Director: Edward Zwick Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, Gabriel Macht, Judy Greer, Oliver Platt, Hank Azaria and Josh Gad Certificate: 15 Duration: 112
Hathaway portrays Maggie, an alluring free spirit who won’t let anyone – or anything – tie her down.
But she meets her match in Jamie (Gyllenhaal), whose relentless and nearly infallible charm serve him well with the ladies and in the cutthroat world of pharmaceutical sales.
Maggie and Jamie’s evolving relationship takes them both by surprise, as they find themselves under the influence of the ultimate drug: love.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox.
Friday 31 December 2010
The Big Sleep (PG)(R/I)
Dir: Howard Hawks | Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Martha Vickers | USA 1946 | 114min | Cert PG
At once a compellingly complex thriller, a sexy, stylish romance, and a teasing commentary on genre conventions, Hawks' classic adaptation of Raymond Chandler's novel is one of the most richly entertaining films noirs ever made.
Humphrey Bogart is in his element as private eye Marlowe, hired by General Sternwood to sort out the mess of his daughter Carmen's life; the trouble is, no one - not even Vivian (Lauren Bacall), the girl's older sister - seems particularly happy to help with his investigations. As scripted by the dream team of William Faulkner, Leigh Brackett and Jules Furthman, Marlowe's attempts to unravel a deadly web of deceit and corruption make for a racy mystery whose precise details are at times famously tricky to follow; no matter, however, when the film offers such a subtly persuasive account of the way the relationship between Marlowe and Vivian develops as the bodycount mounts. No wonder the Coens ransacked it for one of their best films; it's as seductively quick-witted and genuinely sophisticated as Hollywood ever got.
Geoff Andrew
Award-winning director Joe Wright creates a boldly original suspense thriller with HANNA, starring Academy Award nominee Saoirse Ronan (The Lovely Bones, Atonement) in the title role.
Raised by her father (Eric Bana of Star Trek), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland, Hanna's upbringing and training have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin.
The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett).
As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.
From Hideo Nakata, the creator of The Ring, and featuring Aaron (Kick Ass) Johnson and Imogen (28 Weeks Later) Poots, Chatroom comes to the UK on December 22.
When strangers Jim, Eva, Emily and Mo meet William online in his new 'Chelsea Teens!' chatroom, they're completely seduced by his fast-talking, charismatic character.
But beneath the surface lies a much darker truth. William is a dangerous loner, a dysfunctional teenager channelling all his energies into cyberspace. He's become an analyser, a calculating manipulator who finds it almost impossible to interact normally with others in the real world, instead turning his hand to manipulating people online.
Distributor: Revolver Entertainment. Venue: Nationwide (Previews fm 22 Dec).
Meet The Parents: Little Fockers
Producer: Jane Rosenthal, Jay Roach, John Hamburg Cast: Robert De Niro, Ben Stiller, Owen Wilson, Blythe Danner, Jessica Alba, Laura Dern, Harvey Keitel, Teri Polo and Barbra Streisand Director: Paul Weitz
The test of wills between Jack Byrnes (Robert De Niro) and Greg Focker (Ben Stiller) escalates to new heights of comedy in the third installment of the blockbuster series—Little Fockers. Laura Dern, Jessica Alba and Harvey Keitel join the returning all-star cast for a new chapter of the worldwide hit franchise.
It has taken 10 years, two little Fockers with wife Pam (Polo) and countless hurdles for Greg to finally get “in” with his tightly wound father-in-law, Jack. After the cash-strapped dad takes a job moonlighting for a drug company, however, Jack’s suspicions about his favorite male nurse come roaring back.
When Greg and Pam’s entire clan—including Pam’s lovelorn ex, Kevin (Owen Wilson)—descends for the twins’ birthday party, Greg must prove to the skeptical Jack that he’s fully capable as the man of the house. But with all the misunderstandings, spying and covert missions, will Greg pass Jack’s final test and become the family’s next patriarch…or will the circle of trust be broken for good?
