This week's releases

Flight: Denzel Washington in a role that looks like it was made for him as a troubled pilot who saves the lives of everybody on board his aircraft with an insane manoeuvre as his plane is falling from the sky due to a failed engine. The facts of the crash and what happened beforehand are slowly revealed whilst he must face up to what is really happening to him.

Bullet to the Head: "You can't just kill somebody like that!", "I chuss diit". Sylvester Stallone returns with another action movie where he impresses with his total lack of linguistic skills. He joins a Washington D.C. cop in the hunt to take down a man who has murdered both their partners in business. Also starring Christian Slater (whatever happened to him).

Hyde Park on Hudson: A light-hearted look at the first ever visit of a British monarch to the USA, Bill Murray plays Franklin D. Roosevelt whilst they play host to King George in 1939 whilst etiquette and social differences dominate the agenda instead of America's support at the start of World War 2.

Film Review: I've loved you so long

Director: Philippe Claudel

A French language film released in 2008 which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival before being given a wide theatrical release later in the year. It was nominated for three BAFTAs and won the best foreign language film that year.

Juliette (Kristin Scott Thomas) is a former doctor who has just been released from prison and is staying with her younger sister Léa (Elsa Zylberstein) and her husband Luc (Serge Hazanavicius) as well as his mute father and their two adopted children from Vietnam. As the film unfolds we see Juliette struggle to deal with life back in the real world whilst she continues to come to terms with her crime, running parallel we slowly find out the reasons for her imprisonment.

Léa (Elsa Zylberstein) and Juliette (Kristen Scott Thomas)

Kristin Scott Thomas is clearly the centre piece of this film as there are very few moments where she isn't the focal point of a scene. Her performance is incredibly moving and powerful, she plays the role of Juliette with brutal honesty and it is heart-breaking to see her past revealed. Elsa Zylberstein also impresses in the supporting role of Léa but lacks the depth of emotion behind her tears as the film builds to a harrowing climax.

Naturally being a French film it is slow in developing which at times does makes you will the plot to move along, mainly out of curiosity as to what has happened because you are longing to know the reasons for Juliette's imprisonment. Overall there isn't a huge amount of development in the plot over the entire course of the film but the writing and acting keep you engrossed to the very end when all is revealed, although after that you might possibly wish you hadn't found out.

3.5/4 Harrowing yet deeply touching French film.

Film Review: Zombieland

Director: Ruben Fleischer

The zombie movie genre is always a popular one and that is also why we've seen so many zombie films over the years with their own take on things. Zombieland is a comedic version where the zombies are able to run which adds to the debate that raged last year about whether the un-bitten should lose their main advantage. But the zombies are only the back-drop that creates much of the comedy between Eisenberg and Harrelson.

Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson)

A mutated strain of mad cow disease has turned most of America into zombies leaving just a small few who are not infected. People know use the names of places that relate to them rather than their real names, Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg) and Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson) team up as Columbus hopes to finds his parents whilst Tallahassee hopes to find twinkies. They run into Wichita (Emma Stone) and her sister Little Rock (Abigail Breslin) who Columbus knows from high school and fight the zombies whilst trying to get where they are going.

Wichita (Emma Stone)

Jesse Eisenberg is impressive once again playing a geeky teenager whilst Woody Harrelson must also have felt at home playing a tough talking drinker who doesn't seem to like anybody. Harrelson is an actor it's hard not to like for his deadpan humour whilst Emma Stone sizzles as the women that Columbus desire throughout the movie. Unfortunately Abigail Breslin still left me feeling only contempt as she played another annoying character.

The comedic approach pays dividends as Columbus at different points in the movies relays his rules for surviving Zombieland whilst the cameo by Bill Murray is also excellently played. The short run time of the movie helps to keep the pace quick and ensure that there are very few lulls in entertainment although I think the producers were unsure quite how to end it.

3/4 funny and well crafted zombie movie

Sundance Festival 2013: My Picks

The Sundance Film Festival runs from 17th January 2013 to 27th January 2013 which is an exhibition of many films from independent film makes. Many films are looking to be picked up by distributors so they can be released to a wide theatrical audience.

