4 The Week

1. Some Think Old

Fantastic Planet (1973) 

Our exploration of the Fantastic Planet takes us into an immersive and surreal utopia inhabited and ruled by Blue skinned Draags, a species of extreme vastness, exhibited mostly by their gargantuan size which is a hundred times that of a human. Beyond the imposing stature the Draags existence is that of ostensible peace, enhanced by a fascinatingly fantastical combination of extensive technological and theological orientation. Beating beneath the paradisaical surface is a savage heart, Oms (Humans) are a primitive and tribal race, used as part domesticated pet by the dominant Draags, but viewed with vermin like disgust also. On the Fantastic Planet humans are relegated to living within the bushy terrain of the wild with early civil structures of religion, laws and hierarchy. The narrative centres around the relationship between Tiwa a young Draag and a recently orphaned and adopted pet Om Terr. Terr longs to escape into the wild and be among the his own race, and when he succeeds he finds his domesticated conditioning troublesome when integrating with his own kind.With animation that is both grim and psychedelic in look, director Rene Laloux finds the perfect balance to portray a cleverly satirised social experiment. By looking into humanities face of the future what is reflected is its past, and within its past he envisages an alternative reality still bearing the hall marks mans angry existence and vague purpose.

8/10 

2. Some Think New

Rio (2011)

 
Director: Carlos Saldanha 

Stars: Jesse Eisenberg, Anne Hathaway, Leslie Mann and George Lopez
  

Rio starts off with honourable intentions, we learn the story of the genuinely endangered Spix Macaw (or Blue Macaw). Blu (Eisenberg) is the home reared flightless Macaw with an adhesive companion Linda (Mann) for an owner. The two share a somewhat reclusive existence in snowy climbs of Minnesota. When jetting off to Rio De Janiero Linda and Blu meet female Macaw Jewel (Hathaway) in an effort to have the two mate in the name of conservation , however obstacles arise through the pairs odd couple detractions, bungling kidnappers and our feathered friends becoming lost in the labyrinthine Favela's of Rio. Vibrant colourisation and occasional outbreaks of song helps capture of the cities beauty and buzz of its carnival spirit, which undoubtedly drives the movie especially through its best bits.  However Rio fails with an unremarkable dialogue which lacks the charm and humour of its Ice Age stable mates, whereupon a muddled sense of self-discovery exhibited by the lead characters dilutes the initial good will of the opening moments of the film.

6/10 

3. Some Think To Borrow

The Lost City (2005)

Director: Andy Garcia

Stars: Andy Garcia, Inés Sastre, Dustin Hoffman and Bill Murray
 

Andy Garcia directs and stars in this story of a family torn apart by the differences in political and social ideologies of three brothers in 50’s Cuba. The backdrop is of a transitional nation absorbing the bloodshed of Cuban Revolution. Showcasing the countries beauty and cultural verve, Havanna is Garcia's “Lost City” painted as buzzing cauldron of Latin sounds, arts and life. Fico (Garcia) is the Nightclub owner transfixed by his love of music but burdened by his role of peace keeping big brother to both Uber-Socialist Ricardo and democratic Luis who fighting at opposite ends of Cuba’s bloodied political spectrum. Garcia engineers an on screen performance that is heroic and romantic as anything he has ever done, Fico stands up to the upheavals of change brought by the revolution as well as falling in love amidst tragedies and heartache. Behind the camera it is as if Garcia an Havanna native uprooted as a young child is rediscovering all of his own and the cities lost possibilities. The direction has an undying devotion to the Lost City but it has an eye for the poison that flows within its blood such as Jewish gangster Meyer Lanksy (Dustin Hoffman) and the detailing of the  oppressive incoming rule. In addition to Garcia’s personal affections there are other virtues at hand, the tale is written with a classic feel of Corleone-esque family dynamics and themes offering a transcendent quality that could work against almost any landscape - even a factually shaky historical foundation manages to be insightful and balanced without feeling like a schemed or contrived piece of anti Castro propaganda. 

An endearing journey.

