by Preeti Virdee
THIS is our take on a selection of the latest movies to hit the silver screen. It's a combination of the synopses from the film studios (in italics) and our opinions on the hits and misses of current offerings and what's to come (month by month by UK release date). So pop over to the left hand side bar for a full list of all we have on offer... And we've included the trailers for your delight so just click on the poster and you'll be transported to another world...
And since it's that time of year again already, and also just because we can, we've popped up the nominations and previous winners of the Golden Globes, the BAFTAs and the Oscars. So simply click on the relevant gong below, and as an when nominations & results come through, you'll find gongs on each review:
CARNAGE
SET in contemporary Brooklyn, New York, CARNAGE centres on two pairs of parents, one of whose child has hurt the other at a public park, who meet to discuss the matter in a civilized manner. However, as the evening goes on, the parents become increasingly childish, resulting in the evening devolving into chaos.
And just what chaos ensues....
A wonderfully entertaining gigglefest which illustrates the true nature of prissy and proper parents who transform into real people when aided with the right tools to lubricate the situation. Much like her play ‘Art’, this film adaptation of Reza’s critically acclaimed West End and Broadway play, ‘God of Carnage’ does not fail to hit the funny bone perfectly, and with the added helping of Polanski and a magnificent cast, it is just a shame the UK and Australia are the last to see it across the globe.
There is no question, if you appreciate a good comedy, get yourself to that cinema the moment it lands at a multiplex close to you.
CAST: Jodie Foster, Kate Winslet, Christoph Waltz, John C. Reilly
DIRECTOR: Roman Polanski
RUNTIME: 80 mins
COUNTRY: France/Germany/Poland/Spain
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 
16/09/11 
07/12/11 
16/12/11 
03 February 2012 
18/02/12 
01/03/12
A DANGEROUS METHOD
ON the eve of World War I, Zurich and Vienna are the setting for a dark tale of sexual and intellectual discovery. Drawn from true-life events, A DANGEROUS METHOD takes a glimpse into the turbulent relationships between fledgling psychiatrist Carl Jung, his mentor Sigmund Freud and Sabina Spielrein, the troubled but beautiful young woman who comes between them. Into the mix comes Otto Gross, a debauched patient who is determined to push the boundaries.
In this exploration of sensuality, ambition and deceit set the scene for the pivotal moment when Jung, Freud and Sabina come together and split apart, forever changing the face of modern thought.
A quite fascinating insight into arguably two of the greatest scientific minds in the field of psychology. And a most demure and straightforward cinematic subject matter & production for director, David Cronenberg, who is famed for such insane but brilliant works as Scanners and Dead Ringers. Fassbender, Mortensen and Cassel are superb in their roles, and even Knightley is more than adept, though her accent I yet have to decipher with regard to origin.
Absolutely worth a venture to the cinema, provided you are in the frame of mind in which to ponder.
CAST: Keira Knightley, Viggo Mortensen, Michael Fassbender, Vincent Cassel
DIRECTOR: David Cronenberg
RUNTIME: 100mins
COUNTRY: UK/Germany/Canada/Switzerland
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 30/09/11 23/11/11 21/12/11 10 February 2012 08/03/12
THE IRON LADY
THE IRON LADY is a surprising and intimate portrait of Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the first and only female Prime Minister of The United Kingdom. One of the 20th century’s most famous and influential women, Thatcher came from nowhere to smash through barriers of gender and class to be heard in a male dominated world.
THE trailer definitely did justice to the lady who was not for turning; sadly the film did not live up to the expectation.
First the good bits - yes Meryl Streep steeped herself in attempting to perfect the embodiment of one of the most formidable ladies of the 20th century who changed the world we lived in, and she almost managed it except for a deranged glint in her eye in Mrs T's strongest periods of her life which in reality did not exist. That is it.