Robin Wright and Naomi Watts

Two Mothers: Set on the coast of Australia, Robin Wright and Naomi Watts play two mothers who end up conducting affairs with each others son. A fascinating yet possibly disturbing film looks set to be played out.

Valentine Road: A documentary that looks at the 2008 murder of a high school student in his classroom by another student. A case of a neo-nazi youngster shooting a gay teenager is investigated in depth in what was a shocking crime that is becoming all to prevalent in America these days.

Mia Wasikowska

Stoker: South Korean director Park Chan-Wook presents his English language debut about a strange Uncle  (Matthew Goode) who moves in with a widow (Nicole Kidman) and her daughter (Mia Wasikowska). The film has no relation to Bram Stoker either.

Lovelace: An ensemble cast comes together for a biopic about renowned porn star Linda Lovelace who was also known as 'Deep Throat'. Amanda Seyfried is the surprising choice for the lead role.

The East: An FBI agent is tasked with infiltrating a dangerous anarchic gang but finds herself sympathizing with the gang who intends to bring down the corporation. Brit Marling plays the FBI agent whilst Juno star Ellen Page also appears.

After Tiller: The murder of Doctor George Tiller in America meant there was only four medical professionals that were willing to perform late-term abortions in the whole country. His former colleagues explain why they still do what they do despite the heavy protests and threats of violence against them.

Don Jon's Addiction: 'Don' Jon Martello (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is a man who has no problems meeting women for one-night stands but is more interested in watching porn than anything else. He has everything in his life except love, Scarlett Johansson co-stars.

Screen Actor's Guild Award Winners

Lifetime Achievement Award: Dick Van Dyke

FILM

Male Actor, Lead: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Female Actor, Lead: Jennifer Lawrence,Silver Linings Playbook

Male Actor, Supporting: Tommy Lee Jones,Lincoln

Female Actor, Supporting: Anne Hathaway,Les Misérables

Ensemble Cast: Argo

Action Performance for Stunt Ensemble: Skyfall

TV

Male Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries: Kevin Costner,Hatfields & McCoys
Female Actor, TV Movie or Miniseries: Julianne Moore,Game Change
Male Actor, Drama Series: Bryan Cranston, Breaking Bad
Female Actor, Drama Series: Claire Danes, Homeland
Male Actor, Comedy Series: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Female Actor, Comedy Series: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Ensemble Cast, Drama: Downton Abbey
Ensemble Cast, Comedy: Modern Family
Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble: Game of Thrones

Film Preview: 21 and Over

The Hangover and Superbad have a lot more to answer for than you might think, it seems they have spawned a new generation of party movies where high school kids or college kids look to have the best night of partying of their entire lives. Unfortunately these films aren't always that funny or entertaining to watch like Project X (review here) and the writers of The Hangover now give us 21 and Over.

Ahead of a big medical exam and interview, Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) celebrates his 21st birthday with his two best friends which turns from a quick beer to a night of debauchery and humiliation for Jeff.

The film is released in the UK on 29th March 2013 and the trailer is embedded below:

This week's releases

Lincoln: A biographical film looking at the period straight after the American Civil War for President Abraham Lincoln (Daniel Day Lewis).

Full Preview Here

The Sessions: Based on the autobiography of poet John O'Brien(played by John Hawkes), we follow his attempts to lose his virginity by the age of 40 years old despite being confined to an iron lung. He gets help from a local priest and his therapist which produces funny yet heartbreaking tale.

Film Review: Les Miserables

Director: Tom Hooper

One of the most renowned musicals of all-time was always likely to be converted to a spectacular and epic film, in many ways a tough act to follow as many have seen revered musicals on Broadway and the West End with such legends as Maurice Barrier and Colm Wilkinson have played the lead character of Jean Valjean. The film sticks to its musical roots as all dialogue is sung throughout.

Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman)

The story starts in 1815 follows a man named Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who is released on parole after serving a 19 year sentence for stealing some bread. He vows to changes his ways and breaks his parole to start a new life under a new identity but his nemesis from prison Javert (Russell Crowe) vows to track him down and put him back in prison. The battle for Valjean's capture is interwoven over the later story of the French Revolution of Parisien students 17 years later, as Valjean has cared for factory worker Fantine's (Anne Hathaway) baby Cosette (Amanda Seyfried as an adult) and he wants to ensure her happiness in later life.

