Category: Cinema

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 23rd July 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Toy Story 3 (Walt Disney): The third installment of the hugely successful Pixar franchise sees the toys (voiced by a cast including Tom Hanks, Tim Allen and Joan Cusack) confronted with a problem. Their owner Andy is no longer a child and when he goes off to college, they are supposed to be put in to the attic. But a misunderstanding sees them end up somewhere else.

With new characters voiced by Ned Beatty, Whoopi Goldberg and Michael Keaton this sequel has been in the works for a long time. The delay was mainly down to the friction between former Disney chief Michael Eisner and Pixar but when these problems were resolved with the new regime under Bob Eiger – which saw the 2006 merger of the two companies – the film was back on track.

Directed by Lee Unkrich, co-director of Toy Story 2, Monsters Inc and Finding Nemo, this looks set to be another huge success for Pixar. Like the previous Toy Story films it has managed to combine critical plaudits with an inbuilt appeal to audiences of all ages. [Nationwide / U]

Splice (Optimum Releasing): This sci-fi horror concerns two scientists (Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley) in the near future who experiment with human DNA for a large corporation, only to slowly realise that they have made a mistake.

Directed by Vincenzo Natali, still best known for the 1997 film Cube, it got a proper wide release in the US from Warner Bros last month, despite being filmed on a lower-than-normal budget. The visual effects are solid but the major problem is that it is too derivative, especially of David Cronenberg’s The Fly, and doesn’t really add anything to the crowded horror sub-genre which depicts science gone wrong. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]

The Rebound (Paramount/Momentum): A romantic comedy about a recent divorcee (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who starts a relationship with a younger man (Justin Bartha) she has employed as a home help.

Directed by Bart Freundlich, this seems like token summer counter-programming for female audiences who don’t fancy seeing the big summer blockbusters. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15]

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ALSO OUT

Baaria (E1 Entertainment): Director Giuseppe Tornatore (best know as the director of Cinema Paradiso) returns with a film about his childhood growing up in Sicily. [Odeon Covent Garden & Key Cities / 15]

City Island (Anchor Bay Films): A low budget US indie about a dysfunctional family in the Bronx, headed up by a prison guard father (Andy Garcia) who secretly yearns to be an actor. Julianna Margulies and Emily Mortimer co-star and Raymond De Felitta directs. [Key Cities / 12A]

Ivul (Artificial Eye): A semi-autobiographical film from director Andrew Kotting about a young man (Jean-Luc Bideau) coming of age in a manor house in France with a Franco-Russian father. Jacob Auzanneau and Aurélia Petit co-star. [Curzon Renoir & Selected Key Cities / 15]

Jasper, Penguin Explorer (Soda Pictures): Directed by Eckart Fingberg and Kay Delventhal, this German animated film is about a penguin (voiced by Rick Adams) who thinks another world exists beyond the ice caps of the South Pole.

Khatta Meetha (Eros): A Bollywood remake of the 1989 Malayalam film, Vellanakalude Nadu, starring Akshay Kumar as a construction contractor. [C’Worlds Feltham, Shaftesbury Ave., Wood Green, Vue Acton & Key Cities]

My Night With Maud (bfi Distribution): A reissue of Eric Rohmer’s 1969 film about the relationship between a Catholic and a Marxist and a freethinker named Maud. [BFI Southbank, Curzon Soho & Key Cities / PG]

> DVD and Blu-ray releases for this week including The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and Tokyo Story
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 16th July 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Inception (Warner Bros.): The first blockbuster to come out at UK cinemas since the World Cup ended is this insanely ambitious sci-fi actioner from director Christopher Nolan. The story revolves around a gang of hi-tech thieves led by international fugitive Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), who steals highly valuable information from people’s dreams. After a job on a Japanese businessman (Ken Watanabe) goes wrong, he is faced with the daunting challenge of ‘inception’: instead of stealing information, he must secretly plant some inside the mind of an important businessman (Cillian Murphy).

Assembling a team of experts (which includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Tom Hardy) who can help him execute the mission, he must also deal with his own troubled past, which endangers his ability to do the job at hand. The scale and ambition of this film is something to behold as Nolan returns to the narrative puzzles of previous films like Memento (2000) and The Prestige (2006) but does so on the scale of his recent Batman films (certainly this would never have got made if The Dark Knight wasn’t such a huge success).

This is a challenging film and many audiences might be put off by the way the story switches between the real world and the shifting dreamscapes of different characters. Having seen it twice now, the pieces do fit together, although at times you feel like you are struggling to remember a dream just by following the action on screen.

DiCaprio is solid in the lead role and his team have also been well cast: Joseph Gordon Levitt is a charming point man; Ellen Page nicely combines innocence and gravity as the rookie ‘dream architect’; Tom Hardy relishes his part as a forgerer; Ken Watanabe is a pleasingly enigmatic boss figure; Cillian Murphy conveys surprising depth as the rich mark and Michael Caine hits the spot in a smaller than usual part.

As you would expect for a Nolan film, it is a technical masterclass: the production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas makes stunning use of several real world locations; Wally Pfister’s cinematography captures intense emotions and epic action beautifully; the visual effects by Double Negative and Plowman Craven are so good they never feel like conventional CGI; there are some highly imaginative sets overseen by special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, especially one amazing sequence involving a hotel; and editor Lee Smith manages to warp time and space brilliantly throughout.

Warner Bros have spent a lot of money on this and must be a little nervous as to how audiences are going to react. It is a dense film which may put off viewers not willing to enter the maze Nolan has constructed. On the other hand there is pently of action and spectacle here and it may be a film that people will want to debate and experience a second time. It will have a big opening but there is a question over its longer term box office prospects. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]

* Read my full thoughts on Inception here *

The Concert (Optimum Releasing): A French comedy about a former conductor (Aleksei Guskov) who, after being fired from the renowned Bolshoi Orchestra during the the communist era, sees a shot at redemption when he learns that they will be playing at a theatre in Paris. He recruits a young violinist (Melanie Laurent) to accompany his old musicians and hopes to stage a new concert with them.

Directed by Radu Mihaileanu, the score was composed by Armand Amar and the music on the soundtrack features works by Tchaikovsky, Mahler, Mozart and Khachaturian. Optimum will be hoping that arthouse audiences not interested in Inception will be interested in seeing a more accessible, feelgood European film. [Curzons Mayfair, Soho & Key Cities / 15]

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ALSO OUT

Bluebeard (New Wave Films): Based on the dark fairytale by Charles Perrault, about a young bride married to a murderous aristocrat, this film version also adds another narrative layer with with two present-day girls reading the story in an old book, which they have found in an attic.

Directed by Catherine Breillat, it stars Lola Créton as Marie-Catherine, the teen bride, whilst Dominique Thomas is Bluebeard. This faces arthouse competition from The Concert, and New Wave Films will be hoping fans more discerning fans of French cinema will turn out for this one. [Key Cities]

Mega Piranha (Metrodome Distribution): More exploitation nonsense from the studio that gave us Mega Shark, with the main selling point being that it stars 80s pop singer Tiffany. Referred to as some as a mockbuster, this will get a DVD release next month. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus & selected Key Cities]

Rapt (Artificial Eye): A French drama about a rich industrialist (Yvan Attal) who is kidnapped and held hostage is the latest film from director Lucas Belvaux. [Curzon Soho & selected Key Cities / 15]

Rough Aunties (ICA Cinema): A documentary of from director Kim Longinotto about child abuse in South Africa. [ICA Cinema]

> DVD and Blu-ray releases for this week including Green Zone and Bubba Ho-Tep
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Inception

A blockbuster with brains and style, Inception is Christopher Nolan’s most ambitious film to date, although how mainstream audiences respond to this intricate tale is an open question.

The story revolves around a gang of hi-tech thieves led by international fugitive Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), who steals highly valuable information from people’s dreams.

After a job on a Japanese businessman (Ken Watanabe) goes wrong, he is faced with the daunting challenge of ‘inception’: instead of stealing information, he must secretly plant some inside the mind of an important businessman (Cillian Murphy).

Assembling a team of experts (which includes Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page and Tom Hardy) who can help him execute the mission, he must also deal with his own troubled past, which endangers his ability to do the job at hand.

To say any more about the plot of Inception would be wrong, as one of the chief pleasures in this lavishly intricate film is the way in which it unfolds, puzzling and surprising the audience like a virtuoso magician.

For writer-director Nolan, this is a return to the territory of previous films such as Memento (2000) and The Prestige (2006), where he explores the themes of illusion and reality whilst playing an imaginative game with the audience.

We are firmly in the realm of science-fiction here, but interestingly the settings are very real world: imagine if Michael Mann had decided to mash up The Matrix with Ocean’s Eleven and you’ll get some idea of the terrain here.

With some concessions, the subconscious dream worlds appear as realistic as the conscious waking world, creating a persistent question as to which is real. A clever conceit, given that cinema itself is arguably the closest art form to a dream.

DiCaprio is very solid in the lead role and his team have also been well cast: Joseph Gordon Levitt is a charming point man; Ellen Page nicely combines innocence and gravity as the rookie ‘dream architect’; Tom Hardy relishes his part as a forgerer; Ken Watanabe is a pleasingly enigmatic boss figure; Cillian Murphy conveys surprising depth as the rich mark and Michael Caine hits the spot in a smaller than usual part.

In a more challenging role, Marion Cotillard doesn’t quite hit the emotional mark required but her subplot is cleverly woven into the film and also bears some striking similarities to a key part of Memento.

The realistic touches inside a surreal world of dreamscapes, lends a sheen of believability and although the plot is an intricate hall of mirrors, there is enough exposition baked into the narrative to keep discerning audiences focused.

One could characterise Nolan’s Hollywood films so far as alternating between personal projects (Memento, The Prestige) and more commercial fare (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight), but Inception is an intriguing hybrid.

The dreamscapes and narrative open up at times like Russian dolls on acid, so it has a challenging art-house vibe, but it is also one of his most commercial to date in terms of scale and look.

There are many stylistic nods to action films of the 1960s: a team of experts assembled for a job; glamorous locations; vivid production design and costumes; a sense of mystery and wonder.

The Bond films of that decade seem a particular touchstone – one sequence plays like a homage to On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969) – and there are echoes of TV series from that era, such as Mission: Impossible and The Prisoner.

The huge success of The Dark Knight has allowed Nolan a particularly large canvas on which to paint and he has filled it with gleeful abandon, mixing the traditions of the spy thriller and heist movie inside a surreal, shifting dreamscape.

The cutting between the real and subconscious worlds bears many similarities to The Matrix (minus the bleak, sci-fi dystopia) and if it does hit home with audiences, then I’m sure this will be obvious reference point for many viewers.

As is now customary for a Nolan production, the technical aspects of the film are especially outstanding.

The production design by Guy Hendrix Dyas is stunning, using real world locations to marvellous effect; Wally Pfister’s cinematography (utilising several formats including 35mm, 65mm and Vista Vision) captures intense emotions and epic action beautifully.

The visual effects (by Double Negative and Plowman Craven) are stunning and blended in so well that they never feel like conventional CGI.

In addition, there are some highly imaginative sets overseen by special effects supervisor Chris Corbould, especially one amazing sequence involving a hotel, which bears comparison to those in Stanley Kubrick’s 2001.

A special mention must also go to editor Lee Smith, as the third act involves some inventive warping of time and space, which must have proved a particular challenge in the edit suite.

Warner Bros may be concerned that mainstream audiences will be confused by the puzzle Nolan lays out. It should play well to most critics and discerning audiences eager for intelligent summer entertainment.

The litmus test for many will be the extended opening sequence. Go with it and you should not have a problem with the cinematic maze Nolan has built.

A lot of Nolan’s previous work rewards repeated viewing, revealing a meticulous attention to detail and subtleties not always apparent first time around.

Inception is no different and I look forward to seeing it again with a better understanding of how the narrative will map out. It works on first viewing but there are times when the ride is intense and you have to hold on to keep your bearings.

For Warner Bros, this must have proved something of a nightmare to market but the trailers and TV spots so far have actually done a good job in selling the central concept of the film.

As far as the studio was concerned I imagine the risks of this production were offset by Nolan’s track record with the Batman films and DiCaprio’s A-list star power.

A sense of mystery has helped make a TV series like Lost such a success, so an optimist might predict that Inception could tap into a similar audience hungry for intrigue and it may even be one they return to in significant numbers.

The quality and surprising nature of this summer blockbuster has led to some effusive early praise, some of it a little over-the-top, but perhaps understandable given the current standard of studio films.

No doubt this will lead to a backlash of sorts (perhaps geeks wanting to stand out as refuseniks on Rotten Tomatoes?) but there is no denying the technical brilliance on display here in service of an audacious story.

Not all of the balls juggled stay in the air – and further scrutiny may uncover inconsistencies in the densely woven script – but, like a dream, you accept the thrilling reality of this film whilst you experience it.

Inception is a rare thing: a summer blockbuster filled with intelligence and craft, which in the current reality of remakes and sequels, feels like a dream itself.

> Official site
> Inception at the IMDb
> Reviews of Inception at Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes
> Various Inception links at MUBI
> Find out more about Christopher Nolan at Wikipedia

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Cinema Interviews Podcast

Interview: Pierre Rissient on Breathless

Breathless (A Bout De Souffle) is being re-released in UK cinemas to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its original release.

One of the key films of the French New Wave, it is the story of Michel Poiccard (Jean-Paul Belmondo), a small-time criminal on the run, and Patricia Franchini (Jean Seberg), an American who sells the International Herald Tribune along the boulevards of Paris.

With its loose narrative, location shooting, improvised dialogue, jump cuts, deliberately mismatched shots and literary references, it remains a landmark film.

It gave French and European cinema a much needed shot of inspiration when it first came out in 1960, with audiences and critics responding to its energy and artistic verve.

Pierre Rissient was the assistant director on Breathless and for the past fifty years has been a key figure in the film world: a critic, publicist and consultant to film festivals, he has helped champion directors as diverse as Joseph Losey, Jules Dassin, Anthony Mann, Hou Hsiao Hsien, Zhang Yimou, Clint Eastwood, Quentin Tarantino, Werner Herzog, Jane Campion and Abbas Kiarostami.

I recently spoke to Pierre about the re-release of Breathless and you can listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Pierre_Rissient_on_Breathless.mp3]

You can also download this interview as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here

Breathless is currently showing at selected UK cinemas and will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on September 13th

> Breathless at the IMDb
> NY Sun profile of Pierre Rissient from 2008
> Learn more about the French New Wave at Wikipedia
> Find out if a cinema near you is showing Breathless via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

The Killer Inside Me

The Killer Inside Me is an interesting adaptation of Jim Thompson‘s dark 1952 novel, although like a lot of films tagged as ‘controversial’ is neither as accomplished or shocking as its reputation might suggest.

Set in a small Texas town, it is the story of a deputy sheriff (Casey Affleck) who is a closet sociopath, covering up his corrupt ways with increasingly cunning and desperate actions.

Among the people who cross his path are a local prostitute (Jessica Alba), his schoolteacher girlfriend (Kate Hudson), the Sheriff (Tom Bower), a local businessman (Ned Beatty), a local union leader (Elias Koteas), the suspicious county attorney (Simon Baker) and a grizzled lawyer (Bill Pullman).

For director Michael Winterbottom, it represents another change of direction in a genre-hopping career which has seen him tackle the novels of Thomas Hardy and Laurence Sterne, the siege of Sarajevo, the Manchester 80s music scene, Afghan refugees, the Tipton Three, the death of Daniel Pearl and a family drama set in Genoa.

Only the second film he’s made set in America, it is a reasonably compelling portrait of Thompson’s literary vision.

John Curran‘s script captures the action and tone of the novel in an efficient manner, using for voiceover to clever effect by drawing us closer to the central character.

The production design and period detail paint a convincingly grimy portrait of small town 50s America, where corruption and dark deeds simmer beneath the surface of a society about to undergo major convulsions.

Unusually for this material, Winterbottom and regular cinematographer Marcel Zyskind have opted for a fairly bright visual palatte, which gives the action a strange and arresting quality in contrast with the shadows and dutch angles reminiscent of classic film noir.

Given that his character dominates the film, much hinges on the performance of Affleck in the lead role, and he is memorably creepy, managing to convey the pathological thinking and sinister charm of someone in a dangerous position of authority.

There are eerie similarities with his role in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (both characters even share the name Ford) and he is fast becoming one of the most interesting actors currently working in Hollywood.

The other performances aren’t quite on the same level, although Beatty and Pullman fit their roles very nicely, and it is a shame that Alba and Hudson feel miscast in their roles, despite containing some of their best work in quite some time.

Overall, it is an impressive adaptation with some fine acting but there is something missing in how the film moves along. At times the languid pacing and mumbling dialogue become distracting, especially when a lot of narrative threads are being weaved and eventually tied up.

This is apparent in the disappointing climax, which not only stretches credibility but is also a little overcooked in terms of the visuals and action.

Given the controversy surrounding this film at Sundance and on its recent UK release, you might be forgiven for thinking that this is one of the most violent films in recent memory.

There are two disturbing sequences (one of which is particularly brutal), but by modern standards of they don’t really compare with the violence in films like Irreversible (2002), Switchblade Romance (2003), Hostel (2006), or the Saw sequels.

I can only assume that some of the more ludicrous attacks are by journalists unaware of how violent some modern films have become and were further stoked by the fact that violence was meted out on female characters.

But is the shocking nature of the acts on screen dictated solely by gender? Is violence somehow less shocking if done to a man? A child? An animal?

In the context of the film, surely the sequence raising most hackles is there to accurately depict the emotional and physical destruction wrought by violence? It is hard to watch, but then it is meant to be.

Some critics have labelled Winterbottom and the film as ‘misogynist‘ because the male characters don’t suffer as much as the females. This is perverse logic. Do we need quotas on how many male and female characters suffer on screen?

When it comes to the climactic scene, another sequence that has caused anger, a certain character’s actions are sadly plausible and, in any case, surely the aim of these scenes was to render Thompson’s material faithfully?

Cinema is a medium with a unique directness and throughout its history many films have pushed the social boundaries with The Wild Bunch (1969), Straw Dogs (1971), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Reservoir Dogs (1992) all attracting controversy for the way in which they depicted violence.

But I doubt if The Killer Inside Me will actually be remembered alongside these landmark controversies.

It is an accomplished adaptation, not without its flaws, and when future audiences stop to consider the film, they will have the benefit of doing so without the reductive shrieking from the media sidelines.

> Official site
> The Killer Inside Me at the IMDb
> Find out more about Jim Thompson at Wikipedia

Categories
Cinema Interviews Podcast

Interview: Craig McCall on Cameraman – The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff is a new documentary from director Craig McCall that explores the career of one of Britain’s most famous cinematographers.

With a career that spanned the development of cinema, taking in silent film and the advent of Technicolor he worked with luminaries such as Michael Powell, John Huston, Alfred Hitchcock, Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne, Humphrey Bogart and Audrey Hepburn.

On films such as A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus (1947), The Red Shoes (1948) and The African Queen (1951) he established himself as a world class talent and in 2001 he became the first cinematographer to receive an honorary, Lifetime Achievement OscarŸ for:

“Exceptional contributions to the state of motion picture arts and sciences; and for outstanding services to the Academy.”

Director Craig McCall has been working on this documentary for several years, interviewing Jack himself (who passed away last year) and various admirers including Martin Scorsese, Thelma Schoonmaker, Kathleen Byron, Kim Hunter, Moira Shearer, John Mills, Lauren Bacall, Charlton Heston and Kirk Douglas.

