a minor success, especially on the small screen.

As it is, there's a little bit of every prison movie here, but unlike Shawshank, not a great deal to redeem it.

Released Fri 24th June

Point Blank

2011-06-10T15:47:00.012+01:00

Aim To Please

Given the success of his source novels, it's a surprise studios haven't adapted any of Simon Kernick's breathless books so far. Though not an adaptation, Point Blank (À bout portant to give it it's French title) comes as close as possible to the break-neck speed of Kernick's pacy prose, having plenty in common with the author's love of action-packed plot.

Instead, here Fred Cavayé follows up his hit Anything For Her (known as Pour Elle across the channel) with another slice of frantically charged wife-rescuing adapted from his own script. This time Gilles Lellouche's nurse Samuel thwarts a murder attempt on one of his patients, only to find his pregnant wife kidnapped by way of thanks. It seems somebody wants the guy dead and blackmailing Samuel to help is now the only option.

In the same way The Next Three Days remade Pour Elle quite admirably, expect Hollywood to come calling when they see the efficient but exhilarating job Cavayé does with fairly standard material.

Much as in Jonathan Mostow's superb 1997 thriller Breakdown, which saw Kurt Russell in a similar quandary, the tension never lets up as Samuel lurches from one deadly scenario to another, never knowing who to fully trust as he searches frenetically for his wife.

Cleverly blurring the lines between good and bad, Cavayé paints a seedy world where the 'good' guys do bad deeds while the bad ones honour their criminal code. Never forgetting to keep the action slick and the pace break-neck, nods to Bourne and Bond abound in hectic chase scenes; one subway-set scene delivers with impressive skill.

Lellouche plays the confused husband with plenty of passion in a role similar to Tell No-One's Francois Cluzet; another highly successful French thriller. However he's upstaged by Roschdy Zem's cool thief and Gérard Lanvin's corrupt cop as the action moves beyond the initial premise to tie up it's own loose ends in the film's bustling climax.

With far more to offer than many tiresome, formulaic Hollywood thrillers (you won't even notice the subtitles), Point Blank aims for exactly the right target and hits it dead on.

Released Fri 10th June

X Men: First Class

2011-06-01T23:16:00.008+01:00

With Honours?

It's a truth universally acknowledged that a franchise in need of a reboot works best when we head for the source. True Grit (ok, not really a franchise) did it to great effect recently, while Scream had a go and sort of whimpered. So who better to kick some life into the X-Men saga than Kick-Ass' Matthew Vaughn and Jane Goldman? Brett Ratner it seems.

While The Last Stand won't be listed as one of many film buffs defining movies, it was a decent third to two previously great movies - something The Godfather couldn't even manage. Heading back 40 years earlier, Vaughn delves straight into the origins tale, as we meet a young Erik (Magneto) brutally enslaved at the behest of his Nazi captor (Kevin Bacon no less) and struggling to release his power. Years later, the young man has grown into Michael Fassbender's angry Lehnsherr, while over in Oxford a bright young student (James McAvoy's Xavier) is extolling the virtue of being 'mutant and proud'. Their paths are set to meet.

While some of the film's fairly lengthy running time is given over to this relationship, not enough is devoted to make us feel the pain come the denouement when Erik switches sides; something that might have worked if hinted at for an undoubted sequel instead. Fassbender encompasses enough rage and revengeful intent to make his Magneto seem plausible (if you excuse the odd Irish accent when he does so) while McAvoy does his best to breathe some youthful exuberance into a character we know only as wheelchair-bound Professor X.

However, it's clear this is no character-driven piece, which is actually a shame. Zipping along briskly from one location and sketch to another faster than Bond it's a film full of moments which never feels like a satisfying whole. Top of those include a particularly nasty way to go taken from M, Night Shyamalan's The Happening, a South-American bar tussle and an epic sea-bound finale which delves a little deeper. And of course there's Kevin Bacon.

