Up in the Air is a new film about a corporate downsizer named Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) whose job is to inform people that they no longer have theirs.
Employed by an Omaha based company, his life is spent flying around the US firing people in a smooth and efficient manner because bosses want to outsource this awkward process.
Free of human relationships, he has become attached to frequent flyer miles, 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 Kimâs 2001 novel that explores the current recession, relationships and travel.
I spoke with Anna Kendrick in London recently and we talked about her role and her experiences making it.
Directed by Nancy Meyers (The Holiday, Something’s Gotta Give) it is aimed squarely at the female market and Streep has even been pushed for some OScar and BAFTA consideration. Universal will expect healthy business from the expected audiences although adverse weather conditions could impact the box office. [Odeon West End & Nationwide / 15]
Given that the story involves suicide, cannibalism and humans acting like savages you have to give credit to director John Hillcoat (who made the wonderfully gritty Australian western The Proposition in 2005) and screenwriter Joe Penhall (author of the acclaimed play Blue/Orange) for properly translating the horrors and emotions of the novel into a film. Icon will be another UK film distributor cursing the weather and the bleak subject matter is another challenge that has dogged this film. That said, it is based on a major bestseller and is a timely and moving drama. [Vue West End & Nationwide / 15]
Daybreakers (Lionsgate): A sci-fi horror set in the year 2017, after a plague has transformed nearly all humans into vampires. Faced with a dwindling blood supply, the fractured dominant race plots their survival whilst a researcher (Ethan Hawke) works with a covert band of vampires on a way to save humankind.
Directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig, it co-stars Willem Dafoe and Sam Neill. Although DVD is probably where this will make its real cash, the concept could see it do reasonable theatrical business. [Vue West End & Nationwide/ 15]
The title of the film is derived from the classic 1977 hit, “Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll” and although word of mouth on this hasn’t been stellar, it could appeal to a certain audience (i.e. readers of Mojo and Uncut). [Nationwide / 15]
Exam(Hazeldine Films/Miracle): A British horror film about eight talented candidates for a job interview at a mysterious corporation who have 80 minutes to answer one simple question with three rules. [Key Cities / 15]
Mugabe and the White African (Dogwoof): Documentary directed by Lucy Bailey and Andrew Thompson that explores a white Zimbabwean family’s stand against Robert Mugabe’s land reform campaign. [ICA Cinema & selected Key Cities]
Treeless Mountain (Soda Pictures): Korean film from director Kim So Yong about two young sisters sisters who have to live with their aunt and grandmother after their mother leaves them.  [Renoir & Key Cities / 15]
Fireball (Premiere Films): Bollywood film directed by Thanakorn Pongsuwan and starring Preeti Baraneean [Key Cities]
Mitti (Eros): Bollywood film of which there is little information to be found via Google. [Cineworlds Feltham, Ilford & Key Cities / 12A]
Set in a post-apocalyptic world, it depicts the journey of a father (Viggo Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they struggle to stay alive in an America which has descended into savagery after an unspecified environmental and social collapse.
Directed by John Hillcoat, who made the gritty Australian western The Proposition (2005), it premiered at the Venice film festival last September and is eagerly awaited by many as the book won the Pulitzer prize for fiction, was endorsed by Oprah Winfrey and went on to become an unlikely bestseller.
Joe came to prominence as a playwright with Blue/Orange and later penned the screenplay for Enduring Love (2004) before being given the onerous task of translating the horrors and emotions of the novel into a film.
I spoke with him in London recently about the film and you can listen to the interview here:
Directed by Marc Lawrence, this looks to be in the mould of his previous collaborations with Grant (Two Weeks Notice, Music and Lyrics), which basically means it’s aimed at less-than-discerning female audiences. The negative reviews and poor US box office suggest that it will not be regarded as one of the defining films of the new decade. [Nationwide / Cert 12A]
Post Grad (20th Century Fox): A comedy about a college graduate (Alexis Bledel) who has to move back in with her family, while she attempts to find a job and the right guy.
It died a box office death in the US last August (grossing just over $250,000) which suggests that Kutcher’s four million-plus followers on Twitter didn’t make the trip to see it. [Odeon Covent Gdn., Vue West End & Nationwide / Cert 15]
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I’m Gonna Explode (Artificial Eye): A Mexican film about teenage angst which sees a young man (Juan Pablo de Santiago) go on a road trip with an equally rebellious girl (Maria Deschamps). Directed by Gerardo Naranjo, it could do respectable arthouse business if word of mouth gets around. [Renoir & Key Cities / Cert 15]
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
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
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
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
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
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 monthâs cinema releases or any upcoming titles then just email me or leave a comment below.
As usual my best films of the year are presented in alphabetical order and in the interests of brevity I’ve decided to make the descriptions shorter so I can post each one on Twitter.
THE BEST FILMS OF 2009
A Prophet (Dir. Jacques Audiard): A stunning French prison drama with grit, style, humour and killer performances from Tahar Rahim and Niels Arestrup.
A Serious Man (Dir. The Coen Brothers): This sly re-working of the Book of Job was arguably the finest film of the Coen Brothers distinguished career.
Adventureland (Dir. Greg Mottola): A coming-of-age drama which defiantly proved that movies featuring teenagers can be funny, moving and smart.
Avatar (Dir. James Cameron): The dialogue creaked but Cameron returned with a dazzling sci-fi experience and took cinema visuals into a new world.
In the Loop (Dir. Armando Ianucci): The joyous foul-mouthed wit of this political satire was only matched by the intelligence of its observations on modern politics.
Inglourious Basterds (Dir. Quentin Tarantino): A cinematic mash up of WW2 movies and spaghetti westerns saw Tarantino return to form with a bang.
Sin Nombre (Dir. Cary Fukunaga): This beautifully shot immigration drama featured some fine performances and heralded a new talent in director Cary Joji Fukunaga.
The Hurt Locker (Dir. Kathryn Bigelow): A pulsating and provocative examination of a US bomb squad in Iraq that may come to be a defining film of the conflict.
The Road (Dir. John Hillcoat): Cormac McCarthy’s parable of a book came to the screen with admirable levels of emotion, horror and realism.
The White Ribbon (Dir. Michael Haneke): A stunning examination of a German village beset by mysterious cruelties which became a telling meditation on the roots of Nazism.
Up (Dir. Pete Doctor): Pixar triumph again with this lovingly rendered tale of the young and the old learning from one another on a unique balloon trip.
Up in the Air (Dir. Jason Reitman): A skillful comedy-drama that was both funny and thoughtful, featured a terrific performance from George Clooney.
HONOURABLE MENTIONS
A Single Man (Dir. Tom Ford) An Education (Dir. Lone Scherfig) Broken Embraces (Dir. Pedro AlmodĂłvar) Coraline (Dir. Henry Selick) 35 Shots of Rum (Dir. Claire Denis) District 9 (Dir. Neill Blomkamp) Moon (Dir. Duncan Jones) Star Trek (Dir. JJ Abrams) The Cove (Dir. Louie Psihoyos) Fish Tank (Dir. Andrea Arnold) Where The Wild Things Are (Dir. Spike Jonze)
FROM 2008
Encounters at the End of the World (Dir. Werner Herzog) Two Lovers (Dir. James Gray) Il Divo (Dir: Paolo Sorrentino) Mid-August Lunch (Dir. Gianni di Gregorio)
What about you? Leave your favourites from this year in the comments below.
The latest big screen adaptation of the famous London detective is a mixed bag that tries to reinterpret the character as a Victorian-era James Bond.
When the news broke that Guy Ritchie was directing a new big budget film based on Arthur Conan Doyle‘s character, alarm bells began to ring. He broke through in the late 90s as a director of passable cockney gangster films such as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000).
But he then he went on to direct two of the most embarrassing disasters of the decade: Swept Away (2002) was a laughable remake of an Italian film with his famous wife in the lead role, whilst Revolver (2005) was an impenetrable gangster drama which involved Jason Statham arguing with himself in a lift and Ray Liotta shouting in his underpants.
After teaming up with producer Joel Silver for the average but not disastrous RockNRolla (2008), he was entrusted with bringing Holmes to the big screen after some eagle-eyed person had spotted the copyright on the famous character was due to expire.
Instead Ritchie has opted for a less clean cut figure, who even indulges in bare knuckle boxing although they have preserved his penetrating intelligence and wit.
It plays a little like Holmes rewritten by Dan Brown (The Da Vinci Holmes anyone?) but the screenplay by Michael Robert Johnson, Anthony Peckham and Simon Kinberg doesn’t deviate as much from the stories as fans might have feared.
On the plus side, Downey and Law are actually well cast in the leading roles and have a nice chemistry together, even if a little too much innuendo is implied with regards to their relationship.
The film largely rests on Downey who manages to convince and engage as an intelligent action man with a passable British accent, even though his pronunciation at times is a little curious.
Strong makes for a reasonable, if one dimensional villain, although McAdams is badly miscast and Kelly Reilly (as Watson’s love interest) is also given a wafer-thin role that does little justice to her talent as an actress.
Victorian London is recreated with a clever mix of set design and CGI, although there are sequences (especially the climax on Tower Bridge) where it doesn’t fully work and comes across like an overblown computer game.
Another downside is that Ritchie can’t help himself when it comes to his trademark ‘slowing-down and then speeded up’ editing style. This is employed whenever key plot or character points are explained and soon becomes irritating.
The script also has the feel of being re-written several times in order to spell out key plot points.
This doesn’t hide some glaring inconsistencies (including one death sequence that is ludicrous in retrospect) but given that Holmes’ favoured method (imitated by many fictional detectives since such as Poirot and Columbo) is to explain how he solved problems, it probably won’t jar audiences too much.
To be fair, Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes isn’t quite as bad as one might have feared, which isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement but indicates that there is a possible franchise ahead for Downey as the pipe smoking detective.
Sherlock Holmes (Warner Bros.): After the copyright expired on the famous detective, Hollywood studios scrambled to make a big screen adaptation and this version sees Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) and his stalwart partner Watson (Jude Law) engage in a battle of wits and brawn with a nemesis (Mark Strong) whose has a fiendish plot.
Although the words ‘directed by Guy Ritchie’ can strike fear into the heart of any self-respecting film lover, box office prospects for this look pretty good, despite competition from Avatar and mixed reviews. [Nationwide / 12A]
Although by no means flawless, the film does a good job of laying out the drama in Lennon’s early life and Johnson does a decent job filling the daunting shoes of Lennon. Supporting performances (especially Kristin Scott-Thomas and Anne Marie-Duff) are very good and the period detail is nicely evoked. [Nationwide / 15]
Directed by Betty Thomas, it should take a healthy bite out of the Christmas box office as it was released a few days ago and is one of the most family friendly films on release. [Nationwide / PG]
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My Father My Lord (Artificial Eye): A belated UK release for this 2007 Israeli film about a rabbi, his wife and their child. Directed by David Volach, it stars Nitsam Bar, Assi Dayan and IIan Griff. [Renoir & selected Key Cities / PG]
The Queen Of Spades (Optimum Releasing/ICO): A digital reissue for this classic supernatural drama directed by Thorold Dickinson (best known for directing Gaslight). Not seen in British cinemas since its original release in 1949, it is a theatrical taster for its release on DVD in the new year. [Curzon Mayfair, Phoenix East Finchley & Key Cities / PG]
Dogging: A Love Story (Vertigo Films): A British drama about Geordies having anonymous sex in car parks. Directed by Simon Ellis, it stars Luke Treadaway and Kate Heppell.  [Key Cities / 18]
Avatar (20th Century Fox): Director James Cameron’s sci-fi epic is finally here. Set in 2154, the story is about a paraplegic war veteran (Sam Worthington) who travels to the distant planet in order to understand and become part of the native humanoid race, which is at odds with human settlers who want to mine the planet for precious minerals. Co-starring Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Stephen Lang, it breaks new ground with some extraordinary visual effects, innovative use of 3D and a surprisingly subversive story line.