I spoke with Craig recently about the film and you can listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Craig_McCall_on_Cameraman_The_Life_and_Work_of_Jack_Cardiff.mp3]

You can also download this interview as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here

Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff is out now in the UK and will be screening at the following cinemas:

  • Aldeburgh | Aldeburgh Cinema: Wednesday, 16 & Thursday, 17 June 2010
  • Bath | Little Theatre: Monday, 13 & Tuesday, 14 September 2010
  • Belfast | Queen’s Film Theatre: Tuesday, 8 June 2010
  • Cardiff | Chapter: Monday, 14 June & Thursday, 17 June 2010
  • Dartington | Barn: Tuesday, 13 July 2010
  • Derby | QUAD: Sunday, 27 June & Thursday, 1 July 2010
  • Dundee | DCA: Sunday, 4 & Monday, 5 July 2010
  • Glasgow | Film Theatre: Sunday, 6 & Monday, 7 June 2010
  • London | Riverside Studios: Sunday, 25 July 2010
  • Sheffield | Showroom: Tuesday, 29 June – Thursday, 1 July 2010

The film will be released on DVD on July 19th from Optimum and you can pre-order it from Amazon here.

You can also subscribe to our interview podcast via iTunes or RSS feed and if you have any questions just email me at [email protected]

> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> Official site
> Buy Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff on DVD from Amazon UK
> Search local cinema listings at Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 4th June 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

She’s Out Of My League (Paramount): A romantic comedy about a dweeby airport worker (Jay Baruchel) who forms an unlikely relationship with a glamourous event organiser (Alice Eve).

Mixed reviews and box office in the US might mean limited box office prospects for this comedy, which is being released in a period where the big studios are doing their best to avoid the World Cup. [Vue West End, Nationwide / 15]

4.3.2.1 (The Works): Writer, director and actor Noel Clarke tries to broaden his appeal from the Kidulthood films with this heist tale set in the US and UK.

Starring Clarke, Emma Roberts, Tamsin Egerton, Mandy Patinkin and Kevin Smith (as himself), it could tap into the audiences that made Kidulthood and Adulthood successes here in the UK. [Odeon West End & Nationwide / 15]

Death At A Funeral (Sony Pictures): The US remake of the 2007 British comedy about a day in the life of an American family as they gather for a funeral.

Directed by Neil LaBute and featuring an ensemble cast including Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Zoe Saldana, James Marsden, Danny Glover and Luke Wilson. The mixed reviews and the fact that this is being release in the pre-World Cup dead zone suggests that problems may be afoot. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

The Killer Inside Me (Icon): Adapated from Jim Thompson’s 1952 novel about a deputy sheriff (Casey Affleck) in Texas, who is secretly a depraved sociopath, which has severe consequences for the people in his private life.

Directed by Michael Winterbottom and co-starring Jessica Alba and Kate Hudson, the film arrives on a wave of controversy due to the graphic violence towards women that has upset audiences at Sundance, Berlin and various critics. Icon will be glad it has got so much publicity here in the UK, although the tough material may put off art-house audiences. [Cineworld Haymarket, Curzon Soho, Odeon Covent Gdn. & Nationwide / 18]

The Brothers Bloom (Optimum Releasing): Despite screening at festivals in 2008, this quirky comedy caper is about two con-artist brothers (Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody) who try to rob a rich heiress (Rachel Weisz). Directed by Rian Johnson (who made Brich in 2005), it is a disappointing film given the talent involved and its box office prospects seem reduced from the poor buzz and reviews. [Curzon Soho & Nationwide / 12A]

Bear (Metrodome Distribution): A thriller about a grizzly bear spoiling a holiday trip into the woods. Directed by John Rebel, it stars Katie Lowes and Patrick Scott Lewis.

Girl On The Train (Soda Pictures): A French drama about a young woman who claims she was the target of an anti-Semetic attack, causing a media sensation. Directed by Andre Techine, it stars Emilie Dequenne. [Key Cities]

Kicks (New Wave Films): A British film about an introverted Liverpudlian teenager (Kerrie Hayes) and an aspirant WAG (Nichola Burley) who bond over a footballer they love. [Odeon Covent Garden & Key Cities / 15]

Shrink (Lionsgate UK): A US indie drama about a shrink (Kevin Spacey) who treats members of the entertainment industry in Hollywood. Directed by Jonas Pate, from a script by Thomas Moffett. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus / 15]

Videocracy (Dogwoof): Documentary about the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his effect on his country’s media and democracy. [Odeon Panton Street & Key Cities]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 31st May including The Book of Eli and The Damned United
> UK cinema releases for June 2010
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: June 2010

WEDNESDAY 2nd JUNE 2010

  • 4.3.2.1 (15) The Works / Odeon West End & Nationwide
  • Death At A Funeral (15) / Sony Pictures / Nationwide

FRIDAY 4th JUNE 2010

  • Bear (15) / Metrodome Distribution
  • The Brothers Bloom (12A) / Optimum Releasing / Curzon Soho & Nationwide
  • Girl On The Train (TBC) / Soda Pictures / Key Cities
  • Kicks (15) / New Wave Films / Odeon Covent Garden & Key Cities
  • The Killer Inside Me (18) / Icon / Cineworld Haymarket, Curzon Soho, Odeon Covent Gdn. & Nationwide
  • She’s Out Of My League (15) / Paramount / Vue West End, Nationwide
  • Shrink (15) / Lionsgate UK / Apollo Piccadilly Circus
  • Videocracy / Dogwoof / Odeon Panton Street & Key Cities

MONDAY 7th JUNE 2010

  • Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage (Arts Alliance) / Nationwide (One Night Only)

WEDNESDAY 9th JUNE 2010

  • Brooklyn’s Finest (18) / Momentum Pictures / Nationwide
  • Letters To Juliet (PG) / E1 Entertainment / Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave., Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide

FRIDAY 11th JUNE 2010

  • Black Death (15) / Revolver Entertainment / Key Cities
  • Bronco Bullfrog (15) (R/I) / bfi Distribution / BFI Southbank & Key Cities
  • Greenberg (15) / Universal / Curzon Soho & Nationwide
  • H2Oil / Dogwoof / Vues Finchley Rd, Fulham, Islington, Westfield & Key Cities
  • Shed Your Tears And Walk Away (ICO/Bungalow Town) / ICA Cinema / Selected Key Cities
  • Women Without Men (15) / Artificial Eye / Curzon Renoir

FRIDAY 18th JUNE 2010

  • Ajami (Vertigo Films) / Odeon Covent Garden & Key Cities
  • Hierro (12A) / Optimum Releasing / Curzon Soho & Key Cities
  • Journey To Mecca (PG) / SK Films / BFI Imax Waterloo
  • Killers (12A) / Lionsgate UK / Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave., Vue West End & N’wide
  • MacGruber (15) / Universal / Vue West End & Nationwide
  • Our Family Wedding (12A) / 20th Century Fox / Vue West End & Nationwide
  • Please Give (15) / Sony Pictures / Nationwide
  • Raavan / Reliance Big Entertainment / C’Worlds Feltham, Ilford, Wandsworth, Wood Green & Nationwide
  • Rashomon (12A) (R/I) / bfi Distribution / BFI Southbank & Key Cities
  • Trash Humpers / Warp Films/Alcove Entertainment ICA Cinema
  • Wild Grass / New Wave Films / Curzon Renoir & Key Cities
  • Wild Target / Entertainment / Nationwide

FRIDAY 25th JUNE 2010

  • Breathless: 50th Anniversary (R/I) / Optimum Releasing / Curzon Soho & Key Cities
  • The Collector (18) / Icon
  • Get Him To The Greek (15) / Universal / Nationwide
  • Good Hair (12A) / Icon / The Ritzy
  • Tetro (15) / Soda Pictures
  • Villa Amalia / Peccadillo Pictures / Cine Lumiere, Shortwave Cinema & Nationwide
  • Whatever Works (12A) / Warner Bros.
  • When In Rome (PG) / Walt Disney / Vue West End & Nationwide

Keep a look out every Friday for a breakdown of the weekly releases with more detail on each film.

If you have any questions about this month’s cinema releases or any upcoming titles then just email me or leave a comment below.

> Get local showtimes via Google Movies (just enter your local postcode)
> Find out about films showing near you via Find Any Film

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 28th May 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Sex and the City 2 (Warner Bros.): The sequel to the 2008 film, which was based on the HBO series of the same name, sees Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Samantha (Kim Cattrall), Charlotte (Kristin Davis) and Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) cope with more relationship problems and jet off to Abu Dhabi.

Directed by Michael Patrick King, the early reviews on this have been brutal, although that probably won’t stop female audiences flocking to see this. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]

The Losers (Optimum Releasing): The first of the guys-on-a-mission movies to be released this summer (the others being The A-Team and The Expendables) is an adaptation of the Vertigo comic book series about members of US Special Forces team (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans and Idris Elba) who are double crossed on a mission in Bolivia and seek vengeance with the help of a mysterious woman (Zoe Saldana).

Directed Sylvain White, it got mixed reviews and luke-warm box office when it opened in the US last month although over here it might attract male audiences who don’t want to be dragged along to see Sex and the City 2. [Cineworld Wandsworth, Clapham Picturehouse & Nationwide / 12A]

[Rec] 2 (E1 Entertainment): The sequel to the 2007 Spanish horror film takes place immediately after the events of the first film, with producing company Filmax International describing it as having “the same claustrophobic concept” as REC but with “new means of transferring fear from the screen to the spectator through the recording lens. So in other words it is the Blair Witch in Barcelona all over again, with some ridiculous typography going on in the title.

Written and directed by Jaume BalaguerĂł and Paco Plaza, it stars Jonathan Mellor and Manuela Velasco. Discerning horror fans might turn up for this one, given that the original directors are back, but the endless torrent of horror remakes and sequels over the last few years could prove a turn off. [Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave., Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 18]

Space Chimps 2 (3D) (Entertainment): The sequel to the 2008 animated film about chimps in space (the title is pretty self-explanatory) follows Comet, the chimp form the first film, who travels to Planet Malgor and also has to deal with the feared alien ruler Zartog who takes over Mission Control.

Animated by Vanguard Animation, who were behind films such as Valiant (2005) and Happily N’Ever After (2007), the first film did decent box office and the fact that this is in 3D may boost its box office here. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide]

Tooth Fairy (20th Century Fox): A comedy about a cocky minor league hockey player nicknamed “The Tooth Fairy” (Dwayne Johnson) who is turned into a real one and is ordered to see the head fairy (Julie Andrews) and do good deeds.

Directed by Michael Lembeck, it co-stars Ashley Judd and Stephen Merchant. Judging from the US reviews, it is unlikely to be deemed a modern classic. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 12A]

ALSO OUT

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The Time That Remains (New Wave Films): A semi-biographical black comedy written, directed and starring Elia Suleiman, this explores the creation of the Israeli state from 1948 to the present. Co-starring Saleh Bakri, Leila Mouammar, and Bilal Zidani it was at Cannes last year and is the third film – after Chronicle of a Disappearance and Divine Intervention – in a trilogy charting the story of Palestinian dispossession and displacement over the past 60 years. [Selected Cinemas / 15]

The Happiest Girl In The World (Soda Pictures): A drama about a young Romanian girl who wins a car in a competition and goes with her parents to collect it in Bucharest. Directed by Radu Jude, it stars Andreea Bosneag and Doru Catanesou. [BFI Southbank & selected Key Cities / 15]

Kites: The Remix (Reliance Big Entertainment): An English language ‘remix’ of a Bollywood film, produced and edited by director Brett Ratner. Shorter than the Hindi version by about 40 minutes this one is hoping to be a crossover hit with English language audiences. [Nationwide / 12A]

Fish Story (Third Window): A Japanese anime/action/horror/comedy/drama hybrid about a mysterious punk song performed in the 1970s which has a ‘profound effect on the future’. Directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura, it stars Vincent Giry, Gaku Hamada. [ICA Cinema]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 24th May including Up in the Air, Road to Perdition and Capitalism: A Love Story
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 21st May 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Prince Of Persia (Walt Disney): The latest big budget extravaganza from Jerry Bruckheimer is an adaptation of the 2003 computer game and the story follows an urchin (Jake Gyllenhaal) in the 6th century Persian Empire who is adopted by the king as his heir. He then teams up with a Princess (Gemma Arterton) to stop a villainous nobleman (Ben Kingsley) from stealing a dagger which allows the user to alter time.

Disney don’t actually make that many live action films anymore but Jerry Bruckheimer made billions for the studio with the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise so they have entrusted him and director Mike Newell to bring this action-adventure to the screen. Like a lot of big summer films it has opened in Europe early to avoid the World Cup and despite poor reviews will hope to appeal to less-than-discerning family audiences. [Odeon Leicester Square & Nationwide 12A]

Streetdance (Vertigo Films): A British film hoping to cash in on the trend for 3D films is about street dancers and ballet dance students who are forced to perform together in preparation of a street dance championship.

Shot in 3D, the cast includes the dance acts Diversity and Flawless (who came to fame on the TV show Britain’s Got Talent) and the soundtrack features N-Dubz, Tinie Tempah, Lightbulb Thieves, Chipmunk, and Cheryl Cole. A co-production by Vertigo Films, BBC Films and the UK Film Council, it is getting an unusually wide release for a British film and the backers will hope the 3D factor will boost audiences and profits. British film companies will no doubt be keeping an eye on this as a test of how live action 3D films can fare at UK cinemas. [C’World Shaftesbury Ave., Odeon Tottenham Ct. Rd., Vue West End & N’wide / PG]

Cop Out (Warner Bros.): Kevin Smith’s latest comedy is about two mismatched New York cops (Bruce Willis and Tracy Morgan) on the trail of a stolen baseball card, who find themselves up against a merciless, memorabilia-obsessed gangster.

A critical and commercial disappointment in the US, this was not a film that Smith wrote and working at a major studio seemed like an uncomfortable experience. The ongoing grumbles on Twitter about the critical reaction was perhaps a sign that this film would not rank among his best. [Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (Lionsgate UK): When the remake of Abel Ferrara’s gritty 1994 cop drama was announced with Werner Herzog directing Nicolas Cage in the title role, it sounded like madness. Reset to New Orleans, it is indeed a mad concoction, but also an inspired black comedy with a memorable performance from Cage.

Set in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, it follows the increasingly bizarre life of a corrupt, drug addled cop who steals from clubbers, cuts deals with gangsters and has visions of iguanas. Herzog throws in a lot of his usual obsessions (especially animals) and sails very close to utter nonsense, but this is actually surreal, inspired lunacy that will become a late night cult favourite for years to come. [Curzon Soho, Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 18]

Heartless (Lionsgate UK): A drama about a young man (Jim Sturgess) born with a large heart-shaped birthmark on his face, who discovers that there are demons on the streets of East London. Directed by Philip Ridley, it co-stars Timothy Spall and Noel Clarke [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Genesis & Key Cities / 18]

Paradise (ICA Cinema): Director Michael Almereyda makes a ‘home movie’ that he describes as “a description of the world we inherit, fumble around in, and grow into.” [ICA Cinema]

Kites (Reliance Big Entertainment): A Bollywood film directed by Anurag Basu starring Hrithik Roshan and Barbara Mori. [C’Worlds Feltham, Haymarket, Shaftesbury Ave., Ilford, Wandsworth, Wood Green & N’wide]

Pimp (Revolver): A british film starring Danny Dyer. Haven’t we had enough of these? [Key Cities / 18]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 17th May including Minority Report and The Road
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

The World Cup Effect

Every four years Hollywood studios and European film distributors have to deal with the world’s largest sporting event, the FIFA World Cup, which traditionally keeps potential cinema goers at home in front of the TV.

Added to this, the major studios are frustrated that their expensive blockbusters aimed at young males take a hit from a sporting event which keeps this very demographic glued to televisions for a whole month.

You may have noticed that Iron Man 2 opened in the UK before the US and part of the reason was because Marvel and Paramount wanted to maximise the grosses in territories before the football begins on June 11th.

The Film Distributors’ Association – the umbrella group that represents the companies releasing films at UK cinemas – recently released a trailer that showcased a lot of the films that will be screening this summer and their chief executive Mark Batey said:

“A lot more people love the movies than love football”

Clearly he was trying to be bullish about films at the cinema as an alternative to football on the TV.

But how much of an effect has the World Cup had in previous years?

According to data from the UK Film Council, 2002 was a bumper year for cinema admissions – the biggest of the decade in fact – but the very early kick off times (often at breakfast and lunchtime) in the 2002 tournament meant that box office wasn’t affected as much.

But in 2006 when the tournament was hosted in Germany, kick off times in the afternoon and evening meant that UK box office admissions dipped 5% during the tournament.

This summer the tournament is in South Africa and a similar time zone to Europe, which means that it is highly likely that releases during the festival of football will be affected.

So far Iron Man 2 and Robin Hood are the major studio releases to open early and get a good few weeks box office around the globe before the tournament begins.

But what of the period just before and during the World Cup?

Traditionally, distributors try to counter the males staying in to watch the football by releasing films that skew towards the female audience who want to avoid it.

In this respect Sex and the City 2 (May 28th) is hoping to cash in on this audience, although they are hoping to make their real cash before the tournament starts on June 11th.

The international poster explicitly makes light of the fact that there are ‘other ways to score’.

Letters to Juliet (June 9th) is another film targeting the female audience and there will be hopes that another film involving Amanda Seyfreid and letters (Dear John only came out last month) will be a hit.

The counter-programming also works for quirkier films not expected to be smash hits like Greenberg (June 11th), MacGruber (June 18th) and Get Him To The Greek (June 25th).

As July begins and the games are less frequent, the bigger films start to emerge again with Shrek Forever After (July 2nd) and Twilight Saga: Eclipse (July 9th).

Twilight and Shrek fans will no doubt assure these films a big opening but if England do get to the final – a big if, admittedly – the studios can expect the media coverage and opening grosses to be affected by football fever.

After the tournament ends on July 11th, it is noticeable that the big films return with a vengeance: Inception (July 16th), Toy Story 3 (July 21st), The A-Team (July 28th), Knight & Day (August 6th) and Salt (August 20th).

It is also noticeable that two releases which would could conceivably be released in the summer have been shifted to September, with Jonah Hex (September 24th) and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (September 24th).

The Wall Street sequel was actually scheduled for an April release but perhaps Fox felt that it had a better shot at earning more money outside the spring/summer season.

Plus, financial crashes often occur in the Autumn so maybe they are also hoping for some free publicity.

But we will have to wait to see if football will cause the UK box office to have its own mini-depression this summer.

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Cinema Interviews Podcast

Interview: Riz Ahmed and Nigel Lindsay on Four Lions

Four Lions marks the feature film debut of Chris Morris as a director and it is the story of four suicide bombers in a Northern town struggling to plan an attack on the London marathon.

Omar (Riz Ahmed) is disillusioned with how Muslims are treated around the world and determined to lead some kind of attack on the West. His protege is Waj (Kayvan Novak) who is enthralled by the thought of doing something exciting. Meanwhile Barry (Nigel Lindsay) is a white Islamic convert who has issues with Omar, whilst Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) tries to experiment by strapping bombs to crows.

After pioneering work in radio (On the Hour, Blue Jam) and TV (The Day Today, Brass Eye) Morris has always had a sharp, satirical eye for how controversial subjects have been presented to the wider public.

With this film he tackles the issue of contemporary religious extremism by focusing on the naive ineptitude he encountered through his research in to the subject.

It might seem counter-intuitive to make light of a subject which continues to have such serious consequences, but as recent events in New York have proved, comic ineptitude can often be a feature of the attacks that don’t work.

In some ways this is a sister film to Armando Ianucci’s In the Loop – whereas that focused on the dark political comedy that lay behind the war on terror, this explores the farcical nature of terrorism on the front line.

I recently spoke with Riz Ahmed and Nigel Lindsay about the film, what it was like working with Morris and why it seems to have touched a nerve at the UK box office.