Oozing menace he's the evil centre of the film and the sole reason young Erik realises and then harnesses his deadly powers. As the war-creating Sebastian Shaw (helping make sense of the Cuban Missile Crisis) his presence lifts the film from it's mediocre comic book/007 trappings in which a little too much time is given over to partying young mutants with a slightly clichéd script that really doesn't serve Jane Goldman well at times.

No doubt X Men: The Next Class is on the way, and will probably improve on this slightly. The impending Kick-Ass 2 may show that perhaps alternative takes on the comic book genre are more suited to Vaughn's style than this mainstream fare. With Bacon fried (no spoiler really) who else is going to take the X Men honours next time?

Released Wed 1st June

The Hangover Part 2

2011-06-01T08:05:00.009+01:00

One Night in Bangkok

Adding 'Part 2' onto any film invites comparisons with two polar opposites. While The Godfather Part 2 improved upon the original, weaving Michael Corleone's demise throughout, The Descent Part 2 spoilt what had been a superb original, adding nothing new. Where does this sequel to 2009's biggest comedy lie then? Firmly with the latter.

When the original 'Wolfpack' head to Thailand for the marriage of Stu (Ed Helms) and his bride, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Doug (Justin Bartha) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) decide a quick drink on the beach can't do any harm, can it? Waking up the next morning in a cockroach-infested hovel with a dismembered finger, Rolling Stones-loving monkey and one serious haircut, it soon becomes apparent that it's happened all over again.

As in the previous outing, Doug sits out most of the action having nipped upstairs early before the spiking began, meaning this time it's the bride's multi-talented 16-year-old brother Teddy who's all lost at sea as the trio search frantically around Bangkok with 24 hours to go until Stu gets hitched.

Much as in the first film, most of the running time is taken with the boys piecing together the events of the previous night with a little helpful exposition from mute monks, ladyboys and the Gibson/Neeson replacement tattoo artist Nick Cassavetes. Though there's the usual fun to be had in being as clueless as the hungover trio themselves as to what actually went down, this time the surprise factor has diminished - we know what these three are capable of now - and consequently so have the laughs.

That's not to say you won't chuckle, just that you'll end up feeling you should be guffawing instead. Most of the blame lies with the script, a fairly lame sprucing-up of the original which keeps pretty much exactly the same plot, albeit in a different city. Thankfully, Helms, Cooper and Galifianakis return to their roles with ease, the former building on his nerdy nice-guy role from the first film well, the latter stealing the best lines. When the obligatory camera shots arrive to divulge all over the final credits, it's telling that they deliver the biggest laughs of the lot.

So while it's no Godfather 2, it's not exactly Scary Movie 2 either, not unless you're one of the three. The news that Part 3 is on the way should come as no surprise; the fact that either any of them, or us, should fall for it again shows just how much we all love a night out that really doesn't merit devoting much memory to the morning after. Hangover? Game over.

Released Thu 26th May

Win Win

2011-05-18T11:02:00.006+01:00

Wrestle-me-this

That title might seem a little out of place for what is essentially a tale of one of life's loveable losers, but thanks for Paul Giamatti's impressive performance, Thomas McCarthy follows up The Visitor with another winning Indie gem.

With his law practice faltering and the High School wrestling team he coaches no more than a bag of inept, wheezing wimps, Mike (Giamatti) is struggling to pay the bills that keep his family afloat. When an elderly, senile client presents an opportunity for Mike to pocket a windfall each month for taking on guardianship and then leaving him in a care home, things suddenly look rosy. That is until the old man's unheard-of grandson, Kyle, shows up on the doorstep.

At first keen to get rid of a potential obstacle to his financially rewarding scheme, only when it turns out Kyle is an ex-State wrestling champ do things suddenly seem too good to be true for Mike. The team starts winning, his family are happy and everything's going just swell. What now could possibly go wrong? Well, as with any drama, the tone-shifting middle act brings all sorts of problems that the denouement nearly resolves remarkably neatly.