Given the enormous cost of the production (reportedly around the $300 million mark) Fox will be anxious but given the positive buzz and critical praise since it premiĂšred in London last week, they can be hopeful for a huge gross over the Christmas period as the must-see factor really kicks in.[Nationwide / 12A]
Directed by Rob Marshall, The Weinstein Company were hoping that this musical with an all-star cast would deliver awards season glory, the mixed reviews may hinder the box office appeal. Entertainment are the UK distributor and they are going for a platform release, showing it exclusively at the Odeon West End in London for a week and then rolling it out nationwide from Boxing Day and January 1st. [Nationwide from December 26th and 1st Jan / Cert 12A]
St Trinian’s: The Legend of Fritton’s Gold (Entertainment): The girls of St. Trinians are on the hunt for buried treasure after discovering headmistress Miss Fritton is related to a famous pirate. Given that the first St Trinian’s hasn’t even come out in America yet, prospects for this sequel in a busy Christmas period don’t look too good. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / PG]
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Humpday (Vertigo Films): One of the more notable US indie releases this year is the tale of two guys (Mark Duplass and Joshua Leonard) who take their bromance to another level when they participate in an art film project.
Directed by Lynn Shelton, it could do good arthouse business given the blitz of high profile releases at the multiplexes. [Curzon Soho & Key Cities / 15]
The long awaited blockbuster from director James Cameron is a remarkable visual achievement and a thrilling sci-fi drama.
Anticipation over what Avatar would be has reached fever pitch in recent months as speculation mounted: Would the 3D change the way audiences see cinema? Why did it cost so much? What’s with all the blue aliens? And why is it called Avatar?
The less than ecstatic reaction in various quarters to the trailers and preview footage in the summer, combined with some sluggish tracking numbers, were probably enough to make folks at 20th Century Fox a little nervous.
But the simple fact is that Avatar really delivers. For the 163 minute running time it takes you on an adventure and into a different world with all manner of thrilling sights and sounds.
Set in the year 2154, the story and centres on a wheelchair bound US marine named Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), sent on a mission to the planet of Pandora, replacing his recently deceased twin brother.
It has been partly colonised by humans who are trying to mine it for rare minerals because Earth is on the bring of ecological collapse.
Sully’s mission is to mix with Pandora’s native aliens the Na’vi by becoming an Avatar, a hybrid alien which he ‘becomes’ under lab conditions, as if in a dream.
Aided by the chief scientist (Sigourney Weaver) in charge of the project, he finds a way of blending in with the natives after the hawkish military commander (Stephen Lang) recruits him to be a spy.
But he soon comes to fall in love with the planet and its people after being rescued by Na’vi warrior Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) and finding himself at home on amongst their culture.
This causes inevitable tensions with the human colony’s desire to exploit their land.
The most immediate thing about experiencing the film is how quickly you settle into the world of Pandora.
Forget all the Gawker-led hipster jibes about the Na’vi looking like smurfs – once you are  inside the cinema they look and feel like real characters, which is a major tribute to the CGI artists and actors who brought them to life.
But it is the stunning vistas and trippy details of Pandora that will really wow audiences.
In utilising new advances in technology, Avatar goes in further in pushing the envelope: alien landscapes, major characters and various creatures are rendered with astounding detail and richness.
If you stay and watch the end credits you’ll see an unbelievable amount of visual effects artists and several different houses, although the primary credit goes to the WETA Digital team led by Joe Letteri.
At times it is so good that that you begin to take it for granted, which in a strange way almost makes it a victim of its own brilliance.
Another important aspect of Avatar is that it was filmed with the proprietary Fusion digital 3-D camera system (developed by Cameron and Vince Pace) which are stereoscopic cameras that ‘simulate’ human sight.
I saw it in 3D and was struck at how seamless it was. There was no obvious pointy images, but a visual design that draws you subconsciously into the screen. It will also work in 2D but I think 3D will prove the richer experience.
There’s been a lot of talk about this film being a game changer for 3D in mainstream cinema. I’m not sure every film at a multiplex should (or needs to) be shown like that, but for tentpole movies Avatar is a big leap forward.
Certainly it could influence writers, directors and producers to be more imaginative in how they approach the visual design of a blockbuster.
But what of the themes and subtext? For such a high profile film from a major Hollywood studio, it is a fairly stinging critique of US militarism and imperialism, firmly on the side of the indigenous insurgency with a pro-environmental message to boot – at one point a tree is literally hugged and spoke to!
The sight of futuristic US helicopters landing on jungles and firing incendiary bombs on the native Na’vi echoes Vietnam and the arc of the story carries more than a whiff of Dances With Wolves or even The New World.
There is also a certain irony that it was mostly funded by Rupert Murdoch‘s News Corp and makes you wonder if the Aussie media mogul got the memo about hundreds of millions of his dollars being spent on a film with such a liberal message.
It could certainly be interpreted as a big, middle-fingered salute to the Bush-Cheney era – a critique of US imperialism that embraces empathy with other races and respect for the environment.
The irony of course is that this is likely to wash right over the heads of Fox News junkies and Sarah Palin fans.
It isn’t exactly subtle, but props must go to Cameron for being so on the nose with the issues.
Just weeks after more US troops were sent to Afghanistan and the week global leaders meet in Copenhagen to discuss the environment, it could hardly be more topical – impressive for a sci-film set in the middle of the next century.
There are some minus points: the script contains some clunky dialogue; some sequences appear trimmed to keep the running time down; the originality of the visuals isn’t matched by the story; Leona Lewis singing over the end credits and at times the villains and their motives are a little one-dimensional.
I’d be wary of talking about Avatar as another Titanic. For various reasons it will be hard to ever crack the runaway box office success of that film and I don’t feel it will sweep the Oscar race this year (although the technical and visual effects awards are in the bag).
But if word of mouth catches fire, there could certainly be a slow-burn must-see effect – like with Titanic – that turns it into the kind of film people have to see in order to talk about it.
From The Terminator through to Titanic, James Cameron has always been a great technical director, even if his films have had their downsides.
By pushing relentlessly at how films look on screen he has helped raised standards of how we view movies and for that he deserves great credit.
Avatar demonstrates again that he understands one of the basic truths about cinema, which is its ability to lift audiences out of themselves for a couple of hours and make them feel giddy in the process.
Where The Wild Things Are (Warner Bros.): Maurice Sendakâs 1963 childrenâs book has found its way to the screen and the result is an adaptation of rare depth and feeling. Director Spike Jonze has crafted an interesting take on the material which sees a young boy (Max Records) venture to a magical land where he is anointed king by a group of strange creatures (voiced by James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper and Paul Dano).
Given the love for the book Warner Bros will be expecting some decent box office action before Avatar hits cinemas a week from now. Read my full thoughts on the film here. [Nationwide / PG]
Carriers(Paramount): Horror about four friends fleeing a viral pandemic who discover they are more dangerous than the virus.
Despite starring Chris Pine (recently seen as Kirk in the Star Trek reboot) the fumes emanating from this aren’t good given that its been on the shelf for two years. [Nationwide / 15]
The Stepfather (Sony Pictures): A remake of the 1987 film about a man (Penn Badgley) who returns home from military school to find his mother Susan (Sela Ward), happily in love with a man known as David Harris (Dylan Walsh) who isn’t what he seems.
Given the brutal reviews and lack of buzz the omens don’t look good for this one. [Nationwide  / 15]
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LIMITED RELEASE
The Red Shoes (Park Circus): A re-release for the classic Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger film about a young ballerina (Moira Shearer) who joins an established ballet company and becomes the lead dancer in a new ballet called The Red Shoes, itself based on the fairy tale, “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Andersen. The music by Brian Easdale and cinematography by Jack Cardiff are both sublime. [Selected Key Cities]
Unmade Beds (Soda Pictures): Director Alexis Dos Santos’ second feature is a lyrical tale of two solitary expats (Fernando Tielve and Deborah Francois) crossing paths in the cosmopolitan art-rock milieu of a sprawling East London squat. [Selected Cinemas / [15]
For those unfamiliar with the source material, it is the story of a wild young boy named Max who is sent to his bedroom without his supper. His room grows into a forest and he sails off to a magical land where (as the title suggests) ‘the wild things are’.
Part of the charm and beauty of the book is how short and sweet it is, which inevitably presented any filmmaker a big challenge. How would you expand it to feature length and preserve its qualities?
There was plenty of speculation during the filming as to how Jonze was going to portray the creatures and rumours abounded that the director was at creative loggerheads with the studio brass.
The fact that the bulk of the shoot occurred in 2006, followed by extensive visual effects work last year in London, suggests that this was not the smoothest of productions.
But sitting down to watch the film, none of that mattered and Jonze and his team have come up with a bold and expansive treatment of the book, which not only captures Sendak’s emotional tone but even takes it to another place.
The opening scene sets things up perfectly with a hand-held camera capturing a burst of Max (played by newcomer Max Records) being wild inside his home before the real action begins.
This extended prologue might give fans of the book pause for thought – we actually see his mother (Catherine Keener) and family – but in the context of the expanded narrative it doesn’t jar.
But it is with the wild things that the film really comes alive. It would have been an option to completely render them with CGI but the decision to use actors inside suits with visual effects replacing their faces was inspired.
Casting is also key to why the movie works: Records is not a typical child actor, with a raw quality that fits just right whilst the voice cast is every bit as good.
The casting of James Gandolfini as Carol (the wild thing Max becomes closest to) brilliantly plays off his Sopranos persona, highlighting his joy, vulnerability and anger.
Chris Cooper, Lauren Ambrose and Paul Dano also chip in with excellent vocal performances, making their characters as varied and complex as they should be.
The Australian locations, beautifully captured by cinematographer Lance Acord, also add a visual richness to the film which wouldn’t have been the same if done on green screen soundstages.
Some adults may complain that Jonze has made a children’s film that slants towards to older audiences, but this is exactly what makes the film special.
Instead of sugar coating the story and patronising the viewer, he has (along with co-screenwriter Dave Eggers) treated the source material and cinema audience with the respect they deserve.
There is something other worldly and anarchic about this film project and in some ways I’m staggered it actually got made like this.
However, its mix of humour, heart and imagination could make it as beloved as the book, for audiences today and many years to come.