9/10 

4. Some Think Due 

The Tree of Life (2011) 

Release: May 4th 2011
Director: Terrence Malick
Stars:  Sean Penn and Brad Pitt

Synopsis: The story centers around a family with three boys in the 1950s. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence 

Why get excited: Some people are prolific film makers and some people aren't, Terrence Malick unless he gets busy in his later years will have be considered in the latter category. In a career that began nearly 40 years ago Malick has directed five films in that time. The good news is however that the trend so far seems to be quality over quantity, of his previous works his debut Badlands (1973) and war epic The Thin Red Line (1998) are both highly revered pieces of work and The Tree Of Life promises much of the same. To add to the anticipation Brad Pitt and Sean Penn are the formidable headline cast pairing in their first ever on screen collaboration. 
 

4 The Week

1. Some Think Old

Requiem for a Dream (2000) 

Director: Darren Aronofsky


Stars: Ellen Burstyn, Jared Leto, Marlon Wayans and Jennifer Connelly

If the films of director Darren Aronofsky have taught us anything it is that the path to self destruction is both  a process and a journey, Requiem For A Dream is arguably his most shining example of this as we follow the drug affected dramas of 4 individual and interlinked lives. Aronofsky’s craft behind the camera often manifests itself like a duologue of before and after, with one recounting jaded hopes and dreams of the other. Sara (Burstyn) and Harry (Leto) are the mother and son foundation of the story. Sara is a lonely, widowed, TV Junkie blissfully unaware of her sons addiction to hard drugs, but soon she has her own cross to bear when synthetic dieting methods lead to a world of paranoid psychosis. Harry, his friend Tyrone (Wayans) and girlfriend Marion (Connelly) are coke and crack fiends harbouring ambitions of industrialising their drug orientated proclivities into a life that offers less destructive parameters. In front of the camera Aronofsky offers his cast a reduced scope in which to operate forcing them to refine the emotions and characteristics of their journey toward the diminishment of their souls, namely fear or denial.  Behind the camera Aronofsky’s contrast of flash cut trickery and dreary realism  paint a haunting and bleak picture of urban decay.

9/10 

2. Some Think New

Limitless (2011)

Director: Neil Burger
Stars: Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel and Abbie Cornish
 

 Is greatness something that is earned or incumbent among a chosen few? Well the action packed trials and tribulations of Eddie Morra (Cooper) in Limitless suggest that the answer may not be a simple black and white answer. Cooper portrays as well as self narrates his story  as a down and out writer imprisoned in a mental  cage of creative lethargy,  financial repression and romantic oblivion. There are notions early on when the film is at its most interesting  to suggest that  there is Derren Brown-esque psycho-babble which divides the "Haves" from the "Have nots", that somehow we all innately capable of high achievement but the limits of our mind holds us back. NZT-48 is a super drug that allows full access to the far reaches of the brain, acting as an accelerant for ability, cerebral capacity, inspiration and ambition.

Morra is offered the substance by an old acquaintance and director Neil Burger delivers and exciting visualisation of the subsequent rise from mediocrity of our lead, we see an array of swishing and swirling camera techniques and effects which serve in making the journey aesthetically appealing. The setting is both grimy New York streets and heady Manhattan skylines further illustration of Morra’s upward turn.

The supporting cast slowly but surely become entangled in the ordeal, want away girlfriend Lindy (Cornish), equally bemused and impressed boss Van Loon (De Niro) and Russian mobster Gennady (Andrew Howard) all battle it out to be the dominant sub plot, whilst murder mystery, gun shots and adrenaline fuelled street chases sees the film take on a nightmarish shift in pace and tone  as cracks begin to show in Morra’s utopia. And it’s at this point Limitless may have benefited from some restraint as the multiplicity of narrative threads coupled with a swift run time means  Burger is overstretched, failing to full explore all of the ideas established in the first hour of the film before the action peters out with a rather dissatisfying conclusion which lacks the conviction and sharpness of what preceded.

7/10 

3. Some Think Foreign 

La Vie en Rose (2007)

Director: Olivier Dahan

Stars: Marion Cotillard
 

You could do worse than labeling Edith Piaf a French Britney Spears of her time, but that would only be telling half the story. Olivier Dahan’s biopic is a visceral depiction of the early 20^th century Gallic songstress enduring a range of hardships throughout a turbulent life that made her a celebrated and vilified icon. Marion Cotlliard's Oscar winning recital of Piaf is not so much a tale gutters to stars, but of Piaf simply finding more brightly lit gutters. From growing up as a young child in the foul stench of a Normandy Whore House, to busking for food on the streets which are simply replaced in line with her rise to stardom to glitzier hell holes of New York penthouse suites cloaking clandestine affairs and alcoholic binging among the social elite. The true grace of Cotillard's performance is her physical and emotive metamorphosis which allows her to be immersed in all phases of Piafs life. Be it the enigmatic performer, free falling romantic and final stand of defiance on her deathbed, all whilst protecting a lust for life and quaint religious ideals.