As the struggling Mike, Giamatti brings his usual dour warmth to a character that by all rights should come across as the villain of the piece; using Kyle for his wrestling skills and his grandfather for a nice monthly income. However, it's a credit to the star of Sideways that yet again he's able to turn fairly unlikeable characters into heartfelt guys you'd love to have a drink with.

As Kyle, newcomer Alex Shaffer does a good job of bringing some inner depth to the fore behind the mask of teenage apathy, while Jeffrey Tambor and Bobby Cannavale add light relief as Mike's assistant coaches on and off the mat. Amy Ryan, so good in Gone Baby Gone, seems a little one-note however, acting as Mike's moral compass when things turn sour for a while without adding enough emotional range or depth that suggests the script could have done with a little more tweaking.

Nowhere is that more evident than in the upbeat finale, which attempts to assemble together all of the film's pieces without addressing one central strand that leaves us unsure if the feel-good sports drama ethos so prevalent for most of the film was nothing more than a metaphor.

If that's what it is, then the hugely enjoyable Win Win shows it's not about the winning but who you're taking part with.

Released Fri 20th May

Julia's Eyes

2011-05-14T09:13:00.009+01:00

Eyes Scream

Any classy Guillermo Del Toro production is greeted by horror fans with a welcome sigh of relief in a genre over-saturated by gorenography bore. Sharing not only a lead actress with 2007's excellent The Orphanage but a similar sense of foreboding suspense, Julia's Eyes is a creepy little thriller which demands a viewing.

When her blind twin sister Sara commits suicide, Julia (Belen Rueda) refuses to believe the verdict and decides to investigate. Struck with the same degenerative disease as her sister, Julia's worsening vision hampers her efforts and when she's forced to undergo surgery to restore her sight things get a whole lot more difficult.

With several genres fused together by director Guillem Morales - whodunnit, stalker-horror, thriller - Julia's Eyes works most effectively as a study of suspense. With very little gore to satisfy the blood-thirsty, the focus here is most definitely on a slow-building ratchet of tension Spanish horror seems to have made its own in recent years.

Rueda is, as usual, superb as the determined Julia. Utterly believable in a role which, for a large part of the film, has her blindfolded awaiting her surgery's outcome, she teeters on the edge of madness as her imagination starts playing tricks on her - or does it?

Morales meanwhile builds on the promise shown in 2004's The Uncertain Guest in this, his second feature. Impressive sequences involving chases down darkened tunnels and a flash-lit finale make a lot of other less successful CGI efforts look vastly inferior.

A slight shame then that the film relies a little too heavily on the same tricks at times; a near-blind Julia being left in darkened rooms while her male companion goes off to investigate, or that she's so insistent to remain in her sister's creepy, old house, home to a double homicide when perhaps the hospital might be a safer bet.

However that's a minor niggle when the resulting moments of tension as a whole are so effective. A middle act, in which Morales' camera never focuses on another's face besides Julia's signifies her predicament strikingly while the denouement is tender enough without lessening the effect of the previously tense 110 minutes.

Julia's Eyes may, like many other good foreign films, be inevitably remade but Hollywood's second sight is unlikely to be as rewarding as this first viewing. What else are you going to see - Saw?

Released Fri 20th May

Love Like Poison

2011-05-06T08:32:00.003+01:00

Decisions, Decisions

Coming of age films are often fertile ground for aspiring film-makers; after all we've all been there at some point and newcomer Katell Quillévéré's directorial effort is no exception. Taking its title from a Serge Gainsbourg song and casting an authentic unknown in the lead this is about as au naturelle and French as you could possibly expect.

Anna (Clara Augarde) returns home for the holidays to her small Brittany village from boarding school at a difficult time. Her confirmation is due in weeks, her parents are separating, her grandfather is ill and young Pierre is catching her eye; change is in the air. Unsure which direction to take during this time of sexual awakening, Anna wrestles with her feelings for Pierre and the Catholic church she is soon to be a part of.