Me and Orson Welles (cinemaNX Distibution): A period drama set in 1937 about a teenager (Zac Efron) who joins the Mercury Theatre production of “Julius Ceasar” directed by a young Orson Welles (Christian McKay). Directed by Richard Linklater and co-starring Claire Danes, it was shot in the Isle of Man back in the spring of 2008 and lingered on the shelf after failing to get a distributor at various festivals. However, production company CinemaNX have decided to release it themselves (a rarity for a national release) sharing print and ad costs with Vue Entertainment. It could do decent business given Efron’s appeal to teen audiences and the critical plaudits lavished on McKay’s portrayal of Welles. [Nationwide / PG]
The Box (Icon): Director Richard Kelly returns from the disastrous Southland Tales with this tale of a suburban couple (James Marsden and Cameron Diaz) who receive a box as a gift and then are told by a mysterious stranger (Frank Langella) that if they press the button on it, they will get $1 million. The catch is that someone, somewhere in the world will die as a result. After some decidedly mixed reviews, this seems likely to meet the fate of Kelly’s last film rather than his first, 2001’s Donnie Darko. [Nationwide / 15]
The Descent: Part 2 (Warner Bros/Pathe): The sequel to the 2005 horror film, sees the sole survivor (Shauna McDonald) emerge from the Appalachian cave system where she encountered unspeakable terrors. Directed by Jon Harris, it co-stars Natalie Jackson Mendoza, Krysten Cummings, Joshua Dallas. [Nationwide / 18]
Planet 51 (Entertainment):  Another 3D animated film hits UK multiplexes and this one involves the inhabitants of Planet 51, who  live in fear of alien invasion, which is realised when an astronaut arrives from Earth. Directed by Jorge Blanco and Javier Abad, it features the voices of Dwayne Johnson, Sean William Scott, Jessica Biel and Justin Long. [Nationwide / PG]
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IN LIMITED RELEASE
Cracks (Optimum Releasing): A look at the lives and relationships among girls at an elite British boarding school starring Eva Green and directed by Jordan Scott. [ C’Worlds Chelsea & Haymarket, Odeon Wimbledon & Selected Cinemas nationwide / 15]
Departures(Arrow Films): A newly unemployed cellist takes a job preparing the dead for funerals in this Japanese film which won the Best Foreign Film Oscar earlier this year. [Odeon Covent Gdn, Renoir & Key Cities from 8 Jan 2010 / 12A]
Disgrace(ICA Films): Based on the novel by J.M. Coetzee this adaptation is the story of a Cape Town professor (John Malkovich) who moves to the Eastern Cape after an affair with a student, where he gets caught up in a mess of post-apartheid politics. [ICA Cinema and selected cities / 15]
The Girlfriend Experience (Revolver Entertainment): An experimental drama about a high-end Manhattan call girl (played by Sasha Grey), set in the autumn of 2008. Directed by Steven Soderbergh with his low budget hat on [Selected UK cities / 15].
The Merry Gentleman (The Works): A drama about a woman (Kelly Macdonald)Â who leaves an abusive relationship to begin a new life in a new city, where she forms a relationship with a suicidal hit man (Michael Keaton, who also directs) and an alcoholic detective (Tom Bastounes). [Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue & Key Cities / 15]
Paranormal Activity (Icon): The ultra low budget horror sensation about a couple who are haunted by a ghost opened early on Wednesday and UK distributor Icon will be hoping for a repeat of its extraordinary US success.
Law Abiding Citizen (Momentum Pictures): An everyday guy (Gerard Butler) decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets his family’s killers free.
His target is the district attorney (Jamie Foxx) who orchestrated the deal. This looks like an update on Death Wish …with Gerard Butler. [Nationwide / Cert 18]
Nativity! (E1 Films): Martin Freeman (the former Office star currently appearing in those annoying anti-piracy ads) plays a school teacher putting on a nativity play.
Directed by Debbie Isitt, it is a British comedy and co-stars Alan Carr – two things which don’t bode well. [Nationwide /Cert PG]
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IN LIMITED RELEASE
Bunny and the Bull (Optimum): Another British comedy (two in one week!) and this involves a man (Edward Hogg)Â who takes an imaginary road trip inside his apartment, based on mementos and memories of a European trek from years before.
From the makers of TV comedy The Mighty Boosh. [ Chelsea Cinema, Curzon Soho & Nationwide / Cert 15]
The ultra low budget horror sensation Paranormal Activity is sporadically effective but seems destined to join The Blair Witch Project as a flash in the pan phenomenon.
The premise is simple: a well to do couple (played by Katie Featherston and Micah Sloat) think they are being haunted by a ghost at night, so they record themselves on video camera and become increasingly unnerved by the resulting footage.
But perhaps even more striking is its similarity to another low budget sensation, The Blair Witch Project.
Both were filmed with low end cameras in the style of ‘found footage’.
The central conceit is what you are watching really happened as it’s shot through the cameras the characters use.
Unlike the spooky woods haunted by the Blair Witch, the action here is consigned to a spacious surburban house and much of it unfolds at night in the bedroom.
These sequences are the strongest with heavy doses of tension cranked up by some judicious editing and inventive use of the camera’s clock.
But ultimately the film is a something of a stretched out gimmick.
On the print I saw it on, the UK distributors Icon didn’t even alter the reference to the US distributors (Paramount Pictures) which seemed a little clumsy (or was it intentional?).
That said, it has clearly struck a chord with US audiences and will probably do well here from all the buzz and word of mouth.
I went to a late night preview at my local cinema a couple of weeks ago and although the audience was small, there were moments when people near me jolted out of their seat.
When it arrives on DVD I’m sure it will become a late night horror favourite, although like The Blair Witch Project it will be remembered more for how it was filmed and marketed, than for the actual quality of the work itself.
If you have no idea what any of this means then you probably aren’t a teenage girl. But female fans (of whom there are many) are going to make this one of the biggest films of the year and swell the coffers of UK distributor E1 Entertainment. (Read my full thoughts on the film here). [Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]
A Serious Man (Universal): The Coen Brothers explore the late 60s Minnesota of their childhood with this tale of a Jewish maths professor named Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg). It explores his struggles with a hectoring wife (Sari Lennick), her annoying widower lover (Fred Melamed); a leeching brother (Richard Kind); a pothead son (Aaron Wolff ); dithering academic colleagues and a succession of perpetually useless rabbis.
After the Oscar success of No Country For Old Men, they have made one of their most personal films, a rich and superbly crafted tale with stunning technical contributions across the board. Easily one of the best films to come out this year it also ranks alongside Fargo and No Country as one of the Coens’ very best. How it does at the box office is another matter but it fully deserves Oscar and BAFTA recognition. (Read my full thoughts on the film here.) [C’World Haymarket, Curzon Soho, Odeon Covent Gdn. & Nationwide / 15]
Stylishly directed by Steven Soderbergh, it is smart, funny and evocative of the 1990s. Matt Damon is superb in the lead role and look out for some fine supporting performances from the likes of Melanie Lynskey and Scott Bakula. [Nationwide / 15]
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IN LIMITED RELEASE
Glorious 39 (Momentum Pictures): A mysterious tale set around a traditional British family on the eve of World War Two, starring Romola Garia, Bill Nighy, Julie Christie and directed by Steven Poliakoff.  [Odeon West End & Key Cities from November 27th / 12A)
Machan (Yume Pictures): Hindi film about a love story with a terrorist angle starring Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Vivek Oberoi. [Empire Leicester Square / 15]
The Sea Wall (Axiom): A drama about a teenage girl who has an affair with a worldly older man in 1920s French Indo-China based on a Marguerite Duras novel. Isabelle Huppert stars. [Apollo Picc Circus, Cine Lumiere, Curzon Renoir & Key Cities]
Southern Softies (Northern Pics/Chick Ken): A travelogue by John Shuttleworth, in which he visits the Channel Islands. [Gate Notting Hill, Greenwich Picturehouse, Ritzy & Key Cities]
Examined Life (ICA Films): A documentary examining life with the help of modern thinkers. [ICA Cinema & selected Key Cities]
Ulysses (Contemporary Films): A re-issue for director Joseph Strick’s bold attempt to film James Joyce’s famously ‘unfilmable’ novel. [Barbican / 15]
For the uninitiated the Twilight films are based on the mega-selling novels by Stephenie Meyer which have been translated into over 20 languages worldwide.
There are currently four books: Twilight (2005), New Moon (2006), Eclipse (2007) and Breaking Dawn (2008) and they have a combined sale of over 25 million copies.
When someone at MTV films made the (now catastrophic) decision to pass on making the film adaptations, newcomer Summit Entertainment stepped up and a lucrative film franchise was born.
It grossed over $383 million worldwide, making instant stars of Pattinson and Stewart and also causing wild scenes of fandom at various premieres around the world.
I got a sneak peak of New Moon yesterday at a press screening in London and the audience mostly consisted of media folk (like me), teenage girls and their parents.
The story involves Edward having to go away, Bella discovering new things about her friend Jacob (Taylor Lautner) and a mysterious vampire from the past named Aro (Michael Sheen).
Bearing in mind that I am way out of the target demographic for this material, here are my main thoughts:
It is slightly more expansive in terms of the locations (the action even shifts to Italy at one point)
Technically, it is an improvement on the original as the supernatural action is more convincingly done.
The narrative drags here and there but mostly moves along in a brisk and accessible fashion.
Fans of Edward may be a little disappointed that he isn’t in the story for long stretches.
Anna Kendrick is funny – she should be given a larger role next time.
For people unfamiliar with the books, brush up on Wikipedia or some things are going to leave you a little confused.
As a middle story (like The Empire Strikes Back) it leaves a few threads to be tantalisingly picked up on in the next film.
The last line of the film is clever as it pushes all the buttons of the audience …all at once.
My basic take is that this is essentially another reasonably well made fantasy film – a franchise like Star Wars or Harry Potter but moulded especially for teenage girls.
But despite the lack of genuine magic, there is no doubt that it will dominate the box office this month and make those publishers and executives who originally turned it down continue to tear their hair out.
He is also the Chief Executive Officer of Focus Features, the arthouse division of Universal Pictures which is one few remaining of its kind in Hollywood.
I spoke with James recently when Taking Woodstock screened at the London film festival last month and you can listen to the interview here:
2012(Sony): The latest CGI disaster-porn blockbuster from director Roland Emmerich is based on the idea that the world will end in 2012 due to an ancient Mayan prophecy.
A large group of people have to deal with the apocalypse: alarmed scientists (Chiwetel Ojiofor and Jimi Mistry) discover the disaster; an everyday guy (John Cusack) struggles to protect his family amidst the chaos; the US president (Danny Glover) tries to be stoic; the chief of staff (Oliver Platt) enacts a secret plan for survivors and lots of people die. Although it is a ludicrous, overblown roller coaster of a film, Sony can expect a huge box office haul for what is essentially a delayed Summer blockbuster. Read my more considered thoughts on the film here. [Nationwide / 12]
Directed by Ang Lee from a script by James Schamus, it stars Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, Liev Schreiber, Emile Hirsch and Paul Dano. Despite premiering at the Cannes film festival earlier this year a combination of moderate reviews and tepid word of mouth means it probably won’t make too much of an impact here. [Apollo Picc Circus, Curzon Soho, Empire, Odeon Covent Gdn. & Nationwide / 15]
Harry Brown (Lionsgate UK): An elderly ex-serviceman and widower (Michael Caine) looks to avenge his best friend’s murder by doling out his own form of justice on a contemporary South London estate.
Although Caine has been doing the rounds promoting this film, it could struggle against the juggernaut of 2012, its restrictive 18 certificate and the fact that it looks like a poor man’s Gran Torino. [Nationwide / 18]
Amelia (20th Century Fox):Â A look at the life of legendary American pilot Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank) who disappeared while flying over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 in an attempt to make a flight around the world.