8/10 

4. Some Think Due 


Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) 

Director: Michael Bay
Release: 1st July
Stars: Shia LaBeouf, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Tyrese Gibson

It’s difficult  to play down the significance of the 1986 animated Transformers the movie, a movie still etched in the memories of a generation of children and equally treasured in the nostalgic realms of their now adult hearts. Both a shrewd marketing product to showcase the next generation of merchandise but more importantly a celebration of the original band of robots and their eternal Old Skool  good vs evil struggle. The film  was arguable for many young their first experience of loss and first realisation that some day we all have to grow a proverbial pair an take on responsibilities.

  

20 Years, various anime reincarnations, and a dancing Citroen Robot later Transformers (2007) saw our robot friends back on the big screen in Live action format. Guided by Michael Bay's  thirst for the enormity of uncompromising explosion laden blockbusters. Transformers was a success in the box office, fairly typical of a franchise starting movie we are spoon fed the back story and introduced to a plethora of robots and characters. A key difference from the animated version was the lack of dialogue from the Transformers them, choosing instead to focus on the human characters led by the inane posturing of Shia Lebeuf and Megan Fox as well as the chest pumping dynamics of Josh Duhemel's military chums. All of which seem pretty irrelevant when there are giant robots with the ability to destroys cities with their bare hands involved. In the end we are treated decent fun and giant action set pieces that if anything opened up a wealth of potential for the rest of the franchise.

Revenge Of The Fallen (2009) the Sequel however is an ideologically decrepit piece of cinema, containing racist undertone, woefully misplaced humour such as Robot scrotum and fart jokes, as well as being an unimaginative companion to its predecessor failing to enhance any of its charm or excitement. Ultimately Revenge Of The Fallen is a regurgitated template of the first movie naively leveraged by twice the amount characters, robots and explosions. Yet despite being exposed as having half the ideas and creativity Fallen was an even bigger smash at the box office. The result of which means Bay gets a 3^rd crack of the Whip with Dark Of The Moon (2011). The artistic pressure is on however to produce the signature piece of the trilogy. Christopher Nolan’s lastest offerings The Dark Knight and Inception have changed the summer blockbuster landscape for the foreseeable future, proving that huge budget summer releases can be creatively, financial and critically fulfilling. 

4 The Weekend

1. Some Think Old

Repulsion (1965)

Director: Roman Polanski

Stars: Catherine Deneuve, Ian Hendry and John Fraser

The notion of the mind resembling some form of abstract imprisonment is a well visited cinematic vehicle, Roman Polanksi’s take on the concept acts like a metaphorical  soliloquy of one woman’s battle with sexual and social phobias.  The troubled mind of Belgian beautician Carol (Deneuve) is lost in a structural four walled abyss of her London apartment, degenerating into a nightmarish surreality of murderous impulses brought about by a fear of predatory assailants that lurk inside. Polanski’s use of symbols is to be marvelled as sights of rotting meat and cracking plaster aptly signify the degradation of our subjects psyche, whilst grotesque tentacle like arms that grow from within the walls prevail to dehumanise Carol’s fragile disposition. It’s easy to see the influence the piece has had in the years after its creation be it Carrie (1976) and as recent as Black Swan (2010), Repulsion is an impressive voyage into the realms of our minds more shadowy reaches. 

8/10

2. Some Think New

I am Number Four (2011)

Director: D.J. Caruso

Stars: Alex Pettyfer, Timothy Olyphant and Dianna Agron

Imagining a blend of tried and tested  Sci Fi conventions like ET and Superman, tied together by teeny melodrama of the Twighlight Saga, will bring you somewhere near I Am Number Four ‘s derivative stink. We follow John (Pettyfer) coming to terms with his covertly natured existence, inherent demigod powers,  which come about with life as an on the run alien avoiding a deadly intergalactic race war which threatens his very being, yet despite the seriousness of his predicament, life soon becomes embroiled in high school innocuities that unconvincingly take priority.  The unforgiving back story, multiplicity of narrative strands and accompanying wave of characters make it difficult not to exhort  the observation that this would have been better served as an episodic TV series and indeed feels like one at times. If you still care past the laborious first hour or so of mostly painful character development, and even with the Bayhem style car smash finale I Am Four still feels like an overblown pilot episode of some ghastly Smallville imitation.

