The Class & Knowing in 15 words

The Class/Entre Les Murs (dir. Cantet)

Notorious teenagers make hay in riveting dramatization of French classroom struggles. Indispensibly witty and rewarding.

Grade: A (9/10)


Knowing (dir. Proyas)

Sci-fi mush. Nicholas Cage on dull mode. Miserable effects though Friday night could be worse.

Grade: 5/10 (C)

What To Watch (27th Match)

Feverishly anticipating a climactic friday evening to end your working week? Stuck in fusty, moss-sodden offices/libraries creaking at the underbelly of your consciousness?

The olive branch? A preview of the week's most poignant of offerings...

Two Lovers (dir. Gray)

O joyous spectacle!

Well well well, what have we here? This is what seems to be Joaquin Phoenix's final performance before he delves into a romping hip hop career. Bizarrely, this seems to be acclaimed as one of Mr Phoenix's finest roles to date making this sudden acting/rhyming juxtaposition that much more baffling. Of course he could just be leading us all on (see the odd Letterman 'performance' to judge it yourself).

Gwynnie Paltrow doesn't seem to care too much for a concerted attack on the film lover's psyche these days also. So a romantic drama starring the two walkabout stars may provide an isolated opportunity to see either on screen for a long time. Will it actually be any good? I doubt it, but then i'm a colossal pessimist when it comes to romantic dramadies so don't let my lingering nature dissaude you.

The Damned United (dir. Hooper)

This Peter Morgan adaptation of the novel of the same name marks an interesting shift in scenery for the writer having translated many larger than life characters to their on screen incarnations. Generally speaking, hagiographies don't flutter my ruffles, however Brian Clough/Michael Sheen do. Of course, with such well respected credits the football aspect is less of a focus than that of the flawed genius central to the project. With reviews ranging from good to very good, United should be the highlight of the weekend.

Genova (dir. Winterbottom)

Seriously, the only reason to mention this film apart from directing Colin Firth lovers in it's direction is the fact that Genova is brought to us by the director of A Mighty Heart and A Cock And Bull Story. Both very good genre films well worth a watch. Apart from that well...im searching with great difficulty to be honest!

The story revolves around a man who moves his two daughters to Genova, Italy after their mother dies. Of course, Colin Firth plays that man. The film also stars Catherine Keener (a perennial favourite of mine) and Hope Davis, so the credentials are for all to see. Who knows it may float your boat if you give it a punt!

Enjoy!

Where The Wild Things Are Trailer Surfaces...

Discs To Spin (23rd March)

Now with that god-darned anticipated list out of the way, new and exciting features can begin...

Hair tousled, fingers primed.

First, Discs To Spin!

NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK

Quantum of Solace (dir. Forster)

Not as well recieved as Casino Royale on its initial release, the second in the Bond-reboot oeuvre has seen a slow decline over the past few months to a middling position in the 007 catalogue. Criticism was driven by the perceived 'lack of fun' sought by the titular character. Of course due to the fact that his love, Vesper, dies at the end of 'Royale,' the shock shouldn't be so shocking.

Even so, the pace remains belt-ripping and the action realistic (as imaginable).

I'd pick it up for 7 quid on Amazon no problemo.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quantum-Solace-DVD-Daniel-Craig/dp/B001QE1BDY/ref=br_nf_1_1?pf_rd_p=465004693&pf_rd_s=center-12&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=573412&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_r=0X6XMEZG4YN1720NTTBV

OTHER RELEASES THIS WEEK

Wallace and Gromit - A Matter of Loaf and Death (dir. Park)

The loafsome twosome are back for their fourth TV installment. Like the others in the series, the 45 minutes just flies by. In fact, you will be hard pressed to catch all the visual puns in one viewing.

I would wait for a bundle of all the series to be released together, otherwise youll be paying a tenner for each. No petty sum!

If you missed this over Christmas, its well worth renting.