Listen to the interview by clicking here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Riz_Ahmed_and_Nigel_Lindsay_on_Four_Lions.mp3]

You can download this interview as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here

Four Lions is out now at UK cinemas

> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> Riz Ahmed and Nigel Lindsay at the IMDb
> Official site
> Find out if Four Lions is playing at a cinema near you via Find Any Film
> Search local cinema listings at Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 14th May 2010

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Robin Hood (Universal): The second big release of the summer season sees Ridley Scott reunite with Russell Crowe for a revised take on the Robin Hood story. Set in the 12th century, Robin Hood sees an archer named Robin Longstride (Crowe) returning to England from the Crusades with a small band of followers, after King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) has been killed in battle. After a chance encounter with a fallen knight named Sir Robin Locksley, Robin returns to Nottingham and discovers the oppression of the villagers by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen) and the danger posed to the newly crowned King John (Oscar Isaac) from a suspiciously bi-lingual nobleman (Mark Strong).

Different from previous feature films about Robin Hood (The Adventures of Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves) this version has a wider historical scope that is more embedded in the intrigue of the time and has a lavish attention to period detail, even if historians will have a field day picking out inconsistencies and inaccuracies. As you might expect from a Scott production, the technical contributions are generally excellent: but there isn’t much redistribution of wealth going on here as the film is basically an extended origin story. Universal have spent a lot of money making this film and despite a big launch at Cannes this week, the mixed reviews and old fashioned feel of the film may result in relatively disappointing box office. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide/ 12A]

* Read my full thoughts on Robin Hood here *

ALSO OUT

American: The Bill Hicks Story (Verve Pictures): A documentary about the US comedian Bill Hicks, who broke through in the early 1990s before dying at the age of 32 in 1994. A brilliantly perceptive and angry voice against the darker side of American culture, he went on to achieve an enduring posthumous status. Directors Matt Harlock and Paul Thomas using a lot of unseen footage of Hicks in performance and an innovative animated approach that weaves in audio and filmed interviews with his family, friends and colleagues. [Curzon Soho, Greenwich P’House, Odeon Covent Gdn., Ritzy & Key Cities / 15]

Lebanon (Metrodome Distribution): Another Israeli film to deal with the haunting legacy of the first Lebanon War is this claustrophobic drama set inside a tank. Directed by Samuel Maoz, it achieved acclaim on the festival circuit last year, winning the Golden Lion at Venice, and is effective at depicting the tension and paranoia of warfare. That said, the central concept wears off around the hour mark and it lacks the power and style of others films to deal with this material such as Beaufort and Waltz with Bashir. [Coronet, Curzon Soho, Everyman, Ritzy & Key Cities / 15]

Vincere (Artificial Eye): An Italian drama based on the life of Ida Delser, the one time mistress of Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. [Chelsea Cinema, Curzons Mayfair, Wimbledon, Renoir & Key Cities / 15]

Eyes Wide Open (Peccadillo Pictures): An Israeli drama about a married, Orthodox Jewish father of four (Zohar Strauss) who falls in love with a twenty two year old male student (Ran Danker). Directed by Haim Tabakman. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Odeon Panton Street & Key Cities]

Pandora And The Flying Dutchman (Park Circus): A reissue for this 1951 British film starring Ava Gardner and James Mason as an unlikely couple who come together in unusual circumstances. [BFI Southbank & Key Cities / PG]

Petropolis (Dogwoof): A timely release for this short (43 minutes) documentary about the oil business, directed by Peter Mettler. [ICA Cinema]

Triomf (Contemporary Films): A drama about a dysfunctional family in South Africa set on the eve of the historic 1994 elections. Directed by Michael Raeburn and starring Pam Andrews, Obed Baloi and Vanessa Cooke. [Curzon Wimbledon & Ritzy Picturehouse]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 10th May including Doctor Zhivago, Where the Wild Things Are and A Scanner Darkly
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Robin Hood

One of England’s most famous folk heroes gets the big screen treatment with Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe reuniting for a grittier, historical take on the legend.

Set in the 12th century, Robin Hood sees an archer named Robin Longstride (Crowe) returning to England from the Crusades with a small band of followers, after King Richard the Lionheart (Danny Huston) has been killed in battle.

After a chance encounter with a fallen knight named Sir Robin Locksley, Robin returns to Nottingham and discovers the oppression of the villagers by the Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen) and the danger posed to the newly crowned King John (Oscar Isaac) from a suspiciously bi-lingual nobleman (Mark Strong).

When Robin assumes the identity of Locksley, he meets the knight’s father, Sir Walter (Max von Sydow) and his widow, Lady Marion (Cate Blanchett). Gradually he gets caught up in the intrigue of John’s court, the possibility of a French invasion and a society where the poor are taxed heavily to fund foreign wars.

Strikingly different from previous feature films about Robin Hood (The Adventures of Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves), this has a wider political scope, is more embedded in the historical intrigue of the time and has a lavish attention to period detail, even if historians will have a field day picking out inconsistencies and inaccuracies.

This an origin story whose antecedents are not previous versions of the myth, but rather Scott’s own historical epics: Gladiator (2000) and Kingdom of Heaven (2005).

The presence of Crowe as a solider who goes rogue has obvious echoes of his turn as Maximus Decimus Meridius, whilst the depiction of the Crusades and medieval warfare also touches upon an area Scott has visited before.

As you might expect from a Scott production, the technical contributions are generally excellent: the period detail includes some remarkable blending of English locations, built sets and CGI; whilst the editing (Pietro Scalia) and cinematography (John Mathieson) give a real kick to the set-piece sequences.

Crowe and Blanchett have undeniable screen charisma, even if their characters don’t really come alive as other Robin and Marians have done (notably Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn in Richard Lester’s 1976 film) and some of the villains are disappointingly one-dimensional, with Strong and Isaac given particularly wafer-thin roles.

Audiences might be surprised how little there is here of the familiar Robin Hood template involving a maverick folk hero robbing from the rich to give to the poor.

Given the current economic times, when a proposed new tax on banks is even named after him, this Robin Hood doesn’t really do that much wealth redistribution, which must rank as a missed cultural opportunity.

The screenplay by Brian Helgeland feels like a patchwork of ideas grafted together – it was reportedly rewritten from a project about a heroic Sheriff of Nottingham (!) – and although some of the ideas and avenues it explores are intriguing, there are too many characters left with too little to do. Robin’s gang of men, Van Sydow’s Sir Walter, William Hurt’s Earl of Pembroke (who looks strangely like Ridley Scott) and Mark Addy’s Friar Tuck are all given relatively short shrift.

It is also frustrating that after 139 minutes we end up where most Robin Hood films begin, making you wonder why they got sidetracked with all the historical sub-plots instead of getting directly to the meat of the legend.

That said, there are some unintentional cultural touchstones: the unifying of rival English factions to face a common enemy has echoes of the new UK coalition government, the plight of the poor mirrors recent Greek protests at austerity measures and – most timely of all – French audience members may be raising some eyebrows later tonight when the film opens the Cannes film festival.

Universal possibly see this as the beginning of a franchise, but in order for that to happen it will have to perform very strongly in a competitive climate at the global box office.

There is something pleasingly old fashioned about this version of Robin Hood compared to the superhero pyrotechnics Hollywood unleashes on the public every summer, but whether it can achieve the same level of critical and commercial success as Gladiator is doubtful.

> Official site
> Robin Hood at the IMDb
> Read more reviews at Metacritic

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 7th May 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

A Nightmare On Elm Street (Warner Bros.): A remake of Wes Craven‘s 1984 horror film which stars Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger and Rooney Mara as Nancy Holbrook, loosely based on the character Nancy Thompson. Set in the present day, it sees Freddy stalking the dreams of Nancy and her friends as they discover a dark secret from their past.

Directed by Samuel Bayer, it is yet another 1980s horror film rebooted by Michael Bay (with his producer’s hat on) which is going to get poor reviews but still make enough money to reboot the franchise. [Nationwide / 18]

Furry Vengeance (E1 Entertainment):  A real estate developer (Brendan Fraser) has to supervise a development in a forest and then has to contend with the animals who live there and start to make his life hell.

Directed by Roger Kumble, it was co-produced by Summit Entertainment and Participant Media it looks like an attempt to make a family friendly comedy with an environmental message. It was universally panned in the US and bombed at the box office, so looks unlikely to make waves here. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / PG]

Hot Tub Time Machine (20th Century Fox): The film with the most self-descriptive title since Snakes on a Plane sees four men (John Cusack, Clark Duke, Rob Corddry and Craig Robinson) travel back in time to 1986 via a hot tub, where they have to remember what they did in order to return to the future.

Directed by Steve Pink, it has its moments – although the best ones are actually in the trailer – but is surprisingly pedestrian for stretches, despite the potential of the concept. Think The Hangover meets Back to the Future, only not as funny or clever as those films. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]

The Back-Up Plan (Sony Pictures): A new romantic comedy about a woman (Jennifer Lopez), who decides to have her baby alone in a sperm clinic, before she starts to have second thoughts about a man (Alex O’Loughlin).

Poor reviews and relatively lacklustre US box office probably means that this is likely to appeal only to undiscerning female audiences. [Nationwide / 12A]

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ALSO OUT

Four Lions (Optimum Releasing): The feature film debut of Chris Morris as a director is the story of four suicide bombers in a Northern town struggling to plan an attack on the London marathon.

Based on detailed research into recent terrorist plots, there are some very funny and uncomfortable scenes, although it doesn’t have the polish and sustained brilliance of Morris’ best work on TV and radio. The expected controversy about the difficult subject matter has not really materialised and powered by warm reviews, this could do decent arthouse box office despite the limited presence in multiplexes. [Clapham Picturehouse, Curzon Soho, Odeon Covent Garden & Nationwide / 15]

Cameraman: The Life & Work Of Jack Cardiff (Optimum Releasing): A documentary about famed cinematographer Jack Cardiff, who shot several films including The Red Shoes, The African Queen and Rambo: First Blood Part II. [BFI Southbank & selected key cities]

Just For The Record (Metrodome Distribution): A British mockumentary about the making of  the worst film ever, which seems to be ironic judging by the trailer. Like a lot of recent low-rent British films it stars Danny Dyer, who has been in the headlines this week for all the wrong reasons. [Key Cities / 18]

One Night In Turin (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): A documentary about England’s adventures in the 1990 World Cup, directed by James Erskine from Pete Davies’ book All Played Out. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15]

Psych 9 (Galaxy): A serial killer tale set in an old psychiatric institution directed by Andrew Shortell and starring Sara Foster and Cary Elwes.

A Room And A Half (Yume Pictures): A semi-fictional account of Russian poet Josef Brodsky, who was forced into American exile in 1972. [Cine Lumiere, Curzon Mayfair, Everyman, Ritzy & Key Cities / 12A]

Sus (15) (Independent): Drama about the stop and search laws directed by Robert Heath and starring Clint Dyer, Ralph Brown and Rafe Spall [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Genesis Cinema & selected key cities]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 3rd May including The Railway Children and Me and Orson Welles
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Four Lions

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The feature directorial debut of Chris Morris depicts a group of bungling suicide bombers and alternates slapstick comedy with sombre satire.

When Four Lions was first announced, this promised to be another taboo-shattering project from one of the most brilliant satirists of his generation. After pioneering work in radio (On the Hour) and television (The Day Today, Brass Eye) which lampooned media and politics with diamond-sharp precision, it seemed like a bold and fascinating prospect.

Set in an unnamed northern town, it centres around four disenchanted young men: Omar (Riz Ahmed) is the unofficial leader and determined to become a martyr for oppressed Muslims around the world; Waj (Kayvan Novak) is an impressionable recruit who does what Omar says; Barry (Nigel Lindsay) is a white Islamic convert obsessed with operational detail; and Faisal (Adeel Akhtar) is struggling trying to train crows to fly bombs through windows.

Morris has said that he conducted an enormous amount of research into the subject of Islamic extremism in modern Britain and there are veiled references to the July 7th bombings, the failed attacks of 2007 and other stories of home grown terror since 9/11.

There are many sequences which depict the incompetence of young men trying to cause terror and frequently failing. But perhaps the most interesting thing is how Morris complements their comic idiocy with the shallow despair of front line jihadists trying to find meaning in murder.

The result is an interesting patchwork that falls somewhere between comedy and drama. In terms of Morris’ previous work, it is a long way from the slick ingenuity of The Day Today or Brass Eye and much closer to the creepy discomfort of Jam, the television version of his radio show Blue Jam.

But even these comparisons aren’t exact. If anything, this is a spiritual sibling of In the Loop, another film about the War on Terror, directed by Armando Iannucci who previously worked with Morris on The Day Today.

Although that film focused on the political hypocrisies behind the War on Terror, Four Lions depicts the moral absurdities of the War of Terror.

Where it really hits home is in the relentless focus  on the desperation of suicide bombers as they struggle with the moral and practical dimensions of killing themselves for an ideal.

Comedy often arrives in surprising bursts, often involving surreal touches like processed cheese, rap and a group sing-along to Toploader’s Dancing in the Moonlight.

This hilarity is tempered by more ambiguous scenes involving the strange motives of ‘family men’ who think that it is moral to kill innocent people or are just too confused to even tell the difference.

The acting is of a high standard, especially Riz Ahmed in the main role who gives his character a surprising emotional depth despite the buffonery going on in other sections of the film.

Like In the Loop, the script is undercut with a biting intelligence but is less successful than that film in giving a wider context to the motives of the main characters.

There are scenes in the final third that touch upon the security forces response to terrorism but – without giving too much away – they don’t quite paint the rounded picture Iannucci achieved with his film.

Overall this is ultimately a brave and commendable attempt by Morris to tackle a tricky subject. For the most part it works well, but the film where he unleashes his many talents to full effect probably lies somewhere in the future.

> Official site
> Four Lions at the IMDb
> Find out more about Chris Morris at Wikipedia

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 30th April 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Iron Man 2 (Paramount): The hotly anticipated sequel to the 2008 blockbuster is all set to rule the UK box office this weekend as it kicks off the summer season. Interestingly it opens here a week before the US, which suggests Paramount are keen to build buzz in international markets before it opens in the States. The story sees billionaire inventor Tony Stark aka Iron Man (Robert Downey Jnr) reaping the acclaim as an all-American hero who has “successfully privatised world peace” due to his fantastical suit. Problems begin when the US military and a rival defence contractor (Sam Rockwell) want access to his technology; a mysterious Russian inventor (Mickey Rourke) is hell bent on revenge; and Stark faces a major health from wearing the Iron Man suit.

The elements that made the first film such a success (Downey Jnr’s lead performance, the chemistry between characters) are stretched to unfortunate lengths as too many supporting characters from the wider Marvel universe are introduced (including Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L Jackson). It is still entertaining – and is a guaranteed hit – but Marvel and director Jon Favreau may regret the S.H.I.E.L.D plot elements in anticipation of the upcoming Avengers movie. [Odeon Leicester Square & Nationwide / 12A]

The Last Song (Walt Disney): A drama centered on a rebellious girl (Miley Cyrus) who is sent to a Southern beach town for the summer to stay with her father (Greg Kinnear), where they start to reconnect with one another through their mutual love of music.

Developed alongside the Nicholas Sparks novel by the same name, this looks like another attempt by Disney to make Miley Cyrus into a leading lady. The US reviews suggest this might be a trickier task than expected. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / PG]

Gentlemen Broncos (20th Century Fox): A comedy about an aspiring fantasy writer (Michael Angarano) who has an idea stolen by an acclaimed novelist (Jemaine Clement) is under pressure to come up with a hit book.

Directed by Jared Hess (who made the breakthrough indie hit Napoleon Dynamite) this is something of a curiosity. Its release was delayed and when it did open in the US a few months ago was utterly savaged by critics, which makes its commercial prospects here fairly limited. [Ritzy & selected Key Cities / 12A]

A Disappearance Of Alice Creed (CinemaNX Distribution): A low budget British film about the kidnapping of a young woman (Gemma Arterton) by two ex-convicts (Martin Compston and Eddie Marsan).

Written and directed by J Blakeson it was shot in the Isle of Man (a popular location for production because of its generous tax breaks) and it screened at the London Toronto Film Festivals last year. Given the better than average names for a film of this size and a decent marketing effort, this could attract a reasonable audience who don’t fancy seeing Iron Man 2. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]

ALSO OUT

Erasing David (Picturehouse Cinemas): A documentary from director David Bond that explores the amount of personal information being gathered by various organisations in modern society. [Gate Notting Hill, Picturehouse Stratford, Ritzy & Nationwide]

24 City (New Wave Films): A hybrid drama-documentary from director Jia Zhang-ke about the changes in modern Chinese society as it undergoes its current economic miracle. [ICA Cinema & Key Cities / U]

A Boy Called Dad (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): A British film directed by Brian Percival about an absent father (Ian Hart) who returns to his family just as his 14-year-old sone has himself become a father. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Vue Shepherds Bush & Key Cities / 15]

Cleo From 5 To 7 (bfi Distribution): A BFI reissue for AgnĂšs Varda’s 1961 film about a singer (Corinne Marchand) who befriends a young soldier (Antoine Bourseiller) about to ship out to Algeria. [BFI Southbank & Key Cities]

Housefull (Eros): A Bollywood film directed by Sajid Khan about ‘the world’s unluckiest man’ starring Akshay Kumar and Deepika Padukone [C’Worlds Ilford, Shaftesbury Ave., Odeon Greenwich, Vue Acton & N’wide]

The Milk Of Sorrow (Dogwoof): The winner of the Golden Bear in Berlin last year, deals the fears of abused women during Peru’s recent history. [Odeon Panton Street & selected Key Cities / 12A]

Revanche (Artificial Eye): An Austrian film about a man (Johannes Krisch) deadened by thoughts of revenge in the wake of a crime that was to grant him and his girlfriend a new life. Written and directed by Götz Spielmann. [Curzon Renoir & selected Key Cities / 15]

Valhalla Rising (Vertigo Films): Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, this historical drama is set in 1000 AD and follows a Norse warrior named One-Eye (Mads Mikkelsen) and a boy named Are as they travel with a band of Vikings in pursuit of a Crusade. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Ritzy & Key Cites / 15]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 26th April including Avatar and Mad Men Season 3
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Iron Man 2

The sequel to Iron Man is a sporadically entertaining follow up to the 2008 original but suffers by introducing a raft of new characters from the wider Marvel universe.

When the first film was about to be released, it was something of an unknown quantity: the Iron Man character was not as famous as Batman, Spider-Man or Superman; it was self-financed by Marvel; lead actor Robert Downey Jnr had been through some well documented troubles; and Jon Favreau was new to directing a tent-pole release like this.

Despite those question marks, it was a genuine mainstream success that proved a major hit at the global box office and was warmly received by the critics, to the point where this sequel is one of the most hotly anticipated blockbusters of the summer.

The basic story of this franchise concerns a billionaire inventor named Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jnr) who, after being captured by terrorists, invents a robotic suit that allows him to atone for his past as an arms dealer.

This one starts with him reaping the acclaim as an all-American hero who has “successfully privatised world peace”.

However, various problems emerge: the US military and a rival defence contractor (Sam Rockwell) want access to his technology; a mysterious Russian inventor (Mickey Rourke) is hell bent on revenge; and Stark faces a major health from wearing the Iron Man suit.

Like the first film, this has solid foundations: the lead characters are engaging and funny (especially Downey Jnr, who was perfectly cast in the lead role), the blend of banter and action is good and there are some terrific visual effects from ILM, especially the blending of the mechanical suit with the CGI one that flies around.

The problems emerge when characters from S.H.I.E.L.D. start to turn up, principally Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson).

If you stuck around until the end of the credits sequence for the first film, you would have seen a cameo from Nick Fury and later that summer in The Incredible Hulk (another Marvel character) Tony Stark his own post-credits cameo.

What does this all mean?

