Tuesday 22 November 2011

In Time


Tonight I have been to see In Time.

Justin Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried run from the time police in this sci-fi thriller.

In the future, science has enabled humanity to stop the ageing process. But there's a catch. Although nobody gets older than 25, they're genetically programmed to live just one more year. The only way to get out of it is to buy more time. That makes the rich effectively immortal, remaining 25 forever. Everyone else has to earn or steal enough time to get through the day. And then a chance meeting leaves Will Salas (Justin Timberlake), a young man from the poor side of town, with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with. Accused of murder, he teams up with a beautiful woman (Amanda Seyfried) to run from Timekeeper Raymond Leon (Cillian Murphy). Writer/director Andrew Niccol, who wrote such intriguing sci-fi films as 'The Truman Show' and 'Gattaca', delivers another frighteningly plausible future nightmare.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Wuthering Heights


Tonight I have been to see Wuthering Heights.

A bold new version of Emily Bronte's classic romantic tragedy.

Orphan Heathcliff (Solomon Glave) is plucked from the streets of Liverpool and taken to live on an isolated Yorkshire moor farm. Here he forms an intimate friendship with Catherine Earnshaw (Shannon Beer). As an adult, Catherine (Kaya Scodelario) is sent off to the local manor house to marry Edgar Linton (James Northcote). Heathcliff (James Howson), meanwhile, is abused and cast out. He eventually makes a fortune and returns - bent on revenge and yearning for Cathy. This striking new adaptation of Emily Bronte's legendary 1847 novel by 'Fish Tank' director Andrea Arnold bravely casts 'Skins' star Kaya Scodelario as Cathy, while Solomon Glave and James Howson are the first black actors to play Heathcliff (matching the character's description in the novel). And Arnold doesn't forget the dark side of Bronte, stripping away costume drama conventions for a starker take on this eternally compelling tale.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Tower Heist


Tonight I have been to see Tower Heist.

It's a high-rise heist as Eddie Murphy and Ben Stiller head the cast in this hilarious action-comedy.

Josh Kovas (Ben Stiller) is the proud manager of one of the most luxurious and secure high-rise blocks in New York. With his dedicated staff, he ensures that everything runs smoothly for the benefit of the rich residents. And none of them are richer than Wall Street billionaire Arthur Shaw (Alan Alda), who occupies the penthouse apartment. But Shaw's under house arrest for a massive $2 billion swindle - and his victims include Josh and his team, whose pensions he was entrusted to handle. Now they want their money back - and to help get it, Josh has recruited career criminal Slide (Eddie Murphy). 'Rush Hour' director Brett Ratner puts two great comedy stars together for the first time, with Murphy making a welcome return to the odd-couple action buddy-movie genre in which he scored his earliest successes.

Tuesday 1 November 2011

Contagion


Tonight I have been to see Contagion.

A lethal airborne virus decimates an A-list cast in this terrifyingly realistic thriller.
Two days after Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) returns from a business trip in Hong Kong, she's dead - and the medics can't tell her husband Thomas (Matt Damon) how or why. But before long, the virus that killed Beth is out of control. As panic spreads, scientists battle to control the global pandemic. Dr Erin Mears (Kate Winslet) is a researcher at the US Centers for Disease Control, working under Dr Ellis Cheever (Laurence Fishburne), while Dr Leonora Orantes (Marion Cotillard) is an investigator for the World Health Organisation - and Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law) is a crazy blogger peddling misinformation. One of the most consistently creative directors to grace the movie mainstream, Steven Soderbergh delivers a meticulously researched disaster movie. 'Contagion' dramatises the deadly outbreak with the same scary realism that Soderbergh's classic 'Traffic' brought to the global drugs trade.