With a keen eye for humour to punctuate the more dramatic moments, Quillévéré weaves in a variety of stories involving Anna's mother taking a shine to the village Priest, her grandfather becoming a little too aware of Anna's burgeoning state and her father returning home for a while to spend time with her. Despite the fairly brief running time (around 80 minutes) there's enough depth to the plot though to give even minor characters the chance to shine.

However it's Augarde who really steals the film with an impressive central performance. Innocent enough to carry off an awareness of how things are changing rapidly, yet coquettishly showing the transformation from quiet village girl to confident young lady as this storyline develops. Amidst the stolen kisses, her struggle to reconcile faith with flesh means that, despite the best efforts of her family and Priest, Pierre's polite but persistent glare will always win out.

Perhaps a little too slow for some tastes, especially in an age where French cinema sets the pulses racing through tense action (Pour Elle and Tell No One being good examples), Love Like Poison deserves to be savoured. Think recent film Flipped, but without the gimmicks.

Released Fri 13th May

Cedar Rapids

2011-04-27T12:46:00.008+01:00

Out Of Office

It's probably fair to describe Ed Helms' new comedy as a a good, old-fashioned big tuna-out-of-water story, seeing as most audience members will know him as nerdy office geek Andy Bernard from The US Office, or that guy who loses a tooth in The Hangover. Before the latter's sequel propels him further up the comedy radar, out pops an unusual but fun little comedy from Miguel Arteta that sees just what this guy can do when he's out of the comfy office surroundings.

Helms plays insurance agent Tim Lippe, sent by his boss to a conference in Cedar Rapids to win the coveted Two Diamonds award for the fourth year running. A nerdy but diligent worker, Lippe arrives determined to please his boss, but the riotous trio of John C Reilly's Dean Ziegler, Anne Heche's foxy Joan and Isiah Whitlock Jr's wise Ron show Tim the true path of enlightenment, and just what his predecessor did to win the prize.

Cue plenty of drunken mayhem as Lippe goes from geek to chic in hours, his morals and ethics tested as he chases that illustrious award and the approval of conference organiser Orin Helgesson (Kurtwood Smith).

It should come as no surprise to find Alexander Payne's producer credit tucked away on this quirky number. It certainly shares both Sideways and Election's affectionate look at the male psyche under pressure, while also heading into deep Midwest Schmidt country as a backdrop. Although bawdy at times, the film benefits from some terrific performances. Reilly keeps just the right side of humorous rather than irritating; Heche is an unexpected tease, while Whitlock plays on his Wire status with enough knowing enthusiasm that he nearly steals the show.

However that honour falls to Tim Lippe himself. Helms anchors the film with a warm, 'Everyman' portrayal, guiding the others when their moral compass slips. Some might find his over-nerdy act a mask for hidden mental health issues and it's fair to say that a man who falls in love with anything with breasts in a second, fails to recognise a prostitute's advances and has no idea how hotel check-in's work might need to get out once in a while perhaps. However Helms keeps things flowing smoothly, even when Reilly and co upset Lippe's inner harmony.

No doubt some will find it a little too cheesy; a bit too predictable, and they'd be right. But getting out of the office is good for us all at some point, especially if you're going to be a wiser person on your return.

How I Ended This Summer

2011-04-19T08:25:00.031+01:00

Poles Apart

It’s probably best to describe Alexei Popogrebsky’s study of man and solitude as a kind of Waiting For Godot meets The Thing hybrid, such is the theatrical element of having a two-header throughout. Three if you count the polar bear.

Stuck on a remote polar station as a pair of weather recording monitors, old, gruff Sergei (Sergei Puskepalis) and younger, callow Pasha (Grigory Dobrygin) go about their daily routine of collecting and transmitting data back to the mainland. While Sergei is a stickler for timing and order, the lazier Pasha listens to music and daydreams away his chores as if, like Sergei points out, he was writing an essay on summer solitude rather than living it.