BARGAIN DISC OF THE WEEK

In Bruges (dir. McDonagh)

Pissingly hilarious in parts, touching drama in parts. In Bruges can be stolen this week for a mere fiver at a few online stores including play.com saving you fifteen gold boys.

http://www.play.com/DVD/DVD/4-/3592854/In-Bruges/Product.html

UNCOVENTIONAL (RANDOM) BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Whitsun Weddings (Larkin)

I am not a poetry buff by any stretch of the imagination, but this classic set of poems by the late great Philip Larkin knocked me back several large strides and so I would recommend it to anyone with the luck of a spare few hours on any given weekend.

Ones To Watch #1 - Avatar

#1

Avatar (dir. Cameron)

Expected Release Date: 18th December

Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez

Studio: 20th Century Fox

Risk #1 Avatar. Budget: $250-300. Million. Dollars

Counterpoint #1. Titanic Budget: $200. Million. Dollars

Risk #2 Avatar. Relatively Unknown Leads

Counterpoint #2 Titanic. Relatively Unknown Leads

Risk #3 Avatar. No Trailer, Plot Details or Photos

Counterpoint #3. This is James ‘King Of The World’ Cameron. When did he last let you down?

Risk #4 Avatar. Revolutionary 3-D approach

Counterpoint #4. Revolutionary 3-D approach

Oh Avatar, Avatar, what will you do to me oh Avatar? Virtually unknown outside of the Cameron hub, this is hugely exciting. There’s so many factors swinging this project one way then the other. I mean Cameron hasn’t directed a film for 12 years and that film went on to become the biggest film ever made. Then you look at his CV and realise he hasn’t made a bad film…yet! Even those which are less revered are watchable to the nth number of times.

Sam Worthington is the virtual unknown, though by the time Terminator: Salvation is released we’ll have a better idea of his abilities. Then Sigourney Weaver. Dearest Sigourney.

This one is about as mouthwatering as Wonka’s factory and as tantalising as a lolly to a baby.

It’s my number one anticipate film of the year.

Watchmen (NOT Spoiler Free!)

Fanboy

'Fanboy is a term used to describe any individual who is devoted to a single subject in an emotional or fanatical manner, or to a single point of view within that subject, often to the point where it is considered an obsession'. (Wikipedia)

I’ll come back to that.

Watchmen, adapted from Alan Moore’s 1986 graphic novel now revered amongst the greatest of all graphic novels and one of TIME magazine’s 100 Greatest Novels. It’s themes expand beyond the plethora of cliched superheroes and supervillains, Moore prefering to develop ideas rather than outcomes. The actual term ‘Watchmen’ was taken from the supposed speech John F Kennedy was to deliver just minutes after his assasination. Americans, Kennedy vouched, would be “the watchmen on the walls of freedom.”

The film has been some time coming and for that Snyder should be commended. Since it’s inception the screenplay has jumped from 20th Century Fox, Universal, Paramount and finally, Warner Bros. Often thought to be ‘unfilmable’ (Moore famously had refused to be connected to the film in any way), Snyder has created what is ultimatelty a faithful retelling of the novel. However, fit into a generous 162 minutes running time the film still feels claustrophobic and unable to paint what becomes it’s ultimate dichotomy. Is it right to kill millions of people in order to prolong peace between those in our blue planet?

Few of you who have seen the film will have had the opportunity to read the original novel beforehand, though I will presume (however off the mark) that the majority haven’t and so it’s perhaps best to breakdown the film for both the converted and the not-yet converted.

The main story revolves around six main characters. Ozymandias (Adrain Veidt), Silk Spectre (Laurie Jupiter), Dr Manhattan (Dr John Osterman), Nite Owl (Dan Dreiberg), Rorschach (Walter Kovacs) and The Comedian (Edward Blake). The plot revolves around the unexpected murder of The Comedian, thrown out of the window of his apartment, in a multi-storey building.

Other characters also play an important role but say any more and I would give too much away. As mentioned at the head, a fanboy is devoted to a single subject in an emotional and or fanatical manner, almost to the point of obsession. This becomes simultaneously the saviour and failing of Snyder.