The film should never have been made. Whether you admire her or not, it is gross simplification of a woman who made history in most of our lifetimes, which skates over her most significant achievements and concentrates on the dementia of an old and frail lady which has little basis in fact. The writer, Abi Morgan, has created what appears to be an almost fictional story, and the director, Phyllida Lloyd - responsible for the worst ever and most overrated British musical, Mamma Mia - has made a mockery of British history, concentrating on recreating a caricature of Mrs Thatcher and paying absolutely no directorial heed to all the other players in the cast.
Biopics of great statesmen need two elements to make them successful - the story needs to be based in fact, and the historic figure in question needs to have passed away. The Iron Lady achieves neither. All Lloyd and Morgan have succeeded in is insulting the memory of an eminent lady who is still very much alive, and yes she has dementia, but those I know personally who have encountered Mrs T in recent years have a wholly different reality of the lady.
As for the other actors, there is little to differentiate one politician from the next in the depiction of the Tories, and the Thatcher family - the characters are barely even caricatures of the actual people. The portrayal of the bloody-minded and fiesty Carol Thatcher is laughable [and her very distinct speech pattern was entirely overlooked], and Jim Broadbent bore little resemblance to the robust, millionaire businessman who was an unobtrusive but hugely supportive First Gentleman.
The over-exaggerated dementia-riddled Margaret Thatcher bore more resemblance to Dicken's Scrooge than any reality.
Love or hate the former Prime Minister, this film does no justice to the woman, to history, to Great Britain. In her acceptance speech for her Golden Globe Best Actress award, Streep nonchanlantly said "I’ve got to thank everybody in England that let me come and trample all over their, you know, history." That is exactly what she, Lloyd and Morgan did. Had it not been Meryl Streep as the lynchpin, The Iron Lady would have been ridiculed into oblivion, mostly unnoticed.
Had I not had to provide a review, I would not have watched this film at all. There is good cinematic art out there - this is not it.
To see who turned out for The Iron Lady premiere, check out our showbiz editor, Zoe Griffin's column:
CAST: Meryl Streep, Jim Broadbent, Richard E. Grant
DIRECTOR: Phyllida Lloyd
RUNTIME: 105 mins
COUNTRY: UK
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 
26/12/11 06 January 2012 13/01/12 15/02/12
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama: Merly Streep
MOTHER AND CHILD
THREE women's lives share a common core: they have all been profoundly affected by adoption. Karen (Annette Bening) had a baby at 14, gave her up at birth, and has been haunted ever since by the daughter she never knew. Elizabeth (Naomi Watts) grew up as an adopted child; she's a bright and ambitious lawyer, but a flinty loner in her personal life. Lucy (Kerry Washington) is just embarking with her husband on the adoption odyssey, looking for a baby to become their own.
A beautiful moving ensemble piece played out with subtlety. There is not much sweetness and light in the main characters who are simply real women behaving as we do in the real world, a little broken, a little prickly, and the acting from each and every player is exceptional. Expect the unexpected, and just sit back, relax and revel in sublime performances of this rather lovely work from Rodrigo Garcia.
CAST: Naomi Watts, Annette Bening, Kerry Washington, Jimmy Smits, Samuel L. Jackson
DIRECTOR: Rodrigo Garcia
RUNTIME: 126 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 2009 17/06/10 17/11/10 15/01/11 
27/01/11 06 January 2012
PLAYERS
IT'S time to steady yourselves for the biggest action extravaganza that Bollywood has to offer! The dynamic director duo Abbas-Mustan are back to enthral the audiences one again with the lean and mean heist flick PLAYERS. The movie is the official remake of the 2003 Hollywood blockbuster, The Italian Job and promises to be just as much of a thrilling ride!
With a stellar cast of Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Bipasha Basu, Bobby Deol, Sikander Kher and Omi Vaidya, this remake promises to pack one heck of a punch. Players is scheduled to set the screen ablaze in January, 2012.
With high speed chase sequences and state-of-the-art special effects set against the backdrop of gorgeous locales in New Zealand and Goa, Players will redefine Bollywood action movies as we know them.
And hang on to your seats, because this ride has just begun.
OR don't. This has to be the worst, most clichéd, pointless waste of almost 3 hours of my life that I can never get back.