Although once touted as a possible Oscar contender, some brutal US reviews and distinct lack of buzz mean this will be a short flight at cinemas for this biopic directed by Mira Nair. [Nationwide / PG]
IN LIMITED RELEASE
The White Ribbon (Artificial Eye): Director Michael Haneke returns with this sparse and chilling tale of strange goings on in a German village during 1913-14.
When one of the villagers begins to suspect that the blonde, blue-eyed children may have something to do with dark atmosphere engulfing the community, the film becomes a meditation on how their generation would embrace the Nazis and Hitler.
It premiĂšred to huge acclaim at this year’s Cannes film festival, winning the Palme D’Or and is also a refreshing change of pace for Haneke after the US remake of Funny Games.
Shot in stark black and white without any score (reminiscent of Peter Brook’s film version of King Lear), it is a disturbing and unsettling experience, which will linger with audiences prepared to give their full attention. A brilliant portrait of the subtle roots of social evil and one that should do healthy arthouse business. [BFI Southbank, Curzons Mayfair, Richmond & Nationwide / 15] * Find out where it is showing here *
Cold Souls (The Works): A quirky indie film with Paul Giamatti playing a man in search of his soul.
The lack of buzz would suggest a Charlie Kaufman-style experiment gone wrong and a minor dent in the UK box office this week. [Curzon Soho & Key Cities / 12A]
We Live in Public (Dogwoof Pictures): A documentary focusing on the life of dot-com entrepreneur Josh Harris, and his exploits over the last decade.
Something of a hit at Sundance earlier this year, it will get a limited release at UK cinemas but positive online buzz will perhaps lead to greater success on DVD. [Greenwich Picturehouse, Odeon Panton St., Ritzy & Key Cities / 15]
The Magic Hour (104 Films): The story of a hustler who gets in trouble with a gang boss in the port town of Sukago agrees to make good with the don by putting him in contact with a mysterious hitman. [Curzon Soho & selected Key Cities / 15]
Tulpan (New Wave Films): Set in Kazakhstan, the film follows the journey of a recently discharged Russian sailor who visits his sister along with her older husband and their three children. [New Wave Films / 12A]
> UK cinema releases for November 2009
> Get local showtimes via Google Movies UK
> DVD & Blu-ray picks for this week including Bruno, Gone With The Wind, Heat and Snow White & The Seven Dwarves (W/C Monday 9th November 2009)
The latest CGI disaster-porn blockbuster from director Roland Emmerich is an insane roller coaster ride in the mould of his previous films.
When Sony Pictures hired Emmerich to make 2012 they clearly weren’t doing so in the hope that he would make an intimate examination of how governments respond to a global crisis.
Armed with a huge budget he has constructed an overblown cocktail of his greatest hits: Independence Day (in which the world is devastated by aliens); Godzilla (in which a city is devastated by a lizard); Â The Day After Tomorrow (in which the world is devastated by global warming).
The story has a similar template: alarmed scientists (Chiwetel Ojiofor and Jimi Mistry) discover the disaster; an everyday guy (John Cusack) struggles to protect his family amidst the chaos; the US president (Danny Glover) tries to be stoic; the chief of staff (Oliver Platt) enacts a secret plan and various other characters all respond differently to the coming apocalypse.
In essence, this is a modern day remake of 1970s disaster movies like Earthquake with advanced CGI and production values. It is very cheesy and workmanlike, although the sheer scale of destruction was beguilingly impressive.
Firstly, it is very long for a mainstream film at 158 minutes but actually passes quite quickly, mainly because the action sequences come thick and fast and have a bizarre, rapid absurdity to them.
Secondly, the CGI is impressive on one level in its reconstruction of a global apocalypse but the use of it is often flawed as the tension is frequently undercut by the ludicrous just-in-time escapes, worthy of Indiana Jones at his luckiest.
Thirdly, the product placement is so ubiquitous it becomes vaguely humorous. There are lots of Sony Vaio laptops. There are lots of Sony TVs. Everyone uses a Sony phone.
The only thing missing were PS3s but it’s handy to know if the world ends, Sony have got the consumer electrical goods sorted.
The fact that the three most noteworthy aspects of the film are the length, the visual effects and branded electrical products tells you a great deal.
The acting? Well, it’s pay cheque performances all around with everyone trying to make the clunky dialogue sound OK.
Cusack and Ejiofor have been shrewdly cast though, as they are likeable actors who lend the production a sheen of credibility it doesn’t really have.
But seeing the likes of George Segal, Danny Glover and Thomas McCarthy in wafer thin roles is alarming. Is this really the best major studios can offer talent like this?
Despite the critical mauling this film will undoubtedly take (deservedly for the most part), the gnashing of teeth over it is not just about the film. It is partly because this is film is going to make a lot of money.
As I came out of it, the reasons for its impending success became clearer:
The concept is simple to understand around the globe (“The world ends in 2012. Or does it…?”).
Disaster movies by Roland Emmerich tend to do well.
The mystical Mayan crap is actually going to be taken as fact in the same way The Da Vinci Code was.
Lots of nationalities are (clunkily) represented in the form of token Americans, Russians and Asians.
It is carefully designed to appeal to certain countries as there are shots which look like they could be specific for certain territories. (For instance, in one scene Cusack finds a London tube map (!) but I reckon in different countries he finds something relevant to where the movie is shown. Ditto for a similar scene involving famous world figures in which I (and UK audiences) saw a famous lady and her dogs. I’m sure in other countries it will be another relevant figure.
But the final fact worth bearing in mind in mind is that this is essentially a summer blockbuster which just happens to be opening in November.
Sony’s original plan was to open this last July but back in January they opted to shift it to November. A smart move because there’s not a huge amount of blockbuster competition that there is in the summer.
My guess is that the bad critical buzz and word of mouth will dent the grosses a bit, but watch out for how many people see this in cinemas, on DVD/Blu-ry and on TV.
Sometimes I’m asked why films like this and Transformers 2 do so well and part of the reason is that they are so heavily marketed with tantalising eye candy (“Ooh, look at the CGI destruction!”) that it is the cinematic equivalent of class A drugs. People know it’s bad, but still go anyway because they want a bit of escape.
I could be wrong. People might be put off by the lack of a decent script and stay at home, but this feels like a Hollywood fairground ride many will be queuing up for.
A Christmas Carol (Walt Disney): An animated retelling of the Charles Dickens novel about a Victorian-era miser (Jim Carrey) taken on a journey of self-redemption, courtesy of several mysterious Christmas apparitions. Written and directed by Robert Zemeckis, it stars Carrey in a variety of roles, including Ebenezer Scrooge and the three ghosts who haunt him.
It was filmed using the performance capture techniques Zemeckis previously used in The Polar Express (2004) and Beowulf (2007). Disney will be expecting healthy box office after a big marketing push and audience familiarity with the story. [BFI IMAX, Empire Leicester Sq., Trocadero Picc Circus & Nationwide / PG]
The Men Who Stare At Goats (Momentum Pictures): Loosely adapted from Jon Ronsonâs non-fiction book about a secret Army unit founded in 1979 called the âFirst Earth Battalionâ who conducted paranormal experiments, which included staring at goats in order to kill them.
The film uses a fictional framing narrative of an Ann Arbor journalist (Ewan McGregor) who hears about these strange practices when he covers the Iraq war in 2003 and encounters a former member of the unit (George Clooney).
An excellent supporting cast includes Jeff Bridges, Kevin Spacey and Stephen Lang. Although director Grant Heslov doesn’t always get the mix right between comedy and drama, there are enough funny set pieces here to chew on. Read my full thoughts on the film here.
Momentum will be hoping the starry cast will boost ticket sales but the oddness of the story and heavy competition might dent its grosses. [Coronet Notting Hill, Screen On The Green, Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]
Bright Star (Warner Bros./Pathe): Director Jane Campion returns with this lush period drama based on the three-year romance between 19th century poet John Keats (Ben Wishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), which was cut short by Keats’ untimely death at age 25.
Jennifer’s Body (20th Century Fox): A comedy horror about a newly possessed cheerleader (Megan Fox) who turns into a killer who specializes in offing her male classmates, much to the dismay of her best friend (Amanda Seyfried).
A massive creative misfire all-round, despite the talents of screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno) and director Karyn Kusama (Girlfight). Fox will be hoping to snare gullible teens but audiences will be disappointed when they see what a bad film it is. [Nationwide / 15]
The Fourth Kind (Entertainment): ‘Fact’ based thriller involving an ongoing unsolved mystery in Alaska, where one town has seen an extraordinary number of unexplained disappearances during the past 40 years and there are accusations of a federal cover up [Nationwide / 18]
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ALSO OUT
Paper Heart (Anchor Bay UK): Charlyne Yi embarks on a quest across America to make a documentary about love.
Directed by Nicholas Jasenovec, it is a drama/documentary hybrid starring Charlyne Yi and Michael Cera as themselves. Sort of. [Odeon Panton Street & Key Cities / PG]
1 Day (Vertigo Films): The first ever British hip hop musical about a hustler named Flash set amongst young rappers in Birmingham. It should be noted that it is directed by Penny Woolcock who has made two of the worst films of all time (The Principles of Lust and Mischief Night). [Nationwide / 15]
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno (Park Circus): A part documentary and part reconstruction of the 1964 film Henri-Georges Clouzot never made. [Cine Lumiere, ICA Cinema & Key Cities / 15]
Welcome (Cinefile): Drama about a Kurdish boy from Iraq who sets off on a journey across Europe. [Curzon Renoir & selected Key Cities/ 15]
The new comedy horror Jennifer’s Body is out in the UK today and as it is generally my policy not waste to many words on bad films, here are some quick thoughts:
It is really bad.
Diablo Cody‘s script shows none of the wit and feeling present in Juno
Karyn Kusama‘s direction is shocking (was this really the same person who made Girlfight?)
Nearly all the characters are repellent and annoying, which wouldn’t be such a bad thing if done in a way that was witty or clever.
1 Day (15) / Vertigo Films Bright Star (PG) / Warner Bros/Pathe A Christmas Carol (PG) (3D & Imax) / Walt Disney Henri-Georges Clouzotâs Inferno (15) / Park Circus Taking Woodstock (15) / Universal Welcome (15) / Cinefile
2012 (12A) / Sony Pictures Amelia (PG) / 20th Century Fox Cold Souls (12A) / The Works Lala Pipo / Third Window Films The Magic Hour / 104 Films Paper Heart (PG) / Anchor Bay / UK Key Cities The White Ribbon (15) / Artificial Eye We Live In Public (15) / Dogwoof
A Serious Man (15) / Universal The Girlfriend Experience () / Revolver Entertainment Glorious 39 (12A) / Momentum Pictures The First Day of the Rest of Your Life (15) / Metrodome The Informant! (15) / Warner Bros. The Sea Wall / Axiom Films The Twilight Saga: New Moon / E1 Entertainment
An Education (E1 Entertainment): A coming-of-age story based on Lynn Barber’s memoir about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.
Superbly made and acted it is a likely contender for BAFTAs and Oscars. Read my more considered thoughts on the film here. [Curzon Mayfair, Odeon West End & Nationwide / 12A]
9 (Universal): An animated fantasy about a mechanical humanoid rag doll (9) which explains how humanity, in its blind pursuit of science and technology, went to his doom.