Dr Manhattan (the only superhero with ‘powers’) is played by a wonderfully eerie and withdrawn Billy Crudrup. He is able to inject pathos into a character whose existence becomes a pawn in the USA/USSR conflict, on the edge of nuclear armageddon which, according to the doomsday clock, is just minutes away.

Unfortunately however, despite Crudrup’s effort, the film can in no way match the staggering depth of the psychological profile created in Moore’s novel. A prime example of this is in the (still good) scene explaining the making of Dr Manhattan. The novel, draws Manhattan’s withdrawal from any sort of compassion for humankind with subtle wondrousness. The photo in his hand, dissected to the same degree a watchmaker unravels a timepiece. It’s an apt analogy as in his youth, John wanted to become a watchmaker just like his father. Though the film cannot even delve into the moral abyss which traps Manhattan, his character is still the most realised out of the big six.

Almost as impressive is Jackie Earle Haley as Rorschach, for many the fan’s favourite as we follow through the a great bulk of the plot through Rorschach and his journal. Haley is perfect for a role which requires a performace of menacing and deeply woven nuances. I have no real arguments with most of Rorschachs scenes. Much of what should be on screen is on screen. Some short cuts are taken, but serve the film’s purpose respectively. I would argue that perhaps all the scenes between Rorschach and Dr Malcolm Long could have been added and that scenes between Dr Long and his wife were also important in creating a stronger gut punch for that final chapter. I’ll discuss that later.

From here the results become decidely mixed at best. Goode, Gugino and Akerman as Viedt, Sally Jupiter and Laurie Jupiter are awful though for different reasons. Patrick Wilson as the insecure Nite Owl also hits and misses. Veidt, supposedly the most intellingent man on the planet (able to retire from his superhero duties two years before the Keene Act was initiated) has been reduced from the charmingly persuasive, destructive and intellectually intimidating greek mythologist to basically a youthful clown-prince villain whose reasoning for his actions feels delusional rather than persuasively cohesive. The colour of his cape has been changed and from the first time he is seen on the screen you feel there is something not altogether wholesome about him. This is not the case in the novel, as there is a general sense of shock with the late turn of events.

The two Silk Spectres are also reduced to rubble. Malin Akerman, is written a role which just makes her look and feel like sex-for-hire without any of the burning fire of her novel incarnation. This Spectre would fall like a flea on any psychological questioning. Please give me some newsvendor back chat rather than this embarrassing spectacle. In general, all the superheroes deficiencies were glossed over far too complacently. Everything fits except the characters within.

The biggest difference of course, is the removal of The Squid from the final scene, instead placing the blame on Dr Manhattan and his tachyons. The Squid would have been a difficult creation and of course the focus shifts from alien invasion to a questionable Christ allegory in the form of Dr Manhattan. The main problem with the ending is not the choice of Squid/Nuclear Holocaust but more that I didn’t care for the destroyed human life. The film worked so gracefully to avoid any touch with humanity you are quite frankly not bothered whether millions of lives have been lost.

Veidt’s masterstroke becomes lost in the glacial air.

In terms of other differences between novel and film 'Tales of the Black Freighter' is the major omission. The novel within a novel which introduced us to the newsvendor and his namesake, a smart-alec kid, is completely left out (released as a lone animated feature on DVD). Though this is an understandable omission due to running time constraints, these two characters are the main flames of human interaction we experience before the city stoops into ravaging hell (the lesbian couple and Dr Long's home scenes the only exceptions). What is gained in cinematic bounce is savagely lost in terms of any attachment we feel towards the human life left dwelling in the basin of the hell-bound city. As mentioned previously, Snyder's greatest failure.

It is difficult to comment for those who haven’t read the novel because many of the thoughts that arise (on viewing) blossom from the storyboards of the novels. I think the action segments were overplayed and slo-mo is a tool which should be used sparingly rather than frantically. Again, the sex scene between Dreiberg and Jupiter is agonisingly squirmish played out to Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah. Other than that aberration, the soundtrack works as well as one would expect (Bob Dylan’s Times They Are A Changin used in the opening credits a favourable example). Still, you feel Snyder is pandering to the late MTV generation rather than staying true to the plot situation. Would a score have been a better option?