5/10   

 3. Some Think To Borrow

 (500) Days of Summer (2009) 

There is something rare and indeed endearing about watching a piece of cinema that captures beautifully the dying embers of a lost era like a generational montage. (500) Days Of Summer is just that, a film about and for the last wave of generation X-ers coming to terms with their ideals and memories being relegated to nothing more than nostalgia of 80's TV theme tunes and inane Beatles debates, whilst the world becomes an increasingly vapid cauldron of cynicism with older generations embarking on second lives and marriages, with a younger generation offering a bemusedly wise shoulder to cry on.

Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon Levitt) is the post modern romantic about to be torturously put to be the sword over 500 days of acquainted love that befalls him. Tom is a builder, a planner, not literally of course but in nature, epitomised by his budding but elusive profession as an architect and displayed by a love for creating structures both physical and poetic as a greeting card wordsmith. Tom lives on a steady foundation of contented certitude with a network of friends, steady employment, and a love of contemporary music and cinema. Zooey Deschanel is the 500 day Summer (her name) that he will endure, one could argue the “are they aren’t they” couple are cut from the same cloth, but where as Gordon-Levitt’s character wears his heart on his sleeve, Summer is a more introverted enigma, a staunch detractor of love and its existence, she lives by a code of conflicted spontaneity which is even a puzzle to herself. 

 

Both leads produce performances that become delightfully sketchy effigies of 21^st century relational dynamics. We see a quietly devastating contradiction as Gordon-Levitt’s manages to bring out Tom’s possessive lust strung out by his blind obsessions,  whilst Deschanel’s delivery has Summer contritely cognisant or her own imperfections.  

Director Marc Webb’s work bears all the hallmarks of his prowess as a pop video virtuoso, as there is a inspiring dexterity in the way pieces of the narrative play out like fragmented music videos. The same can be said of (500) Days Of Summer’s use of non-linear recitation which somehow manages to still feel very much sequential with scenes melting gloriously into one another with ease, whilst others are ignited by lush tones of the eclectic soundtrack. 500 days is a transient journey which finds a variety of angles to shed a light on the American romance with all of it fascinating intricacies.

9/10 

4. Some Think Due 

Source Code (2011)

Release: April 1^st 2011

Director: Duncan Jones

Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga

Synopsis: An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he's part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

Why get excited: Source Code is the eagerly anticipated follow up to Duncan Jones much heralded debut Moon (2009). Jones gets over 7 times the financial backing of his maiden feature most which was probably spent on acquiring  Jake Gyllenhaal  to spearhead the project. Source Code promises to be another cerebral offering Bowie jnr (his father is musical legend David) with the added potential of big budget thrills and spills.

New True Grit (2010)

It’s been 27 years since Joel and Ethan Coen’s first deliverance of brotherly genius with the snarling brilliance of Blood Simple (1984) which set the foundation for glimmering catalogue of revered and treasured timeless classics that which have become synonymous with the Coen brothers brand. When studying the aforementioned filmography one cannot help but locate a Shakespearean style split within their cinematic portfolio. And it isn’t hard to find your equivalent Comedies or Tragedies. Especially when you think they do the frenetic and the farcical sublimely in offerings such as Burn After Reading (2008), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)  and perhaps to this day their signature piece The Big Lebowski (1999), which fulfil the Comedic end of this comparison. Black humour even swings it’s way into the more darkened choices making Tragedies are a little tougher to distinguish but there is no denying that there is much that is tragic in the Coen’s most underrated exhibit The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) a hang dog expression of a film, whilst Fargo (1996) and the mighty No Country for Old Men (2007) also fit the bill.