Now, where shall we begin...the script and dialogue is appalling and amateur, the soundtrack is unimaginative and not the slightest bit interesting or memorable, the score is unnecessarily melodramatic, the choreography is laughable, uncoordinated, and about as modern as a 70s Hindi film, the acting from the likes of Sonam Kapoor and Neil Nitin Mukesh is so overdramatic, the Eastern European extras are in such bad taste bordering on softly pornographic, the foreign accents are risible, and even Abhishek Bachchan cannot save the film. The 'Director Duo' should hang their heads in shame and never attempt to make another movie in my lifetime at least.
Oh and as for the remake of The Italian Job - an episode of Noddy would be more convincing.
CAST: Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Bobby Deol, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Sikander Kher, Omi Vaidya, Bipasha Basu
DIRECTOR: Abbas - Mustan
RUNTIME: 167 mins
COUNTRY: India
LANGUAGE: Hindi with English subtitles
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 
06 January 2012
WAR HORSE
DREAMWORKS Pictures' WAR HORSE, director Steven Spielberg's epic adventure, is a tale of loyalty, hope and tenacity set against a sweeping canvas of rural England and Europe during the First World War. "War Horse" begins with the remarkable friendship between a horse named Joey and a young man called Albert, who tames and trains him. When they are forcefully parted, the film follows the extraordinary journey of the horse as he moves through the war, changing and inspiring the lives of all those he meets—British cavalry, German soldiers, and a French farmer and his granddaughter—before the story reaches its emotional climax in the heart of No Man's Land.
WAR HORSE is a proper old-fashioned yarn that harks back to the golden age of Hollywood, when movies like National Velvet, Casablanca, Little Women and It's A Wonderful Life toyed with our emotions, and left us with that warm fuzzy feeling. It is a most beautiful story that yanks at the heart strings with such force that I turned into a blubbering wreck on more than one occasion, and so far, all the gentleman I know who have seen it had the same experience, though probably to a lesser degree(!)
Spielberg has yet again pulled off a magnificent feat by giving cinemagoers such a visual and emotional treat, perfectly cast, majestically scored, and it cannot possibly avoid winning more than a few gongs over the coming weeks.
This is a family movie in every sense to which you can take your children, your parents, your great great parents even with the total assurance that not a telling eyebrow will be raised throughout the performance. And the star of the film, of course it is Joey the horse [well OK, all 14 of them used to portray Joey throughout the film].
Yes it is very sentimental, but you would have to possess a heart of stone not to be caught up in this moving tale. Definitely a film to see and be appreciated on the big screen.
To see who turned out for the War Horse Royal Premiere check out our showbiz editor, Zoe Griffin's column:
CAST: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Peter Mullan, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Jeremy Irvine
DIRECTOR: Steven Spielberg
RUNTIME: 146 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 25/12/11 26/12/11 13 January 2012 20/01/12 22/02/12 03/12
THE DARKEST HOUR
THE DARKEST HOUR is the story of five young people who find themselves stranded in Moscow, fighting to survive in the wake of a devastating alien attack. The 3D feature film combines mind-blowing special effects from filmmaker Timur Bekmambetov, with the vision of director Chris Gorak.
THE most ridiculous premise, but if it was done well, it could have been quite the alien thriller. And since there’s both a Minghella and one of Charlie’s Angels, it could have been fun.
Unfortunately, coulda, shoulda, woulda blah. Do not, I repeat, do NOT waste a moment of your precious precious life on this stupid, inept heap of nothingness...literally! Even the aliens are invisible. So pointless. No enough...just don't...seriously.
CAST: Emile Hirsch, Olivia Thirlby, Max Minghella, Rachael Taylor
DIRECTOR: Chris Gorak
RUNTIME: 89 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 25/12/11 11/01/12 13 January 2012 19/01/12 20/01/12
SHAME
BRANDON (Michael Fassbender) is a New Yorker who shuns intimacy with women but feeds his desires with a compulsive addiction to sex. When his wayward younger sister (Carey Mulligan) moves into his apartment stirring memories of their shared painful past, Brandon's insular life spirals out of control.
