{"id":4737,"date":"2009-02-06T15:24:54","date_gmt":"2009-02-06T15:24:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/?p=4737"},"modified":"2009-07-06T06:36:02","modified_gmt":"2009-07-06T05:36:02","slug":"uk-cinema-releases-friday-6th-february-2009","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/2009\/02\/06\/uk-cinema-releases-friday-6th-february-2009\/","title":{"rendered":"UK Cinema Releases: Friday 6th February 2009"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"UK<\/a><\/p>\n

NATIONAL RELEASES<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button<\/a><\/strong> (Warner Bros): This high profile big budget adaptation an\u00a0F. Scott Fitzgerald<\/a> short story stars\u00a0Brad Pitt<\/a> as the title character, a man who is born as an old man and ages backwards throughout his life. Directed\u00a0by\u00a0David Fincher<\/a>, from a script written by\u00a0Eric Roth<\/a> and\u00a0Robin Swicord<\/a>, it also stars\u00a0Cate Blanchett<\/a>,\u00a0Taraji P. Henson<\/a>,\u00a0Julia Ormond<\/a>,\u00a0Tilda Swinton<\/a> and\u00a0Jason Flemyng<\/a>. Told in flashback, it is an epic tale of one man’s life during the 20th century, from in 1918 to 2005.<\/p>\n

On first viewing I admired it more as a technical exercise and was puzzled as to why a director like Fincher was attracted to this material. Why did they alter the original story so much? What were the contemporary references all about? And wasn’t it a bit too similar to Forrest Gump<\/a>? (also scripted by Roth). However, on second viewing I found it to be a much richer experience – it is essentially a fable about love and loss and gains its power from the central concept of living life backwards.<\/p>\n

Far from being a gimmick, it actually becomes a profound way of dramatising the ageing process. Forget the Oscar fuelled hype<\/a> and snarky<\/a> critical hate<\/a> surrounding this film and approach it with an open mind. The makeup<\/a>, visual effects<\/a>, cinematography<\/a>, score<\/a> and performances make it an unusual and affecting big budget rarity.<\/p>\n

Because studios don’t like making expensive dramas like this, Paramount have split costs with Warner Bros, with the latter being the UK distributor. The Oscar nominations and star power of Pitt and Blanchett should give it a top 2 finish at least, even though the length (166 mins) will curb its earnings.\u00a0[Cert\u00a012A\u00a0\/ Nationwide]<\/p>\n

Doubt<\/a><\/strong> (Walt Disney):\u00a0In 2005,\u00a0John Patrick Shanley<\/a> wrote the hit play\u00a0Doubt: A Parable<\/a>, which won the\u00a0Pulitzer Prize for Drama<\/a> and\u00a0Tony Award<\/a> for Best Play. Now Shanley has directed a film version called\u00a0Doubt<\/strong><\/a> which stars\u00a0Meryl Streep<\/a> as\u00a0Sister Aloysius,\u00a0the stern principal of a Catholic school in the Bronx during the 1960s, who comes into conflict with a reforming priest named\u00a0Father Flynn\u00a0(Philip Seymour Hoffman<\/a>).<\/p>\n

A strong supporting cast includes\u00a0Amy Adams<\/a> and\u00a0Viola Davis<\/a> and although at times it is a little too stagey, the strength of the original play shines through and gives the impressive cast a chance to flex their considerable acting muscles.\u00a0Although some audiences will be left frustrated by the climax, it is worth remembering that it contains the very crux of the play and is also what gives it a rich and lasting power.\u00a0Disney and Miramax will be hoping that upscale audiences will check this out, but it faces tough competition from Benjamin Button and other awards season fare. [Cert\u00a015 \/ Nationwide]<\/p>\n

Bolt<\/a><\/strong> (Walt Disney): The first film from the rejuvenated\u00a0Walt Disney Animation Studios<\/a> headed by Pixar supremo\u00a0John Lasseter tells the story of a dog named Bolt (voiced by\u00a0John Travolta<\/a>) who doesn’t realise that the TV show he stars in isn’t actually real. Also featuring the voices of\u00a0Miley Cyrus<\/a>,\u00a0Malcolm McDowell<\/a>,\u00a0Susie Essman<\/a> and\u00a0Mark Walton<\/a>, it was directed by\u00a0Chris Williams<\/a> and\u00a0Byron Howard<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0effect of\u00a0Lasseter overseeing this film has had a marked on effect on the animation and writing, which contains similar levels of wit and emotion apparent in the best Pixar movies. Added to this, is the impressive Dolby 3-D which is less gimicky than recent films like Beowulf, instead featuring a more organic visual approach. Disney can be hopeful that family audiences will power this to the top slot despite it being a very busy weekend at the UK box office.\u00a0[Cert\u00a0PG <\/span>\/\u00a0Vue West End & Nationwide]<\/span><\/p>\n

* Listen to our interview with John Lasseter about Bolt<\/a> *<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