Directed by Shane Acker from his own short film, it features the voices of Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer, Martin Landau, and John.C Reilly. [Prince Charles Cinema & Nationwide / 12A] (Opened on Weds 28th)
Directed by Kenny Ortega and featuring Michael Jackson. [Nationwide / PG] (Opened Weds 28th)
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IN LIMITED RELEASE
An American Werewolf In London (Universal): A Halloween re-issue for the 1981 horror film directed by John Landis about two American tourists (David Naughton and Griffin Dunne) who get attacked by a werewolf. [Vue West End & Nationwide]
Citizen Kane (bfi Distribution): A re-issue for the 1941 masterpiece about a media mogul (Orson Welles) and the attempts to explain his dying words. [BFI Southbank & Key Cities / U]
Love Exposure (Third Window Films): Running almost four hours, the new film from cult Japanese director Sion Sono is a tour through any number of genres, styles, plot turns, perversions and emotional states. [ICA Cinema]
Philip Pullman’s The Butterfly Tattoo (Philm Company): A project based on Philip Pullman’s novel of the same name (originally published as The White Mercedes) directed by Phil Hawkins. It used a novel method of financing its production, by selling shares to members of the public. [Selected Key Cities / 12A]
Starsuckers (S2S Distribution): A British documentary exposing the “shams and deceit involved in creating a pernicious celebrity culture”. Directed by Chris Atkins, who made Taking Liberties, it shows the production team planting a variety of celebrity-related stories in the UK media, which some papers reprinted without verification. [Curzon Soho & Key Cities / 12A]
Tales From The Golden Age (Trinity Filmed Ent) : A film composed of 5 unconventional short stories, each one dealing with the late communist period in Romania, told through its urban myths from the perspective of ordinary people. The title refers to the alluded “Golden Age” of the last 15 years of CeauĆescu’s regime. [Apollo Picc Circus, Barbican, Curzon Renoir, Rio Dalston & Key Cities / 12A]
Dead Man Running (Revolver): Another crime film with Tamer Hassan and Danny Dyer with a guest appearance from Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson. [Nationwide / 15]
The Horseman (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): A drama about a grieving father and a troubled teenage girl as they drive northbound along the outback roads of Australia. [C’World Shaftesbury Ave., Odeon Panton St., S’Case Newham & Key Cities / 18]
Aladin (Eros): A bollywood version of Aladin, which seems to be spelt differently. [C’Worlds Feltham, Ilford, Shaftesbury Ave., Vue Acton & Key Cities]
Bringing a cultural icon like John Lennon to the big screen was always going to be a tricky affair but director Sam Taylor Wood (making her feature debut) has wisely focused on the intriguing family dynamics of Lennon’s childhood and how they fed into his career.
The opening of a film can nearly always reveal something about its quality and the nice use of a famous Beatles chord to kick everything off indicated to me that things were going to be OK.
It is inevitable that most of the attention and focus of the film would fall on Aaron Johnson, as filling the role of Lennon is perhaps one of the more daunting tasks faced by an actor in recent times.
But he does a good job at capturing the youthful intensity of the young songwriter and although it is a little rough around the edges, that feels appropriate given the emotional tumult of his home life.
Part of the strong bedrock of the film is an admirably tight script by Matt Greenhalgh (who wrote the 2007 Ian Curtis biopic Control) which treats Mimi and Julia as central characters rather than just peripheral support.
Scott Thomas nicely captures the stern but ultimately loving adoptive parent whilst Duff is excellent as the energetic and erratic soul mate Beatles fans have long read about in various biographies.
Wisely the film – unlike some British efforts – looks properly cinematic by being shot in 2:35 widescreen and cinematographer Seamus McGarvey (who has a considerable experience of music vidoes) shoots with taste, tact and intelligence.
The locations have a richness and vibrancy to them that is similar in some ways to Control and the recreation of 1950s Liverpool is entirely convincing. It is also a relief to see parts of the UK (specifically the North West) presented with a touch of class.
Taylor-Wood might have seemed an odd choice to direct a film like this
but if Steve McQueen’s Hunger proved anything last year, it is that artists from different disciplines (she came to prominence in the 1990s as a conceptual artist) can give cinema something of a creative kick up the arse.
Her artistic background doesn’t always leap at you from the screen, apart from one time-lapse sequence of Lennon learning the banjo, and in general this shows admirable restraint as the style rarely overpowers the emotional content.
Here the equivalent moments are when John first meets Paul and when they first play together with The Quarrymen at a local fete (Shea Stadium was still a while off).
Although this could have been cheesy, but it says a lot about the strengths of the film that it feels natural and convincing. My first reaction on seeing Paul was ‘doesn’t he look young?’ but given that he was 15 at this point, he probably did look young.
There is one moment towards the end when a certain character is about to say the phrase ‘The Beatles’ and doesn’t, which was the moment when it occurred to me that it hadn’t been said at all.
It’s a shrewd move and emblematic of the film, which fills in the emotional gaps whilst not retreading the well worn images of the early Fab Four.
The audience I saw it with was an early morning press and industry crowd and it would be fair to say they didn’t applaud or go for it in the way they did for last year’s LFF closing film Slumdog Millionaire.
Whilst there will always be doses of cynicism and schadenfreude amongst these kind of crowds I was surprised they didn’t go for it a bit more. (I overheard one person sitting in front of me profess dislike for Sam Taylor-Wood’s 2008 short film Love You More despite being “very well made”.)
Maybe this is me being optimistic but if this is marketed well then I can see some very healthy box office ahead for Icon (the UK distributors) and The Weinstein Company (who have the US rights).
After all it is a film about the adolescent pain which fuelled some of the most popular songs of the 20th century.
Nowhere Boy closes the London Film Festival tonight and opens in the UK on December 26th
A Serious Man is a personal and exquisitely crafted black comedy that explores the pointless nature of suffering in 1960s Minnesota.
One of the handy things about winning a clutch of Oscars is the collateral it gives you to make a personal and defiantly anti-Hollywood film with no name stars.
Beginning with a bizarre extended prologue set in an Eastern European shtetl, it moves on to explore the hellish suburban existence of a Jewish maths professor named Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) in Minnesota, during 1967.
With a hectoring wife (Sari Lennick) who wants a divorce, her annoying widower lover (Fred Melamed), a leeching brother (Richard Kind), a pothead son (Aaron Wolff ) into Jefferson Airplane, dithering academic colleagues, an awkward Korean student and a succession of perpetually useless rabbis, he appears to living in a modern day version of The Book of Job.
All of this is filmed with a precision and defiant, dark wit that is a hallmark of the Coens at their very best.
If you enjoyed the pointless, bumbling criminality in Fargo and the satire of Bush-era stupidity in Burn After Reading then you will probably love this. If not, then you probably won’t.
But even those put off by the tone of the film would be hard pressed not to admire the sheer class on display behind and in front of the camera.
The performances are mostly note perfect, with Stuhlbarg especially outstanding in the lead role and a supporting cast filled with fine contributions, although keep a special eye out for George Wyner and Simon Helberg as two contrasting rabbis.
On a technical level, it is up to the very highest standards of modern cinema.
Regular collaborator Roger Deakins shoots with his customary artful precision whilst the production design, art direction and costumes are flawless.
Watching it on a beautiful digital projection, I was already thinking how great this is going to look on Blu-ray.
As usual the editing (by the Coens under their regular pseudonym Roderick Jaynes) is splendid and listen out for how they way they’ve mixed the sound, be it Jefferson Airplane on a portable radio or the way a family slurp their soup.
Part of the richness of the film lies in its uncompromising take on suburban angst. There is no let up, no cheesy uplift and the characters are mostly a succession of grotesques there to torment the protagonist. But really, it is funny.
For some this will merely be a pointless exercise in misanthropy but there is something deeper here that the Coens are targeting, namely the false comforts and rules in which many place their trust.
Religion, family, career advancement, philosophy and consumerism are all subjects which get thoroughly skewered over the course of the story. The comedy that comes out of this, is one rooted in recognition and pain rather than goofy, slapstick relief. The laughs here are muffled but highly acute.
In the hands of lesser filmmakers this could easily be a mess, but with the Coens it feels just right. In fact it feels so authentic that one can only presume that much of it is rooted in their personal experience of growing up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota.
Back in 1998 I remember reading an interview where they talked about signing up for a record club as teenagers and anyone who watches the film with this in mind will feel a twinge of recognition at one of the sub-plots.
“It’s a mental travelogue of 1967, and for me, since I grew up near the Coens in St. Louis Park, it’s a childhood story.”
Aside from the autobiographical aspects, it will be interesting to see how Jewish audiences react to the film, with its richly detailed observations about Jewish life.
Not only do we have an startling prologue spoken entirely in Yiddish, but there are sequences involving a large gallery of Jewish characters: waddling secretaries, puzzled dentists, shouting wives and cryptic rabbis are all going to evoke twinges of recognition, laughter and – amongst some – disquiet.
But although it is drenched in Jewish culture – specifically that of the Midwest – it isn’t exclusively about Jews or Jewishness.
Ultimately one could put forward a compelling case for saying that the film is about throwing the enigma of religious teaching back on itself. This is effectively a non-parable made up of parables, that highlights how the ‘answers’ of Judaism (and organised religion) merely lead to more confusion and chaos.
My guess is that this will not be the awards slam dunk that Fargo or No Country For Old Men turned out to be and some will be put off by the slow pace and darkly poetic humour.
But this is the Coen Brothers operating at their very best, a heartfelt and beautifully constructed piece of cinema that is likely to reward future viewings.
A Serious Man is out at UK cinemas on Friday 20th November
However, he can’t let go of his wild instincts and regularly raids the chicken coops of the irate local farmers (Michael Gambon, Adrien Brody and Brian Cox) who declare war on him. In some ways the film is a curious hybrid: a recognizable Anderson film with his usual kooks and quirks; an adaptation of a beloved book and a mainstream animated release from a major studio (appropriately enough, Fox).
Anderson’s films over the last decade have been the Hollywood equivalent of gourmet food – undeniably tasty but a bit too refined for mainstream tastes and sometimes too rich for even his admirers. His best work remains his earlier films: Bottle Rocket (1996) and Rushmore (1998) as they combined his style, wit and taste with a tangible pang of emotion.
Since The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) his films have become too trapped within their own stylistic tics: British invasion soundtracks, privileged characters with parental issues, distinctive clothing, Kubrick-style fonts and so on.
Films like The Life Aquatic (2004) and The Darjeeling Limited (2007) have certainly above the Hollywood standard – and in places quite brilliant – but the sense of Anderson not quite taking his work to another level has been hard to shake off.
What makes Fantastic Mr Fox refreshing is that although it bears some of his stylistic trademarks, the switch to animation has given him a new lease of life.
Clocking in at just 89 minutes it moves briskly and has a nice, breezy attitude, embodied by the central character who remains coolly charming even in the most perilous situations. There is a charm and simplicity to the central characters and – unlike some of Anderson’s recent creations – they feel more rounded and less like stylistic puppets, which is ironic given that they literally are puppets.
Schwartzmann’s voice over work is especially noteworthy, hitting a precise tone of innocence and weariness as a young fox trying to find himself in the world. The original book was accompanied by the distinctive artwork of Quentin Blake and Anderson – and his creative team – have opted for their own bold approach, using stop motion animation instead of CGI.