Concluding from whence I began, I feel Snyder should be commended for even managing to get the 'unfilmable' filmed. No easy task for sure. However the fanboy in him has resulted in his obsession to get the film seen by as many people as possible, leading to large compromises being made.

A mini-series would have been a stronger artistic statement (perhaps helmed by a director with a known balance for human nature AND stylistic visual flourishes) but less people would have seen it. Was Snyder’s aim to have as many people watch his film and then read the novel? If so, it’s a failure on his part because what he has created, unfortunately, is hollow pulp nonsense and the spawn of thousands of comic book cliches.

I urge you to read the novel if you haven’t already.

Grade: 4/10 (C-/D+)

Thoughts? Conflicts?

Ones To Watch #2 - Shutter Island/Ashecliffe

#2

Shutter Island/Ashecliffe (dir. Scorcese)

Expected Release Date: 9th October

Starring: Leonardo Di Caprio, Mark Ruffalo, Ben Kingsley, Patricia Clarkson, Jackie Earle Haley, Michelle Williams, Max Von Sydow & Emily Mortimer.

Studio: Paramount Pictures

Based in a psychiatric hospital on Shutter Island, the film revolves around the disappearance of murderous patient Rachel Solando (Mortimer). U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule (Di Caprio and Ruffalo respectively).

To be fair, many will go and see this film simply due to it being a Scorcese’s latest. I am one of them. That cast will also bring people in. I am one of them.

As the film is #2 on my indulgent list, it is clearly anticipated to a gargantuan degree. Here I would rather look at where it could go wrong. As where it could go wrong is much more interesting to discuss. (Sigh… That cast! That director!)

HEADLINE! Scorcese/Di Caprio reteam AGAIN!

Now for many those are cursed words. I would just like to have you all know that there is at least one other film for these star-crossed lovers, The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt set for release in 2011.

Gangs Of New York, The Aviator, The Departed & Shutter Island.

The first two, in my view are bloated mess ups with enjoyable side-shows. Though perhaps that is more an indication of my misanthropic demeanor. Who knows. Daniel Day Lewis is the gold in Gangs and The Aviator, well The Aviator just gets worse every time I watch it (though Blanchett as Hepburn is off the cuff).

However, to rebuff my own hypothesis, Di Caprio’s own performances have mirrored his director’s in that The Departed consists of Scorcese’s strongest material since Casino, 11 years its senior. Di Caprio is tremendous, growing to become the film’s strongest link with every move he makes. Far more gritty and vulnerable at the same time compared to the man-child in Gangs.

I wasn’t really able to argue too many potential problems here (unlike my #1). At the very worst this will be enjoyable and at best essential viewing. Plus the appearances of Ben Kingsley, Jackie Earle Haley and the under-appreciated Mark Ruffalo give this one several merited bonus points.

Nine! Well The Cap's Got His Work Cut Out...

Ones To Watch #3 - Inglourious Basterds

#3

Inglourious Basterds (dir. Tarantino)

Expected Release Date: 21st August

Starring: Brad Pitt, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Mike Myers, Samuel L Jackson (Narrator)

Studio: A Band Apart

Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction, Jackie Brown, Kill Bill (Vol 1 & 2) & Death Proof. Six films (five, if you’re dreaming of The Whole Bloody Affair). I can’t really recall any so-called-friend who hasn’t seen any of the above films or doesn’t own one of the above films on DVD or Blu-Ray. It seems the love for Tarantino is feverish among those who have followed his turbulent career.

I love the style, the cool and the irreverent super-enjoyable banter that exists in his films. Undeniably, Death Proof is the weakest of the bunch and was produced as the second part of a double bill with Planet Terror. Unfortunately, audiences this side of the North Atlantic were forced to watch both films seperately (although some art-house cinemas showed Grindhouse).

In my view, Inglourious Basterds is the most anticipated Tarantino film since Pulp Fiction. Having read the fantasticly violent script, I am confident this may just be up there with Quentin’s best.

Ones To Watch - #4???