With only two leads to keep us entertained, Popogrebsky does a good job of utilising his location with some expansive and awe-inspiring cinematography. After a fairly lengthy first half in which we’re introduced to the characters, their cold surroundings and tasks, it soon becomes apparent this isn’t going to be a buddy movie.

When Sergei disappears for a day’s fishing trip leaving Pasha in charge, not only does the day’s data go unchecked, later forged, but Pasha learns of news which may ultimately destroy his fiery workmate’s resolve. Choosing instead to hide the news from him, the pair’s relationship breaks down as isolation’s grip creeps in and neither wants to trust the other.

It’s in the film’s second half that the story really comes alive as the tale turns from frigid routine to cat-and-mouse style antics once the scared Pasha finally breaks the news to Sergei. Paranoid and scared for his life, he hides away on the Island's Fog Station, deciding eventually the only way to save himself is to poison his work partner. Those who’ve seen even a glimpse of Das Boot, Buried or The Shining will recognise familiar strands of humanity breaking down under intense solitude; something Popogrebsky captures well with his use of long, drawn out scenery shots, sparse dialogue and musical accompaniment.

That both actors shared a Best Actor award in Berlin shows how well their relationship translates on screen. Beckett might find it a little too gloomy, but thinking of it as Waiting for Home rather than any religious metaphor makes it a human drama about the drama of just being human.

Scream 4

2011-04-12T07:32:00.026+01:00

Craven-essa Parody

New Decade, New rules right? Well, if Scream 4's rules are to be believed the only way you're going to get out of this one alive is to be gay, and even then that doesn't guarantee you immunity. But what does Wes Craven's stalker hit, which inspired it's own string of Scary Movie parodies, have to say ten years on?

Few might have thought Scream needed a reboot, remake or shriek-quel given that horror seems to have moved on in all sorts of directions after this late nineties slasher-fest. While main characters Neve Campbell, Courtney Cox and David Arquette return to make the transition, a whole new load of fresh teens (Emma Roberts and Hayden Panettiere among them) provide ample film-fanatic flesh-fodder for another crazed killer.

Ten years on from the high school killings which haunted Sidney Prescott's (Campbell) teenage years and she's back in Woodsboro, promoting her hit self-help book. While local Sheriff Dewey (Arquette) and his wife, the feisty journalist Gail Weathers (Cox) are pleased to see her, so it seems is another as the body count soon starts piling up once more and those threatening calls return.

After an inventive opening (three openings in one actually) and some clever self-referential in-jokes, it soon becomes apparent that Scream 4 is actually a more serious version of Scary Movie - perhaps that's the intended joke all along. However, while that means it's a lot of fun, the familiarity and the teen-baiting 15 certificate means it's never anywhere near as scary as it should be, with few surprises and unexpected shocks.

However that doesn't mean there's not fun to be had. In an age where gorenography rules the horror roost and OTT scares seems to be the genre director's choice of tone, a refreshing reboot of one of Craven's best films certainly knows where to poke fun, be it at Saw, Hostel or Paranormal Activity. However, while recent Spanish offerings Rec and The Orphanage chose to stimulate the brain as well as the tonsils, Scream 4's lack of true scares means it all feels a bit formulaic, something the first film did so well to avoid.

The new crop of stars blend well into the plot, providing just enough depth to warrant some shock when they're offed while Campbell develops into her role once again as the born survivor in a welcome return to the franchise. Cox and Arquette though seem bored; trapped in fairly one-dimensional roles, a shame given the sprightly nature of their first incarnations. Perhaps no surprise, considering they were separating at the time of shooting. Sill, that doesn't distract too much from the plot in which Craven sensibly sidelines them as Sidney's plight, and a surprise third-act twist, take centre stage.

So, what's your favourite 'Scary movie'? This fun but fairly forgettable self-aware parody of the first is probably the best answer really. After all, the first four were hardly a Scream.