Well, Marvel are preparing for an Avengers film (and I’m not talking about the one with Sean Connery dressed as a teddy bear) which is reportedly going to combine various characters including Iron Man, Captain America and the S.H.I.E.L.D. gang.

But this to me hints at a wider malaise amongst Hollywood studios, who now pander too much to the geek community.

It is a trend that has gathered pace since the enormous success of the X-Men and Spider-Man films over the last decade.

With the rise of events like Comic-Con, it seems like studios have become addicted to chasing this market, to the point where there are detailed panels and press conferences about films months before they are actually released.

In the case of Iron Man 2, it seems like a lot of compelling elements have been drowned out by trying to cram in all of this other stuff designed to make comic book fans gasp ‘awesome!’ when they read about it on sites like Ain’t It Cool.

This extended fanboy hype and pre-judgement is already a major problem, but in the case of this film the more compelling elements, such as Stark’s relationship with his assistant Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and his conflict with the military, get crowded out by other stuff.

There was one stretch where Mickey Rourke’s character (who is pivotal) seems to be off screen for such a long time that when he returns, it seems like he’s been on holiday.

When the big climax arrives, it doesn’t have the necessary impact because so many threads have been weaved in order to get there.

This is a shame because much of what is in the film is pretty good: Downey Jnr still makes an arrogant billionaire genius to be likeable; Paltrow suits her role nicely; and in key supporting roles Rourke and Rockwell are good value.

Plus, some elements seem to have been literally cut out: one notable moment from the trailer is absent from the film, although why this is the case when it lasts about 20 seconds is hard to fathom.

For the next film, I hope that the film-makers strip away the S.H.I.E.L.D. elements and focus on the basic stuff that works.

It is worth remembering that there is value in not pandering to the masses. Did Orson Welles obsess over what audiences wanted when he made Citizen Kane? Did Francis Ford Coppola unveil work-in-progress footage to screaming geeks when he made The Godfather?

In the case of a huge franchise like Star Wars, it was depressing to note the drop in quality when George Lucas started pandering to what he though fans wanted in the prequels. Instead of Han Solo we got Jar-Jar Binks.

Henry Ford once said:

“If I’d asked my customers what they wanted, they’d have said a faster horse.”

In the case of blockbusters I’d humbly suggest studios and directors trust their own vision rather than trying to cram in elements that play well at comic book conventions.

This is still going to be a massive film at the box office but if it focused on its core elements, it could have been a better one.

> Official site
> Iron Man 2 at the IMDb
> Find out more about the character at Wikipedia

Categories
blu-ray Cinema DVD & Blu-ray

UK DVD & Blu-ray Releases: Monday 26th April 2010

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UK DVD & BLU-RAY PICKS

Mad Men Season 3 (Lionsgate): One of the best Blu-ray releases of the year also happens to be the third season of the best show currently on television. Depicting the professional and personal lives of those who work at fictional New York ad agency Sterling Cooper, this series is set during 1963 and explores tensions with the new British owners, the ongoing personal conflicts (and infidelities) in the office and the gradual changes in US society.

The first two seasons touched on events such as the 1960 US election and the death of Marilyn Monroe, but this series manages to gradually combine the serious social changes of the era with the complex emotional situations facing the characters, culminating in brilliantly orchestrated season climax. *Read our full review here* [Blu-ray / DVD]

Avatar (20th Century Fox Home Ent.): James Cameron’s futuristic sci-fi epic about a paraplegic marine (Sam Worthington) who ventures to another planet and becomes one of the alien natives through a host body (or ‘avatar’) was a box office phenomenon that surpassed expectations to become the highest grossing film of all time. After a 12 year absence from feature films Cameron utilised ground breaking visual effects to craft a tale that was a dazzling 3D experience at cinemas and one that resonated with cultures around the globe.

Although some of the dialogue didn’t match the eye-popping visuals, there was something pleasing about the way in which vast technological resources of the Hollywood machine were used to create a film with a simple anti-war, pro-environmental message. Because the Blu-ray release is so hotly anticipated, it is worth stating that there are no extras at all on this version. Cameron said he didn’t have the time to do them right and there will be a fuller package later this year with extended extras. Also, for this release Cameron has opted to use go for the 1.78:1 version (that was screened in IMAX cinemas) and not the 2.35:1 version that most people saw in 3D at the cinema. Despite that, the Blu-ray transfer is stunning and the visuals (including the live action sequences) are rendered with stunning detail and depth. [Blu-ray / DVD]

The Kreutzer Sonata (Axiom Films): Based on a story written by Leo Tolstoy in response to Beethoven’s eponymous composition, director Bernard Rose dissects a modern marriage between a wealthy philanthropist (Danny Huston) who becomes possessive of his pianist wife (Elisabeth Rohm). Following up his superb drama Ivansxtc, Rose continues his reworking of the great Russian novelist’s work, and this is the second part of a planned trilogy.

Danny Huston, who was outstanding in Ivansxtc, returns with another excellent performance, and the film is an interesting exploration of fairly juicy themes including love, sex and obsession. Whilst not quite as good as its predecessor, it represents another interesting chapter in Rose’s career outside the Hollywood mainstream. [DVD]

ALSO OUT

Prince Valiant (Eureka) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Saving Private Ryan (Paramount Home Entertainment) [Blu-ray]
Smokin’ Aces (Universal Pictures) [Blu-ray]
Sword of the Stranger (Beez Entertainment) [Blu-ray]
The Girlfriend Experience (Revolver Entertainment) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Mad Men: Seasons 1-3 (Lionsgate UK) [Blu-ray / DVD]
Carriers (Paramount Home Entertainment) [DVD]
Dillinger (Icon Home Entertainment) [DVD]

> The Best DVD and Blu-ray releases of 2009
> UK cinema releases for Friday 23rd April including Date Night and Centurion

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 23rd April 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Date Night (20th Century Fox): Mainstream comedy about a married couple (Steve Carell and Tina Fey) who attempt to spice up their relationship with an evening at a restaurant only to find themselves mistaken for someone else.

Mark Wahlberg and James Franco co-stars and it is directed by Shaun Levy who made Night at the Museum and Cheaper By the Dozen. Fox can expect decent business (the basic concept has an in built appeal to males and females) but the whole thing smells as a bit beneath the level Fey and Carell normally operate. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]

It’s A Wonderful Afterlife (Icon): A British comedy the centres on an Indian mother who takes her obsession with marriage into the world of serial murder.

Starring Sanjeev Bhaskar, Steve Morphew and Sally Hawkins, it was directed by Gurinder Chadha and Icon will be hoping to replicate the success of Bend It Like Beckham. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]

Centurion (Warner Bros/Pathe): A period action drama about the ill-fated Ninth Legion of Roman soldiers marching north to Scotland to wipe out the Picts and their leader.

Starring Dominic West, Michael Fassbender and Olga Kurylenko it is directed by Neil Marshall (Doomsday, The Descent) and might attract viewers looking for a cross between Gladiator and Dog Soldiers. [Nationwide / 15]

Extract (Paramount): A US comedy from director Mike Judge about the owner of an Extract plant (Jason Bateman) who tries to contend with myriad personal and professional problems, such as his potentially unfaithful wife (Kristen Wiig) and employees who want to take advantage of him.

Although this has been sitting on the shelf for a long time, it could find an appreciative cult audience like Judge’s last film Idiocracy. [Nationwide / 15]

Agora (Paramount): Historical drama about Hypatia (Rachel Weisz), a female philosopher in Roman Egypt, who falls in love with her slave (Max Minghella).

Directed by Alejandro AmenĂĄbar, it explores how the astronomer-philosopher came into conflict with the Christian leaders of Alexandria. Although it premiered at Cannes last year to decent reviews, the fact that it has taken so long to reach UK screens suggests decent box office could be limited. [Nationwide / 12A]

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ALSO OUT

Cherrybomb (Blue Dolphin): Drama starring Rupert Grint in which three teenagers go on a wild weekend of drink, drugs, shop-lifting and stealing cars. [Empire Leicester Square & Key Cities / 15]

The Calling (Guerilla Films): British drama set in a convent starring Brenda Blethyn, Rita Tushingham, Susannah York, and Amanda Donohoe. [Gate Notting Hill, Picturehouse Greenwich & Key Cities / 12A]

Dance With Me (Orev): British drama about a middle-class couple (Adam Napier and Johanne Murdock) having a spot of bother. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus & Key Cities / 15]

Dogtooth (Verve Pictures): An acclaimed drama directed by Yorgos Lanthimos about a highly unusual family whose children are shielded from the outside world. It won the Prix Un Certain Regard at last year’s Cannes Film Festival. [Gate, Odeon Covent Garden, Renoir, Ritzy & Key Cities / 18]

The Joneses (E1 Entertainment): A comedy starring David Duchovny and Demi as part of a fictitious family who pretend to be real as part of a marketing experiment. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15]

La Danse: The Paris Opera Ballet (Soda Pictures): A behind-the-scenes documentary about an opera directed by Frederick Wiseman. [Curzons Mayfair, Richmond, Wimbledon, P’House Greenwich & Key Cities / 15]

Life During Wartime (Artificial Eye): The latest film from director Todd Solondz which is an unofficial sequel sequel to his classic 1998 film Happiness, using different actors to play the same characters. [Curzon Soho, The Gate, Renoir, Ritzy & Key Cities / 15]

The Sky Crawlers (Manga Entertainment): A Japanese anime film directed by Mamoru Oshii adaptated from Hiroshi Mori‘s novel of the same name. [ICA Cinema / 15]

Vote Afghanistan! (Channel 4 International): A documentary that follows three of Afghnistan’s presidential candidates in the run-up to last year’s disastrous elections. [ICA Cinema]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 19th April including The Last Emperor and Inland Empire
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

The Ghost

The Ghost is a skilful political thriller examining the aftermath of the War on Terror which reflects the life and career of its director Roman Polanski.

Adapted by Robert Harris from his own novel, the story sees a journalist (Ewan McGregor) agree to ghost write the memoirs of a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who bears a striking similarity to Tony Blair.

When the writer sets to work at the PM’s residence in Martha’s Vineyard, he finds out that his predecessor has mysteriously drowned and some other unnerving things.

Lang could be guilty of war crimes, specifically colluding with the US on torturing terrorist suspects, and after talking to his wife Ruth (Olivia Williams) and assistant Amelia (Kim Cattrall) he uncovers murky inconsistencies about the political leader’s background.

The first and most obvious aspect of The Ghost is the quality of the film making. Although it isn’t up there with his best work (Repulsion, Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown and The Pianist) it is a highly absorbing and technically proficient thriller.

Its stately pace and considered approach are so old fashioned as to be positively revolutionary in these times, but it is a reminder that a veteran European director can still make a relevant and accessible film about contemporary issues.

I still have grave reservations about Ewan McGregor’s ability to do an accent but his overall performance is perhaps the best work he has done in quite some time.

Brosnan has much less screen time than I expected, but the easy charm, intelligence and thinly-veiled vanity he brings to the role is spot on. It might just be his best ever performance.

The real revelatory turn though is from Olivia Williams, who reminds us that this isn’t just a satire on the Blairs. Far from being a Cherie Blair clone, she is pitch perfect in an intriguing role, filling it with subtlety and nuance.

Given that the vast bulk of the film takes place at a house in America, the production design is first rate. The interiors were shot at studios in Berlin, with the island of Sylt in Nothern Germany ably doubling for a rainy Martha’s Vineyard.

Despite the technical expertise, including some nice widescreen cinematography from Pawel Edelman (who shot Polanski’s Oliver Twist and The Pianist), there is a distracting score by Alexandre Desplat, which – for the first half of the film at least – is filled with jaunty, vaguely comic rhythms and melodies that somewhat dilutes the sense of menace.

Some may expect this to be a broad satire on Blair’s enthusiasm for US foreign policy under the Bush Administration, but to the film’s credit it is more nuanced than that.

Indeed, the politics are not as cut and dried as they might initially seem. Although the climactic twist is something of a let down, there is a mournful tone to the film which captures both the disillusion with Blair and impotence citizens feel in the face of political leaders waging wars with no foreseeable end.

For some reason this film is called The Ghost in the UK and The Ghost Writer in other territories (although the print I saw it on said the latter), but the discrepancy is an interesting one as the title proves to be more than just a marketing after thought.

In a literal sense it describes the journalist (who is never named) but it could also refer to Lang, who is literally in a political afterlife and whose past actions continue to linger. But in an ironic twist – that no-one could have foreseen when it went into production – the real ghost of this film is Polanski himself.

Although it can be contentious to judge any work through a biographical lens, this film is a notable example of life and art colliding in an extraordinary way.

Whilst the film was in post production last September, the events of Polanski’s past caught up with him when he was arrested in Zurich and faced possible extradition to the US for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977.

Although the controversy about that is yet to be resolved, all the way through The Ghost Writer I couldn’t shake the parallels between his life and what was on screen.

Like Lang, Polanski is forced into exile in a foreign country with the threat of prosecution; he has a murky past coming back to haunt him and he is also charming, skilled and flawed.

In the novel one could get the idea that the ghost writer is a version of Robert Harris, an initial supporter of Blair and a close friend of New Labour architect Peter Mandelson, who became disillusioned by the Iraq War.

But with the film adaptation, it struck me that the audience is invited to put themselves in the ghost writer’s shoes (there is probably a reason he is unnamed). Considering the parallels between Lang and Blair, the film actually becomes a fascinating insight into the career and life of Polanski.

In the the fascinating 2008 documentary Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, the LA prosecutor Roger Gunson commented on the recurring themes of the director’s work:

“Every Roman Polanski movie has the theme [of] corruption meeting innocence over water”

The infamous events of March 1977 could be interpreted in these terms: Polanski (corruption) met Samantha Geimer (innocence) over water (Jack Nicholson’s jacuzzi).

With The Ghost we again have corruption (political crimes and CIA intrigue), meeting innocence (a journalist discovering dark things) over water (drowning writers, political torture involving waterboarding).

Although ghosts are impossible in the literal sense, it is spooky the way Polanski’s life and career haunts what could be his last ever film.

> Official site
> The Ghost at the IMDb
> Reviews of The Ghost at Metacritic
> Posters of Polanski films that reflect some of his themes

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 16th April 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Dear John (Paramount/Momentum): A romantic drama about a US soldier (Channing Tatum) who falls for a conservative college student (Amanda Seyfried) while he’s home on leave. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom (yes, the man who once made My Life as a Dog) this is aimed squarely at female audiences who lapped up The Notebook on DVD, and as such it could do reasonable business. Random fact: this was the film that ended Avatar’s long run at the top of the US box office. [Odeon Leicester Square & Nationwide / 12A]

Cemetery Junction (Sony Pictures): The latest project from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant is a coming of age tale set in Reading during the 1970s that involves three men working at an insurance company: Freddie (Christian Cooke); Bruce (Tom Hughes) and Snork (Jack Doolan). Loosely based on Gervais’ own background, he’ll be hoping that the more introspective tone won’t put off audiences expecting to see the David Brent dance for the 76th time. [Nationwide / 15]

The Ghost (Optimum Releasing): Based on the novel by Robert Harris about a a journalist (Ewan McGregor) who is hired to write the memoirs of a former UK Prime Minister (Pierce Brosnan), who may or may not have sinister motives. Directed by Roman Polanski, who has had an eventful year to say the least, it premiĂšred to generally warm reviews and will undoubtedly intrigue upscale audiences, especially as the PM character is unofficially based on Tony Blair. [Odeon Leicester Square, Tricycle Kilburn & Nationwide / 15]

Repo Men (Universal): A sci-fi thriller set in the near future when artificial organs can be bought on credit, the story centres on a repo man (Jude Law) who struggles to meet the payments on his heart and has to go on the run. Directed by Miguel Sapochnik, this got scathing reviews in the US and makes you wonder what happened to Jude Law’s career. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 18]

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ALSO OUT

Boogie Woogie (Vertigo Films): A comedy of manners set against the backdrop of contemporary London and the international art scene, starring Amanda Seyfried, Gillian Anderson, Stellan SkarsgÄrd, Christopher Lee and Joanna Lumley. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Coronet Notting Hill & Key Cities / 15]

City Of Life And Death (High Fliers Films): A Chinese film which dramatises the Nanking Massacre of 1937. Directed by Lu Chuan and starring Liu Ye and Gao Yuanyuan. [Curzon Mayfair, Gate & City Screen / 15]

Crying With Laughter (Britfilms Distn.): First-time feature from director Justin Molotnikov set in Edinburgh about a comedian (Stephen McCole) and a fan (Malcolm Shields) who wants him to attend a ‘reunion’. [Apollo Piccadilly & Key Cities / 15]

The Heavy (Parkland Pictures): A gangster thriller about a hard man (Gary Stretch) recently released from prison who is upset with his politician brother (Adrian Paul). [Key Cities / 18]

Give Me Your Hand (Peccadillo Pictures): A road movie from French director Pascal-Alex Vincent, about teenage twins hitch-hiking across France to attend the funeral of their mother. [Cine Lumiere, Shortwave Cinema & Key Cities]

The Manchurian Candidate (Park Circus): A re-release for the classic 1962 conspiracy thriller starring Frank Sinatra and Laurence Harvey. [BFI Southbank & Key Cities / 12A]

The Market (The Works International): A low budget British film about a Turkish salesman from director Ben Hopkins. [BFI Southbank & Rich Mix / 12A]

Beeswax (ICA Cinema): Another blast of Mumblecore (hopefully the last) which sees two sisters in their mid-30s go in and out of jobs in Austin, Texas. [ICA Cinema]

Bananas!* (Dogwoof): A documentary from Swedish director Fredrik Gertten about a raft of class-action lawsuits taken out against the Dole Food Company, which has used controversial chemicals on their banana plantations in Nicaragua. [ICA Cinema & Key Cities]

Paathshaala (Eros): Bollywood film set in an Indian school starring Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia, Ali Haji and Nana Patekar and directed by Milind Ukey.

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 12th April including The Bicycle Thieves, Henri-George Clouzot’s Inferno and Wonders of the Solar System
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Kick-Ass

A comic-book adaptation with a difference, Kick-Ass gleefully subverts and pays homage to the super-hero genre.

The plot transfers Mark Millar’s comic to the screen which involves a geeky teenager (Aaron Johnson) who decides to become a superhero named Kick-Ass, which brings him in to contact with a mob boss (Mark Strong) and his son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse); and a crime-fighting father (Nicholas Cage) and daughter (Chloe Moretz) who have revenge in mind.

After a decade of superhero movies – and more sequels and reboots to come – this is something of a cheeky teenager of a film: foul-mouthed, sly, violent and yet strangely innocent.

Embracing the superhero mythos, it also simultaneously debunks it: ‘Kick-Ass’ himself has no powers and is simply a teenager in a funny costume, whilst the other characters who suit up are mostly played for blackly comic laughs.

Crammed to bursting with references to superhero films (I lost count of the visual nods towards the Spiderman, Superman and Batman films) it is aggressively aimed at comic book fans and those who take Comic Con a bit too seriously.

This isn’t an entirely bad thing as it has a punchier attitude than most of the superhero adaptations made by the major studios and also spoofs the insatiable online consumption of comic book material.

Although when it opened a couple of weeks ago there was an expectation by some that it would be ‘controversial’, I don’t think the comedy violence or the fact that a young girl swears really bothered anyone who actually saw the film.

A key scene is a fight sequence when Kick-Ass takes on some thugs outside a diner and a nearby teenager screams to a friend that it is ‘awesome’. It almost embodies the film and its fans in microcosm.

Despite having some notable qualities, the film does have its drawbacks: it isn’t quite as subversive or clever as its fans might claim (Mystery Men covered similar territory back in the late 90s) and Matthew Vaughn still has limitations as a director when it comes to shooting and plotting a film.

That said, there are aspects that intrigued me.