Instead of the smooth textures of Pixar and Dreamworks, the visuals here bear a resemblance to Coraline, Corpse Bride or the work of Nick Park and Aardman animation. The low-fi aesthetic reaps considerable dividends as it gives the characters and their surrounding world a distinctive visual flavour. The foxes especially look especially great in close up with their hair moving a bit like King Kong in the 1933 version.
There is the odd Anderson-style indulgence (watch out for a scene with a wolf) but these can be forgiven as the film works it’s magic and charm on a visual and emotional level. Listen out too for some nicely off the wall musical choices which include: The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Burl Ives, Jarvis Cocker (who has a cameo) and some Ennio Morricone style musings.
It will be interesting to see how this plays with family audiences, as although it is based on a famous source, there are gags and references that may fly over the heads of younger audiences. Despite that, it contains enough visual delights for audiences of all ages and may catch fire at the box office, especially in Britain where Roald Dahl is still very popular with a huge amount of readers.
It won’t do the same numbers as Up or Ice Age 3 but there is definitely potential here for some decent global box office. Intriguingly, Anderson directed most of the film remotely from Paris whilst it was shot at Three Mills Studios in London, which perhaps demonstrates how technology is affecting what happens off screen as well as what we see on it. [Vue West End & Nationwide / PG]
The story involves a young boy named Darren who meets a mysterious man at a freak show and after a series of events Darren must leave his normal life and go on the road with the Cirque Du Freak and become a Vampire.
Although vampires have often meant often meant big box office (Twilight) or ratings (HBO’s True Blood) this must face the lack of widespread awareness about the film and the slew of negative US reviews. However, it could work as counter-programming for older, teen audiences not up for Fantastic Mr Fox. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 12A]
Directed by Kevin Greutert, who has been the editor on all the past Saw films to date, it stars Tobin Bell, Costas Mandylor, Shawnee Smith and Tanedra Howard. No doubt box office will be healthy as it always is when Saw films are released around Halloween. [Nationwide / 18]
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The Cove (Vertigo Films): An acclaimed documentary about the annual killing of about 2,300 dolphins in a National Park at Taiji, Wakayama in Japan.
It follows a group of activists, led by renown dolphin trainer Ric OâBarry, who infiltrate a cove near the Taijii national park to expose both a shocking instance of animal abuse and a serious threat to human health. [Barbican, Curzon Soho, Ritzy, Vue Islington & Key Cities / 12A]
Colin (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): A low budget Uk horror movie about a zombie who wanders through suburbia during the throes of a cadaverous apocalypse. Apparently made for ÂŁ45, it has attracted a considerable degree of publicity which may say something about the gullibility of the British press and/or the UK film industry. [London & Key Cities / 18]
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard (Warner Bros/Pathe): A US comedy about a used-car liquidator Don Ready (Jeremy Piven) who is hired by a failing auto dealership to turn their Fourth of July sale into a majorly profitable event. A critical pasting in the US and distinct lack of buzz mean it probably won’t make too much of an impact over here. [Nationwide / 15]
Johnny Mad Dog (Momentum Pictures): A cast of unknown performers are used in this drama about child soldiers fighting a war in an unnamed African country. [Curzon Renoir / 15]
Made In Jamaica(Network Releasing): A music documentary about Jamaican reggae and dancehall culture filmed on Kingston streets and Jamaican beaches. [ICA Cinema / 15] (Previews Bristol Watershed 22 Oct]
Coffin Rock (High Fliers Films): A thriller about a woman unable to conceive a child with her husband, despite years of trying, who makes the drunken mistake of sleeping with a young stranger. The stranger then goes to ‘terrifying lengths’ to prove his paternity. Is this one of those films that gets a one week show in London just before the DVD release? [Apollo Piccadilly Circus / 15]
The recession, human relationships, jobs and travel are just some of the issues explored inthis smart, funny and thoughtful adaptation of Walter Kim’s 2001 novel.
When we first meet Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) in Up in the Air we discover that his job is to inform people that they no longer have theirs. Employed by an Omaha based company, his life is spent flying around the US firing people in a smooth and efficient manner because bosses want to outsource this awkward process.
Free of human relationships, he has become attached to frequent flyer miles and the buzz of being a master at living out of a suitcase. But when his boss (Jason Bateman) informs him that he must train a new recruit (Anna Kendrick) who is advocating firing people via video-link, things begin to change.
Perhaps the most striking aspect of Up in the Air is how it makes you ponder gloomy subjects whilst you laugh at the jokes. Much of the film is a breezy, observational comedy with finely honed lead performances and sparkling dialogue. It feels like a road movie set amongst airports (a ‘plane movie’, in a sense) as the characters go on a literal and emotional journey across America.
Underneath the witty, often hilarious, surface lies a more serious and perceptive exploration about losing work and finding love. The script even updates the themes of the book to the current era (one sequence is dated as happening in February 2010) by having recently fired workers essentially play versions of themselves.
This potentially clunky device is weaved in skilfully (some audiences may miss it first time, although subconsciously it will register) and sets us up for the latter stages, which show an admirable restraint from the usual Hollywood resolutions. But before we reach that point, there is much to feast on.
One of the key selling points is George Clooney, a Hollywood star with the charm and wit of a bygone era. Given his commendable passion for doing different kinds of films (some behind the camera) it is easy to forget what a magnetic presence he can be as a screen actor.
With its one liners, speeches and sly underbelly of emotion, this is a role he was almost born to play and he delivers the goods in spades. Not since Out of Sight has he been this Clooneyesque. One line in particular (actually scripted by Reitmanâs father) is an absolute zinger delivered to perfection, which youâll know when you hear it as the whole cinema will be laughing.
In the key supporting roles Anna Kendrick (who first stood out in 2007’s Rocket Science) shows excellent timing as the peppy graduate keen to prove her worth whilst Vera Farmiga is a superb foil for Clooney as his air-mile obsessed love interest. Jason Bateman adds some sly touches as Clooney’s boss and there is a nice cameo from Sam Elliott (which may or may not be a reference to the 1988 thriller Shakedown – released in the UK as Blue Jean Cop – which also involves a plane and Elliott).
The technical aspects of the film are first rate across the board; with Dana Glaubetman‘s editing worthy of special mention as it helps keep proceedings ticking along beautifully. Jason Reitman co-wrote the script with Sheldon Turner and directs with an energetic but delicate touch. Compared to his previous films, it has the delicious wit of Thank You for Smoking and the unsentimental emotions of Juno, but actually surpasses both in terms of mixing up the light and heavy elements.
Unlike a lot of book to screen transitions the film arguably improves the central drama by throwing more profound doubts at the protagonist. I won’t spoil the final movement by revealing key details (because that would be silly) but I can’t help feeling it will provoke an interesting kaleidoscope of reactions.
When I saw it, an audience member in front of me was laughing loudly at some of the firing scenes (presumably unaware that the people on screen were drawing on recent painful experiences) and it raised some interesting questions. Is this a comedy or a drama? Is their laughter in pain and sadness in humour? How will mainstream audiences in a recession – for whom cinema is traditionally an escape – react to such a film?
Perhaps the human experience of life, work and relationships is bitter-sweet, no matter how rich, employed or happy you consider yourself to be. But that a film from a major Hollywood studio would probe such areas in such an entertaining way is refreshing, particularly as the laughter here provokes genuine thought rather than providing simple relief.
One idea that some audiences will possibly mull on as the end credits roll is that human relationships are what really counts in an increasingly impersonal and technology driven society. But I am not so sure that is the case, even if it is what the filmmakers intended. Wisely, the film leaves out the pat focus-group approved resolution.
Finally, if you actually stay until the very end credits (which audiences often don’t) you’ll hear something unexpected. I won’t reveal what happens but it sounds like the essence of the film, that of connections trying to be made in a world where they are increasingly drying up.
Like the movie, it is funny, sad and makes you think.
The film adaptation of Cormac McCarthy‘s devastating 2006 novel is a haunting tale of survival in a post-apocalyptic world featuring two outstanding lead performances.
The Road depicts the journey of a father (Viggo Mortensen) and son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) as they struggle to stay alive in an America which has descended into savagery after an unspecified environmental and social collapse.
Part of the story’s raw power is the absence of any explanation as to why the world is collapsing, which shifts the focus on to the central relationship and the day to day struggle to survive.
Given that the story involves suicide, cannibalism and humans acting like savages you have to give credit to director John Hillcoat (who made the wonderfully gritty Australian western The Proposition in 2005) and screenwriter Joe Penhall (author of the acclaimed play Blue/Orange) for properly translating the horrors and emotions of the novel into a film.
Key to making this film so affecting are the two  central performances which convey the love, anguish and desperation of their appalling situation and their deep love for one another. Mortensen as the unnamed father is (as usual) terrific but Smit-McPhee is more than his match, especially as the film progresses and he gradually becomes the moral heart of the piece.
The visual look is particularly striking: cinematographer Javier Aguirresa opts for a brownish palette to depict the harsh, ash-ridden environment. The art direction and production design also makes very clever use of rural US locations to create a chilling post-apocalyptic world.
Audiences unfamiliar with the novel may be taken aback by how bleak the story is and the film certainly doesn’t pull its punches: roaming gangs of cannibals, potential suicide and houses filled with half alive bodies are just some aspects that will disturb, although the most notorious scene from the book is omitted.
But the oppressive tone is there for a reason as it is part of the book’s power. It adds to the tension of the journey but also makes the stakes for the father and son all the more real. Unlike horror films where victims are meaningless pawns, the characters here are rounded people you desperately care about.
Another thing to look out for is the interesting supporting cast, which is filled with excellent performances –  most of which are extended cameos – from Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pearce. The soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis  strikes an appropriately mournful tone with a notable piano motif reminiscent of Arvo Paart.
The Road was supposed to come out in the US last year and there has been some chatter that it was a troubled production the US distributors The Weinstein Company were nervous about. Given that the novel was one of the most acclaimed of the decade, no doubt they felt they had a good shot at awards glory.
When it premiered in Venice, it divided opinion but it really is an admirable film on many levels. The filmmakers have preserved the uncompromising nature of the McCarthy’s source material but also crafted a deeply moving drama of love in a time of death. In McCarthy’s words they have ‘carried the fire’.
The Road screened today at the London Film Festival and opens in the US on November 25th and the UK on January 8th 2010
Couples Retreat (Universal): A comedy centered around four couples (including Vince Vaughn, Mailn Akerman, Jon Favreau, Jason Bateman, Kristin Davies and Kristen Bell) who go to a tropical-island resort on holiday. One of the couples is there to work on the marriage, whilst the others don’t realize that participation in the resort’s therapy sessions is not optional.
The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus (Lionsgate UK): The latest film from Terry Gilliam is the fantastical story, set in the present day, of a traveling theatre troupe including a sleight of hand expert, Anton (Andrew Garfield), and a dwarf, Percy (Verne Troyer) that offers audience members a chance to go beyond reality through a magical mirror.
Best known for being Heath Ledger’s last film (he died during the production in January 2008) his role has been filled out by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell. Mixed reviews might temper the interest and ultimate box office. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / 12A]
Triangle (Icon): A horror film which revolves around a group of passengers on a yachting trip in the Atlantic Ocean who, when struck by mysterious weather conditions, jump to another ship only to experience greater havoc on the open seas.