Director: Luc Besson Cast: Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow and Selena Gomez with Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg, Will.i.am, Fergie (Black Eyed Peas), Iggy Pop and Lou Reed
When Arthur uncovers a distress call sent from Minimoys, the invisible people who live in his own back yard, he knows that once again, he must embark on a great adventure to battle against the evil Maltazard and save Princess Selenia. Little does he know that this is an evil trick by his arch nemesis to reverse the magic of transformation to become a giant when Arthur passes into the Minimoy’s world. Now at less than half an inch tall, Arthur must save his own world from a giant evil Maltazard. Will this little hero have what it takes? Acclaimed and visionary director Luc Besson, in the follow up to Arthur and The Invisibles, brings us this brilliant, live action, computer animated, family adventure, starring Freddie Highmore, Mia Farrow and Selena Gomez with Jimmy Fallon, Snoop Dogg, Will.i.am, Fergie (Black Eyed Peas), Iggy Pop and Lou Reed.
Distributor: Entertainment Film Distributors. Venue: .
Sunday 26 December 2010
Gulliver’s Travels (3D)
Director: Rob Letterman Cast: Jack Black, Emily Blunt, Jason Segal, Billy Connelly, Amanda Peet, Catherine Tate, James Corden and Olly Alexander Certificate: PG TBC Duration: 90 TBC
Jack Black is bigger than ever…as Gulliver, a perpetual underachiever and wannabe travel writer at a New York newspaper. When he finally makes an effort to actually venture out of the city to write a travel piece, a storm-tossed voyage lands him on an island inhabited by tiny folks called Liliputians. After a rocky beginning, the gargantuan Gulliver becomes an inspiration to his new six-inch-tall friends. He brings them modern-day wonders like a PDA and music video games – while they help him learn that it’s how big you are on the inside that counts.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Venue: .
The Way Back (12A) (D)
Director: Peter Weir Cast: Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan
Chronicling an epic journey of 4,000 miles across five hostile countries Peter Weir returns with his first film since the multiple Academy Award® winning Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World.
Starring Jim Sturgess, Ed Harris, Colin Farrell and Saoirse Ronan THE WAY BACK is a story inspired by Slavomir Rawicz's acclaimed novel The Long Walk and the courageous escape of seven multi-national prisoners from a Soviet Labour Camp in 1941. It follows their treacherous journey as they battle the elements through Siberia, the Gobi Desert, Tibet, and the Himalayas, in search of safety, refuge and ultimately freedom.
Distributor: Entertainment One UK. Venue: Cineworld Haymarket, Curzon Mayfair, West End Vue.
Director: Jean Renoir Cast: Michel Simon, Marcelle Hainia, Severine Lerczinska, Jean Gehret
Boudu is a Parisian tramp who takes a suicidal plunge into the Seine, and is rescued by Monsieur Lestingois, a well-to-do bookseller with liberal ideas, who takes him home and tries to reconcile him with life and society. But Boudu is bored in this cosy little nest and uses his time to make trouble in the peaceful households around him.
Director: Ferzan Ozpetek Cert: 15 Language: Italian (English Subtitles) Cast: Riccardo Scamarcio, Alessandro Preziosi, Nicole Grimaudo, Ennio Fantastichini, Lunetta Savino, Elena Sofia Ricci, Ilaria Occhini
I Am Love meets Meet the Parents in this outrageous ‘al dente’ family comedy from celebrated award-winning director Ferzan Özpetek. Tommaso is the youngest child in the large, eccentric Cantone family who own a pasta factory in Puglia. When the Cantones gather for a family dinner to both welcome Tommaso’s return and to discuss the future of the family business, a secret is revealed that throws the whole family into turmoil, and the strong familial ties which bind them together are put to the test with explosive and hilarious results.
Distributor: Peccadillo Pictures. Venue: Apollo Pic Circus, Cine Lumiere, Odeon Covent Garden, Shepherds Bush Vue & Key Cities.
Catfish (12A) (D)
Directors: Henry Joost, Ariel Schulman
Catfish is a 2010 American documentary [1][2][3][4][5] involving a man being filmed by his friends as he builds a romantic relationship on the social networking website Facebook with an attractive girl, and the mysterious results when they all go to visit her.