So where to place True Grit? A Gun slinging, Horse Riding adventure of true Western pastiche, conjured up with undoubted Coen Wizardry and idiosyncrasy. Aesthetically the film is a triumph, set in late 19^th Century Arkansas  True Grit captures the beauty of the American old west by combining elegantly crafted and selected sets with powering scenery. Held in a delicate time incumbent of post civil war savagery and yet preserved in a pre-industrialised grace. Structurally it follows in the simplistic path of other Coen works, a reoccurring methodology is designing the narrative around a man hunt or a goose chase and we get the former here. Mattie Ross played irresistibly by the irresistible rookie Hailee Steinfeld is caught somewhere between the lines of vengeance and justice brought about by her back story predicament, having lost her father to a botched robbery she seeks out see the now fugitive man who did it punished, but there is one problem she is a puny 14 year old girl who gets by on a brazen wordy tongue, fuelled by unrelenting smarts and courage. 

So by putting her self-taught virtues to the test Mattie finds the man the who she believes can get the job done which comes in the shape of the human Cyclopes Rueben Cogburn an ostensibly uncompromised man ravaged by war and alcohol, almost burdened by his tough guy reputation as much as he abides by it. And it’s funny that the word abides allows an easy set up to introduce Jeff Bridges as the man to detail Cogburn in his first Coen reunion since reprising the “Dude” and the performances aren’t too dissimilar in the sense that Cogburn and the Dude are self ostracised, alcoholics who care little for what others may think of them. It will be difficult to say how Bridges career will be most remembered, but Jeff is on top form here and his leisurely and casual style works wonders with Rooster. Matt Damon chips in as the “all the gear, no idea” Texas Ranger Leboeuf, jangling spurs and all, is the third member of the group and a quiet success. “LeBeef” as his is name is somewhat amusingly uttered, allows Damon to provide some comic relief with a performance of deliberate overtone and lacking of sophistication. 

The Coen’s cap it all off by immersing our heroes in a wondrous adventure that takes pseudo fantastical elements reminiscent of O Brother, encountering mystifying corpse collecting Indians, and bear suited dentists are undeniable Coen touches. The film has a pulsating No Country like mode of deadly cat and mouse, filled with all shoot-outs and chase scenes to keep the audience on seats edge. All in all True Grit is another fluent outing from Joel and Ethan, a sharp and convincing statement of their talent.

8/10

New The Fighter (2010)

The key to success of most sports drama’s is in its ability to capture a binding quintessence of both sport and hero or heroine. Boxing in itself embodies a wealth of humanistic teachings such as resilience, endurance and discipline. In the case of David O Russells biopic The Fighter manages to broaden the parallel past the notion of one man’s fight into gripping family drama, a statement of brotherly and motherly love, galvanised by the thematic complexities of obscured loyalties and conflicted priorities.

Mark Wahlberg leads the line as Pro Boxer “Irish” Micky Ward, an embattled soldier like man of noble but crushed spirit, who we meet at a cross roads in his seemingly mediocre career. Wahlberg’s performance bares shades of the hapless loss of control that eventually evolves in Boogie Nights (1997) as well as the bulldog spirit of Invincible (2006). Early in the film the question is raised about the validity of his tutelage. Ward is governed  by a coalition of blood firstly inside the ring with star of the show Christian Bale, playing brother Dicky a decayed local boxing legend turned trainer, whose life is in near terminal free fall through Crack addiction and accompanying petty criminality. Bale gives by far the most authentic performance of his career, an emotionally rangy tour de force, maneuvering through Dick Eklunds crippling self destruction.

 

Outside the ring Melissa Leo in her portrayal of mother Alice Ward attempts at being the matriarchal adhesive that must forge Family and Business, whilst a pack of Hyena like sisters also seem to be feasting from Micky’s trough. The disorganised managerial set up soon becomes an unsuspecting triumvirate when an incredulous Wahlberg falls in love with Amy Adams who plays a Charlene, a tough talking waitress eager to apply her own wisdom and perspective to the situation roundly rejected by the rest of the Ward clan. These performances provide the foundation for the feature, complimenting each other leaving sparks flying around the screen with Wahlberg’s pathos comes Bales preposterousness whilst Leo’s motherly devotion is countered by Adam’s  divisibility.

Beyond the character study is an effective social commentary as the Ward/Eklund family are products of their drab and at times oppressive surroundings of Lowell, Massachusetts. Boxing is an outlet for many to lash out in a controlled environment, whilst those who don’t submit to the temptations of drug addiction, alcoholism and crime. 

