Ah Paris. City of love. Known throughout the world for romantic overtures, fine cuisine, star-lit walks and, of course, kick-ass car chases. Director Pierre Morel returns to the scene of previous cinematic crimes for this explosive tour of the capital in the company of two mismatched American agents on a quest to dismantle a terrorist cell. Unfortunately, the terrible script and dodgy casting means that the only love we brought back from Paris was the relief in seeing the ending credits.
You know Ireland? That place where everyone dresses in green, the only drink available is Guiness, everyone is very sure (to be sure, to be sure), and where if you look a flame-headed man in the eye, you’re libel fer a beatin? No, us neither. As that place exists only in the minds of cigar-toting, fleshy eyed Hollywood executives. And now, also in Leap Year. Hoi ti toy ti toy.
A cosy Midwestern town where the smiles are shiny and the cakes are plentiful is the tranquil setting for a sudden bloodthirsty apocalypse in The Crazies. Executive produced by George A Romero, who redefined the horror genre with Night Of The Living Dead, Breck Eisner’s suspenseful yarn pays homage to the 1968 zombie classic with a big fat shout out to the dangers of experimental bio-weapons. Still, who needs subtelty when you’re being chased by a man with a chain-saw?
Micmacs, or to give it its full French title, Micmacs à tire-larigot, is the sixth feature from French auteur Jean-Pierre Jeunet. A comic tale of revenge and the joy of personal expression, it’s a film that sits admirably alongside Jeunet’s previous iconoclastic offerings Amélie and Delicatessen. Fans of Jeunet will enjoy immersing themselves in the director’s trademark visual style and quirkiness while newcomers will come away hungry to check out more of his work.
There are several reasons why helping to produce a movie you’re also starring in is a pretty sweet deal. Jeff Bridges shows this off to perfection in Crazy Heart, as he manages to swing a bed-time scene with Maggie Gyllenhaal, despite the fact he’s about twelvety times as old as her. The magic of cinema, eh? To be fair, Jeff’s great performance means he can get away with just about anything, in a film that is just about saved from by schmaltzy.
Back in that popular epic – the Bible, the character of Solomon (son of David and King of Israel) is known throughout the land for his wisdom. Sadly, the only thing noticeable about Solomon Kane, the star of Michael J Bassett’s historical action adventure, is how unnaturally white his teeth are.
Colin Firth’s performance – though well deserving of the hype – is just one of the many pleasures of fashion doyen Tom Ford’s directorial debut, based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood. Adapted for the screen by Ford and David Scearce, A Single Man is a haunting drama about a fifty-something scholar, who secretly says farewell to the people he loves as he contemplates suicide.
Fox paid a lot to secure the international rights to My Name Is Khan and while its message of understanding and tolerance is one that deserves to be heard, it seems unlikely that it will have a lot of crossover appeal- particularly with the storm of controversy surrounding its reception in Mumba
It’s easy to appreciate creative genius, but it must be hell to live with it. Based on the novel by Jan Parini, The Last Station is a love story set during the final year of Russian writer Leo Tolstoy’s life, focusing on the terrible strain borne by his wife, the Countess. Unable to live together under the same roof without descending into spiteful bickering, yet unwilling to live apart because of their deep love, the elderly couple plays out these final months against a backdrop of political intrigue.
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