A film of this nature is harder to review in the sense that the story is one that I fell in love with as a child and will always be one that I enjoy, the performance by Hugh Jackman as Jean Valjean is simply excellent and you can see his background in musical and theatre acting shine though. Russell Crowe gives an uneven performance and the weakness in his singing voice is apparent but he does slightly redeem himself later in the film. Eddie Redmayne and Samantha Barks are both impressive in their supporting roles whilst Anne Hathaway's rendition of "I Dreamed a Dream" pretty much brought me to tears. Another disappointment was the casting of Sacha Baron Cohen as Monsieur Thénadier, his version of "Master of the House" lacked spark and was frankly a disappointment although Helena Bonham Carter was capable at least but overall it was an impressively acted and sung adaptation.

Fantine (Anne Hathaway)

Unfortunately I found some of the camerawork a bit frustrating at times, Hooper seemed obsessed with moving camera shots either around or above a scene which detracted from the movie. The scene of Jalvert singing on the bridge near the end was like watching it on a bouncy castle as the camera flew overhead for no real apparent reason. But this aside it was a beautifully choreographed movie with much of the filming done around England including Winchester College and Cathedral as well as Portsmouth Naval base. As a film it is certainly unique given how much emotion it brings out of you, whether you love the musical or not you will be mesmerized by the performances that makes it hard not to feel something for the characters.

3.5/4 an excellent adaptation with just some minor flaws.

Film Preview: Knife Fight

No it's not a terrible Sylvester Stallone movie, Rob Lowe (who is really just Sam Seaborn from the West Wing) stars in this political thriller. The casting of Lowe is probably still motivated from his success in the West Wing and is hoping to pull fans of the show into the movie. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012

The premise based around the question, if a political candidate is personally flawed, but stands to make a positive difference in millions of lives, would you help him win? Paul Turner, played by Lowe, is a top political strategist who can work the media to portray anybody how he wants them to be seen but over time realises that his work suddenly begins to haunt him.

Knife Fight does not have a scheduled release date in the UK yet but is out this week in America. The trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Django Unchained

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Anything that Tarantino releases nowadays is followed by a wave of hype and expectation because his previous films like Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are so revered. Even more recent films like Inglorious Basterds are still held in very high regard. It must be difficult going into a project knowing that if it isn't close to perfection then the critics will be ready to destroy you with their reviews. So you can't fault Tarantino for being bold in producing an epic Western movie set just before the American Civil War.

Django Freeman (Jamie Foxx) and Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz)

The opening hour which sees Django released from slavery by Dr. King Schultz as they hunt the Brittle Brothers is excellent, Christoph Waltz excels as a bounty hunter who can smooth talk his way out of any situation with his German accent and cunning linguistic skills. The German is seen as a refreshing change of pace from the deeply racist white community in the deep South at the time. As Django becomes more at ease around Schultz an intriguing relationship is formed although the site of a black man on a horse does make life more difficult for them as they travel around.

Leonardo Di Caprio also turns a stellar performance as the extremely eccentric plantation owner Calvin J. Candie who only sees black people as commodities for him to buy and sell at his will. We see some pretty gruesome scenes of a man being torn apart by dogs and two men fighting to the death for the entertainment of Candie placing a mirror to America's chequered past in slavery.

Calvin J. Candie (Leonardo Di Caprio)

As ever Tarantino manages to set up small set pieces to introduce some comedy to proceedings, an impromptu meeting by the Ku Klux Klan before raiding the camp of Django and Schultz is particularly hilarious (featuring a cameo by Jonah Hill). Unfortunately an enthralling first hour the film rather bogs down in overly long conversations and scenes which should been condensed or even omitted from the film entirely. Tarantino can be guilty of making his films too rich in needless dialogue, in Pulp Fiction the conversations between Travolta and Jackson were sharp and hugely entertaining but that isn't re-created here which makes the long back and forths between Candie and Schultz frustrating.

Once you finally sense the ending is coming you are instantly back involved as we see everything come to a frantic close that reminds us why we fell in love with Tarantino's work in the first place. Judging from early reviews it looks like this will be another of his films to be fondly remembered as a classic even if I don't necessarily agree.