He\u2019s Just Not That Into You<\/a><\/strong> (Entertainment): A romantic comedy squarely aimed at female audiences based on the\u00a0self-help\u00a0book of the same name<\/a> by\u00a0Greg Behrendt<\/a> and\u00a0Liz Tuccillo<\/a>, which, in turn, was based on a line of dialogue in\u00a0Sex and the City<\/a>.\u00a0The ensemble cast is impressive:\u00a0Ben Affleck<\/a>,\u00a0Jennifer Aniston<\/a>,\u00a0Drew Barrymore<\/a>,\u00a0Scarlett Johansson<\/a>,\u00a0Justin Long<\/a>,\u00a0Jennifer Connelly<\/a>,\u00a0Ginnifer Goodwin<\/a>,\u00a0Kevin Connolly<\/a> and\u00a0Bradley Cooper<\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n

The plot revolves around the\u00a0romantic misadventures of several individuals in their twenties and thirties and the common thread is that one person in each relationship is more enamored with the other person.\u00a0Directed by\u00a0Ken Kwapis<\/a> it looks likely to ensnare gullible females but the lack of marketing buzz and\u00a0mixed reviews<\/a> would appear to be ominous signs for its box office potential. The recent remix of the trailer<\/a> with the Christian Bale meltdown<\/a> might actually be funnier than the film. [Cert\u00a012A\/\u00a0Nationwide]<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Punisher War Zone<\/a><\/strong> (Sony Pictures): A fairly unnecessary\u00a0reboot<\/a> for the\u00a0Marvel Comics<\/a> vigilante\u00a0The Punisher<\/a>.\u00a0British actor\u00a0Ray Stevenson<\/a> replaces\u00a0Thomas Jane<\/a> as Frank Castle and in this story wages a one-man war against a horribly disfigured mob boss known as\u00a0Jigsaw<\/a> (no, not the Saw villain) played by\u00a0Dominic West<\/a>. <\/em>Lionsgate tried to ressurect this a superviolent anti-superhero franchise but it failed at the US box office and Sony (who have UK distribution) will have to look to ancillary markets to find any profit.\u00a0[Cert\u00a018 \/ Nationwide]<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Secret Of Moonacre<\/a><\/strong> (Warner Bros.):\u00a0An\u00a0adaptation\u00a0of the\u00a0novel\u00a0The Little White Horse<\/a><\/em> by\u00a0Elizabeth Goudge<\/a>, which is set in the 1840’s and follows Maria Merryweather (Dakota Blue Richards<\/a>), a 13 year old orphan on her journey to the mysterious Moonacre Manor in the West Country. There she discovers that she is the last Moon Princess and she has only until the next full moon to undo the misdeeds of her ancestors and save the Moonacre estate. Although some talented actors such as Tim Curry<\/a>, Ioan Gruffudd<\/a>, and\u00a0Natascha McElhone<\/a> feature in the supporting cast, this faces a struggle to capture family audiences with Disney’s Bolt looking to be dominant film for that market this week. [Cert U \/ Nationwide]<\/p>\n

<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vicky Cristina Barcelona<\/a><\/strong> (Optimum Releasing): After making the worst film of his career<\/a>, Woody Allen returns with his best in years, a witty and sparkling tale of\u00a0\u00a0two American women, Vicky (Rebecca Hall<\/a>) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson<\/a>) who spend a summer in Barcelona<\/a> and both fall for a local artist (Javier Bardem<\/a>) who has an angry ex-wife (Pen\u00e9lope Cruz<\/a>). Not only is it smarter than his recent outings but it contains some truly marvellous performances, especially from Bardem and Cruz. [Cert\u00a012A\/\u00a0West End venues \/ Regions from 13th Feb]<\/span><\/p>\n

[ad]<\/p>\n

IN SELECTED RELEASE<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>The Good, The Bad and The Weird<\/a><\/strong> (<\/span>Icon): <\/span>The story of three Korean outlaws in 1930s Manchuria and their dealings with the Japanese army and Chinese and Russian bandits. Directed by\u00a0Kim Ji-woon<\/a>, it stars\u00a0Song Kang-ho<\/a>,\u00a0Lee Byung-hun<\/a>, and\u00a0Jung Woo-sung<\/a>.\u00a0[Cert <\/span><\/span>15\u00a0\/\u00a0Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave & Key Cities]<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Who Killed Nancy?<\/a><\/strong> (Soda Pictures): A limited release for a documentary exploring the death of\u00a0Nancy Spungen<\/a>, an ex-prostitute, sometimes stripper, heroin addict, and girlfriend of Sex Pistols’ bassist Sid Vicious<\/a>.\u00a0Directed by Alan G Parker<\/a>.\u00a0[London venues & Key Cities]<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

>\u00a0UK Cinema Releases for February 2009<\/a>
\n>\u00a0Get the latest showtimes for your local cinema via Google Movies<\/a>
\n>\u00a0Check out our latest DVD picks<\/a> (W\/C Monday 2nd February)<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NATIONAL RELEASES The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button (Warner Bros): This high profile big budget adaptation an\u00a0F. Scott Fitzgerald short story stars\u00a0Brad Pitt as the title character, a man who is born as an old man and ages backwards throughout his life. Directed\u00a0by\u00a0David Fincher, from a script written by\u00a0Eric Roth and\u00a0Robin Swicord, it also stars\u00a0Cate […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[797,799,805,713,804,535,158],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4737"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4737"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4737\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4737"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4737"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.filmdetail.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4737"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}