Written & directed by: Richard Bracewell Cast: Richard E. Grant, Laura Fraser, Tamsin Greig, Adam Fenton, Antonia Bernath
Cuckoo, a creepy thriller starring Richard E. Grant, Laura Fraser (‘A Knight’s Tale’, ‘The Flying Scotsman’, ‘Titus’), Tamsin Greig (‘Love Soup’, ‘Green Wing’) and award winning jungle/drum & bass artist Adam Fenton (Adam F), will open in cinemas nationwide in June.
In one of his darkest roles, Richard E. Grant plays an ageing professor obsessed with his star student, Polly (Fraser). Polly is trapped in a dead-end job working for intrusive Professor Julius Greengrass (Grant). Her relationship with boyfriend Chapman (Adam Fenton) is falling apart, and jealous sister Jimi (Antonia Bernath) rarely leaves her side. When Polly has the chance to escape, her nearest and dearest have other ideas.
Alone in her flat, Polly struggles to keep her grip on reality. Mysterious sounds surround her, voices in the darkness, whispers of deceit. Polly knows she’s not cuckoo, but why won’t the noises go away? She turns to the one person she can trust – her boss. But Julius has a dark secret of his own. He wants Polly, and he’ll do anything to get her.
Using oppressive cinematography and a haunting soundtrack from BAFTA nominee Andrew Hewitt, writer/director Richard Bracewell, whose first film was the acclaimed low-budget comedy ‘The Gigolos’, carefully builds Polly’s world, echoing her stressed and anxious state. Expertly played by Fraser, we feel Polly’s sense of isolation as events unfold around her in this darkly atmospheric and compelling story of deception and intrigue.
Director: Steven Antin Cast: Kristen Bell, Christina Aguilera, Cher, Eric Dane Running time: 119 Mins
Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a small-town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship and an uncertain future to follow her dreams to LA. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a cocktail waitress from Tess (Cher), the club’s proprietor and headliner. Burlesque’s outrageous costumes and bold choreography enrapture the young ingenue, who vows to perform there one day.
Soon enough, Ali builds a friendship with a featured dancer (Julianne Hough), finds an enemy in a troubled, jealous performer (Kristen Bell), and garners the affection of Jack (Cam Gigandet), a bartender and fellow musician. With the help of a sharp-witted stage manager (Stanley Tucci) and gender-bending host (Alan Cumming), Ali makes her way from the bar to the stage. Her spectacular voice restores The Burlesque Lounge to its former glory, though not before a charismatic entrepreneur (Eric Dane) arrives with an enticing proposal…
Distributor: Sony Pictures. Venue: Nationwide.
Tron: Legacy (3D & Imax) (D)
Director: Joseph Kosinski Cast: Michael Sheen, Olivia Wilde, Jeff Bridges Running time: 126 Mins
TRON: Legacy is a 3D high-tech adventure set in a digital world unlike anything ever captured on the big screen before. Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), a rebellious 27 year old, is haunted by the mysterious disappearance of his father Kevin (Jeff Bridges), a man once known as the world’s leading video-game developer. When Sam investigates a strange signal sent from the old Flynn’s Arcade – a signal that could only come from his father – he finds himself pulled into the digital world in which Kevin has been trapped for 20 years.
Distributor: Walt Disney. Venue: Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide.
Animals United (3D) (D)
Directed by: Reinhard Klooss and Holger Tappe Cast: Jim Broadbent, James Corden, Omid Djalili, Jason Donovan, Dawn French, Stephen Fry, Joanna Lumley, Billie Piper, Vanessa Redgrave and Andy Serkis
In the Okavango Delta, Billy, the little mischievous meerkat, and his best (and only) pal Socrates, the friendly lion, wait for the annual flood, essential to the Delta and all the animals living there. Wanting to prove to his adoring son Junior that he’s not the screwball loser everyone, sometimes justifiably so, thinks he is, Billy sets out to find water, accompanied by Socrates. On their journey, they meet a truly wild and funny bunch of animals from all over the world, who have flocked to Africa in search of a new home.
Distributor: Entertainment. Venue: Nationwide.