Directed by Christopher Smith, it stars Melissa George, Rachael Carpani, Emma Lung, Liam Hemsworth. [Nationwide / 15]
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Thirst (Metrodome): Drama about a failed medical experiment turns a man of faith into a vampire. Directed by Chan-wook Park, who made Old Boy in 2004. [Curzon Soho, Gate, Ritzy, Screen On The Green & Selected Key Cities / 18]
Pontypool (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): A psychological thriller in which a deadly virus infects a small Ontario town. Directed by Bruce McDonald. [Key Cities / 15]
Ong-Bak: The Beginning (Revolver Entertainment): A prequel to the original which explores how a young Thai boxer learns the skills and inner meaning of martial arts. [Nationwide / 15]
W.M.D.(Independent Digital): A political thriller focused on the falsification of evidence in the build-up to the Iraq War, which is being released ‘digitally’ (i.e. in not many cinemas). [Shortwave Cinema SE1]
For anyone who hasn’t read Ronson’s book, the title comes from a secret Army unit founded in 1979 called the ‘First Earth Battalion’ who conducted paranormal experiments which included staring at goats in order to kill them.
Why was US taxpayer money being used in this way? After the trauma of Vietnam and Cold War paranoia still in the air, it seems that the military brass were willing to allow a unit to pursue paranormal experiments and all kinds of New Age ideas.
With names changed and details tweaked, the film uses a fictional framing narrative of an Ann Arbor journalist (Ewan McGregor) who hears about these strange practices and when he goes to cover the Iraq war in 2003 he encounters  a former member of the unit (George Clooney) who provides him with more stories.
In flashback we learn the history of  the unit created under Bill Django (Jeff Bridges) at Fort Bragg which trained soldiers to be ‘Jedi Warriors’ with special powers. (Note the irony of McGregor not playing a ‘Jedi’ here despite the fact that he played the most famous Jedi of all in the Star Wars prequels).
Amongst these are Lynn Cassady (Clooney), Larry Hooper (Kevin Spacey) and General Hopgood (Stephen Lang). As McGregor’s journalist slowly uncovers their history he begins to see how their methods connect to George W Bush‘s war on terror.
Fans of the book should be prepared for something a little different from the film but credit should go screenwriter Peter Straughan who has done a clever job in incorporating the details into a narrative framework and weaving many of the best details into certain scenes. There is quite a lot of voiceover from McGregor, but the fact that he’s a journalist helps soften what can sometimes be a clunky storytelling device.
The tone here is somewhat similar to the dry, knowing slapstick of the Coen Brothers (such as Burn After Reading or The Big Lebowski) and director Grant Heslov manages to mine the source material for plenty of laughs.
The theme of the film seems to be how the US military will embrace any idea – no matter how whacky – in the pursuit of its goals and how the insanity of Cold War simply fermented such thinking. As the film reminds us, Ronald Regan was a big fan of Star Wars (one of his missile programmes was nicknamed after it) and even had a wife who believed in astrological readings.
The logic in creating a unit of ‘Jedi warriors’ during the Cold War seemed to come out of paranoia that they had to do it before the Russians did – even if was crazy.
Heslov and Straughn seem to be channelling the spirit of such films as Dr Strangelove, Three Kings and Catch 22 for the War on Terror generation. The cast is uniformly good with the standout performance coming from Clooney (who is perfectly deadpan throughout), although why directors seem hell-bent on casting McGregor as an American is a mystery given his wonky US accent.
However, the chemistry between Clooney and McGregor works well in their extended sequences together and the film is consistently funny, if not flat out hilarious or possessing the political savvy of the films that inspired it. Impressively, the events of the book are compressed neatly into a highly watchable 93 minutes, with precious little fat or waste.
On the tech side, the visuals look impressive for a mid-budget movie, whilst special praise must go to cinematographer Robert Elswit (one of the best currently working in Hollywood) who shoots some of the locations superbly with New Mexico doubling for Iraq and Puerto Rico standing in for Vietnam and other places.
Quite how this will do at the box office remains an open question. Despite being very accessible and featuring a stellar cast, the fact that it is effectively an indie (made by Overture Films and BBC Films) might mean it lacks the marketing power of bigger funded studio rivals.
The surreal nature of the story might baffle people – as an opening title says: “More of this is true than you would believe” – which leaves the question as to how much you do actually believe. That said, I can see it playing well with audiences and UK distributor Momentum Pictures can expect it to do well if enough buzz is created.
The Men Who Stare at Goats screened tonight at the LFF and goes on general release in the UK on November 6
An animated adaptation of Roald Dahl’s children’s book seemed an unlikely project for director Wes Anderson but it captures the charms of the source material and is likely to be his biggest box office hit.
However, he can’t let go of his wild instincts and regularly raids the chicken coops of the irate local farmers (Michael Gambon, Adrien Brody and Brian Cox) who declare war on him.
In some ways the film is a curious hybrid: a recognizable Anderson film with his usual kooks and quirks; an adaptation of a beloved book and a mainstream animated release from a major studio (appropriately enough, Fox).
Anderson’s films over the last decade have been the Hollywood equivalent of gourmet food – undeniably tasty but a bit too refined for mainstream tastes and sometimes too rich for even his admirers.
His best work remains his earlier films: Bottle Rocket (1996) and Rushmore (1998) as they combined his style, wit and taste with a tangible pang of emotion.
Since The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) his films have become too trapped within their own stylistic tics: British invasion soundtracks, privileged characters with parental issues, distinctive clothing, Kubrick-style fonts and so on.
Films like The Life Aquatic (2004) and The Darjeeling Limited (2007) have certainly above the Hollywood standard – and in places quite brilliant – but the sense of Anderson not quite taking his work to another level has been hard to shake off.
What makes Fantastic Mr Fox refreshing is that although it bears some of his stylistic trademarks, the switch to animation has given him a new lease of life.
Clocking in at just 89 minutes it moves briskly and has a nice, breezy attitude, embodied by the central character who remains coolly charming even in the most perilous situations.
There is a charm and simplicity to the central characters and – unlike some of Anderson’s recent creations – they feel more rounded and less like stylistic puppets, which is ironic given that they literally are puppets.
Schwartzmann’s voice over work is especially noteworthy, hitting a precise tone of innocence and weariness as a young fox trying to find himself in the world.
The original book was accompanied by the distinctive artwork of Quentin Blake and Anderson – and his creative team – have opted for their own bold approach, using stop motion animation instead of CGI.
The low-fi aesthetic reaps considerable dividends as it gives the characters and their surrounding world a distinctive visual flavour. The foxes especially look especially great in close up with their hair moving a bit like King Kong in the 1933 version.
There is the odd Anderson-style indulgence (watch out for a scene with a wolf) but these can be forgiven as the film works it’s magic and charm on a visual and emotional level.
Listen out too for some nicely off the wall musical choices which include: The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, Burl Ives, Jarvis Cocker (who has a cameo) and some Ennio Morricone style musings.
It will be interesting to see how this plays with family audiences when it opens in a couple of weeks. Although based on a famous source, it has gags and references that may fly over the heads of younger audiences.
Despite that, it contains enough visual delights for audiences of all ages and may catch fire at the box office, especially in Britain where Roald Dahl is still very popular with a huge amount of readers.
It won’t do the same numbers as Up or Ice Age 3 but there is definitely potential here for some decent global box office.
More to the point, what was up with the crazy title? The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (N.B. IMDb and other outlets wrongly leave off the ‘The’, which can be seen in the title sequence)
When I saw the logo of Millennium Films, alarms bells started ringing as this is Avi Lerner’s production company which has burped up such recent schlock as The Wicker Man remake, 88 Minutes and Righteous Kill. Would this be another lazy pay day vehicle for a recognised star? What exactly is going on here?
My guess is that the project came about because: producer Edward R Pressman wanted to revamp the original film (which remember was NC-17 in the US and something of an under-performing cult);Â Herzog had some mainstream heat after two widely acclaimed documentaries (Grizzly Man and Encounters at the End of the World); name actors like Cage, Eva Mendes and Val Kilmer were keen to work with the great director; and a pulpy script piqued the interest of all concerned.
Plus, I reckon that Herzog may have wanted to flex his creative muscles within the confines of a more generic film on a bigger than usual budget for him.
When it premiÚred at the Venice film festival word on the festival street was mixed and that is likely to be mirrored when it opens in cinemas.
Having seen it earlier today at an LFF press preview I can only confirm that it is indeed an insane reinterpretation of the Ferrara film. Whereas that was a bold look at a tortured soul hurtling towards his own version of hell, this one is much loopier affair that almost wilfully subverts the Catholic guilt of the original.
The set-up here involves Terrence McDonagh (Nicolas Cage), a New Orleans cop who starts out receiving a medal and a promotion to lieutenant for heroism during Hurricane Katrina. But after injuring his back he soon becomes addicted to all kinds of drugs and finds himself involved with drug dealer (Alvin “Xzibit” Joiner) who is suspected of murdering a family of African immigrants.
We follow McDonagh as he tries to keep the various parts of his life in check including: his prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes); his hot-headed partner (Val Kilmer); a local bookie (Brad Dourif) and all manner of criminals.
This sounds like it could be the premise of a conventional crime movie and there are elements of William Finkelstein’s script that bear the hallmarks of the traditional cop procedural. But filtered through the lens of Herzog, we have something different altogether.
As the story progresses Cage’s character takes gargantuan amounts of drugs (coke, heroin, crack), shakes down clubbers and then screws their girlfriends in front of them, runs up huge debts, threatens old age pensioners and does all this wearing an oversize suit with a funny looking revolver.
But this only scratches the surface, as Herzog adds some wildly surreal touches involving iguanas and alligators shot in extreme hand held close-up, whacky interludes involving dogs, horny traffic cops and hilariously over the top dialogue delivered by Cage in a couple of different accents  (my favourite lines being “‘Shoot him again! His soul is still dancing!” and “to the break of DAWNNNN!!!!”).
In some ways the relationship between this and the earlier work mirrors that between Harvey Keitel’s deranged cop and the NYPD in the first film. Strange, out of control and defiantly off its head, it seems destined for cult status: appealing to cinephiles and late night stoner audiences.
To makes things even stranger, the war of words that broke out over the idea of remaking was similarly bizarre. Ferrara was less than happy that the project went ahead at all and was quoted as saying:
“As far as remakes go, ⊠I wish these people die in Hell. I hope they’re all in the same streetcar, and it blows up.”
“I’ve never seen a film by him. I have no idea who he is.”
I can only assume the Bavarian maestro was having a laugh when he said this. At a press conference at Venice after the film’s premiĂšre, he also said of Ferrara:
“I would like to meet the man,” and “I have a feeling that if we met and talked, over a bottle of whisky, I should add, I think we could straighten everything out.”
Although on the basis of this film it makes you wonder if the makers have been taking something altogether stronger than whiskey.
As I was watching it unfold on screen I found myself frequently laughing and then questioning if I was laughing with or at the film. In a strange way I think it was both, although it should be noted that the festival audience I saw it with gave a spontaneous burst of applause at the end.
The US opening is on November 20th and although it won’t make a ton of money, it should be profitable and find its natural home on DVD and late night TV where I’m sure it will be savoured under the influence of certain substances.