Little White Lies

2011-04-06T14:50:00.004+01:00

Pierre's Friends

Who’d have thought French film-makers, famous for their laborious, ponderous dramas would have suddenly decided that breezy is the way forward? After the success of home-grown comic hits Bienvenue Chez Les Ch’tis and L'arnacoeur (‘Heartbreaker’ to us) comes a comedy drama which brings a surprising amount of the former to a fairly dark tale.

Known as ‘Little Tissues’ (Les Petits Mouchoirs) in its home country, Guillaume Canet’s study of the falsities of friendship, scrutinized during a group of Parisian thirty-somethings on a vacation to the South of France is an apt title; there’s plenty of tears along the way. Beginning with the horrific scooter accident of one of the group’s friends, Ludo, we’re thrust straight into these characters lives as they converge at the hospital upon hearing the news.

However, instead of staying behind to care for their seriously injured friend, the group decides to continue with their planned vacation the following week and just cut it short to return when they hope he’ll be over the worst. Needless to say it’s a decision that will have consequences for each member.

Instead of exploring this dilemma though, Canet instead takes us down a completely different route via a surprise revelation early on in which one member declares his love for another. Threatening both friendships, relationships and more importantly, the yearly holiday itself it’s thanks to the well-drawn and diverse ensemble of characters that it’s a trip we’re more than happy to come along on too.

Vincent, a married chiropractor and Max, the grumpy, more mature host at whose summer house they stay form the central pairing around which other characters revolve, including Marion Cotillard’s fragile Marie, Max’s impatient wife Vero and Vincent’s frustrated partner Isabelle. However it’s Gilles Lellouche’s posy actor Eric who gets the best lines, the best rooms and usually the best girls.

With such a long running time, it’s a credit to Canet that the action stays breezy, the laughs regular and the gorgeous Atlantic coast scenery so dreamy. Book-ending his film with the more dramatic moments, the lengthy but enjoyable mid-section on the sunny coast veers from carefree to fun-free as characters face their demons and wrestle with their conscience, remaining enjoyably watchable throughout.

Never letting things get bogged down though in despair means Little White Lies treads a similar path to Kenneth Branagh’s 1992 hit Peter’s Friends, which saw a terrific British ensemble cast gather for a reunion where home truths were faced too. Add weasels to the mix and you might have been calling this a French remake, but as it is, LWL will no doubt deserve that accolade when Hollywood realises its sparkling potential.

Though overlong and at times unsure exactly what tone suits the plot best, Canet’s beautifully-written escapade in the sun is as warm and embracing as you’d expect a summer holiday to be; with thankfully no Cliff singing along.

Source Code

2011-03-31T15:42:00.015+01:00

Quantum Beep

That damn "Inception Meets..." tag every Sci-Fi film seems destined to be burdened with this year rears it's ugly head again after The Adjustment Bureau failed to live up to the hype. This time it's Source Code, or Inception meets Quantum Leap, Duncan Jones' follow up to the critically lauded Moon - a film which could do with calling in Al (Sam Beckett's time travelling companion in the TV series) after about eight minutes for some explanation.

When Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up suddenly on a train opposite Michelle Monaghan's Christina, unaware who he is or where he is, his life is quickly made more complicated when the train blows up and he wakes again inside the Source Code - a pod which enables him to travel into the last eight minutes of someone's life. Tasked with discovering who blew up the train which will prevent a more devastating attack in Chicago city centre later that day, Stevens is repeatedly forced back into the same eight minutes to find the clues.

Guiding him along the way, the sympathetic Goodwin (Vera Farmiga) and Jeffrey Wright's more abrupt Rutledge, the programme's creator, gradually reveal the Source Code's secrets to an increasingly exasperated Stevens. Basically Groundhog Day meets the excellent Timecrimes and 24 might be a better comparison.