2.5/4 Slick and entertaining as you'd expect but too long and over laden with dialogue

One Year of The Rolling Picture

The Rolling Picture is officially one year old today, on this day last year I released my first ever blog post about the movie Shame which, although wasn't a great movie, did inspire me to start writing reviews and sharing my thoughts and ideas. So to celebrate a year of the blog I thought about a big birthday cake but realised that probably wouldn't be feasible so I thought I'd take a look back at some of my favourite posts of the past year.

First ever blog post for Shame: Click here

The Rolling Picture Awards: Click here

My Top 5 movies of all-time: Click here

Lynch's ten questions to explain Mulholland Drive: Click here

My Top 5 movies of 2012: Click here

Thanks for reading!

This week's releases

Django Unchained: Quentin Tarantino's latest film is a brutally violent affair with slick funny dialogue, you couldn't really expect it to be anything else could you? Jamie Foxx plays Django (D is silent) who teams up Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) who is a bounty hunter as Django knows what the Brittle brothers look like whilst Schultz knows the whereabouts of Django's wife. Reviews have been very positive in America so far.

The Sessions: John Hawkes stars as a man with an iron lung who hires a professional to help him lose his virginity, he then develops a touching relationship with the sex surrogate with the help of his therapist and a local priest. Big hit at the Sundance Film Festival.

Film Review: Gangster Squad

Director: Ruben Fleischer

A post-Second World War crime thriller based around the popular city of Los Angeles which is now nearly as renowned as New York for mafia gangs and crime syndicates. This is a film which tries to re-kindle the magic that was captured in L.A. Confidential (film review here) but falls short in many different areas except maybe in style.

Gangster Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) is a ruthless gangster who is the most powerful crimelord in LA having travelled from the East to take over the crime in the city. Chief Bill Parker (Nick Nolte) asks Sergeant John O'Mara (Josh Brolin), a family man except a child with his wife Connie (Mireille Enos), to set up a secret police unit to fight Cohen outside the letter of the law. The gang then try to dismantle Mickey's businesses in an effort to rid the city of him.

Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) and Sergeant John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) 

A slick and sharp looking thriller which is unfortunately not backed up by any sort of character development, creative plot writing or snappy dialogue. The characters are not people you care about at any point even though a couple of the police officers are shown to have families, that isn't enough for you to suddenly feel devastated if one of them were to die or be injured. The film has some nice comedic moments but other parts seem unintentionally laughable and that with a few changes could easily be taken as a spoof gangster movie which would be more Fleischer's territory.

The talent of the cast is critically under-used, Emma Stone is left to just looking pretty and spouting out lines that don't really make sense or add any value to the production. Whilst her romance with Gosling is lukewarm at best. Sean Penn should come in for the most criticism as he is poor as the crime figure Mickey Cohen, his accent is laughable and his demeanor more like somebody who is a drug addict which may be the case but was never actually shown.

1.5/4 lack of intrigue in the plot is backed up by some debatable performances

Film Review: Take This Waltz

Director: Sarah Polley

A young up and coming director, Sarah Polley's second film after Away from her which she also wrote. It's great to see female directors finally getting more opportunities in a very male driven world. The film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in 2011 and also played at the Tribeca Film festival in April 2012 before being released in August 2012 to the UK public.

The film follows 28 year old Margot (Michelle Williams) who is married to Lou (Seth Rogen) for the last 5 years, on a business trip she meets Daniel (Luke Kirby) who she instantly likes and has chemistry with. It turns out that Daniel lives across the street and that Margot's seemingly happy marriage isn't as rosy as it appears but will she actually give in to temptation?

Michelle Williams impresses in the lead role, a performance not too dis-similar to her role in Blue Valentine that follows the slow descent of a relationship that is breaking. In this it is for different reasons but she plays an incredibly down to earth and honest women that many people can relate to. Seth Rogen is his usual self just dialed down a few notches from normal whilst Luke Kirby is excellent as the Bohemian like dreamer who wants to sweep Margot off her feet.

Unfortunately the film itself dawdles at many points and some of the imagery is bluntly obvious rather than being subtle and clever. The fairground sequence played to Video killed the radio star, the montage of clips near the end and the hugging in the kitchen (will be apparent if you've seen it) are excruciatingly obvious comparisons. The moments with Dan are set to a whirlwind of excitement whilst being at home with Lou is painted as a slow and un-interesting existence which I felt really detracted from the realistic aspect of the movie which left it feeling contrived.