Fred: The Movie (12A) (D)
Join “Fred,” the incredible YouTube Sensation in his first movie as he sets off on a brand new adventure to get to his true love Judy (Pixie Lott), all the while thwarting his nemesis Kevin, on his most hilarious outing yet. Lionsgate UK will release Fred: The Movie in cinemas this Christmas.
Fred is in love with the girl next door, Judy. But his nemesis neighbor Kevin, thwarts all attempts Fred makes to see her, and when he finally succeeds in making it over to Judy’s house – she’s moved! With the advice of his super cool dad (John Cena), Fred embarks on an epic journey full of gut-busting fun to find her. So, jump in the kiddie pool and join Fred, Bertha (Jennette McCurdy), and the whole gang for a hilarious good time in Fred: The Movie!
Distributor: Lionsgate UK. Venue: West End Vue & Key Cities.
Catfish is a 2010 American documentary involving a man being filmed by his friends as he builds a romantic relationship on the social networking website Facebook with an attractive girl, and the mysterious results when they all go to visit her. - Wikipedia
UK regional critics today 13 December 2010 announce their Film of the year, as a highlight of the fifth annual Richard Attenborough Film Awards (RAFAs). The prestigious accolade goes to The Social Network,which also wins Screenwriter of the year for Aaron Sorkin.
The RAFAs – the UK’s regional film awards – comprise fourteen categories. Seven are exclusively for UK regional film critics, while a further seven are decided by public votes. In recognition of their achievement, each winner will each receive a RAFA award, remodelled for 2010 and engraved with Lord Attenborough’s signature.
Voting in the seven categories for regional critics took place online between 15 November and 6 December 2010. The voting constituency was staff and freelance arts and entertainment writers, critics and editors in all branches of UK regional media. Results as follows:
UK regional critics’ vote RAFA winner
Film of the year
The Social Network
Filmmaker of the year
Christopher Nolan – director, Inception
Screenwriter of the year
Aaron Sorkin– The Social Network
Actor of the year
Colin Firth– The King’s Speech
Actress of the year
Noomi Rapace–The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (and the Millennium trilogy)
Rising Star of the year
Chloë Moretz– Kick-Ass, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Let Me In
All Time Legend
Sir Michael Caine CBE
The seven people’s choice categories (below) were each decided by an online public vote. Toy Story 3 wins three RAFAs, more than any other title, while Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 was voted for on ITV1’s The Alan Titchmarsh Show.
Results as follows:
UK public vote RAFA winner
British Film of the year - in association with The Alan Titchmarsh Show (ITV1)
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Film Star of 2010 - in association with Newsquest Group
Angelina Jolie – Salt (and with The Tourist just released)
Animated Film of the year - in association with HMV
Toy Story 3
Breakthrough Star of the year - in association with Cineworld Cinemas
Chloë Moretz – Kick Ass
3D Film of the year - in association with Cineworld Cinemas
Toy Story 3
Top Film Character of the year - in association with MoviePreviewguide.com
Edward Cullen - The Twilight Saga: Eclipse
Family Film of the year- in association with The Birmingham Mail
Toy Story 3
Colin Firth, Actor of the yearfor The King’s Speech, said: “I am delighted to receive the Richard Attenborough Film Award for Best Actor and to be recognised by the regional media in the UK.”
Colin Firth has already won Best Actor for his performance in The King’s Speech at this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFAs). The film – now gathering huge BAFTA and Oscar potential – won five BIFAs in total on 5 December.
Chloë Moretz, winner of the newcomer awards in both the regional critics’ and public vote categories, said: “I am so thrilled and humbled to have been thought of, much less win such an award when I am still very young. Thank you to all who voted and I hope that in the years to come I am able to portray characters that will continue to entertain audiences.”
Atlanta-born Moretz, 13, has appeared in more than a dozen films since her screen debut in 2004. She has been in the UK recently shooting The Invention of Hugo Cabret for Martin Scorsese.
Veteran film star Sir Michael Caine CBEwas conferred All Time Legend, voted for by the regional journalists. In the last year alone, he has appeared in both Inception and Harry Brown, and has published a volume of autobiography, The Elephant to Hollywood. The special achievement award was inaugurated in 2009 when it was won by none other than Lord (Richard) Attenborough himself.