Other iconic Boxing films of differing eras will no doubt draw comparison but we aren’t romanticising as in Rocky (1976) or partaking in the savage poetry of Raging Bull (1980). The Fighter finds a place of its own within the pantheon of great Boxing pictures telling a story both of and for its time.

8/10

2 Talk About

Bad Guys

Like many no doubt Christmas was a time for relaxation, indulgence and of course a chance to melt into your favourite seat and watch a few films be they DVD stocking fillers or terrestrial TV offerings.One such moment for me was Scorcese's Cape Fear (1991) starring Robert De Niro as the maniacal Max Cady. Cady is a formidable piece of work combining a hulking physique illustrated by a plethora of menacing Tattoo's with a deceptive intelligence, vocalised by a primitive sounding southern drawl. Beneath the surface is a walking contridiction of a man who is part violent sociopath and cunning criminal mind with a little bit of religious fanaticism thrown in for good measure too.

So I started to think of some of my all time favourite bad guys, such as recently you had the late Heather Ledger's portrayal of the Joker in the Dark Knight (2008) where the charismatic and the chaotic become one.  Or Lee Van Cleef's devilish Angel Eyes from the iconic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966),

So the question is who are your most vivid movie villains? Here are the two I am bringing to the table.

1. Frank Booth 
Dennis Hopper  
Blue Velvet (1986) 


The late great Dennis Hopper will no doubt be remembered for many roles throughout his career, but arguably his finest on screen moment was in detailing the ferocious complexities of Frank Booth in David Lynch's conflicted classic Blue Velvet (1986). Hopper was if anything an intense on screen presence and in Booth it will never be more evident, whether it's his bizarre sexual behaviours or seemingly uncontrollable, unabated appetite for violent confrontation Booth is an intimidating puzzle that few would want to put together.
Hopper's however attempts to in performance which is both daring and extreme, portraying violent misogyny, substance abuse and wall to wall psychopathy, key to the films polarisation of it's audience but at the same time to it's striking impact. Director David Lynch had offered the role to other big name actors who no doubt recoiled at the thought of taking on the task, not Hopper however who after reading the script simply exhorted.... 
"You have to let me play Frank! Because I am Frank!" 

2. Anton Chigurh
Javier Bardem  
No Country for Old Men (2007)

Ostensively calling a coin toss or checking into a hotel room would have no reason to cause alarm or panic. Yet the modus operandi of Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men (2007) somehow manages to. Armed with a Cattlegun, a fateful coin and an unstoppable sense of purpose Javier Bardem is trailing the plains of West Texas to distribute his own form of accountability . Ruthless and relentless, poised and precise Chigurh has all the qualities of a real life Terminator if not the look of the colossal Austrian synonymic with the concept. On screen rival Josh Brolin's rhetoric sums up Chigurh's unassuming threat memorably mid-film "What's this guy supposed to be, the ultimate badass?" a question that almost answers itself by the time it is asked. There is much to be said for Bardem's work here which is calculating and structured much like the persona and propensity of his character, exuding true remorseless terror with chilling conviction and genuine fear.

Top 5 (2010)

5. The Karate Kid

Director: Harald Zwart
Writers: Christopher Murphey (screenplay), Robert Mark Kamen (story)
Stars: Jackie Chan, Jaden Smith and Taraji P. Henson

 Spotlight: 2010 in the remake stakes was supposed to be the year of The A-Team, however this modification of the 1984 original would transpire into one of the years pleasant surprises. The key to Director Harald Zwartz's success is in its ability to forgo nostalgic sentiments, the story is taken to new places and different faces trading Los Angeles for the mystique and beauty of Beijing. Of course the core components are in tact Jaden Smith is "the Kid" - Dre ripped from all he has ever known in Detroit, and forced to belie his early years in order to assimilate with the cultural, educational and social transitions of a new life in the far east. There is a girl, there are beatings to take and lessons to learn too. The most difficult task for the project would be to replace the iconic Mr Miyagi and who better than a legend of Jackie Chan's standing, Chan play's Mr Han a janitor and inwardly tortured soul who guides Dre from tears to glory. Chan's performance is subtle, gracious and most importantly real- Far above the buffoonery of his earlier works but still recognisably Chan when it comes to the physical elements of his martial arts. The Karate Kid shifts effortlessly between near operatic grandeur, terrier like spirit and sweeping melodrama whilst still preserving all the charm and innocence of the original and maybe more.