2/4 good acting doesn't save this love affair

Golden Globe Winners

The first big Awards night of the season kicked off last night and below you can find a list of all the winners. Especially pleased for Jennifer Lawrence winning Best Actress for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook and for Ben Affleck's work on Argo.


Picture, Drama
Argo

Picture, Musical or Comedy
Les Miserables

Actor, Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

Actress, Drama
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

Director
Ben Affleck, Argo

Actor, Musical or Comedy 
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables

Actress, Musical or Comedy
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook

Supporting Actor
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained

Supporting Actress
Anne Hathaway, Les Miserables

Foreign Language
Amour

Animated Film
Brave

Screenplay
Quentin Tarantino, Django Unchained

Original Score
Mychael Danna, Life of Pi

Original Song
Skyfall (music and lyrics by Adele and Paul Epworth), "Skyfall."

This week's releases

Les Miserables: Based on the World famous musical, which is the longest running musical of all time, we follow Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) who is an ex-prisoner who is hunted by policeman Javert (Russell Crowe). The stellar cast also includes Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried and Helena Bonham-Carter in this all singing film. Expect tears to flow!

Gangster Squad: Had its release delayed due to the Aurora shootings but its finally arrived, LA cops try to rid the underworld of the East coast Mafia with unapproved tactics.

Full preview here

Texas Chainsaw 3D: Another re-tread in the extremely long running Texas Chainsaw Massacre franchise, it topped the box-office in America proving that any film in this franchise will be popular. Expect the usual horror and gore but with it being 3D some of it popping out of the screen towards you.

Oscar Nominations 2013

The marquee awards event, the Academy Awards, has finally announced its nominees for 2013. It's always difficult viewing the list from this side of the pond as at this time Django Unchained, Flight, Zero Dark Thirty and Lincoln are all still yet to be released in the UK making it hard to judge the selection fairly. One of the main thing that stands out is that Argo has certainly lost out and the incredibly over-rated Beasts of the Southern Wild is inexplicably included in multiple categories:



Best Supporting Actor:
Christoph Waltz, Django Unchained
Philip Seymour Hoffman, The Master
Robert De Niro, Silver Linings Playbook
Alan Arkin, Argo
Tommy Lee Jones, Lincoln

Best Supporting Actress:
Sally Field, Lincoln
Ann Hathaway, Les Miserables
Jacki Weaver, Silver Linings Playbook
Helen Hunt, The Sessions
Amy Adams, The Master

Best Director:
David O'Russell, Silver Linings Playbook
Ang Lee, Life of Pi
Steven Spielberg, Lincoln
Michael Haneke, Amour
Benh Zeitlin, Beasts of the Southern Wild


Best Actor:
Daniel Day Lewis, Lincoln
Denzel Washington, Flight
Hugh Jackman, Les Miserables
Bradley Cooper, Silver Linings Playbook
Joaquin Phoenix, The Master

Best Actress:
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty
Jennifer Lawrence, Silver Linings Playbook
Emmanuelle Riva, Amour
Quvenzhané Wallis, Beasts of the Southern Wild


Best Picture:
Beasts of the Southern Wild
Silver Linings Playbook
Zero Dark Thirty
Lincoln
Les Miserables
Life of Pi
Amour
Django Unchained
Argo


Other categories will be announced throughout the afternoon.

The Razzie Nominations 2013

Awards season would not be the same with the annual Razzie Awards (Golden Raspberry Awards) which recognises the very worst in film from the last year. It is the polar opposite of the success that is honoured at the Oscar's and Golden Globes which makes for fun reading when the nominees and winners are revealed.