If you look at the credits you’ll see that there are no less than four credited composers (John Murphy, Henry Jackman, Marius de Vries and Ilan Eshkeri) and what sounds like a lot of temp music which Vaughn got so attached to that he left in rather than use a freshly composed score. (Look out for sequences featuring what sounds like Murphy’s music for 28 Days Later and Sunshine)

The other issue that leapt out was why the major studios turned this film down as it seems certain to nail the lucrative fanboy demographic they usually crave.

Obviously there would have been concerns about some of the swearing, violence and general air of political incorrectness.

But given that major studios have released fairly extreme fare for mainstream audiences like Hannibal (brains being eaten), Bruno (extreme sexual content) and Bad Boys 2 (insane violence), I’m surprised when they get all prudish.

Perhaps the larger question that crossed their minds was whether it would breakthrough to a mainstream audience.

This meant that Vaughn had to raise the budget independently outside the studio system before selling the distribution rights to various studios such as Universal in the UK and Lionsgate in the US.

Quite how he and his producers managed to raise the reported $28m budget (which is very high for an independent production) is another interesting question but in the long run I can’t see this losing money.

When it opened in the UK a couple of weeks ago, it was overshadowed by Clash of the Titans and How To Train Your Dragon but has since earned a highly respectable ÂŁ7m.

But how will it fare when it opens in the US this weekend?

On the plus side Lionsgate have a solid track record in marketing edgy fare like the Saw films to the masses.

On the downside, it is tricky to get mainstream awareness for a film like this, essentially a post-modern superhero comedy, and I suspect that some audiences outside New York and LA will find the swearing and comedy violence a little off putting.

Add some reportedly less-than-stellar tracking numbers and perhaps there is cause for concern at Kick-Ass HQ. But although it plays like an expensive cult film, in the long run I can see it having a long shelf life on DVD and TV.

Kick-Ass is tailor-made for geeky-fanboys, but then there are a lot of those about.

> Official site
> IMDb
> Reviews at Metacritic

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 9th April 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Shelter (Icon): A psychological thriller about a doctor (Julianne Moore) specialising in multiple personality disorders who comes across a particularly troubling and potentially dangerous patient (Jonathan Rhys Meyers).

Directed by MĂ„ns MĂ„rlind and Björn Stein, this arrives in the UK with zero buzz and – despite the presence of a genuinely great actress in Moore – seems likely to die quietly at the cinema before an afterlife on DVD and TV. [Nationwide / 15]

Whip It (Lionsgate UK): The directorial debut of Drew Barrymore stars stars Ellen Page as a teenager who throws in her small town beauty pageant crown for the world of roller derby.

Marcia Gay Harden plays Bliss’ disapproving mother, while Barrymore, Kristen Wiig and Juliette Lewis play roller-derby stars. The main challenge for this film is the US-centric subject matter but it could appeal to a female-skewing audience looking for something different. [Nationwide / 12A]

ALSO OUT

The Infidel (Revolver Entertainment): A comedy about a Muslim (Omid Djalili) who discovers he is actually Jewish, written by David Baddiel and directed by Josh Appignanesi. [Key Cities / 15]

I Am Love (Metrodome Distribution): Tilda Swinton stars in this Italian family drama directed by Luca Guadagnino, a Russian-born woman who has married into a wealthy Milan family. [Chelsea Cinema, Curzons Mayfair & Soho, Richmond / 15]

I Know You Know (Network Releasing): A drama about a young boy who suspects his dad (Robert Carlyle) might be working undercover for MI6 [Apollo Piccadilly Circus & Key Cities / 15]

No Greater Love (Soda Pictures) A documentary about a Carmelite convent in London, directed by Michael Whyte. [Gate Notting Hill & Key Cities]

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> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 5th April including Day of the Dead, Delicatessen, Funny Games US and George Carlin
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 2nd April 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Clash Of The Titans (Warner Bros.): A big budget remake of the 1981 film, loosely based on the Greek myth of Perseus (Sam Worthington), who ventures on a dangerous mission to defeat the evil god Hades (Ralph Fiennes), before he can seize power from the all powerful Zeus (Liam Neeson) enslave earth. Directed by Louis Leterrier, it features lots of battles against creatures and demons and has been converted to 3D quite recently although it was shot on regular 2D cameras. Warner Bros will expect bad reviews but given the massive marketing push can expect a decent opening weekend before bad word of mouth spreads. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 12A]

How To Train Your Dragon (Paramount): The latest film from DreamWorks Animation is based on the 2003 book and is the mythical story of a young Viking named Hiccup (Jay Baruchel) who learns how to fight the dragons that plague his village by befriending and taming a smaller one. Featuring the voices of Gerard Butler, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Craig Ferguson, and David Tennant. Directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, the writing and visuals are very solid, whilst the 3D (especially in the flying sequences) achieves a pleasing sense of exhilaration. Decent reviews plus the Easter holiday weekend will mean a high family turnout and it will be a major surprise if this doesn’t take the number one spot. [Vue West End & Nationwide / PG]

Kick-Ass (Universal): Perhaps the most interesting release of the week is this post-modern superhero film based on the comic book by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. It tells the story of teenager (Aaron Johnson) who decides to become a super-hero named Kick-Ass after purchasing a costume (even though he has no powers or training) and soon finds himself involved with a local gangster (Mark Strong); his son (Christopher Mintz-Plasse); and a highly trained father and daughter vigilante duo (Nicolas Cage and Chloe Moretz). Directed by Matthew Vaughn, produced by Brad Pitt, and written by Vaughn and Jane Goldman, the film was independently financed – at a budget of $28 million dollars – and gleefully subverts the superhero genre whilst also paying homage to it. Internet fanboys will lap this up but whether it can break through to a mainstream audience is a big question. The violence (although comic in tone) and fruity language will likely alienate older audiences, but if it can hold its own in a very competitive weekend then it could turn out to be very profitable indeed. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15] (Previews 26-28 March)

ALSO OUT

The Railway Children: 40th Anniversary (Optimum): A re-release for this charming 1970 adaptation of E Nesbit’s enduring tale of three children (Jenny Agutter, Gary Warren and Sally Thomsett) ho move to a Yorkshire village and become entranced by the local railway line and make friends with the locals (such as Bernard Cribbins and William Mervyn). Written and directed by Lionel Jeffries, it is being presented on a newly restored digital print. [Key Cities / U]

* Listen to my interview with Jenny Agutter about The Railway Children *

Psycho (Universal): A re-release for the classic thriller from Alfred Hitchcock about a woman (Janet Leigh) who ends up at an isolated motel run by the enigmatic Norman Bates (Anthony Perkins) [BFI Southbank & Key Cities / 15]

City Of War: The Story Of John Rabe (Metrodome Distribution): A drama starring Steve Buscemi in the real-life tale of a German businessman who saved more than 200,000 Chinese during the Nanjing massacre in 1937-38. [Empire Leicester Square / 15]

Double Take (Soda Pictures): A film by director Johan Grimonprez that uses footage of Alfred Hitchcock from 1962 and 1980 to paint a surreal picture of his life. [BFI Southbank, Curzons Mayfair, Wimbledon & Key Cities]

Kakera – A Piece Of Our Life (Third Window Films): A Japanese drama from director Momoko AndĂŽ about a college student, her boyfriend and medical artist who makes prosthetic body parts. [ICA Cinema]

Remember Me (E1 Entertainment): A romantic drama about two lovers (Robert Pattinson and Emilie de Ravin) in New York on the eve of the 9/11 attacks. [Odeon West End & Nationwide / 12A]

Samson & Delilah (Trinity Filmed Entertainment): Australian film about a couple living in a remote community in the Central Australian desert. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Barbican, Empire Leic Sq., Renoir, Tricycle & Key Cities / 12A]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 29th March including 2012, Stargate, The Informant! and Homicide
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Interviews

Interview: Jenny Agutter on The Railway Children

Adapted from E. Nesbit’s novel in 1970, The Railway Children quickly established itself as perennial favourite amongst family audiences.

It is the tale of a family who are forced to move from London to a house in Yorkshire after the father is imprisoned on a mysterious charge.

There the three children, Roberta (Jenny Agutter), Peter (Gary Warren) and Phyllis (Sally Thomsett), are entranced by the nearby railway and become friendly with the locals, such as the station porter (Bernard Cribbins) and the Old Gentleman (William Mervyn) who takes the 9:15 train.

Written and directed by Lionel Jeffries, it was a critical success on its initial release – receiving three BAFTA nominations – and has since become a much loved film through regular broadcasts on television.

It is getting re-released at UK cinemas this week on a newly remastered digital print and I spoke with Jenny Agutter recently about her role in the film and its enduring appeal.

You can listen to the interview here:

[audio:http://filmdetail.receptionmedia.com/Jenny_Agutter_on_The_Railway_Children.mp3]

You can download this interview as a podcast via iTunes by clicking here

The Railway Children is out at selected UK cinemas from Friday 2nd April and is out on DVD and Blu-ray from Monday 3rd May

> Download this interview as an MP3 file
> IMDb entry
> Get local showtimes via Google Movies
> Pre-order the DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon UK

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Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 26th March 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

The Blind Side (Warner Bros.): Sandra Bullock won her first Oscar for her role in this true life drama based on Michael Lewis’ best-seller The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game. Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) is a troubled teenager living on the streets when he is taken in by a conservative suburban family, led by the feisty Leigh Anne Tuohy (Bullock), who help him mature into a talented NFL player.

Directed by John Lee Hancock (The Rookie) it is an uplifting tale with Bullock on solid form, although it at times it struggles to avoid sports-movie clichés and overachieved in getting nominated for Best Picture. Warner Bros will be expecting a decent bounce from the Oscar win but US sports films usually struggle to do serious business in Europe. [Odeon West End & Nationwide / 12A]

Nanny Mcphee & The Big Bang (Universal): The sequel to the 2005 fantasy film sees Emma Thompson reprise the title role as the nanny tames an unruly household and seems to change as the children start behaving themselves.

In this film a mother (Maggie Gyllenhaal) has to deal with her tempestuous offspring, an up-to-no-good brother-in-law (Rhys Ifans) and an absent husband (Ewan McGregor), who’s away fighting in World War II. Like the first film, it has a certain goofy charm but lacks a real spark of magic even though Universal will be expecting solid business from mostly family audiences. [Odeon West End & Nationwide / U]

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ALSO OUT

Perrier’s Bounty (Optimum Releasing): An Irish crime thriller about a loser (Cillian Murphy) who owes a €1,000 to a loan shark (Brendan Gleeson). A decent supporting cast includes Jim Broadbent and Jodie Whittaker, although this looks like it is going to struggle to make an impact at the multiplexes. [Cineworld Haymarket, Vue Fulham & Nationwide / 15]

Lourdes (Artificial Eye): A drama about a wheelchair-bound woman (Sylvie Testud) who travels to the Catholic shrine of Lourdes, directed by Jessica Hausner. [Chelsea Cinema, Curzons Richmond & Soho, Renoir & Key Cities / U]

In The Land Of The Free (Mob Film Co/Roddick Foundation): A documentary about the imprisonment of Herman Wallace, Albert Woodfox and Robert King, three black men from rural Louisiana who were held in solitary confinement in the biggest prison in the U.S., an 18,000-acre former slave plantation known as Angola. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus, Ritzy & Key Cities / 15]

Lion’s Den (Axiom Films): An Argentinian drama, directed by Pablo Trapero, about a pregnant student (Martina Gusman) sent to a special prison to await trial for a suspected murder.  [Curzon Soho, Odeon Panton St. & Key Cities]

Nightwatching (Axiom Films): Martin Freeman stars as Rembrandt in Peter Greenaway’s exploration of the painter’s great work, The Night Watch. [ICA Cinema & Key Cities]

No One Knows About Persian Cats (Network Releasing): A docu-drama about a group of twentysomething Iranian rock musicians trying to get permission to play a gig in London. [Cine Lumiere, Curzon Soho, Gate, Ritzy & Key Cities / 12A]

Shank (Revolver Entertainment): Another British crime drama about unruly teenagers. [Nationwide / 15]

Storm (Soda Pictures): A drama about a war crimes trial at The Hague focusing on a prosecutor (Kerry Fox) and the Serbian commander who may be responsible for murder in the former Yugoslavia. [Key Cities / 15]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 22nd March including Dumbo, Twin Peaks and Fish Tank
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 19th March 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

The Bounty Hunter (Sony Pictures): A romantic comedy about a struggling bounty hunter (Gerard Butler) who find out that his bail-jumping ex-wife (Jennifer Aniston) is his next target.

Directed by Andy Tennant (Hitch), this looks like it is going to get slaughtered by critics and yet still making a decent chunk of money at the box office from undemanding audiences. [Nationwide / 12A]

Old Dogs (Walt Disney): The sequel to the godawful Wild Hogs is about two friends and business partners (John Travolta and Robin Williams) who find their lives turned upside down when strange circumstances lead to them being placed in the care of 7-year-old twins.

It hasn’t been as successful as the first film in the US and has also received “extremely negative reviews” according to Wikipedia. Which means it’s probably crap. [Nationwide / PG]

I Love You Philip Morris (E1 Entertainment): A comedy-drama film based on the life events of con artist and multiple prison escapee Steven Jay Russell (Jim Carrey) who falls in love with his cell mate Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor) whilst in prison.

After Morris is released from prison, Russell escapes from prison four times in order to be reunited with Morris. After difficulty finding a US distributor, probably due to its homosexual content, the film was re-edited and has taken a while to reach UK cinemas after playing at Sundance in January 2009. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]

My Last Five Girlfriends (Paramount): A British romantic comedy (alarm bells are already ringing) based on Alain De Botton’s book, Essays In Love, which sees a guy (Brendan Patricks) quiz his last five girlfriends to find out what went wrong in order to figure out how to find love. [Nationwide / 12A]

The Spy Next Door (Paramount/Momentum): A family friendly action caper about a mild-mannered babysitter (Jackie Chan) who has to fend off secret agents after one of the kids he’s looking after inadvertently downloads a secret code. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / PG]

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ALSO OUT

Staten Island (Warner Bros.): A crime drama written and directed by James DeMonaco about a Staten Island mob boss Parmie (Vincent D’Onofrio) who is robbed by a septic tank cleaner (Ethan Hawke).

The Scouting Book for Boys (Pathe): A boy (Thomas Turgoose) and a girl (Holly Grainge) growing up on a Norfolk caravan park come up with a plan to stay together when her mother loses custody of her. [Curzon Soho & selected Key Cities / 15]

Dirty Oil (Dogwoof): A documentary from director Leslie Iwerks that explores how the bulk of America’s oil supply comes from Canada – specifically northern Alberta – and the effects it has on the local environment. [Odeon Panton Street & Nationwide / U]

Happy Ever Afters (Verve Pictures): Another British romantic comedy (that’s two in one week) about two weddings that have their receptions in the same hotel on the same day. Sally Hawkins stars alongside Tom Riley. [15]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 15th March including A Serious Man, Johnny Mad Dog and The White Ribbon
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 12th March 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Green Zone (Universal): The latest thriller from director Paul Greengrass is set in post-invasion Iraq during 2003 and follows a US officer (Matt Damon) assigned to hunt down the Weapons of Mass Destruction the Bush administration believed Saddam Hussein had hidden. As the weapons fail to turn up he begins to suspect something is wrong and doubt the premise upon which the war was fought.

In his search he comes across the newly arrived US Administrator of Iraq (Greg Kinnear); a CIA agent (Brendan Gleeson); a Wall Street Journal reporter (Amy Ryan); a local Iraqi (Khalid Abdalla); and a special forces Major (Jason Isaacs). Although a pulsating and technically brilliant thriller, the political subtext of the film is somewhat undermined by changing of names and details for legal reasons. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15] (Previews from March 10th)

* Read my full thoughts on Green Zone here *

Shutter Island (Paramount): Director Martin Scorcese follows The Departed (2006) with an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel about a US Marshall (Leonardo DiCaprio) sent to investigate strange goings on at a secure psychiatric hospital off the coast of Massachusetts. Haunted by his past, he finds it difficult to trust the chief psychiatrist (Ben Kingsley) and slowly begins to suspect that something is afoot.

Although the performances are all solid and the technical aspects first rate, the underlying premise of the story feels an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Appropriately it references Hitchcock a lot (especially Vertigo), but never reaches the heights of Scorcese’s finest work, even if that is far better than most living directors. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]

Hachi: A Dog’s Tale (Entertainment): A US remake of the Japanese film Hachikƍ Monogatari directed by Lasse Hallström (who also made My Life As A Dog) starring Richard Gere as a college professor who has a special bond with an abandoned dog he takes into his home.

It went straight to DVD in the US but UK distributor Entertainment will be hoping that dog lovers and those looking for lighter fare this week will check it out. [Nationwide / U]

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ALSO OUT

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (Momentum Pictures): Based on the first of a series of best-selling Swedish novels by the late Stieg Larsson, this sees a journalist (Michael Nyqvist) and a teenage hacker (Noomi Rapace) team up to solve a suspected murder, which could be part of a wider conspiracy.

The books have become a sensation around the globe, selling over 21 million copies worldwide. The fact that the film is in Swedish, will inevitably mean reduced earnings but could still do decent arthouse and crossover business for Momentum. The inevitable Hollywood remake is already in the works and that probably will make more of an impact at the global box office. [Curzon Mayfair, Vue West End & Nationwide / 18]

The Kreutzer Sonata (Axiom Films): Following on from ivansxtc (2002) director Bernard Rose has done another re-imagining of a Tolstoy story exploring the darker side of Hollywood. The second of a planned trilogy, this sees a wealthy philanthropist (Danny Huston), who meets a beautiful and talented pianist (Elisabeth Röhm). [Key Cities / 18] (Scotland from March 26th)

The Ape (ICA Films): A Swedish noir film about an unsympathetic man who wakes up in a bathroom covered in blood and slowly realise what horrific circumstances brought him there. [ICA Cinema]

Under Great White Northern Lights (More2Screen): A concert film featuring The White Stripes. [Key Cities]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 8th March including An Education, Bright Star, Toy Story 1 & 2 and Afterschool
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Green Zone

Combining technical brilliance with a specific historical narrative makes Green Zone an absorbing political thriller, even if its modification of history is problematic.

Opening with an Iraqi official fleeing as US bombs rain down on Baghdad in March 2003, it then follows Army Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller (Matt Damon) who is part of several teams assigned to hunt down the Weapons of Mass Destruction the Bush administration believed Saddam Hussein had hidden.

As the search proves unproductive he begins to suspect something is wrong with the intelligence that was used to justify the invasion.

People Miller comes across in his search for the truth involve: the newly arrived US Administrator of Iraq (Greg Kinnear); a CIA agent (Brendan Gleeson); a Wall Street Journal reporter (Amy Ryan); a local Iraqi (Khalid Abdalla); and a special forces Major (Jason Isaacs).

Director Paul Greengrass began his career in current affairs television and since breaking through into the mainstream with Bloody Sunday (2002) and The Bourne Supremacy (2004), has managed to combine political awareness with realistic excitement in such films as United 93 (2006) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).

His Bourne films were first rate, adrenaline fuelled entertainment whose box office success afforded him the opportunity to make an intense, sombre film about 9/11 at a major studio. When this project was announced it looked like he was exploring similar territory.

Originally based on based on Rajiv Chandrasekaran’s book “Imperial Life in the Emerald City“, which depicted the clueless arrogance of US occupation under viceroy Paul Bremer, it is now credited as being inspired by it.

The Green Zone of the title comes from the area in Baghdad where the US forces and administrators lived in a secure bubble of imperial delusion, which was observed and documented by Chandrasekaran in his book.

Although there are scenes and characters that modify and pay homage to the book (most notably a meeting by a swimming pool), it appears that screenwriter Brian Helgeland and Greengrass have grafted on the thriller elements to make it more palatable for mainstream audiences.