CAST: Michael Fassbender, Carey Mulligan, James Badge Dale, Nicole Beharie
DIRECTOR: Steve McQueen
RUNTIME: 101 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 18
RELEASE DATE: 02/12/11 07/12/11 13 January 2012 02/12 09/02/12
MARGIN CALL
SET in the high-stakes world of the financial industry, MARGIN CALL is an entangling thriller involving the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When an entry-level analyst unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.
I cannot quite fathom how this can be JC Chandor's first feature film. It is excellent. Engaging, intriguing, authentic and a damn good story, Chandor has picked his players with eloquence, and delivered frankly, quite a masterpiece for a premier work. You will need to pay attention, it does go into some detail as to the workings of the financial world, but you will come out the wiser. The economic situation will not have changed as you leave the multiplex, but it will all somehow make a bit more sense.
CAST: Kevin Spacey, Paul Bettany, Jeremy Irons, Zachary Quinto, Penn Badgley, Simon Baker, Mary McDonnell, Demi Moore, Stanley Tucci
DIRECTOR: J C Chandor
RUNTIME: 107 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 21/10/11 13 January 2012 04/04/12
HAYWIRE
MALLORY KANE is a highly trained operative who works for a government security contractor in the dirtiest, most dangerous corners of the world. After successfully freeing a Chinese journalist held hostage, she is double crossed and left for dead by someone close to her in her own agency. Suddenly the target of skilled assassins who know her every move, Mallory must find the truth in order to stay alive.
Using her black-ops military training, she devises an ingenious—and dangerous—trap. But when things go haywire, Mallory realizes she’ll be killed in the blink of an eye unless she finds a way to turn the tables on her ruthless adversary.
THE trailer is completely engaging, and the film looks like it will be an intriguing and thrilling ride that is not to be missed.
CAST: Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Michael Douglas, Antonio Banderas, Bill Paxton
DIRECTOR: Steven Soderbergh
RUNTIME: 93 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 18 January 2012 20/01/12 24/02/12 18/04/12
CORIOLANUS
CAIUS MARTIUS ‘CORIOLANUS’, a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus’s anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius to take his revenge on the city.
Mixing the classical and the contemporary, Coriolanus retains Shakespeare’s language, but boldy combines it with modern technology and a contemporary environment, to enhance the visceral quality of the original story.
CAST: Ralph Fiennes, Gerard Butler, Brian Cox, Vanessa Redgrave, James Nesbitt, Jessica Chastain
DIRECTOR: Ralph Fiennes
RUNTIME: 123 mins
COUNTRY: UK
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 20 January 2012 23/02/12 25/02/12
J EDGAR
AS the face of law enforcement in America for almost fifty years, J. Edgar Hoover was feared and admired, reviled and revered. But behind closed doors, he held secrets that would have destroyed his image, his career and his life.
Under the direction of Clint Eastwood, Leonardo DiCaprio stars in the title role of J. EDGAR, a drama that explores the public and private life of one of the most powerful, controversial and enigmatic figures of the 20th century.
SADLY, one of Eastwood's more tedious attempts that lacked any finesse. This biopic judders along across many decades with DiCaprio's make up moving from the sublime as the young Hoover [though looking decidely more like the actor rather than the character] to the ridiculous with so much prosthetic work that it must have used up all the off-cuts after Madonna's cosmetic surgery. This, however, is not enough of a distraction to make one ignore the lack of fluidity, the awkwardness of the script, the fact that far too much was crammed into too short a film, even though it ran over two hours long.
DiCaprio carries out his part in a perfectly respectable fashion, but the fact that he did not win Best Actor at the Golden Globes is testament to the fact that it is a quite ordinary interpretation of a bizarre and not terribly nice man. Now, had Oliver Stone had a go, it probably would have hit the mark.
It is not the worst film of the moment, but definitely wait for the DVD...at least that way you can pause and take a break!