Worst Picture:
Battleship
The Oogieloves In Big Balloon Adventure
That's My Boy
A Thousand Words
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Worst Director:
Sean Anders, That's My Boy
Peter Berg, Battleship
Bill Condon, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Tyler Perry, Good Deeds/Madea's Witness Protection
John Putch, Atlas Shrugged Part II

Worst Actress:
Katherine Heigl, One ForTthe Money
Milla Jovovich, Resident Evil: Retribution
Tyler Perry, Madea's Witness Protection
Kristen Stewart, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2/Snow White and the Huntsman
Barbra Streisand, The Guilt Trip

Worst Actor:
Nicolas Cage, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance/Seeking Justice
Eddie Murphy, A Thousand Words
Robert Pattinson, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Tyler Perry, Alex Cross/Good Deeds
Adam Sandler, That's My Boy

Worst Supporting Actress:
Jessica Biel, Playing For Keeps/Total Recall
Brooklyn Decker, Battleship/What to Expect When You're Expecting
Ashley Greene, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Jennifer Lopez, What to Expect When You're Expecting
Rihanna, Battleship

Worst Supporting Actor:
David Hasselhoff, Pirannha 3-DD
Taylor Lautner, The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Liam Neeson, Battleship/Wrath of the Titans
Nick Swardson, That's My Boy
Vanilla Ice, That's My Boy

Worst Screen Ensemble:
Battleship
The Oogieloves in Big Balloon Adventure
That's My Boy
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Madea's Witness Protection

Worst Screenplay:
Atlas Shrugged Part II
Battleship
That's My Boy
A Thousand Words
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2

Worst Remake, Rip-Off, or Sequel:
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Piranha 3-DD
Red Dawn
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Madea's Witness Protection

Worst Screen Couple:
Any two cast members from Jersey Shore in The Three Stooges
Mackenzie Foy and Taylor Lautner in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart in The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2
Tyler Perry and his drag in Madea's Witness Protection
Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg, Leighton Meester, or Susan Sarandon in That's My Boy

Film Review: Looper

Director: Rian Johnson

A slick sci-fi thriller which should be lauded for an original plot that looks at the world of time travel . It's plot owes a lot to The Terminator which was made by James Cameron but adds in the fact that Joe Simmons (Joseph Gordon Levitt) has to kill himself sent from the future. One of the main things made immediately apparent is Levitt's prosthetics to make the shape of his face look like Bruce Willis'.

Joe Simmons (Joseph Gordon-Levitt)

Joe Simmons is a Looper, a man whose job it is to kill people sent from 30 years in the future where time travel has been invented. He lives in 2044 where the economy has collapsed and a lot of the world lives in poverty, to close the loop the crime bosses from the future send the loopers back to be killed by themselves. The reward for their work is a 30 year retirement paid for in gold bars sent from the future but Joe lets his future self escape.

Old Joe (Bruce Willis)

Joseph Gordon Levitt continues to prove he is an impressive actor whilst Bruce Willis is barely required to do anything other than shoot and brawl with bad guys. Jeff Daniels is a great bit part character, subtly threatening as Joe's boss Abe. The futuristic style has many subtle differences to our world now with a few tweaks which was a nice touch and the repeated use of cornfields throughout.

The idea behind time travelling is clearly explained in a voice over at the beginning and generally kept simple as the film lies mostly behind the storyline in young Joe's world. The plot is engaging but stutters massively in the second half of the film and a lot of scenes could easily have been cut out altogether. The cat and mouse chase grinds to a halt for a good 20mins late on but it's biggest failure is the ability to produce characters you can relate to and root for, although a satisfying finale is finally reached.

2/4 clever opportunity is pretty much wasted

Film Review: The Impossible

Director: Juan Antonio Bayona

The devastating tsunami that hit South-East Asia in 2004 was probably one of the worst natural disaster of our time, the new reports shocked people around the world into giving millions of pounds worth of donations to help the injured and to get things repaired. There were criticisms of the film for changing the family involved to a White-English family but these were actually minimal.

Maria (Naomi Watts) with her oldest son Lucas (Tom Holland)

*possible spoilers ahead*
Maria (Naomi Watts) and Henry (Ewan McGregor) are an English couple with three sons (Lucas, Thomas and Simon) who live in Japan but are spending Christmas on holiday in Thailand. They enjoy the gorgeous surroundings and beautiful sunshine before their lives are changed forever when a tsunami causes a tidal wave  to smash through the resort that they are staying at. This leaves them fighting for their lives in a country where the entire infrastructure is at breaking point.