I suspect that when the film started shooting in 2008, Universal and Working Title (the producers of the film) got nervous at the sight of War on Terror themed films such as In the Valley of Elah, Redacted and Lions for Lambs bombing at the box office.

It could have always been the director’s intention to fuse the Bourne action aesthetic with the political insights of his historical films, but given how it has been essentially been marketed as ‘The Bourne Zone’ (i.e. Matt Damon on the poster, plenty of action in the trailer) you could be forgiven for thinking that the studio was keen to play down the Iraq stuff.

Which is a little bit of a problem in that the film is set in Iraq and explicitly about the faulty intelligence that underpinned the invasion, along with the illusions which made turned the subsequent occupation into a chaotic bloodbath.

What rescues the film is the technical excellence which has long been a hallmark of Greengrass’ productions.

Possibly the most talented mainstream director at creating believable action sequences, he films the hunt for WMDs and Iraqi officials with remarkable authenticity.

Different parts of Baghdad are brilliantly recreated in locations as diverse as Morocco, Spain and the UK. The fact that the Freemasons Hall in London is even used for the CPA’s headquarters is testament to the work of production designer Dominic Watkins.

The shaky camera work which has been a hallmark of Greengrass’ previous films, is also present but although it’s been influential on other Hollywood films (sometimes to the point of parody) it gives the film a visceral, urgent feel.

Cinematographer Barry Ackroyd shoots proceedings with his customary expertise and skill and the visuals are augmented with some superb CGI work which allows panoramic shots of Baghdad that are integrated seamlessly with real helicopters and buildings.

Christopher Rouse‘s editing helps the narrative move briskly along and as a thriller it is undeniably absorbing. So, what exactly is the problem with this technically brilliant political thriller?

The issue is certainly not anything to do with the thriller aspects of the film but the political elements, and in particualr the history it is based on.

I certainly don’t dispute the general thrust of the story, which paints the trumped up intelligence and mendacity of the Bush administration in a less than flattering light. Where the film hits problems is in it’s avoidance of conflating the real with the imagined.

To avoid the legal headaches the producers have the usual disclaimer about characters being fictional but it is palpable that key plotlines are based on real life examples: the journalist ‘Lawrie Dayne’ (Amy Ryan) is inspired by New York Times reporter Judith Miller, the infamous mouthpiece for WMD stories; ‘Clark Poundstone’ (Greg Kinnear) is a thinly veiled portrayal of Paul Bremer, the Coalition Provisional Authority head who personified the wrong headed approach to the war; and there is also a character who looks suspiciously like Ahmed Chalabi, the exiled Iraqi beloved of the neo-conservatives who pushed for war.

Whilst it is understandable that a mainstream studio would want to dodge the threat of legal action, it inevitably undermines claims to the ‘truth’.

Are there audiences that will think that the Wall Street Journal did a worse job than the New York Times in reporting the WMD issue?

How seriously can we take the film’s historical claims if names and details have been altered?

I’m sure Greengrass and Helgeland will argue that dramatic licence is taken in any endeavour such as this, but something does not sit right if a major Hollywood film is taking a newspaper to task for not reporting the truth, and doing so by deliberately changing historical facts.

There is no doubt that the basic premise of the film is correct, sourced from numerous books and documentaries documenting the disastrous nature of the invasion and occupation. But the details with which it presents that premise is shaky.

That is not to say that Green Zone isn’t an expertly crafted and entertaining thriller, but as a political drama it doesn’t reach the heights of United 93, one of the landmark films of the last decade.

It will be interesting to see how audiences respond to the film. Universal made a calculated decision to postpone the release from the Autumn until the spring, to avoid a costly Oscar campaign and take advantage of a quieter time at the box office.

That could turn out to be a shrewd move because earlier this week The Hurt Locker won big at the Oscars and this may be the time for a mainstream film about the Iraq misadventure to finally cross over at the box office.

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 5th March 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Alice In Wonderland (Walt Disney): Tim Burton’s adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s famous children’s stories conflates the two books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass.

Alice (Mia Wasikowska) ventures into a fantastical world where she meets various characters including Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and also has to slay a beast called the Jabberwock.

Although a big budget studio production, it is a major disappointment for a variety of reasons although that won’t stop British audiences from powering it to a healthy opening weekend despite mixed reviews. [Odeon Leicester Square & Nationwide / PG]

Legion (Sony Pictures): A fantasy-horror about a group of strangers stranded in a remote diner in the Southwest who unwittingly become humanity’s last line of defense a terrifying biblical apocalypse descends upon the world. [Nationwide / 15]

Chloe (Optimum Releasing): A remake of the 2003 French film Nathalie… about a doctor (Julianne Moore) who hires an escort (Amanda Seyfried) to seduce her husband (Liam Neeson) whom she suspects of cheating, which leads to unforeseen consequences. [Odeon Covent Garden, Showcases Bluewater, Newham & Nationwide / 15]

Case 39 (Paramount): A horror about a social worker (Renee Zellweger) who fights to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover that the situation is more dangerous than she thought. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15]

Ondine (Paramount): The latest film from director Neil Jordan about an Irish fisherman (Colin Farrell) who discovers a woman (Alicja Bachleda) in his fishing net who he believes to be a mermaid. [Nationwide/ 12A]

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ALSO OUT

1234 (Soda Pictures): British film about a wannabe musician and his band members trying to make it big. [Key Cities]

Exit Through The Gift Shop (Revolver Entertainment): A faux documentary about guerilla street artist Banksy and his collaborators. [Clapham Picturehouse, Curzon Soho, Everyman, Gate & Key Cities / 15]

Father Of My Children (Artificial Eye): A French film about a family who’s life is turned upside down when the father, a film producer, faces a crisis. [Curzons Mayfair & Richmond, Odeon Swiss Cottage, Renoir & Key Cities / 12A]

Motherhood (Metrodome Distribution): A comedy starring Uma Thurman, Anthony Edwards and Minnie Driver, set in New York’s West Village, about the dilemmas of motherhood. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus / 15]

The Shouting Men (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): Low budget British comedy about a bunch of Gillingham football supporters as they head north towards Newcastle. [Key Cities / 15]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 1st March including Fantastic Mr Fox, Dawn of the Dead and Jacob’s Ladder
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

Categories
Cinema Thoughts

Alice in Wonderland

Tim Burton’s vision of Alice in Wonderland is a garishly average affair which doesn’t do justice to Lewis Carroll‘s source material.

This version fuses the two books Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass, whilst also making modifications.

Alice (Mia Wasikowska) is older than usual and the story follows her as she ventures into the fantastical Underland (or ‘Wonderland’ as some inhabitants call it).

It is there she meets various characters including Mad Hatter (Johnny Depp), the Red Queen (Helena Bonham Carter), the Knave of Hearts (Crispin Glover), the White Queen (Anne Hathaway), the Cheshire Cat (Stephen Fry) and the White Rabbit (Michael Sheen) and also has to slay a beast called the Jabberwock.

Many children around the world have grown up with this story and the characters are fairly iconic to people of a certain age, so it was a no-brainer to make a live action feature film, especially given the success of Burton’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).

But Burton has made a deeply average film which only contains fleeting glimpses of magic and too much that is pedestrian and uninspired.

Major problems begin with the casting of Alice, who is played by an actress who seems like she has just fallen out of bed rather than down a rabbit hole.

Newcomer Wasikowska just doesn’t have the spirit the role demands, especially given all the mind-bending experiences the protagonist goes through.

The idea of making her older doesn’t add anything substantial and her journey towards an armoured warrior towards the climax is unconvincing.

The production design and visual look of the film – one of Burton’s big selling points as a director – is also badly handled, much too reliant on green-screen trickery, to the point where it all blurs into an ugly CGI mess with little craft or imagination.

This is no more apparent than in the famous supporting characters.

The likes of the Cheshire Cat, Tweedledum and Tweedledee and the White Rabbit are wonderfully visual on the page, but on screen there are wafer-thin digital creations lacking charm and generally passing by without any consequence.

The two exceptions are Depp and Bonham-Carter, who do bring some zest to their roles, with the former tapping into the surreal charm of his character whilst the latter conveys the aristocratic impatience of hers with nice comic timing.

But this is little relief in a film which is a chore to sit through.

To make matters worse, the 3D has not been thought through properly and as the first major studio film to be released in the format after Avatar, this could prove to be a big let down.

I suspect, though could be wrong, that it wasn’t designed as a 3D film from the beginning, but when the 3D bandwagon gathered steam last year, someone decided to tick a box in the hope of boosting the box office.

When you think of the events in the story – falling down holes, characters growing in size etc – it is a massive missed opportunity, whether 3D was originally planned or not.

In fact, the film itself is one big missed opportunity that fails to translate the material effectively and a sign of a director who seems to have lost his way.

> Official website
> Alice in Wonderland at the IMDB
> Other reviews of Alice in Wonderland at Metacritic

Categories
Cinema

UK Cinema Releases: Friday 26th February 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Everybody’s Fine (Walt Disney): A comedy about a widower (Robert De Niro) setting off on an impromptu trip ride to reunite with each of his grown children.

Arriving from the States with decidedly mixed reviews and tepid box office, this looks to be another sad chapter in the decline of DeNiro from the greatest actor of his generation to a goofy comedy uncle. Another irony of this film is the title – as one of the last films to be produced by Miramax before Disney effectively shut the studio down, everyone was decidedly not fine. [Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave., & Nationwide / 12A]

Extraordinary Measures (Sony Pictures): A drama about a biotechnology executive (Brendan Fraser) whose two young children are afflicted with Pompe disease (acid maltase deficiency) and the research scientist (Harrison Ford) who might have a cure for their rare genetic disorder.

The first film from the newly formed CBS Films (released in the UK by Sony) was a critical and commercial bomb, with some critics saying it sidestepped the glaring issue of medical costs in the US. [Nationwide / PG]

From Paris With Love (Warner Bros.): A thriller set in Paris, involving a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador (Jonathan Rhys-Myers) who hooks up with an American spy (John Travolta) looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city.

Directed by Pierre Morel (who had an unexpected hit last year with Taken) and produced by Luc Besson, it seems likely to have the same formula of mindless action, cheesy dialogue and decent box office. [Nationwide / 15]

Leap Year (Optimum Releasing): A romantic comedy about an American woman (Amy Adams) who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend only to fall for an earthy local (Matthew Goode).

The above trailer is one of the most hideous in recent memory and it looks like all concerned (especially director Anand Tucker, who recently directed the third part of The Red Riding Trilogy) are doing this for commercial rather than creative reasons. Hollywood films set in Ireland usually contain the following cliches: Celtic flutes all over the soundtrack; earthy-but-charming locals who drink Guinness and red headed girls who are persuaded to dance in a pub. This looks like it could tick all those boxes. [Odeon Covent Garden, Vue West End & Nationwide / PG]

The Crazies (Paramount/Momentum): A remake of George A Romero’s 1973 horror about a town which goes crazy (or should that be crazie?) after the water supply has been poisoned by an unknown toxin.

Starring Timothy Olyphant and Radha Mitchell, it looks like it will attract poor reviews but decent initial box office. [Vues Finchley Rd, Fulham Broadway, Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave., & Nationwide / 15]

Capitalism: A Love Story (Paramount/Momentum): The latest documentary from Michael Moore examines the effect of corporate dominance on the everyday lives of Americans, especially in the light of the recent global economic meltdown.

Although the buzz on this film was mixed when it premiered at Venice and Toronto back in the Autumn, it is a more thoughtful film than some critics have given it credit for. The title is misleading as it’s more of a critique against the winner-takes-all capitalism ushered in by the Reagan administration and how the policies under Clinton and Bush have contributed to the current financial crisis. There are some sequences that drag a little, but for the most part it is a thought provoking examination of how we’ve got to where we are as a society. Strangely, it could actually win Moore audiences amongst the right-wing ‘Teabaggers‘ as well as his core liberal audience as his criticisms of the TARP scheme chime in with theirs. [Curzon Soho & Key Cities / PG]

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ALSO OUT

Micmacs (E1 Entertainment): The latest film from Jean Pierre-Jeunet is a charming and highly inventive caper about a man (Dany Boon) who hooks up with an eccentric group of activists in order to get revenge on two unscrupulous arms dealers.

Despie being a fixture on the festival circuit, I’m surprised there isn’t more buzz about this film because it is one of the most inventive and pleasurable I’ve seen in the last year. It bears more similarities to Jeunet’s earlier work like Delicatessen and The City of Lost Children, but also manages to mix in a powerful social message without being preachy. The technical aspects of the film are a treat to watch and most of the actors (including Jeunet regulars like Dominique Pinon) are excellent in roles which require a great deal of physicality, sometime reminiscent of a Buster Keaton comedy. [C’World Haymarket, Curzons Mayfair, Soho & Nationwide / 12A]

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (Park Circus): A BFI reissue for one of the most overrated comedies of all time. [BFI Southbank & Key Cities/ 12A]

Freestyle (Revolver Entertainment): A British film about a poor basketball player (Arinze Kene) who falls for rich girl (Lucy Stanhope) when he coaches her in the art of freestyle (basketball set to music). [London & Key Cities / 12A]

She, A Chinese (Optimum Releasing): Directed by London-based Chinese novelist Xiaolu Guofrom her own book, it is the tale of a young woman (Lu Huang), who travels from a ­remote Chinese village to London, finding that the West is a tougher place than she expected. [ICA Cinema]

Karthik Calling Karthik (Eros); A Bollywood film about a loser whose life is changed with a phone call.

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 22nd February including Wings of Desire and M
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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UK Cinema Releases: Friday 19th February 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

The Lovely Bones (Paramount): The adaptation of Alice Sebold’s unlikely bestseller is a major disappointment which flounders between CGI fantasy and awkward murder mystery. Set in Norristown, Pennsylvania in 1973, the story is about a young girl (Saoirse Ronan) who is raped and murdered by a neighbour (Stanley Tucci) and then watches the effects of her death on her parents (Mark Wahlberg and Rachel Weisz) and other people she has left behind.

When director Peter Jackson was first attached to this project (originally developed by Film4 in the UK) it seemed like he would be returning to the mix of real life horror and fantasy that made Heavenly Creatures (1994) so powerful. Alas, that wasn’t to be and it seems like Jackson and regular scriptwriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens had a hard time dialling down the emotion from their more recent big budget work (The Lord of the Rings, King Kong). Despite a stellar cast, the characters feel wildly overwrought and the ‘in-between world’ is essentially one empty CGI workout after another, with little emotion or genuine link to the drama.

Ronan and Tucci actually do very well in trying circumstances – they are easily the best thing about the film – but it is sad to see actors like Wahlberg, Weisz and Sarandon wasted on wafer thin roles. One can only assume that the tricky nature of the book led Jackson into a creative vortex he couldn’t ultimately get out of, but whatever the reason it ranks as one of the most disappointing films of the year given all the talent involved. Paramount held this back for several months because they felt it could be an Oscar front-runner, but its chances died when people finally got to see it. It might still do OK business given the fan base of the book, but this is only likely to be remembered as a creative misfire. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]

The Last Station (Optimum Releasing): A historical drama that portrays Russian author Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) and his struggle to balance fame and wealth towards the end of his life and the effects this has on his wife (Helen Mirren) and community of followers (including James McAvoy and Paul Giamatti).

Directed by Michael Hoffman, this is exactly the kind of period Oscar-bait that ageing Academy members drool over: distinguished actors, a historical-literary subject matter and a period setting. But it feels wildly out of date, something which Miramax might have put out in the late 90s, and is actually tedious to watch. Part of the problem is the cosy complacency of the script which doesn’t allow for anything other than the most cursory and clichĂ©d look at Tolstoy’s life and ideas. The embarrassing dialogue he has given great actors (Mirren has two cringe-inducing scenes). Another problem in this post-Downfall age is the difficulty to suspend disbelief for the English accents in period Russia, which just make it feel like a stodgy BBC literary adaptation from the 1970s. [Picturehouse Clapham, The Gate & Nationwide / 15]

Crazy Heart (20th Century Fox): This drama about a veteran country singer (Jeff Bridges) who finds love and redemption is a charming and easygoing tale that seems likely to win Bridges his first Oscar.

On the face of it, this appears a well worn kind of film. For example, it bears remarkable similarities last year’s The Wrestler, but manages to become something more than the sum of its parts. When we first meet Bad Blake (Jeff Bridges), he seems like just another washed up country singer, touring the backwaters of the US country circuit.

But as the story progresses, we meet characters who affect him in different ways: a journalist (Maggie Gyllenhaal, in her best role in some time) who he falls for; a former protege turned superstar singer (Colin Farrell) and an old bar owning friend (Robert Duvall).

Writer-director Scott Cooper manages to juggle familiar themes of redemption and loss, whilst avoiding contrived twists and sentimental claptrap. Bad’s alcoholism, regret and attempts to establish a lasting relationship are just the simple struggles of life. By presenting them with little fuss, they gain a power and richness some filmmakers might have missed.

The music by T-Bone Burnett adds a wonderful musical texture to the drama and Bridges does an excellent job in performing them convincingly. Of course, the central talking point for most audiences will be his captivating central performance. It distills everything great about his distinguished career into one role: his easy charm, screen presence and intense like-ability are delivered here in one neat and memorable role.

This is a film with mostly good people. The ‘villains’, if one can call them that, are simply the grinding challenges of everyday existence. Much of the pleasure comes from seeing how the characters deal with what we all face: old age, disappointment and our own nagging doubts. [Vue West End / Nationwide from March 5th / 15]

Solomon Kane (Entertainment): Based on the character created by Robert E. Howard in 1928, this stars James Purefoy in the title role as a 16th century soldier who must fights demons and seek redemption or have his soul damned to Hell. [Nationwide / 15]

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ALSO OUT

A Closed Book (Eyeline Ent/Atlantic Film): Chilean director Raoul Ruiz is behind this story about a blind art critic (Tom Conti) and his personal assistant (Daryl Hannah). [Selected cinemas / 15]

The Headless Woman (New Wave Films): An acclaimed Argentinian film directed by Luis CĂ©sar Amadori and starring NinĂ­ Marshall. [Key Cities / 12A]

The Unloved (ICA Films): Samantha Morton’s directorial debut feature is drama about a young girl growing up in a children’s home. [ICA Cinema & Selected Key Cities]

Celine: Through The Eyes Of The World (Sony Pictures): Yes, a live concert film of Celine Dion is being unleashed at cinemas up and down the land. Christ. [Selected Cinemas Nationwide / PG]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 15th February including Up, The Go-Between and The Ladykillers
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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UK Cinema Releases: Friday 12th February 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

The Wolfman (Universal): A remake of the 1941 classic horror film of the same name, starring Benicio del Toro as an actor who returns to his English ancestral home owned by his father (Anthony Hopkins), only to come under the curse of a werewolf.

Directed by Joe Johnston, it co-stars Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving and has seemingly had its own curse: original director Mark Romanek left over creative differences; the script bears all the hallmarks of being rewritten extensively and the release has been put back a couple of times.

After the fiasco of Van Helsing, the 2004 release which made a mockery of the classic Universal horror characters, one might have hoped that the studio would get it right this time. Despite the excellent cast and impressive make-up effects by Rick Baker (famous for American Werewolf in London), the narrative is rushed and it feels like a classic case of too many cooks spoiling the broth.

The English locations are shot with a dull, misty gloom; the gore looks like it has been inserted in at later edit to appeal to teenage horror fanboys; too many comic Northern accents and an unforgivable finale where you cannot distinguish between two key characters.

The presence of ace editors Mark Goldblatt and Walter Murch would suggest that they were hired to re-edit the film into something coherent and respectable, but is a project with deep underlying script and directorial problems.