4. Another Year 
Director: Mike Leigh
Writer: Mike Leigh
Stars: Jim Broadbent, Ruth Sheen and Lesley Manville
Low down: Tom and Gerri have a solid marriage but those around them are crumbling in Mike Leigh’s follow up to Happy Go Lucky (2008) which is part character study, part comedy, part tragedy portrayed with a devastating sense of triviality and observational terror. 

3. Mr Nice 
Director: Bernard Rose
Writer: Bernard Rose (screenplay)
Stars: Rhys Ifans, Chloë Sevigny and David Thewlis
Low down: International drug trafficking has never felt more innocuous in cinema than Rhys Ifans Pot pedalling depiction of  Howard Marks. Mr Nice based on Marks’ Autobiography of the same name is a real gem that smokes, cries, cheats and shags its way to oblivion and back at least twice. 

 
2. The Town  
Director: Ben Affleck
Writers: Peter Craig (screenplay), Ben Affleck (screenplay)
Stars: Ben Affleck, Rebecca Hall and Jon Hamm 

Spotlight: The Bank robbery is Hollywood’s favourite criminal pastime, whether it’s a suave Thomas Crown or a maniacal comic book villain heist movies come and go, year in year out with almost inevitable certitude. Charlestown is “The Town” and is to Bank Robbers what Orlando is to theme park junkies. Further it is a brutish Boston suburb painted in much the same way as in Scorsese’s Departed (2006) as a criminal municipality where the boundaries between the right sides and the wrong sides of the law are faded lines of obscurity and communal division. Ben Affleck is the architect on and off screen, firstly he plays Doug Macray a career Bank-buster at a sudden cross roads in his life following a partially bungled recent job. An equivocal middle-manager Doug begins to question his career prospects but between his subordinates including out of control crime partner Jem (Jeremy Renner) and superior big boss Fergie (Pete Postlethwaite) getting out wont be easy. An equal measure of irony and fate provide the real complication when Bank manager and former victim Claire (Rebecca Hall) becomes the catalyst for his change of heart as they fall in love. 

Secondly and perhaps most impressively is Affleck's work behind the camera, The Town is a slick, confident almost self assured crime thriller. Affleck in his second directorial offering captures absorbing dramatics, finding his characters weakness' and magnifying their strengths. It's more than just cops and robbers pastiche, a tale of forbidden love, a metaphor for inner less tangible imprisonment, with misplaced loyalties and displaced enemies.

 

 
1.Inception 


Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page


Spotlight: Prior to Inception's release Christopher Nolan's greatest triumph was arguably a battle between  2000's mercurial masterstroke Memento, a deeply cerebral thriller, driven by an uncompromising flair for invention or The Dark Knight (2008) a giant of a movie rich in cinematic bluster, yet at the same time a diligent exploration of character and goods relationship with evil. When it comes down to it Inception manages to take the best of both worlds Cobb played by Leonardo Dicaprio is every bit the broken man that Memento's Leonard Shelby is, both are widowers paradoxically tortured by the memories of their wives but live only to preserve them. As with our adventure with the Caped Crusader Inception is a team effort, everyone has a role to play be it Ariadne's (Ellen Page) DIY psychology, Arthur's efficiency or Eames' (Tom Hardy) creativity it's all part of the plan.

The central idea is intuitive if not simple, "Dream Sharing" is a concept that allows multiple persons access to the dreams of another. "Extraction" is the art of manipulating the dream to steal ideas and information from the dreamer. "Inception" is the seemingly unknown feat like a pre-conquered Everest where its possibility is questioned, this time an idea needs to be implanted rather than supplanted and Cobb a is set the challenge which stands between him and a return to normality. 

Quietly Nolan has become a master of the action set-piece and Inception is filled with all of the white-knuckle thrills that wouldn't look out place if his surname where Bay or Mann. We get everything from explosions and adrenaline fueled chase scenes to zero gravity punch-ups and a multitude of shoot out sequences which adds tension at the same time as providing relief from the mind bending narrative. All of which is perhaps Nolan's most significant accomplishment here, in that Blockbuster budget is parted from Blockbuster cliche, a film that both engages and explodes with imagination at the simultaneously..