Naomi Watts puts in a superb emotionally-charged performance as Maria who fights with her son to find safety whilst her health rapidly deteriorates. It is a hugely impressive lead performance that is fully deserving of a Golden Globe nomination and hopefully an Oscar one too, Tom Holland is decent as the oldest son who is given big responsibilities due to his mum's poor health. Ewan McGregor features a lot less in the film than you'd think and puts in a capable performance.

Henry (Ewan McGregor) with sons Thomas and Simon

The opening only passes by for around ten minutes before the tsunami hits, giving us just enough time to know the family and who they are. There was an interesting conversation about whether Henry will lose his job that never developed, maybe it was just there to put perspective on the tragedy but I did keep wondering throughout the film whether that topic would be visited again.

The special effects for the tsunami were incredible especially when Maria and Lucas are fighting through the water and currents to reach each other, the whole sequence followed by the walk through the crop fields were engrossing and tense. The film loses its way slightly as the tension disappears as the ending becomes clear whilst the scene where Henry, Lucas then Thomas and Simon are all outside the same hospital but don't  quite run into each other was farcical and hugely detracted from the realism they were trying to portray. But overall it was an enjoyable film that wasn't too 'Hollywood'.

3/4 Impressive first half loses its way

This week's releases

The Impossible: Drama based on the Tsunami that hit South-East Asia starring Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts as an American family visiting on holiday when disaster strikes.

Full Preview here

Quartet: Dustin Hoffman's directorial debut which stars Maggie Smith, Billy Connolly and Tom Courtenay in this comedy drama. They all plan the annual fund raiser for their retirement home for opera singers but a clash in personalities means problems.

Playing for Keeps: Gerard Butler wastes his time with another sub-par rom-com where he plays a former Football player who puts his efforts into coaching his son's football team

Film Review: Trouble with the Curve

Director: Robert Lorenz

It didn't take long for the unexciting world of retirement to get too much for Clint Eastwood, he lasted only months before returning to the big screen to play a grumpy old man in Trouble with the Curve. This was the first movie he starred in that he did not direct since 1993 so it was a surprising step for him to come back.

Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood) is a renowned Baseball scout with the Atlanta Braves who is given a big assignment before his contract is up. His daughter Mickey (Amy Adams) joins him in North Carolina on the scouting trip to check he is ok as age starts to catch up with him. Their difficult past is investigated whilst they meet Boston Red Sox scout Johnny (Justin Timberlake) who was once scouted by Gus and drafted by the Braves,

Scout Pete Klein (John Goodman), Mickey Lovel (Amy Adams) and Gus Lobel (Clint Eastwood)

Asking a similar question to Moneyball about scouting and whether watching players or computer generated statistics are the future of the game, Gus is an extreme example of someone who refuses to accept the new ideas in the game and is a frustratingly annoying grumpy old man. Amy Adams is  refreshing and genuinely warm whilst Eastwood mumbles and grumbles his way through the film with Timberlake adding the sort of character he is known for playing.

Trouble with the Curve is unfortunately a totally unsurprising and well trodden plot that offers very little that hasn't been done before. The ending and plot development you can see happening well before its presented on-screen which makes this a damp squib.

1.5/4 underwhelming plot and clichéd dialogue made it a dull watch

Film Review: The Raid: Redemption

Director: Gareth Evans

Welsh director Gareth Evans does a wonderful job in this Indonesian martial arts movie, a brutal and bleak survival film about a squad of police men who try to raid a crimelord's den and find themselves trapped as they are ambushed by his henchmen. Inside a bleak apartment block they have to fight men inside whilst avoiding fire from snipers positioned in the surrounding buildings. Many of the actors in the police squad were sent to military boot-camp to learn how to use weapons and plan strategic attacks to add to the realism.

The martial arts fights are incredible to watch and realistically choreographed whilst there is plenty of tension to go along with the action. It is constantly engrossing and limits the dead time that just fills so many Hollywood movies these days, unfortunately there is already an American remake in the pipeline which I'm sure will be heavy on the action but lack the tension and drama of the original.

The film is more survival action movie as the claustrophobic nature of trying to escape the building the police are raiding leaves them with few options for escape. When people mention Indonesia you don't envisage cloudy skies and a battle fought in a dilapidated apartment block but the bleakness is another great quality.

3.5/4 superbly crafted martial arts movie