Lord Attenborough CBE said: “The last year has shown the cinema to be both resilient and innovative, with large audiences eager to enjoy the unique theatrical experience. It has also brought a superb crop of terrific films with compelling performances from both experienced and fresh talents. I offer my warmest congratulations to this admirable set of winners.”
Significative is the gulf between the regional critics and the public in their choices of actors and films to be awarded, Chloë Grace Moretz being the only actor who received the support of both the critics and the public. This is, by itself, a recognition of Chloë's talents. While Noomi Rapace, who was brilliant in The Girl trilogy, hardly registered in the public vote, Angelina Jolie, whose dwindling talents (if she ever had them) were disregarded by the critics, wins it. I have to add that I supported both Noomi and Chloë.
Back in August 2010, Friskies selected 25 cats around the country and gave them the hardship privilege of wearing a camera around their necks, documenting their lives over the course of 5 days. The resulting footage was edited into “Cat Diaries”, the first movie to be filmed entirely by cats. It’s a unique look into what it’s like to see and explore the world as a cat.
A Chloë G Moretz' tweet alerted me to this recent production by the New York Times of 14 actors acting a full story in just one minute, directed and shot in black and white by Solve Sundsbo of Norway, with music by Owen Pallett, recorded in Prague by the Czech Symphony Strings. Production services by Spring Studios.
A Chloë G Moretz' tweet alerted me to this recent production by the New York Times of 14 actors acting a full story in just one minute, directed and shot in black and white by Solve Sundsbo of Norway, with music by Owen Pallett, recorded in Prague by the Czech Symphony Strings. Production services by Spring Studios.
A Chloë G Moretz' tweet alerted me to this recent production by the New York Times of 14 actors acting a full story in just one minute, directed and shot in black and white by Solve Sundsbo of Norway, with music by Owen Pallett, recorded in Prague by the Czech Symphony Strings. Production services by Spring Studios.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (PG) (3D) (D)
Director: Michael Apted Cast: Georgie Henley, Skandar Keynes, Ben Barnes Certificate: PG Duration: 113
Return to the magic and wonder of C.S. Lewis’ beloved world – via the fantastic Narnian ship, the Dawn Treader. In this new installment of the blockbuster “The Chronicles of Narnia” motion picture franchise, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, along with their cousin Eustace and their royal friend King Caspian, find themselves swallowed into a painting and on to the Dawn Treader. As they embark on an incredible adventure of destiny and discovery, they confront obstacles beyond imagination.
Distributor: 20th Century Fox. Venue: Empire Leicester Square & Nationwide.
Friday 10 December 2010
Somewhere (15) (D)
Sofia Coppola's controversial winner of The Golden Lion at the 67 Venice International Film Festival.
From Academy Award-winning writer/director Sofia Coppola ("Lost in Translation," "The Virgin Suicides," "Marie Antoinette"), "Somewhere" is a witty, moving, and empathetic look into the orbit of actor Johnny Marco (played by Stephen Dorff).
You have probably seen him in the tabloids; Johnny is living at the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel in Hollywood. He has a Ferrari to drive around in, and a constant stream of girls and pills to stay in with. Comfortably numbed, Johnny drifts along.
Then, his 11-year-old daughter Cleo (Elle Fanning) from his failed marriage arrives unexpectedly at the Chateau.
Their encounters encourage Johnny to face up to where he is in life and confront the question that we all must: which path in life will you take?
Filmed entirely on location, "Somewhere" reunites the writer/director with "Lost in Translation" editor Sarah Flack and production designer Anne Ross. Stacey Battat ("Broken English") is the costume designer, and Harris Savides ("Elephant") is the director of photography, on "Somewhere."
In Our Name, a film about the unintended consequences of politicians' wars on both the soldiers involved and their civilian casualties.
SUZY's a soldier, born and bred, but fitting back into civilian life after being on tour in Iraq isn't easy. On arriving home to a hero's welcome, it's clear from the moment she sets foot in her house that something's not right.
