November 2011

The Archives

  • 11.28.11
    TAKE SHELTER: A dreadful experience. In a good way. Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    TAKE SHELTER Directed by Jeff Nichols. Starring Michael Shannon, Jessica Chastain, Kathy Baker. 120 mins. Rating: Four/Five In cinemas now MICHAEL SHANNON CAPTIVATES IN A TENSE, ATMOSPHERIC EXPLORATION OF MENTAL ILLNESS “Dreadful.” It’s one of those words that has been simplified over time from an evocative expression into a slight, overused adjective. And yet “dreadful”, in its original form is the most accurate description of Jeff Nicols’ tense, beautifully constructed and deeply unsettling examination of family, mental illness and yes, the devastating, unshakeable effects of dread. Leading man Michael Shannon proved a disconcerting but spellbinding presence in Revolutionary Road, and yet again he plays a ...
  • 11.28.11
    50/50: Half comedy, half drama, completely wonderful Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    50/50 Directed by Jonathan Levine. Starring Joseph Gordon Levitt, Seth Rogan, Anjelica Huston, Anna Kendrick, Bryce Dallas Howard.100 mins. Rating: Five/Five In cinemas now HILARIOUS AND HEARTBREAKING CANCER TALE IS THE MOST LIFE-AFFIRMING FILM OF THE YEAR As a general rule, I’m not a crier. A mix of press screening professionalism, general cynicism and a black, black stone where my heart should be means that I scoffed through The Notebook and responded to the new John Lewis advert with the Ultimate Ebenezer Scrooge observation of “Yeah, but the kid’s like four, the present’s probably crap.” During 50/50, I sobbed. Openly. Loudly. Repeatedly. Not because there are ...
  • 11.22.11
    TWILIGHT:BREAKING DAWN. I give up. Blog Exclusives, Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    Directed by Bill Condon. Starring Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner. 117 mins. In cinemas now. Rating: One/Five The most telling sequence of this Twilight:Breaking Dawn is when Bella (Kristen Stewart, in case you’ve been living in a cave) and Edward (Robert “OMG Bite Me Edward, Bite Me!” Pattinson) go on their honeymoon. For once in the series, they’re together and blissfully happy, as there are no werewolves, Muggles, Deatheaters, Orcs or Mormons - oh, sorry Meyer, forgot about you – threatening to whip their shirts off and challenge them to a stare-off. And it’s the most boring goddamn sequence in the entire ...
  • 11.16.11
    IFI French Film Festival kicks off tonight! Blog Exclusives, Trade News | Comments Off
    The 2011 IFI French Film Festival Gala Opening screening of The Bird with special guest Yves Caumon kicks off 12 days of the highlights from Cannes and Venice, French classics, a special French menu and a host of industry VIPs. 16th-27th November 2011 The IFI French Film Festival gets off to a glamorous start tonight with the Gala Opening screening of The Bird, a tender drama of a woman coming to terms with grief featuring a stunning performance from Sandrine Kiberlain. The film’s director Yves Caumon will attend and will be taking part in a Q+A before the reception ...
  • 11.04.11
    IN TIME: Where ageing stops at 25, & a minute lasts a lifetime Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    IN TIME Directed by Andrew Niccol. Starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Olivia Wilde. 109 mins. Rating: Two/Five In cinemas November 11 DULL AND PREDICTABLE SCI-FI THRILLER WILL KEEP YOU LOOKING AT YOUR WATCH A dystopian thriller that attempts to be timely examination of greed, socialism and the ever-lasting appeal of youthful-looking skin, In Time had the makings of a brilliant and timely sci-fi thriller But unlike Andrew Niccol’s previous efforts (the sublime The Truman Show and Gattaca), his brilliant core concept rapidly disintegrates into a mess of dull cliché. In a retro-future world where time is literally money, aging stops at 25. From ...
  • 11.04.11
    ROBERT PATTINSON TALKS TWILIGHT:BREAKING DAWN Blog Exclusives, Interviews | Comments Off
    ROBERT PATTINSON THE TWILIGHT SAGA: BREAKING DAWN PART 1 With the first part of the final Twilight instalment hitting our cinemas this month, we caught up with Robert Pattinson to see how he was feeling now that Edward Cullen will no longer be a part of his life.... Are you sad that it’s all over now? I don’t know yet. I feel like I have been in a whirlwind for so long that I don’t really know. I feel like I have been doing it for years constantly, even though I have done other movies in between, because whenever you do and promote or ...
  • 11.04.11
    SENSATION: How we feel about sex and love Reviews, Trailers | Comments Off
    SENSATION Directed by Tom Hall. Starring Domhnall Gleeson, Luanne Gordon, Patrick Ryan, Kelly Campbell, Owen Roe. 107 mins. Rating: Four/Five In cinemas November 4 DOMHANLL GLEESON SHINES IN SMART, DARKLY FUNNY EXAMINATION OF SEX AND LONELINESS From the opening scene of Sensation, in which Donal (Domhnall Gleeson) sneaks off to masturbate in a field, Tom Hall’s quirky, darkly funny film appears to be a definitive tale of sexual awakening. But when Donal forges a connection with jaded prostitute Kim (Luanne Gordon), it becomes clear that while this awkward farmboy may have little experience of sex, it’s intimacy that will become the transformative power in his ...