Universal have spent a fair amount marketing this, so they can expect decent business this weekend in the US and UK, but once word of mouth spreads and people read the mixed reviews, it will die a swift death. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 15]

Valentine’s Day (Warner Bros.): A patchwork romantic comedy about intertwining couples and singles in Los Angeles who break-up and make-up based on the pressures and expectations of Valentine’s Day.

An all star ensemble cast includes Julia Roberts, Bradley Cooper, Ashton Kutcher, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Patrick Dempsey, Shirley MacLaine, Taylor Lautner, Taylor Swift, Jessica Biel, Jamie Foxx, Anne Hathaway and Topher Grace. Clearly aimed at less-than-discerning female audiences, it basically looks like this year’s He’s Just Not That Into You. Poor reviews will not stop the target audience from rushing to this like crack-heads sprinting to their dealers. [Nationwide / 12A]

Ponyo (Optimum Releasing): The latest animated film from Studio Ghibli, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki is a tale of a goldfish named Ponyo who befriends a five-year-old human boy and wants to become a human girl.

A huge hit in Japan, it has garnered awards and critical acclaim and should do reasonable business before discovering a wider audience on DVD and Blu-ray.[Vue West End & Nationwide / U]

A Single Man (Icon): An adaptation of the novel by Christopher Isherwood, which explores a day in the life of an English college professor (Colin Firth) in Southern California in 1962.

The directorial debut of fashion designer Tom Ford is a tasteful and well acted affair with a nuanced and moving central performance by Firth and some fine supporting turns from Julianne Moore, Nicholas Hoult and Matthew Goode. The production design and period detail are first rate and it depicts the ideas of the book with considerable skill and grace.

There are some drawbacks: a significant plot change is misguided and some of the visuals are a little too mannered, but generally it is a classy affair and finally allows Firth to show audiences what he can do in a lead role. Icon will expect decent arthouse business on the back of critical acclaim and Firth’s Oscar and BAFTA nomination. [Curzons Mayfair, Soho & Nationwide trailer / 12A]

Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief (20th Century Fox): Chris Columbus directs this adaptation of the first novel in the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series by Rick Riordan, which stars Logan Lerman in the title role alongside Brandon T. Jackson, Rosario Dawson, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman, Catherine Keener, Sean Bean and Pierce Brosnan.

This looks like a shameless Harry Potter clone (Columbus directed the first two Potter films) but it may get family audiences interested, despite the average reviews. [Vue West End & Nationwide / PG]

Battle For Terra (The Works): This 2007 film (yes, three years old) originally called Terra, is a 2007 CGI animated film redone in 3D about a peaceful alien planet facing destruction from colonization by the displaced remainder of the human race.

Directed by Aristomenis Tsirbas, it features the voices of Brian Cox, Luke Wilson, Amanda Peet, Dennis Quaid and Justin Long. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / PG]

ALSO OUT

Food, Inc (Dogwoof): A documentary directed by Robert Kenner about the agricultural food production in the US, which explores how meat and vegetables produced by this system are less-than-healthy and environmentally-harmful.

Narrated by Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser, it has garnered decent reviews and could make an art-house impact although it might depend heavily on word of mouth. [Curzon Soho, Odeon Panton St., Ritzy & Nationwide / PG]

My Name Is Khan (20th Century Fox): A Bollywood film directed by Karan Johar, with starring Shahrukh Khan and Kajol about a Muslim with Asberger’s Syndrome who emigrates to the United States. [Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave & Nationwide / 12A]

Takeshis’ (Artificial Eye): A 2005 (yes, that’s five years old!) Japanese film directed, written, edited by, and starring Takeshi Kitano in a self-reflexive film about himself. [Curzon Renoir / 15]

Winter In Wartime (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): An adaptation of the novel by Jan Terlouw about a boy who tries to help the resistance during World War II by helping an English pilot stay out of German hands. [Key Cities / 12A]

Anonyma: A Woman In Berlin (Metrodome Distribution): A drama about a woman who tries to survive the invasion of Berlin by the Soviet troops during the last days of World War II. [ICA Cinema]

Beyond The Pole (Shooting Pictures): A documentary film crew follows the first carbon neutral, organic, vegetarian expedition ever to attempt the North Pole. [ICA Cinema / Key Cities from March)

Letter From An Unknown Woman (bfi Distribution): A reissue of the 1948 Max OphĂŒls film about based on the novella by Stefan Zweig, starring Joan Fontaine, Louis Jourdan, Mady Christians and Marcel Journet. [BFI Southbank, Everyman Hampstead & Key Cities]

Pretty Woman (Park Circus): A reissue for Garry Marshall’s 1990 romantic comedy about an LA hooker (Julia Roberts) who falls for a millionaire businessman (Richard Gere). [Cineworld Haymarket & Nationwide / 15]

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> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 8th February including Adventureland, Mystic River and Paper Heart
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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UK Cinema Releases: Friday 5th February 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Invictus (Warner Bros.): Clint Eastwood’s latest film is based on the true story of how Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to unite South Africa in a moment of sporting solidarity with the help of national team captain Francois Pienaar (Matt Damon).

Although this was touted as a likely awards season contender, the expected nominations (apart from two acting nods for Freeman and Damon) have failed to materialise, mainly because it isn’t quite up to the high standards of Eastwood’s best work behind the camera.

That said, the two leads are convincing and there is a pleasing directness to the material which gives it an undeniable punch. Although it can’t resist obligatory sporting clichĂ©s (slow motion being a major culprit), the central drama is well handled and the technical work behind the camera is what we’ve come to expect from latter day Eastwood films. [Nationwide / 12A]

Astro Boy (E1 Entertainment): A CGI animated film about a young robot (voiced by Freddie Highmore) with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost.

Based on the long running Japanese series, it features a decent voice cast including Kristen Bell, Nathan Lane, Eugene Levy, Bill Nighy, Donald Sutherland and Nicolas Cage. The middling reviews in the US and poor box office performance suggest that it won’t set UK cinemas alight. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide (Previews 30/31st Jan)

Youth In Revolt (Paramount/Momentum): An adaptation of C.D. Payne’s epistolary novel starring Michael Cera as a teenager who sets his sights on a local girl (Portia Doubleday) and creates an alter ego to win her over.

Directed by Miguel Arteta, it co-stars Jonathan B. Wright, Steve Buscemi, Zach Galifianakis and Ray Liotta. Positive reviews from the US would suggest that it’s weak box office performance has more to do with the woes of The Weinstein Company than the quality of the film. Fans of Michael Cera and hip teen audiences may be the target audience. [Vues Fulham Broadway, Islington, West End & Nationwide / 15]

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ALSO OUT

Malice In Wonderland (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): A modern take on the fairytale, set in the North East of England. [Key Cities / 15]

Tony (Revolver Entertainment): A low budget British film about a serial killer getting a limited theatrical release before being released on DVD this Monday. [London & Key Cities / 18]

The Island (Artificial Eye): A drama set in a small Russian Orthodox monastery about an unusual man who people believe has the power to heal, exorcise demons and foretell the future. [Curzon Renoir & Selected Key Cities from 19th Feb]

Holy Water (Kaleidoscope/Centurion ): British comedy about a once a thriving spa town that is livened up after a stash of Viagra is hidden down its famous Holy Well. [Key Cities / 18]

> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 1st February including Broken Embraces and Sin Nombre
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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UK Cinema Releases: Friday 29th January 2010

Edge of Darkness (Icon): Mel Gibson returns with his first leading role in several years in this adaptation of the BBC TV series of the same name. He plays a Boston homicide detective who uncovers a shadowy political conspiracy after his activist daughter (Bojana Novakovic) is killed.

Directed by Martin Campbell, who also made the original series, it co-stars Ray Winstone and Danny Huston. Although a functional thriller, it compresses six episodes of television into a two hour film and loses a lot in translation despite the best efforts of all concerned. [Nationwide / 15]

Precious: A Novel by Sapphire (Icon): An adaptation of the 1992 novel Push by Sapphire which depicts the struggles of an obese, illiterate teenage girl (Gabourey Sidibe) as she dreams of a better life away from her abusive mother (Mo’Nique) in Harlem circa 1987.

Since premiĂšring at Sundance last year, this has been a hit on the festival circuit and is a shoo-in for BAFTA and Oscar nominations, with Monique odds on to win the Best Supporting Actress. Directed by Lee Daniels, it contains some excellent performances, especially Sidibe and Monique although parts of it don’t work, especially the fantasy sequences. [Selected cinemas Nationwide / 15]

The Princess and the Frog (Walt Disney): Disney return to hand drawn animation with this loose adaptation of E. D. Baker’s novel The Frog Princess, which itself was inspired by the Grimm fairy tale “The Frog Prince”. The story involves a young girl named Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) who lives in New Orleans’ French Quarter during the Jazz Age and a prince (Bruno Campos) under a curse.

Directed by John Musker and Ron Clements (who made The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Hercules, and Treasure Planet), it features songs and score by Randy Newman and the voices of Anika Noni Rose, Oprah Winfrey and Keith David. [Empire Leicester Square & West End / U] * Nationwide from 5th February *

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ALSO OUT

Breathless (Terracotta Distribution): A South Korean gangster film directed by Yang Ik-Joon, who also stars as a bitter and abusive debt collector. [ICA Cinema & Key Cities]

Adoration (New Wave Films): A belated UK release for this 2008 Canadian drama from director Atom Egoyan about a high school student who weaves his family history into a news story involving terrorism. [Key Cities / 15]

Late Autumn (bfi Distribution): A BFI reissue for this 1960 drama directed by Yasujiro Ozu which stars Setsuko Hara and Chishu Ryu in the tale of three older men who help the widow of a late friend to marry off her daughter. [BFI Southbank & Key Cities / PG]

Our Beloved Month Of August (Cine Lumiere): A Portuguese comedy directed by Miguel Gomes, set against the backdrop of the Pardieiros dance-music festival. [Cine Lumiere / 12A]

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> Check out all the UK cinema releases for January 2010
> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 25th January including Magnolia and Fish Tank
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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UK Cinema Releases: Friday 22nd January 2010

NATIONAL RELEASES

Ninja Assassin (Warner Bros.): A martial arts action-adventure film directed by James McTeigue and starring Rain as one of the world’s deadliest Special Forces Ninja assassins.

The film was produced by Joel Silver and the Wachowski brothers and judging from the negative reviews doesn’t appear to be in any danger of winning awards or reshaping the landscape of 21st century cinema. [Nationwide /18]

Armored (Sony): An action film about a guard for an armored truck company who is coerced by his veteran coworkers to steal a truck containing $10 million.

Directed by Nimród Antal, it stars Matt Dillon, Jean Reno and Laurence Fishburne and it would appear to be a genre film that Sony hope will appeal to undemanding audiences. [Nationwide / 12A]

Brothers (Lionsgate UK): An drama starring Tobey Maguire and Jake Gyllenhaal as two brothers involved in a love triangle with one of their wives (Natalie Portman) after one of them returns from military service in Afghanistan.

Directed by Jim Sheridan, the film is based on Susanne Bier‘s 2004 Danish film Brothers (BrĂždre) which takes place in Afghanistan and Denmark. Both films take inspiration from Homer‘s epic poem The Odyssey. [Nationwide / 15]

The Boys Are Back (Walt Disney):  An adaptation of Simon Carr’s serio-comic novel “The Boys Are Back in Town” which sees Clive Owen play a sports writer becomes a single parent in tragic circumstances while struggling to raise his two sons.

Directed by Scott Hicks, tepid word of mouth mean that this is likely to come and go at cinemas very quickly. [Vue West End & Nationwide]

Toy Story 2 3D (Walt Disney): A reissues in 3D for the 2000 Pixar sequel to Toy Story, in anticipation of the third part which is out this summer. [Nationwide / U]

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ALSO OUT

A Prophet (Optimum): A scintillating French crime drama directed by Jacques Audiard about a young Arab prisoner (Tahar Rahim) who gradually learns how power inside works thanks to a crime boss (Niels Arestrup) who runs an empire from his cell.

Superbly written and directed, it contains two terrific lead performances and a raft of classic scenes which linger in the memory. Since premiÚring at Cannes back in May it has rightly attracted a wave of critical acclaim on the festival circuit and is probably one of the best films of its kind in years. [Curzon Soho, Odeon Covent Gdn., & Nationwide / 18]

Blur: No Distance Left To Run (Arts Alliance): A documentary about the British rock band Blur, which follows the band during their 2009 reunion and tour, and also includes unseen archive footage and interviews. [London & Nationwide]

Burlesque Undressed (More2Screen): A documentary about ‘the art’ of stripping produced by its subject, Kelly Fletcher, aka Immodesty Blaize. [Empire Leicester Square, Odeon Covent Garden & Key Cities / 15]

Veer (Eros): A Bollywood epic directed by Anil Sharma, set in 1825 when the British were ruling India, starring Salman Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Sohail Khan and Jackie Shroff. [C’Worlds Feltham, Ilford, Shaftesbury Ave., Odeon G’wich & Nationwide]

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> Check out all the UK cinema releases for January 2010
> DVD and Blu-ray Picks for Monday 18th January including Dr Strangelove and (500) Days of Summer
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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UK Cinema Releases: Friday 15th January 2010

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NATIONAL RELEASES

Up In The Air (Paramount): A comedy-drama about a corporate downsizer (George Clooney) who spends his life flying around the US firing people in a smooth and efficient manner. Free of human relationships, he has become attached to frequent flyer miles, a commitment-free relationship with a fellow air mile addict (Vera Farmiga) and the buzz of living out of a suitcase. But when his boss (Jason Bateman) partners him with a new recruit (Anna Kendrick) who advocates firing people via video-link, things begin to change.

Directed by Jason Reitman, it is a smart, funny and thoughtful adaptation of Walter Kim’s 2001 novel that explores the current recession, relationships and travel. Intelligently written and slickly directed, it features a marvellous central performance from Clooney, who peppers his role with just the right amounts of charm, wit and emotion. Farmiga and Kendrick also provide excellent support and it will be a strong contender at this year’s Oscars. Paramount can expect solid business after positive word of mouth. [Nationwide / 15]

* Read my full review here and listen to my interview with Anna Kenrick *

The Book of Eli (Entertainment): A post-apocalyptic drama in which a lone man (Denzel Washington) fights his way across America in order to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving humankind. Directed by The Hughes Brothers, this is their first film since From Hell (2001) and looks like The Road meets Man on Fire.

The buzz on this one isn’t great and a decent opening might be followed by a swift tail off in interest. [Nationwide / 15]

44 Inch Chest (Momentum Pictures): A British drama about a jealous husband (Ray Winstone) who plots the kidnapping of his wife’s lover with the intention of restoring his wounded ego.

An impressive UK cast, plus a script by the writers of Sexy Beast (although not, significantly, the director Jonathan Glazer) could see this do moderate business although – like a lot of British films – it has the whiff of something made for TV. [Nationwide / 15]

All About Steve (20th Century Fox): A romantic comedy about an eccentric crossword puzzler (Sandra Bullock) who, convinced that a CNN cameraman (Bradley Cooper) is her true love, trails him as he travels all over the country.

After some of the worst reviews in living memory for a mainstream release, Fox appear to be giving this one a quiet death by dumping it in early January. [Nationwide / 12A]

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ALSO OUT

Still Walking (New Wave Films): A Japanese drama about a retired doctor (Yoshio Harada) who lives by the seaside with his elderly wife hosting a visit for his two grownup, married children. Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda.

Crude (Dogwoof): A documentary directed by Joe Berlinger following the progress of a $27 billion case against the Chevron Corporation, a case also known as the “Amazon Chernobyl”.

> Check out all the UK cinema releases for January 2010
> Get local cinema showtimes for your area via Google Movies

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UK Cinema Releases: 2010

Here is the schedule for UK cinema releases in 2010.

The information is subject to change but hopefully this will be a useful guide to what’s out in the coming months.

The format is the film’s title in bold, followed by the certificate, distributor and then the cinema release it will get.

N.B. As a lot of these haven’t been certified by the BBFC yet, ‘TBC’ denotes that it is To Be Certified, whilst D denotes that it will be screened via digital projection at certain cinemas.

JANUARY 2010

FRIDAY 1st JANUARY

Did You Hear About The Morgans? (PG) / Sony Pictures
Post Grad (12A) / 20th Century Fox
Spread (15) / Optimum
I’m Gonna Explode (15) / Artificial Eye
Tokyo Story (U) (R/I) / BFI

TUESDAY 5th JANUARY

It Might Get Loud (PG) / Blue Dolphin

FRIDAY 8th JANUARY

Daybreakers (15) / Lionsgate UK
Exam (15) / Hazeldine Films/Miracle
It’s Complicated (15) / Universal
Mugabe and the White African / Dogwoof
Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (15) / Entertainment
The Road (15) / Icon

FRIDAY 15th JANUARY

44 Inch Chest (18) / Momentum Pictures
All About Steve (12A) / 20th Century Fox
Crude / Dogwoof
The Book of Eli (15) / Entertainment
Up In The Air (15) / Paramount
Still Walking (U) / New Wave Films

FRIDAY 22nd JANUARY

A Prophet (18) / Optimum
Armored (12A) / Sony
Brothers (15) / Lionsgate UK
The Boys Are Back (12A) / Walt Disney
Toy Story 2 3D (U) / Walt Disney
Blur: No Distance Left To Run / Arts Alliance
Burlesque Undressed (15) / More2Screen
Ninja Assassin (18) / Warner Bros.
Veer / Eros

FRIDAY 29th JANUARY

Adoration (15) / New Wave Films
Edge of Darkness / Icon
Precious: A Novel by Sapphire (15) / Icon
The Princess And The Frog (U) / Walt Disney
Breathless / Terracotta Distribution
Late Autumn (PG) / bfi Distribution

FEBRUARY 2010

FRIDAY 5th FEBRUARY

Astro Boy (PG) (D) / E1 Entertainment / Empire Leicester Square & Natiowide (Previews 30/31 Jan)
Holy Water (D) / Kaleidoscope/Centurion / Key Cities
Invictus (12A) / Warner Bros. / Nationwide
The Island / Artificial Eye / Curzon Renoir & selected Key Cities (fm 19 Feb)
Oil City Confidential (15) (D) / Arts Alliance / London & Nationwide (Previews 2 Feb)
Tony (18) / Revolver Entertainment / London & Key Cities
Youth In Revolt (15) / Paramount/Momentum / Vues Fulham Broadway, Islington, West End & Nationwide
Malice In Wonderland / Kaleidoscope Entertainment (Key Cities)

FRIDAY 12th FEBRUARY

Anonyma: A Woman In Berlin / Metrodome
Battle For Terra (3D) / The Works / Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide
Beyond The Pole (D) / Shooting Pictures / ICA Cinema (Key Cities from March TBC)
Food, Inc / Dogwoof
Letter From An Unknown Woman (R/I) (U) / bfi Distribution / BFI Southbank, Everyman Hampstead & Key Cities
Percy Jackson And The Lightning Thief / 20th Century Fox
Ponyo (U) / Optimum Releasing
Pretty Woman (R/I)(15) / Park Circus / Cineworld Haymarket & Nationwide
A Single Man (12A) / Icon
Takeshis / Artificial Eye / Curzon Renoir
Valentine’s Day / Warner Bros.
Winter In Wartime (D) / Kaleidoscope Entertainment / Key Cities
The Wolfman / Universal

FRIDAY 19th FEBRUARY

A Closed Book (15) / Eyeline Ent/ Atlantic Film
Black Death / Revolver Entertainment
Crazy Heart (15) / 20th Century Fox
Everybody’s Fine / Walt Disney / West End (Nationwide from 26 Feb)
The Headless Woman / New Wave Films
The Last Station (15) / Optimum Releasing
The Lovely Bones (12A) (D) / Paramount / Odeon Leicester Square & Nationwide
Solomon Kane / Entertainment
The Unloved / ICA Films / ICA Cinema & selected Key Cities