After Suzy and a fellow soldier, PAUL, took part in a hearts and minds mission that resulted in the death of a child, she's unable to escape the immense weight of the guilt on her shoulders. Once at home, Suzy is haunted by the memory of the Iraqi girl and becomes obsessively protective of her own child, perceiving threats where there seem to be none...
As Suzy's paranoia builds, her behaviour becomes more and more erratic, until finally, she puts her own child in serious danger.
Director: Srdjan Spasojevic Cast: Srdjan Todorovic, Sergej Trifunovic, Jelena Gavrilovic, Katarina Zutic
Milos (Srdjan Todorovic) is a retired adult film star leading a normal family life with his wife Maria (Jelena Gavrilovic) and six-year old son Petar in tumultuous Serbia, trying to make ends meet.
Aware of his problems, Layla (Katarina Zutic), a former co-star, introduces Milos to Vukmir (Sergej Trifunovic), a mysterious, menacing and politically powerful figure in the adult film business who wants Milos to star in his latest project and is willing to pay him a fee that will provide financial support to Milos and his family for the rest of their lives. The only condition is that Milos signs a contract insisting on his absolute unawareness of the scripted scenes they are about to shoot.
Encouraged by his wife to accept the job, Milos turns up for the first day of shooting and is immediately drawn into a maelstrom of unbelievable cruelty and mayhem devised by his employer, the ‘director’ of his destiny. It soon becomes apparent that Vukmir and his crew will stop at nothing to complete his insane vision. The only way for Milos to escape the living cinematic hell he’s entered and to save his family life is to sacrifice everything to Vukmir’s art – his pride, his morality, his sanity, and maybe even his own life.
Director/writer: Mathieu Amalric Cast: MIRANDA , SUZANNE RAMSEY, LINDA MARRACCINI, JULIE ANN MUZE, ANGELA DE LORENZO, ALEXANDER CRAVEN, MATHIEU AMALRIC, and others.
Joachim, a former Parisian television producer had left everything behind - his children, friends, enemies, lovers and regrets - to start a new life in America.
He comes back with a team of New Burlesque strip-tease performers whom Joachim has fed fantasies of a tour of France, of Paris!
Traveling from port to port, the curvaceous showgirls invent an extravagant fantasy world of warmth and hedonism, despite the constant round of impersonal hotels with their endless elevator music and the lack of money. The show gets an enthusiastic response from men and women alike.
But their dream of a tour culminating in a last grand show in Paris goes up in smoke when Joachim is betrayed by an old friend and loses the theatre where they were due to perform. A quick return journey to the capital violently reopens old wounds...
Distributor: Artificial Eye. Venue: Cine Lumiere, Curzon Soho & selected Key Cities (Scotland fm 24 Dec).
Enemies Of The People (D)
Directors/producers: Thet Sambath, Rob Lemkin
The Khmer Rouge ran what is regarded as one of the twentieth century's most brutal regimes. Yet the Killing Fields of Cambodia remain unexplained. Until now.
In Enemies of the People the men and women who perpetrated the massacres – from the foot-soldiers who slit throats to the party's ideological leader, Nuon Chea aka Brother Number Two – break a 30-year silence to give testimony never before heard or seen.
Unprecedented access from top to bottom of the Khmer Rouge has been achieved through a decade of work by one of Cambodia's best investigative journalists, Thet Sambath.
Sambath is on a personal quest: he lost his own family in the Killing Fields. The film is his journey to discover not how but why they died. In doing so, he hears and understands for the first time the real story of his country's tragedy.
After years of visits and trust-building, Sambath finally persuades Brother Number Two to admit (again, for the first time) in detail how he and Pol Pot (the two supreme powers in the Khmer Rouge state) decided to kill party members whom they considered 'Enemies of the People'.
Sambath's remarkable work goes even one stage further: over the years he befriends a network of killers in the provinces who implemented the kill policy. For the first time, we see how orders created on an abstract political level translate into foul murder in the rice fields and forests of the Cambodian plain.
We have repeatedly used the expression 'for the first time'. This is because Sambath's work represents a watershed both in Cambodian historiography and in the country's quest for closure on one of the world's darkest episodes.