Good morning, loyal readers! I haven't posted anywhere near the amount of material I would have liked in the last fortnight due to a miscellaneous assortment of stumbling blocks thrust in my general direction. One being not being near a laptop...

Anyway, in the last week the #4 in my neverending top 20 anticipated list was switched to a Jan 2010 release date, which puts me in a mango pickle.

For the sake of true journalism, I will withdraw it from my list and reconsider it for the 2010 list (if I manage to make it that far). The image above gives it away!

This week!

Much anticipated and delayed Watchmen review, Discs To Spin, The Class review, What to Watch and of course, The Top 3 for 2009.

Stay tuned!

p.s. this is hilarious...!

Bolt Of The Heart

Disney's latest animated release comes in the form of Bolt, the super-dog! This animated mutt fights crime and protects his beloved owner Penny (Miley Cyrus) from the evil clutches of Professor Calco. Through his ability to 'super bark' and 'zoom-zoom' Bolt (John Travolta) does whatever it takes to stop anyone getting anywhere near his 'person'.

One thing he doesn't know is, none of it is real. The poor little thing believes it can head-butt trucks, melt walls with its heat-vision and kill people with a tap of its paw. In actual fact, he is the star of his own television show and all of his stunts are cleverly timed so that he thinks he is actually doing them, when in fact its the handy work of some technical geek in the background. Why is this? so that the dog gives a more 'believable' performance.

However, the real test of Bolt's 'strength' comes when he accidentally ends up in New York City (thanks to America's ever so great postal system). Not only does he think he has lost his powers because of a mysterious substance called Styrofoam, but he has to rely on gutsy cat, Mittens, to get him back to L.A.

There is a lot to like about Bolt and I would recommend giving it a go. There is a lot to laugh at throughout, my favourite being the stupid pigeons, who are able to portray the stereotypes of each city unbelievably well! Whoever came up with the idea that a pigeon being a movie producer would work, is some sort of warped genius. It definately got me laughing!

It is a feel good movie for the family and is an easy way to kill some time on a lazy Sunday afternoon. A solid, formulaic attempt by Disney, just lacking that Pixar pizazz, whatever that may be! Maybe some more of Bolt's 'Zoom-Zoom' perhaps?

Grade: 6/10 (C+)

Ones To Watch #5 - Public Enemies

A week's delay as I frolicked in the hay...


#5

Public Enemies (dir.Mann)

Expected Release Date: 3rd July

Starring: Johnny Depp, Christian Bale, Marion Cotillard & Billy Crudrup

Studio: Universal Pictures

So, finally! Into the Top 5. I think it’s fair to say these final five all claim their respective thrones as the most anticipated film of 2009 with much style and little dignity.

Certainly each of them could have won the crapshoot which is the #1 spot of my affection.

First up, Public Enemies. There’s so much to look forward to really. Michael Mann returns to the crime thriller genre which served him so well in Collateral and his crowning acheivement, Heat.

Johnny Depp, Marion Cotillard, Christian Bale & Billy Crudrup. What a cast! Possibly the finest in a major picture this year. Arguably, this may be the year Crudrup truelly breaks out (with a potentially standout turn as Dr Manhattan in Watchmen also under the belt). Cotillard & Bale also follow up 2008 with a year which could take them to even dizzier heights with Nine & Terminator: Salvation respectively. Finally, Depp in the headline role has the opportunity to continue to provide the world with yet another character which leaps from the screen (Finding Neverland withstanding…)

The first trailer was released last week and provides a tantalising glimpse into the world Mann has created. Unsurprisingly, it seems to contain all the ingredients which made Heat a resounding success.

Crockett and Tubbs, De Niro and Pacino, Cruise and Foxx. Mann has a history of creating dynamic on-screen pairings (admittedly the score is at great: 2, indifferent: 1).

Let’s just hope Depp & Bale can round of a delightful triple.

Watchmen Weekend (6th March)

Let's face it, most people who find themselves at the local multiplex this weekend will end up watching Watchmen. I have no gripes with that although I can't for the life of me see how the film will be able to create its own identity (the novel is practically flawless in terms of its execution and design).