Having majored in minor-key drama (Moon), Jones proves himself completely adept when it comes to handling a bigger budget, bigger cast and a bigger idea. Fusing Groundhog Day with Run Lola Run's structure gives the film's plot some well-needed complexity which never dulls for a moment. There's a great deal of fun to be had in what, at times, comes off like Murder on the Orient Express at commuter time with Stevens playing detective to a familiar cast of types.

However what lets the film down isn't this window dressing, but the central idea itself. With some questionable science to say the least at its core, Rutledge's explanation of how exactly the Source Code works requires disbelief to be all but abandoned, not just suspended. Though the cast do a good job with the material (Farmiga and Gyllenhaal especially) the twist half way through is too well signposted to be a surprise and with time travel ruled out and parallel universes the driving force it's never clear which "present" we're in.

Which all smacks of a wasted opportunity sadly. While those still hooked on Nolan's supreme theatrics will no doubt lap up this copycat effort, Jones can't be forgiven for pulling out the perfect ending, pausing, and then going all Peter Jackson on us with another which raises a whole host of new questions the film runs out of time to answer. My advice; watch any of the other films mentioned here to see it done properly.

By aiming for Inception, Source Code instead comes off feeling like Denzel Washington's below-par Deja-Vu and for once that's something we've not all seen before.

Oranges and Sunshine

2011-03-28T19:43:00.015+01:00

Return to Oz

It's not only surprising that the subject matter of Jim Loach's debut feature - the forced deportation of British children to Australia during the mid 20th century - is shocking, but that it's taken so long for such a compelling story to make it to the big screen. Thankfully it's a largely fruitful discovery, that shows Loach Jr (Ken's son) has plenty of promise.

Telling the true story of Margaret Humphreys (an excellent Emily Watson), a Nottingham social worker who discovered that for a large part of the last century over a hundred thousand British children from Care had been transported down under, told their parents were dead and forced to work as labourers under brutal and often abusive custodians, Oranges and Sunshine tugs at the heartstrings throughout.

Focusing a large part of the film on Humphrey's attempts to reconcile Hugo Weaving's softly-spoken Jack and David Wenham's more resentful Len, the film sets out its stall early. Whereas in the hands of other directors the material might have made the basis for a gritty, tough-to-watch TV drama in the mould of The Unloved or Sleepers, here Loach decides to dwell on the search for answers and healing rather than blame and recrimination.

As Humphreys gets closer to uncovering the enormous amount of lives shattered through this inexplicable and callous scheme not only does the pressure of her workload take its toll on her health, but on her family too, struggling with the absence of a mother and wife during repeated trips to Australia to help those affected.

With so much ground to cover and no doubt so many stories to tell Loach makes a sensible decision to stick to one path, that of reunion, making this a more positive experience than you might think the subject matter should allow. However, in doing so other plot strands come and go (a repeated scene in which Humphreys is harassed at night by an unidentified assailant is never fully explored) or are not developed to the full. What effect is her continued absence from home having on her rather patient husband and sullen children besides the obligatory tears?

Only towards the end of the film, in which Len and Margaret make a difficult trip to one of the projects children such as himself were forced to work on, does the film's message really hit home. However that sense of leaving things unanswered and Loach's reluctance to explore the accountability of those involved means Oranges is not the cathartic or truly gripping experience it really should be. This final third shows just why.

Whereas we're treated to a dramatised version of events, complete with a talking heads montage which explains the horrific abuse suffered by some of the youngsters from their adult perspective, it's hard not to feel that such material is crying out for a documentary-style approach; no doubt there are a legion of sufferers out there keen to tell the world their story. Had Loach perhaps learned from one of his father's tendencies and moved into more realistic territory for this conclusion, something done so well with completely different material in Ari Folman's Waltz With Bashir, then the end result might have had more of an impact.

However, much like 2002's Rabbit-Proof Fence, Oranges is a worthy re-telling of Australia's (and in this case very much Britain's) darker past that might attract a wider audience with its life affirming and fruitful message.