The United Nations and the Cambodian government have set up a tribunal to try the senior leaders of the Khmer Rouge for international crimes. Brother Number Two's trial is expected to start in 2010.
The trials are widely expected to deliver a form of justice but fewer expect the truth finally to come out through this process.
Sambath says: "Some may say no good can come from talking to killers and dwelling on past horror, but I say these people have sacrificed a lot to tell the truth. In daring to confess they have done good, perhaps the only good thing left. They and all the killers like them must be part of the process of reconciliation if my country is to move forward."
Directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind), a personal look at the life of his family matriarch, his aunt Suzette Gondry, and her relationship withher son, Jean-Yves. Michel examines Suzette’s years as a schoolteacher and her life in rural France using his camera to explore them in a subtle and sensitive way.
Distributor: Soda Pictures. Venue: Gate, Ritzy, Screen On The Green & Key Cities.
For Colored Girls (15) (D)
Director: Tyler Perry Cast: Whoopi Goldberg, Kerry Washington, Janet Jackson Running time: 133 Mins
In 1974, Ntozake Shange’s choreopoem “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When The Rainbow Is Enuf” made its stage debut, combining poetry, dance and music, and most significantly, placing the black female experience center stage. In lyrical, honest, angry, funny and tender language, Shange’s “colored girls” evoked the feelings woven into the fabric of black female life in America. Within two years, the play became a Broadway sensation, won an Obie and Tony Award, and would eventually be produced in regional theaters throughout the country. Now, thirty six years later, filmmaker Tyler Perry adapts this landmark work for the big screen, integrating the vivid language of Shange’s poems into a contemporary narrative that explores what it means to be a woman of color - and a woman of any color - in this world.
FOR COLORED GIRLS weaves together the stories of nine different women – Jo, Tangie, Crystal, Gilda, Kelly, Juanita, Yasmine, Nyla and Alice – as they move into and out of one another’s existences; some are well known to one another, others are as yet strangers. Crises, heartbreaks and crimes will ultimately bring these nine women fully into the same orbit where they will find commonality and understanding. Each will speak her truth as never before. And each will know that she is complete as a human being, glorious and divine in all her colors.
Dir: Ernst Lubitsch | Starring James Stewart, Margaret Sullavan, Frank Morgan | USA 1940 | 97min | Cert U
Set in a lovingly evoked pre-war Budapest in the run-up to Christmas, Lubitsch's wondrous comedy displays his fabled 'touch' at its lightest. The film focuses on the various obstacles – including their own pride, prejudice and anxieties about unemployment – blocking the path to happiness for Alfred Kralik (Stewart) and Klara Novak (Sullavan). Sales assistants at the emporium owned by the irascibly paternal Mr Matuschek (Morgan), the pair are so distracted by professional rivalry and dreams of a better life that they're yet to realise they’ve started courting one another in an anonymous correspondence by mail.
Superb performances, lustrous camerawork and Samson Raphaelson's deft script – which miraculously mines comedy from an otherwise serious, often deeply moving account of loneliness, insecurity and the fear of seeming 'ordinary' – contribute to Hollywood’s most exquisitely romantic depiction of an old Europe about to vanish forever. Perfect seasonal fare. - Geoff Andrew
Directed by: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Cast: Johnny Depp, Angelina Jolie, Paul Bettany, Rufus Sewell, Timothy Dalton
The story revolves around Frank (Johnny Depp, FROM HELL, PIRATES OF THE CARRIBEAN), an American tourist visiting Italy to mend a broken heart. Elise (Angelina Jolie MR &MRS SMITH, GIRL INTERRUPTED) is an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path in order to mislead all those following her former lover. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Venice, Frank pursues a potential romance but soon finds himself the pursued as he and Elise are caught in a whirlwind of intrigue and danger.
The movie follows the series of manipulations, as characters realise that they are merely pieces being played by an unseen mastermind of the game.