However, it's still at #16 on my most anticipated list so a glimmer of hope remains but somehow I'm now primed to the fact that Snyder will make a complete arse of it. Only a few days to wait.

Either way, I should honour the original novel by at least seeing how the film compares.



Wendy & Lucy is officially released on limited screens this week also. It's just a matter of finding a cinema showing it...no easy task! If you do find that elusive cinema then the film is recommended if only for an excellent central performance by Michelle Williams.



The Young Victoria, starring the previously up-and-coming, now full blown star Emily Blunt in her first lead role. It's obviously a period film set during the youth of Queen Victoria (stating the obvious). Generally my view on these types of films amounts to a deep, insatiable disgust but this seems like solid throwaway garb. Garish yet tolerable.

Ones To Watch #6 - The Tree Of Life

#6

The Tree Of Life (dir. Malick)

Expected Release Date: TBA

Starring: Sean Penn, Brad Pitt et al

Studio: -

Just entering outside the top five is The Tree of Life, the latest film by the great Terrence Malick. A summary of the plotline makes basic reading as it follows the life of Jack, one of three brothers, and the evolution from wide eyed youth to a disillusioned adult.

Brad Pitt plays the lead character with Sean Penn reprising the character in his middle age. Amazingly this is the second film from Malick in four years! That is quite unusual for a director who has made five films since 1969 including greats such as Badlands and The Thin Red Line.

Any further details are unknown with literally just the one screenshot available at the moment (the one heading the post). Of course I’ll keep updating the site when more devouring morsels are online and available…

Until then, all is left to the imagination…

Ones To Watch #7 - Up

#7

Up (dir. Doctor)

Expected Release Date: 16th October

Starring (voice): Christopher Plummer, Edward Asner et al
Studio: Pixar

The latest in a long line of triumphs for the greatest studio working in Hollywood today. For director Pete Doctor this is his first gig since Monsters Inc in 2001.

The story like many a Pixar great, revolves around the unusual relationship between an old man (Carl Fredricksen) and an 8 year old boy who end up in each other’s company after Fredricksen’s house is lifted into the air (basically by hundreds of balloons).

There isn’t much to add other than to mention how well Doctor handled the relationship between Mike and Sully in Monsters Inc. The fact that the lead protagonist is a 78 year old man also gives a clear indication of the adult orientated direction Pixar is taking and of course shows how the studio will continue to take risks for our satisfaction.

To be honest though, I would be happy watching a film about depressive terrorist clowns if it was made by Pixar, they just haven’t put a foot wrong...ever! Even Cars, which wasn't as critically well received as some of its peers, was still enjoyable and better than most other animated films (specifically much of the Dreamworks output).

In the past few years we've been treated to Ratatouille, which was undoubtedly one of the best films of 2007, and then Wall-E, in my opinion the best American film of last year.

Anticipation is undoubtedly at fever pitch for this one then.

All I can say is. BRING! IT! ON!

Ones To Watch #8 - The Road

#8

The Road (dir. Hillcoat)

Expected Release Date: TBA

Starring: Viggo Mortensen, Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall, Guy Pearce & Kodi Smit-McPhee

Studio: Dimension Films

The Road, directed by John Hillcoat, is the latest Cormac McCarthy novel to undergo a cinematic makeover. It’s set in a post apocalyptic America where the elements converge to devastating effect and The Road seems pregnant with the possibilty of every conceivable act of lawlessness.

Starring Mortensen and newcomer Smit-McPhee as the father-son dyad, The Road like No Country For Old Men is tense, disheartening and haunting fraught with disturbing images. I haven’t read the novel from which No Country For Old Men was adapted but having read The Road and seen the initial screenshots I can feel the sense of darkness which plagued the novel.

It’s a certainty to say the film will not be an easy watch. Director John Hillcoat’s directorial debut, The Proposition was an underrated triumph and one of its many strengths included the cinematography of the wild Americana landscapes. The look and feel of the film is safe hands it seems.