Up (Disney): The 10th film from Pixar is the tale of an old man named Carl (Ed Asner) who decides to go off on an adventure by using balloons to fly his house down to the South American jungle. Along the way he discovers a young stowaway Wilderness Explorer (Jordan Nagai), a collection of talking dogs and a mysterious explorer (Christopher Plummer) living in the jungle.
As you might expect from Pixar, the animation and storytelling are first rate, although the first half of the film is a touch more satisfying than the second, due in part to a dazzling sequence early on which is amongst the best they have ever done. Director Pete Docter deserves a lot of praise for cleverly mixing deep emotions with breezy action and it bears some similarities in tone to his previous feature-length film, Monsters, Inc.
This is the first all new Pixar film to have the 3D treatment (seemingly standard for major studio animation these days) and on the big screen I saw it on it looked crisp and clean, making clever use of the spaces in certain scenes. One of the more pleasing aspects of the film is the attention paid to character, especially Carl, which has long been a hallmark of Pixar’s best work but for some reason resonates very strongly with this film.
Disney will be expecting a half-term box office bonanza from family audiences along the lines of ÂŁ20 million but I can’t help feeling they missed out on a higher potential gross by not releasing it in the summer given the lack of a major football tournament and a general dearth of decent films, let alone family themed ones. Never the less, the number 1 slot is assured. [Cert U / Nationwide]
Directed by first timer Ruben Fleischer from a script by Paul Wernick and Rhett Reese it manages to reference the zombie genre and satirise it at the same time. Part of the key here is the tone, which is wise but never too serious and the pacing which is admirably brisk. Another key plus point are the performances which are excellent with Eisenberg doing a sterling job in the lead, a character who is something of a nerdy, likeable everyman.
The irony about this film is that it comes after a wave of Shaun of the Dead rip-offs which have flooded the market over the last couple of years (memo to young British directors: stop trying to be Edgar Wright), but it does actually feel fresh and funny. This is more because of the execution rather than the ideas, but never the less it works.
Word of mouth and critical buzz from the US is very good and Sony will be hoping for a solid showing amongst the 16-34 year old demographic, with this being perfect fodder for couples on a Saturday night. Up is going to pull in the big numbers this weekend but Zombieland could do very good business given that everyone is probably still bummed out how average The Invention of Lying was. [Cert 15 / Nationwide]
Love Happens (E1 Entertainment): A romantic drama about a widower (Aaron Eckhart) and author of a best selling book on loss selling guru, who falls for a woman (Jennifer Aniston) who attends one of his seminars.
Halloween II (Entertainment): The Rob Zombie directed sequel to his own naff 2007 remake bombed in the US (where some were repulsed by the hacky directing and sadism) and is likely to do the same here.
Profits on DVD is probably where this one is going to make its real money.
Critical acclaim after a successfull festival circuit run could translate into decent art house business.
Katalin Varga (Artficial Eye): The feature film debut of British director Peter Strickland filmed and set entirely in the rural wilds of Romania about the journey taken by the title character and her son, Orban, after Katalinâs husband banishes them from their home following a scandalous discovery.
Will need significant critical support to make waves on the arthouse circuit but well be a slow burner on DVD, especially if Strickland’s career progresses.
Vanishing of the Bees (Dogwoof): A documentary about the disturbing decline in the UK honeybee population last winter, which is potentially serious given they pollinate a third of our food.
Le Donk & Scor-Zay-Zee (Warp/Verve Pictures): A low budget, experimental mockumentary about an Arctic Monkeys roadie (Paddy Considine) from director Shane Meadows.
Shot in only five days on a micro-budget of ÂŁ48,000, it will have a brief run in certain cinemas followed by a quickie DVD release.
Died Young Stayed Pretty (ICA Films): A documentary that examines the underground poster culture in North America directed by Eileen Yaghoobian. [ICA Cinema]
Skilfully directed by Lone Scherfig from an intelligent and heartfelt script by Nick Hornby, it evokes the charming drabness of the period whilst accurately depicting the emotional minefield that teenage years can be.
Although similar stories have been told before what makes this one stick out is the quality of the writing and the way in which the principal players really sink their creative teeth into it.
Carey Mulligan is already being tipped as a major star on the basis of her performance here and such hype is largely justified. She has the raw acting presence casting directors kill for and manages to combine deep emotions with an easygoing charm, skilfully moving between the two.
Peter Sarsgaard provides a smooth foil and largely convinces as a smooth talking Englishman, even if his accent sometimes wavers; Alfred Molina and Cara Seymour make amusingly naive parents; and Rosamund Pike hits just the right note as one of Jenny new ‘sophisticated’ friends.
Nearly all the characters are nicely drawn: instead of the one-note stereotypes that often litter British made films, they often have hidden sides that are slowly revealed, faults which are understandable and aren’t solely defined by their class and background.
Two of the minor characters who especially stand out are Olivia Williams as a teacher at Jenny’s school and Emma Thompson as a stern headmistress. Both have limited screen time, but make a considerable impact in roles with hidden depths.
Period pieces can sometimes be an excuse for cheap nostalgia but one of the clever ideas here is how the dawning of the 1960s is almost used as a metaphor for teenage years themselves, when contemporary music, films and culture feel particularly special.
Scherfig moves things along at a nice pace and perhaps her outside perspective (she’s a Danish director who came to notice with the Dogme95 movement) give the film its passion and energy whilst Hornby’s script throws up a highly pleasing mixture of laughs and emotions.
The period detail of the early 60s is evoked with some sterling contributions from the technical side, notably production designer Andrew McAlpine, costume designer Odile Dicks-Mireaux and cinematographer John de Borman.
There is the occasional misstep, notably a jarring voice over at the close, but for the most part this a rare kind of British film: one that feeds the brain, touches the heart and tickles the funny bone.
It looks highly likely to be an awards season contender (and a virtual shoo-in for the BAFTAs) but it will be interesting to see how it fairs at the box office.
No doubt UK distributor E1 Films can expect very good critical buzz in the UK later this month (presumably aided by a blitz of Carey Mulligan profiles in Sunday newspapers) but the US roll-out will be trickier.
My guess is that it will do well enough to create the awareness for Oscar season but fingers will be crossed, given how smaller, acclaimed films (such as The Hurt Locker) have not really broken through this year.
An Education opens in the US on October 9th and the UK on October 30th
The Invention Of Lying (Universal): A comedy set in an alternate universe where everyone tells the truth and is unable to lie, until a forty-something loser (Ricky Gervais) somehow discovers how to do it. After lying to his dying mother about what happens to humans when we die, he quickly becomes a prophet and celebrity, although this still doesn’t help him in his attempts to woo the girl of his dreams (Jennifer Garner).
As Gervais has acknowledged, the project has the hallmarks of early Woody Allen (e.g. Sleeper), Monty Python’s The Life of Brian and Tom Shadyac’s Liar Liar. Although the first act sets up things nicely, the film never really takes off with most of the laughs coming from sharply observed individual gags rather than the overall mixture of character, theme and plot.
Directed by Matthew Robinson and Gervais, it features an incredible supporting cast, which includes Tina Fey, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Tambor, Jason Bateman, Jonah Hill, Christopher Guest and Louis C.K. but it is little more than a novelty as they are often just one note cameos. Although there some solid laughs, the interesting subtext of religion as a lie is ultimately squandered with a conventional narrative about getting the girl and falling in love.
The film was funded by Media Rights Capital (funders of Bruno – another comedy movie featuring an Eleven O’Clock Show almunus) and Universal have UK distribution rights, with Warner Bros releasing it in the US. I suspect it might have a good opening weekend but critical and audience word of mouth is going to be mixed, so it won’t be the home run they were perhaps hoping for given how popular Gervais is within the Hollywood community and fans of The Office (still one of the greatest TV shows of the past decade). [Vue West End & Nationwide / 12A]
Toy Story In 3D (Walt Disney): A 3D re-release for Pixar’s classic 1995 film about a cowboy toy (Tom Hanks) who is threatened and jealous when a fancy spaceman toy (Tim Allen) supplants him as top toy in a boy’s room.
Directed by John Lasseter, this was the film that put Pixar on the mainstream map and the 3D re-release (followed by Toy Story 2) is in anticipation of the third film, which is out next summer. [Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide / PG]
Pandorum (Icon) (Vue West End & Nationwide / 15): A sci-fi actioner about a pair of crew members (Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster) aboard a spaceship wake up with no knowledge of their mission or their identities.
Directed by Christian Alvart, it was shot in Berlin and largely funded by Constantin Film with UK distribution coming from Icon whilst Overture are releasing it in the US. Given the reviews, it won’t be a huge hit at cinemas but looks likely to turn a profit in ancillary markets. [Vue West End & Nationwide / Cert 15]
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IN LIMITED RELEASE
Vinyan (Revolver Entertainment): A couple are looking for their child who was lost in the tsunami – their search takes them to the dangerous Thai-Burmese waters, and then into the jungle, where they face unknown but horrifying dangers. Directed by Fabrice Du Welz and starring Emmanuelle Beart and Rufus Sewell. [Key Cities / Cert 18]
Driving Aphrodite (formerly My Life in Ruins) (Warner Bros.): This film was originally entitled ‘My Life in Ruins’, which begs the question as to why studios change the titles of films in the IMDb era. It is a romantic comedy set amongst the ruins of ancient Greece, about a tour guide whose life takes a personal detour, while her group gets entangled in comic situations among the ruins. Directed by Donald Petrie, it stars Nia Vardolos, Richard Dreyfuss and Alistair McGowan. US reviews do not suggest a masterpiece. Â [Nationwide / Cert 12A]
District 13: Ultimatum (Momentum Pictures): Set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb. Directed by Patrick Alessandrin, it stars Cyril Raffaelli, David Belle and Tond D’Amario. [Apollo Piccadilly Circus / Cert 15]
The Spell (Carey Films): The story of Jenny, a young girl who finds herself unwanted by either of her separated parents and then get a live-in boyfriend Rick’s who is involved with witchcraft and black magic which leads to ‘the most horrific experience of her young life’. Directed by Owen Carey, it stars Rebecca Pitkin, Julia Curle and Pietro Herrera. [Prince Charles Cinema & Key Cities / Cert 15]
The Beaches Of Agnes (Artificial Eye): An autobiographical documentary about the life of director Agnes Varda. [Barbican, Cine Lumiere, Curzon Renoir & Key Cities / Cert 18]
Army Of Crime (Optimum Releasing): A drama about immigrant guerrilla fighters in Paris during the Nazi occupation. Directed by Robert Guediguian, it stars Virginie Ledoyen and Simon Abkarian. [Curzon Soho & selected Key Cities / Cert 15]
I P Man (Showbox Entertainment): A 2008 semi-biographical martial arts film. It is based on the life of Ip Man, the celebrated martial arts master of Bruce Lee, and the first to teach the Chinese martial art of Wing Chun openly. Directed by Wilson Yip, it stars Donnie Yen and Simon Yam. [ICA Cinema & Key Cities / 15]
Ghost in the Shell 2.0 (Manga Entertainment): A reproduced version of the original 1995 anime film directed by Mamoru Oshii. [ICA Cinema & Key Cities / Cert 15]
Surviving Evil (Kaleidoscope Entertainment): A TV documentary crew arrive on a remote island in the Philippines to film a survival special. Their back-to-the-wild adventure proves to be more terrifying than they ever could have imagined. [Showcase Manchester / 15]
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