It tells the tale of Petronella (a Scottish/Romany girl) and Fergal (her mysterious Irish traveller boyfriend). As their doomed relationship plays out, a Beast stalks the estate, killing locals, working its way towards our protagonists. Meanwhile Cathal and Liam, two mysterious travellers from Ireland use ritual and magic on a blood hunt. Mary, Fergal's mother performs ritual and magic of her own. As Cathal comes face to face with Mary in a vicious finale we know one thing: the Beast must die.
Distributor: Vertigo Films. Venue: Apollo Piccadilly Circus & Key Cities.
No Problem (D)
Director : Anees Bazmee Singers: Wajid, Suzzane Demello, Khurram Iqbal, Bhishak Jyoti, Kamal Khan, Suganda Mishra, Altamash Faridi, Master Salim, Kalpana, Hard Kaur, Vikrant Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Anand Raj Anand, Suraj Jagan, DJ Suketu
Yash (Sanjay Dutt) and Raj (Akshaye Khanna) are small time crooks and childhood buddies. Raj wants to lead an honest life, but alas, Yash always manages to do something, that jeopardizes Raj's chances of turning over a new leaf. When Yash robs the First Village Bank, the innocent bank manager, Zandulal (Paresh Rawal), also falls under suspicion, just because he had sheltered Yash and Raj under his roof. Zandulal begs the Bank Chairman for time to look for the two and prove his innocence.
Here in Durban, Arjun Singh (Anil Kapoor) is a bungling ham-handed cop, married to Kajal (Sushmita Sen), the daughter of the commissioner of the police (Shakti Kapoor). Kajal has a split personality - one moment she's a loving wife and mother, who for 10 minutes every day, transforms into a terrifying maniac intent on murdering her husband! Diamonds worth millions have been stolen from the International Diamond Centre. No witnesses have survived the shooting spree unleashed by the gang lead by Marcos (Suniel Shetty). Arjun is as determined to find these ruthless robbers, as Zandulal is to find the two crooks who robbed his bank.
Yash and Raj try to avoid Zandulal who does not realize that they are his neighbours. Meanwhile, Raj falls in love with Sanjana (Kangna Ranaut), Kajal's younger sister. At the engagement, Zandulal threatens to expose Yash and Raj unless they return the money they stole from his bank. Cornered, Raj and Yash agree to commit one last robbery. They rob a minister's house, minutes before Marcos arrives. The minister is tortured and killed, because Marcos cannot find the stolen diamonds.
Now starts a game of hide and seek, as Arjun goes after Yash and Raj, the prime suspects in the minister's murder and Marcos also hunts them down because he's figured out that they have the diamonds. With Sanjana's help, Yash and Raj must prove their innocence and also somehow or the other pays back Zandulal...
Over four decades, Motörhead frontman Lemmy Kilmister has registered an immeasurable impact on music history. At 62, he remains the living embodiment of the rock and roll lifestyle, and this feature-length documentary tells his story, one of a hard-living rock icon who continues to live the life of a man half his age. Shot on a combination of High Definition and Super 16mm film, the film will include interviews with friends, family, bandmates past and present and such admirers/peers as Slash, Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters), Ozzy Osbourne, Peter Hook (Joy Division/New Order), wrestling superstar Triple H, Alice Cooper, Mick Jones of The Clash, C.C. Deville of Poison, and many others. The film crushes all myths, rumors and speculation about Lemmy, while giving his millions of fans more access to his life than ever before.
Director: Alan Lowery Director: John Pilger Executive Producer: Christopher Hird Editor: Joe Frost
This is John Pilger's second major film for the cinema, after his 2006 award winning The War on Democracy. In this film John investigates how the media has reported war, from the First World War to the present day. The film is being made with John's long time collaborator Alan Lowery, who worked with him on The New Rulers of the World (2001), Paying the Price: Killing the Children of Iraq (2000) and The Last Dream (1988).In an extraordinary alliance of TV and cinema, John Pilger's new film, 'The War You Don't See', opens in the UK mid-December. Following its premiere at the Barbican on Tuesday 7 December 2010, the first Pilger film since 2007 will be showing at Curzon Soho in London on Sunday 12 December at 12pm, Monday 13 December at 6.20pm (including a satellite Q&A) and Thursday 16 December at 9pm.