Scored by Nick Cave ( I loved his minimalistic score for The Assasination of Jesse James), The Road provides many possible avenues for success. For the director of course, but perhaps most encouragingly for Viggo Mortensen who may find his moment in the Oscar limelight is not too far down ‘The Road’…

Discs To Spin (2nd March)

Just a quick excuse as to why this is the first DVD compendium in two weeks. First week, the releases were turgid. Second week, I was suffering from post-Oscar hangovers.

NEW RELEASE OF THE WEEK

Ghost Town (dir. Koepp)

A thoroughly enjoyable romp. Being a rom-com in the traditional sense, Ghost Town, doesn't stray to far from its commitments to the genre. What makes this film punch well above its weight is a variety of delicate intracies. First of all, Gervais is able to deliver a geniune dose of pathos to his lead character as the film enters its middle act. Secondly, the romance aspect isn't played to overkill. The film is primarily a comedy and the romance segments serve as an accompaniment to the comedy. Far too many rom-coms play it the other way round resulting in unconventional situations and unbelieveable dialogue (see rom-coms circa 1940-2008).

It's a geniunely heartfelt film with straight up performances. Ohh and the ending is delightful!

Grade: B+ (7.5/10)

Other releases this week:

Mary Poppins: 45th Anniversary Edition

Hardly a new release per se, but this version of the 1960's classic boots extras to burn. As a new release you'll be hard pushed to find it for less than a tenner and really the only difference between this edition and the 40th Anniversary Edition is the segment on the broadway musical. Pick up one or the other though as Mary Poppins should be an indispensible addition to any self-aggrandizing collection.

BARGAIN BLU RAY OF THE WEEK

Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2 (Blu-Ray)

I'm a little bit annoyed as PLAY.COM had this title for a bargain £17.99 just last week! The price has now gone up to £25.99 but that's still at least £7 cheaper than any other retailer. HMV has it for £39.99, Amazon for £32.99 (short time only) and Zavvi...well Zavvi exists no more!

Sorry I didn't mention the cheaper price last week. Those were hazy days...

Ones To Watch #9 - The Soloist

#9

The Soloist (dir. Wright)

Expected Release Date: 11th Sept

Starring: Jamie Foxx, Robert Downey Jr & Catherine Keener

Studio: Universal Pictures

The Soloist is the third film to be directed by the young and talented Joe Wright, following Pride & Prejudice and Atonement.

Originally slated for release during the 2008-09 Oscar season (i.e. winter), The Soloist, written by Erin Brokovich scribe Susannah Grant, tells the story of a schizophrenic homeless musician, Nathaniel Ayers (Foxx), who dreams of performing at the Walt Disney Concert Hall. Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez (Downey Jr) develops a strong friendship with Nathaniel and helps him to achieve his dream.

Frankly, the plot sounds mildly interesting though wildly sentimental. Atonement, managed to sway on the intellectual side towards its final act which perhaps dampened any sort of emotional impact the coda could have provided.

The two leads will surely create an unerring relationship on screen. Downey Jr, at the crux of his latest comeback can inject a great deal into a role which he has played to a similar degree in Zodiac (without a penchant for turquoise cocktails). For Foxx this could be the role that revitalises his acting career after almost five years in the relative doldrums, signing up to roles stretching him at best to autopilot. We know he can play the piano, after his Oscar maiming performance in Ray, so hopefully the screenplay will stretch his performance into a poignant performance.

Joe Wright has a lot to prove moving away from pretty period settings to a thoroughly modern film set in downtown Los Angeles. It is also the first film he has directed in which the leading roles played by American actors and it will be intriguing to see how he handles any extra pressure that comes his way.

Atonement was arguably the polished version of a more roughly cut diamond in Pride & Prejudice. Excitingly, having broken down the door with Atonement, Joe Wright, like fellow Brit auteurs Sam Mendes and Stephen Daldry, will have hopefully sown the seeds to create a diverse film repertoire enriched with storytelling verve to embed him in the filmmaking elite.

The Soloist marks the first litmus test to that worthy acheivement and for that reason alone I cannot wait to see what will be concocted.