FRIDAY 26th FEBRUARY

Capitalism: A Love Story (12A) / Paramount
The Crazies / Paramount/Momentum
Extraordinary Measures (PG) / Sony Pictures
Freestyle / Revolver Entertainment
From Paris With Love / Warner Bros.
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (R/I) Park Circus / BFI Southbank & Key Cities
Leap Year (PG) / Optimum Releasing
Micmacs (12A) (D) / E1 Entertainment / Cineworld Haymarket, Curzons Mayfair, Soho & Nationwide
Milenge Milenge / Eros
A Chinese She / Optimum Releasing

MARCH 2010

FRIDAY 5th MARCH

Alice In Wonderland In (3D) & IMAX / Walt Disney
Case 39 (15) / Paramount / Nationwide
Chloe / Optimum Releasing
Father Of My Children / Artificial Eye
Legion / Sony Pictures
Motherhood (15) / Metrodome
Ondine / Paramount
The Shouting Men (D) / Kaleidoscope Entertainment Key Cities

FRIDAY 12th MARCH

The Blind Side (12A) / Warner Bros.
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo / Momentum Pictures
Green Zone / Universal
The Kreutzer Sonata / Axiom Films / Key Cities
Shutter Island / Paramount

WEDNESDAY 17th MARCH

The Bounty Hunter / Sony Pictures
I Love You Phillip Morris / E1 Entertainment

FRIDAY 19th MARCH

Dirty Oil (D) / Dogwoof / Key Cities
The Ghost / Optimum Releasing
My Last Five Girlfriends / Paramount
Old Dogs (PG) / Walt Disney
The Scouting Book For Boys / WarnerBros/Pathe
Valhalla Rising / Vertigo Films

FRIDAY 26th MARCH

Clash Of The Titans / Warner Bros.
Extract / Paramount
Lion’s Den / Axiom Films / Key Cities
Nanny Mcphee 2 / Universal
No One Knows About Persian Cats / Network Releasing / Curzon Soho & Key Cities
Perrier’s Bounty (15) / Optimum Releasing
Shank / Revolver Entertainment

WEDNESDAY 31ST MARCH

How To Train Your Dragon 3D / Paramount

APRIL 2010

FRIDAY 2nd APRIL

City Of War / Metrodome
Double Take / Soda Pictures
Kick-Ass / Universal
L’Affaire Farewell / The Works
Lourdes / Artificial Eye
Paathshala / Eros
Psycho (R/I) / Universal
Remember Me / E1 Entertainment
Samson & Delilah / Trinity Filmed Entertainment
The Spy Next Door / Momentum Pictures

FRIDAY 9th APRIL

Date Night / 20th Century Fox
I Am Love / Metrodome
I Know You Know / Network Releasing / Apollo Piccadilly Circus & Key Cities (Previews fm 5 Apl)
Shelter / Icon
Whip It! / Lionsgate UK

FRIDAY 16TH APRIL

Alpha And Omega / Lionsgate UK
Boogie Woogie / Vertigo Films
City Of Life And Death (D) / High Fliers Films / Curzon Mayfair, Gate & Key Cities
Cop Out / Warner Bros.
Dear John / Paramount/Momentum
Kicks / New Wave Films
The Losers / Optimum Releasing
Mardi Gras / Sony Pictures
New York, I Love You / The Works
Cemetery Junction / Sony Pictures

FRIDAY 23rd APRIL

Centurion / Warner Bros/Pathe
Dogtooth (18) / Verve Pictures
Housefull / Eros
The Infidel / Revolver Entertainment
It’s A Wonderful Afterlife / Icon
La Danse / Soda Pictures
Life During Wartime / Artificial Eye
Repo Men / Universal

FRIDAY 30th APRIL

The Disappearance Of Alice Creed (18) / CinemaNX Distribution / Nationwide
Greenberg / Universal
Iron Man 2 / Paramount
John Rabe / Metrodome
The Last Song / Walt Disney
Vincere / Artificial Eye

MAY 2010

FRIDAY 7th MAY

The Back-Up Plan / Sony Pictures
The Bad Lieutenant / Lionsgate UK
Furry Vengeance / E1 Entertainment
Gentlemen Broncos / 20th Century Fox
Nightmare On Elm Street / Warner Bros.
The Rebound (15) / Paramount/Momentum

FRIDAY 14th MAY

Last Night / Walt Disney
Revanche / Artificial Eye
Robin Hood / Universal

FRIDAY 21st MAY

Hippie Hippie Shake / Universal
The Killer Inside Me / Icon
Lebanon / Metrodome
Letters To Juliet / E1 Entertainment
Prince Of Persia / Walt Disney
Streetdance (3D) / Vertigo Films

FRIDAY 28th MAY

The Happiest Girl In The World / Soda Pictures
Rec 2 / E1 Entertainment
Sex And The City 2 / Warner Bros.
The Tooth Fairy / 20th Century Fox

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JUNE 2010

WEDNESDAY 2nd JUNE

4.3.2.1 (15) / The Works
Death At A Funeral (15) / Sony Pictures

FRIDAY 4th JUNE

Bear (15) / Metrodome Distribution
The Brothers Bloom (12A) / Optimum Releasing
Girl On The Train / Soda Pictures
Kicks (15) / New Wave Films
The Killer Inside Me (18) / Icon
She’s Out Of My League (15) / Paramount
Shrink (15) / Lionsgate UK
Videocracy (15) / Dogwoof

MONDAY 7th JUNE

Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage (15) / Arts Alliance

WEDNESDAY 9th JUNE

Brooklyn’s Finest (18) / Momentum Pictures
Letters To Juliet (PG) / E1 Entertainment

FRIDAY 11th JUNE

Black Death (15) / Revolver Entertainment
Bronco Bullfrog (15) (R/I) / bfi Distribution
Greenberg (15) / Universal
H2Oil (12A) / Dogwoof
Shed Your Tears And Walk Away / ICO/Bungalow Town
Women Without Men (15) / Artificial Eye

FRIDAY 18th JUNE

Ajami (15) / Vertigo Films
Hierro (12A) / Optimum Releasing
Journey To Mecca (PG) / SK Films
Killers (12A) / Lionsgate UK
MacGruber (15) / Universal
Our Family Wedding (12A) / 20th Century Fox

Please Give (15) / Sony Pictures
Raavan (12A) / Ayngaran
Rashomon (12A) (R/I) / bfi Distribution
Trash Humpers / Warp Films/Alcove Entertainment
Wild Grass / New Wave Films
Wild Target (12A) / Entertainment

FRIDAY 25th JUNE

Breathless: 50th Anniversary (PG)(R/I) / Optimum Releasing
The Collector (18) / Icon
Get Him To The Greek (15) / Universal
Good Hair (12A) / Icon
Tetro (15) / Soda Pictures
Villa Amalia (PG) / Peccadillo Pictures
Whatever Works (12A) / Warner Bros.
When In Rome (PG) / Walt Disney

JULY 2010

FRIDAY 2nd JULY

The Ballroom (15) / Matchbox Films
Crimefighters / Picturehouse Cinemas
Gay Sex In The 70’s (18) / Peccadillo Pictures
Heartbreaker (15) / Revolver Entertainment
I Hate Luv Stories / UTV M.PIC
Lymelife (15) / Network Releasing
Shrek Forever After (U) (3D) / Paramount
Skeletons (D) / Soda Pictures
When You’re Strange: A Film About The Doors (15) / The Works
White Material (15) / Artificial Eye

THURSDAY 8th JULY

Predators (15) / 20th Century Fox

FRIDAY 9th JULY

The 7th Dimension (15) / Kaleidoscope Entertainment
Frownland / ICA Cinema
Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema (15) / Anchor Bay Films
Leaving (15) / Metrodome Distribution
London River (12A) / Trinity Filmed Entertainment
Milenge Milenge / Eros
The Twilight Saga: Eclipse / E1 Entertainment
Went The Day Well (PG)(R/I) / bfi Distribution

FRIDAY 16th JULY

Bluebeard / New Wave Films
The Concert (15) / Optimum Releasing
Inception (12A) / Warner Bros.
Mega Piranha (15) / Metrodome Distribution
Mel Karade Rabba / B4U
Rapt (15) / Artificial Eye
Rough Aunties / ICA Cinema

MONDAY 19th JULY

Toy Story 3 (U) / Walt Disney

FRIDAY 23rd JULY

Baaria (15) / E1 Entertainment
City Island (12A) / Anchor Bay Films
Ivul (15) / Artificial Eye
Khatta Meetha / Eros
My Night With Maud (R/I) / bfi Distribution
The Rebound (15) / Paramount/Momentum
Splice (15) / Optimum Releasing

WEDNESDAY 28th JULY

The A-Team (12A) / 20th Century Fox
Karate Kid (PG) / Sony Pictures

FRIDAY 30th JULY

Beautiful Kate (15) / Matchbox Films
Down Terrace (15) / Metrodome Distribution
Frontier Blues (12A) / Artificial Eye
Gainsbourg (15) / Optimum Releasing
Once Upon A Time In Mumbai / B4U
Separado! / Soda Pictures
South Of The Border (15) / Dogwoof

AUGUST 2010

WEDNESDAY4th AUGUST

Cats & Dogs: The Revenge Of Kitty Galore (U) / Warner Bros.

FRIDAY 6th AUGUST

Aisha / DI5
Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky (15) / Soda Pictures
Eccentricities Of A Blonde-Haired Girl (U) / New Wave Films
Knight & Day (12A) / 20th Century Fox
Step Up 3D (12A) / Universal
Undertow (15) / Axiom Films

WEDNESDAY 11th AUGUST

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (PG) / Walt Disney

FRIDAY 13th AUGUST

Black Dynamite (15) / Icon
The Final (18) / Chelsea Films
Five Easy Pieces (15) (R/I) / Park Circus
The Last Airbender (PG) (3D) / Paramount
Le Refuge (15) / Artificial Eye
The Secret In Their Eyes (18) / Metrodome Distribution
Tinkerbell & The Great Fairy Rescue (U) / Walt Disney

WEDNESDAY 18th AUGUST

Marmaduke (U) / 20th Century Fox

THURSDAY 19th AUGUST

The Expendables (15) / Lionsgate UK

FRIDAY 20th AUGUST

The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (18) / Bounty Films
The Illusionist (PG) / Warmer Bros/Pathe
Mother (15) / ICO/ Optimum Releasing
Pianomania / More2Screen
Piranha (3D) (18) / Entertainment
Salt (12A) / Sony Pictures

WEDNESDAY 25th AUGUST

Diary Of A Wimpy Kid (PG) / 20th Century Fox
Grown Ups (12A) / Sony Pictures
Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (12A) / Universal

FRIDAY 27th AUGUST

Avatar (Special Edition) (3D) / 20th Century Fox
Dog Pound (18) / Optimum Releasing
The Girl Who Played With Fire (15) / Momentum Pictures
The Last Seven (18) / Metrodome Distribution
The Leopard (R/I) / bfi Distribution
The Maid (15) / Artificial Eye
Wah Do Dem (15) / Picturehouse

SEPTEMBER 2010

WEDNESDAY 1st SEPTEMBER

Perestroika / ICA Cinema
The Switch (12A) / Lionsgate UK

FRIDAY 3rd SEPTEMBER

22 Bullets (18) / Anchor Bay UK
Bonded By Blood / Revolver Entertainment
Certified Copy (12A) / Artificial Eye
Cherry Tree Lane (18) / Metrodome Distribution
Dinner For Schmucks (12A) / Paramount
Jonah Hex (15) / Warner Bros.
The Last Exorcism (15) / Optimum Releasing
No Impact Man (15) / Dogwoof
SoulBoy / Soda Pictures
Splintered (18) / Kaleidoscope Entertainment
Why Did I Get Married Too? (12A) / Lionsgate UK

FRIDAY 10th SEPTEMBER

Alamar / New Wave Films
Cyrus (15) / 20th Century Fox
Dabangg / Eros
Going The Distance (15) / Warner Bros.
Metropolis (PG) (R/I) / Eureka Entertainment
My Son, My Son, What Have You Done / Scanbox Entertainment
Resident Evil: Afterlife (3D) / Sony Pictures
The Runaways (15) / E1 Entertainment
Tamara Drewe (15) / Momentum Pictures

WEDNESDAY 15th SEPTEMBER

Night Of The Demons / Kaleidoscope Entertainment

FRIDAY 17th SEPTEMBER

Devil / Universal
F / Optimum Releasing
Grease Sing-A-Long (PG) (R/I) / Paramount
The Horde / Momentum Pictures
Ik Kudi Panjab Di / Kornerstone Films Ltd
Just Wright (PG) / 20th Century Fox
The Kid / Revolver Entertainment
The Other Guys (12A) / Sony Pictures
Release / Parasol Pictures
Winter’s Bone (15) / Artificial Eye

WEDNESDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER

The Hole (3D) / E1 Entertainment

FRIDAY 24th SEPTEMBER

Anjaana Anjaani / Eros
Budrus / Dogwoof
Eat, Pray, Love (PG) / Sony Pictures
Enter The Void (18) / Trinity Filmed Entertainment
From Here To Eternity (R/I) / Park Circus
Frozen (15) / Momentum Pictures
Peepli Live (15) / Artificial Eye
The Town (15) / Warner Bros.
The Wildest Dream (PG) / Serengeti Ent/National Geographic
World’s Greatest Dad / The Works

WEDNESDAY 29th SEPTEMBER

Buried / Icon

OCTOBER 2010

FRIDAY 1st OCTOBER

Back To The Future (R/I) / Universal
Bella / Kaleidoscope Entertainment
Collapse / Dogwoof
Made In Dagenham (15) / Paramount
Police, Adjective / Artificial Eye
The Secret Of Kells (PG) / Optimum Releasing
Takers (12A) / Sony Pictures

WEDNESDAY 6th OCTOBER

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps / 20th Century Fox

FRIDAY 8th OCTOBER

Involuntary (15) / Trinity Filmed Entertainment
Jackboots In Whitehall / Vertigo Films
The Life And Death Of Charlie St. Cloud (12A) / Universal
Life As We Know It / Warner Bros.
Mr Nice (18) / E1 Entertainment
New York, I Love You / The Works
Restrepo / Dogwoof
A Town Called Panic / Optimum Releasing

FRIDAY 15th OCTOBER

Despicable Me (U) (3D) / Universal
London Boulevard / Entertainment
Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow / Artificial Eye
The Social Network / Sony Pictures
Vampires Suck / 20th Century Fox

WEDNESDAY 20th OCTOBER

Alpha & Omega / Lionsgate UK

FRIDAY 22nd OCTOBER

Africa United / Warner Bros/Pathe
The Arbor / Verve Pictures
Carlos (15) / Optimum Releasing
Easy A (15) / Sony Pictures
Legend Of The Guardians 3D (previously Guardians Of Ga’hoole) / Warner Bros.
Mary & Max / Soda Pictures
Ramona And Beezus (U) / 20th Century Fox
Red / E1 Entertainment
Sequel To Paranormal Activity / Paramount

FRIDAY 29th OCTOBER

Burke And Hare / Entertainment
Enemies Of The People (D) / Dogwoof
Forbidden (R/I) / Park Circus
The Hunter (15) / Artificial Eye
It Happened One Night (R/I) / Park Circus
The Kids Are All Right (15) / Universal
Peeping Tom: 50th Anniversary / Optimum Releasing
Saw VII (3D) / Lionsgate UK

FRIDAY 5th NOVEMBER

Another Year (12A) / Momentum Pictures [Cineworld Haymarket, Curzon Soho, Everyman, Screen On Baker St. & N’wide]
Due Date (15) / Warner Bros. [Nationwide]
Fit / Peccadillo Pictures [Shortwave, Tricycle & Key Cities]
Golmaal 3 (Eros) [C’Worlds Feltham, Ilford, Wood Green, Vue Acton & Key Cities]
Jackass 3D (18) / Paramount [Vue West End & Nationwide]
Let Me In (12A) / Paramount/Icon [Odeon West End & Nationwide]
Mammoth (15) / Soda Pictures [Odeon Panton Street & Key Cities]
Red & White (Kaleidoscope Entertainment) [Key Cities]

FRIDAY 12th NOVEMBER

Aftershock / Metrodome Distribution [Apollo Piccadilly Circus]
brilliantlove / Soda Pictures [Curzon Renoir & Key Cities]
A Day In the Life – Four Portraits Of Post-War Britain (U) / bfi Distribution [BFI Southbank & Key Cities]
The Edge Of Dreaming / Cinefile
Into Eternity / Dogwoof (ICA Cinema & Key Cities)
My Afternoons With Margueritte (15) / Picturehouse Entertainment [Cine Lumiere, Curzon Mayfair, Everyman, Gate & Nationwide]
Skyline / Paramount/Momentum [Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave., Vue West End & Nationwide]
We Are What We Are (15) / Artificial Eye [Curzon Soho, Odeon Covent Gdn., Screen On The Green, Vue Islington & Nationwide]
You Again (U) / Walt Disney [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide]

FRIDAY 19th NOVEMBER

Adrift (12A) / Revolver Entertainment [Key Cities]
Broken Sun (15) / Metrodome Distribution [Selected Key Cities]
Chico And Rita (15) / CinemaNX [Picurehouse Clapham, Gate, Greenwich, Ritzy & Key Cities]
Dream Home (18) / Network Releasing [Cineworld Shaftesbury Ave., Showcase Newham, Vue Shepherds Bush & Key Cities]
Fathers Of Girls / Soda Pictures [Empire Leicester Square, Genesis Mile End & Key Cities]
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part I (12A) / Warner Bros. [Empire Leicester Square, Vue West End & Nationwide]
Peeping Tom: 50th Anniversary (15) / Optimum Releasing [Curzon Mayfair & Key Cities]
Robinson In Ruins (U) / bfi Distribution [BFI Southbank & Key Cities]
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (12A) / New Wave Films [Key Cities]

FRIDAY 26th NOVEMBER

Unstoppable (12A) / 20th Century Fox [Vue West End & Nationwide]
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest (15) / Momentum Pictures
The American (15) / Universal [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide]
Break Ke Baad / Reliance Big Entertainment [Cineworlds Feltham, Ilford, Wandsworth, Woodgreen & Nationwide]
Leap Year / Axiom Films [Key Cities]
London Boulevard / Entertainment [Nationwide]
Machete (18) / Sony Pictures [Nationwide]
An Ordinary Execution / Arrow Films [Cine Lumiere, Clapham Picturehouse & Nationwide]
The Scar Crow (18) / Metrodome Distribution [Selected Key Cities]
Tere Ishq Nachaya / Eros [Cineworlds Feltham, Ilford, Wood Green & Key Cities]
Waiting For Superman (PG) / Paramount/Vantage [Curzon Soho & Picturehouse Clapham]

DECEMBER 2010

FRIDAY 3rd DECEMBER

A Christmas Tale – Rare Exports / Icon
Megamind (formerly Master Mind) / Paramount
Of Gods And Men / Artificial Eye
The Warrior’s Way / Entertainment

FRIDAY 10th DECEMBER

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader / 20th Century Fox
On Tour / Artificial Eye
Secretariat / Walt Disney
The Shop Around The Corner (R/I) / bfi Distribution

FRIDAY 17th DECEMBER

Animals United (3D) / Entertainment
Burlesque / Sony Pictures
Toonpur Ka Superhero / Eros
Tron: Legacy (3D & IMAX) / Walt Disney

WEDNESDAY 22nd DECEMBER

Gulliver’s Travels / 20th Century Fox
Little Fockers / Paramount

WEDNESDAY 29th DECEMBER

Love And Other Drugs / 20th Century Fox

FRIDAY 31st DECEMBER

The Big Sleep (R/I) / bfi Distribution