CAST: Leonardo DiCaprio, Naomi Watts, Judi Dench, Armie Hammer, Josh Lucas, Damon Herriman, Ken Howard, Jeffrey Donovan, Ed Westwick, Stephen Root
DIRECTOR: Clint Eastwood
RUNTIME: 137 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 11/11/11 04/01/12 11/01/12 20 January 2012 26/02/12 28/01/12
AGNEEPATH
IN a small Indian village Mandwa, Vijay Dinanath Chauhan is taught by his principled father about the path of fire - AGNEEPATH. His life is completely shattered when the evil drug dealer Kancha hangs his father to death. Vijay leaves for Bombay with his pregnant mother and has only one mission in life- to come back to Mandwa and bring back the glory of his father's name.
In Bombay, 12-yr-old Vijay is taken under the wings of the city gang lord Rauf Lala. From then on it is a journey of revenge where he makes and breaks many relationships only to get closer to his aim. Vijay finds support only in his best friend Kaali, who stands by him at every moment in his life. Fifteen years later his hatred for Kancha takes him back to Mandwa where life comes full circle.
IN 1990, Yash Johar produced a movie called Agneepath. It took its name from the poem by Harivansh Rai Bachchan, the father of Amitabh, the Hindi cinema superstar who was the spectacular lead in the film. The film was based on the Pacino classic, Scarface. In 2012, Johar’s son, Karan has produced a modern version of the film with just as stellar cast, and it looks as ground-breaking and impressive as the original. Hopefully, this is a film worthy of a remake.
CAST: Hrithik Roshan, Priyanka Chopra, Sanjay Dutt, Rishi Kapoor
DIRECTOR: Karan Malhotra
RUNTIME: tbc
COUNTRY: India
LANGUAGE: Hindi/English
CERTIFICATION: tbc
RELEASE DATE: 26 January 2012
ACTS OF GODFREY
WHEN God (AKA Godfrey) decides to improve the flagging prospects of Vic, he pairs him up with the unprincipled and sexually predatory Mary. But even with Godfrey’s divine powers, the path of true love is beset with the twists and turns of fate. A sexual wonder drug, an unscrupulous conman, two psychotic gangsters, a long-dead twin and a terrible case of mistaken identity, all combine to create ACTS OF GODFREY.
STARRING Simon Callow and written throughout in rhyming verse, Acts of Godfrey is a unique and characteristically original debut from Johnny Daukes as a feature-film writer/director. From the trailer, it appears to be as brilliant as Shakespeare at his comedic best but set in modern times.
CAST: Simon Callow, Harry Enfield, Celia Imrie, Iain Robertson, Myfanwy Waring, Doon MacKichan, Michael Wildman, Shobu Kapoor, Ian Burfield, Jay Simpson, Demetri Goritsas, Max Digby
DIRECTOR: Johnny Daukes
RUNTIME: tbc
COUNTRY: UK
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: tbc
RELEASE DATE: 27 January 2012
INTRUDERS
THE film tells parallel stories of two families whose lives are disrupted by menacing apparitions: in Spain, a mother tries to protect her son from a faceless stranger, while in Britain, a young girl has terrifying dreams of a demon who becomes a real danger to her and her family.
CAST: Clive Owen, Carice van Houten, Daniel Bruhl, Pilar Lopez de Ayala, Kerry Fox
DIRECTOR: Juan Carlos Fresnadillo
RUNTIME: 100 mins
COUNTRY: UK/USA/Spain
LANGUAGE: English/Spanish
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 11/01/12 27 January 2012
THE DESCENDANTS
FROM Alexander Payne, the creator of the Oscar-winning Sideways, set in Hawaii, THE DESCENDANTS is a sometimes humorous, sometimes tragic journey for Matt King an indifferent husband and father of two girls, who is forced to re-examine his past and embrace his future when his wife suffers a boating accident off of Waikiki. The event leads to a rapprochement with his young daughters while Matt wrestles with a decision to sell the family’s land handed down from Hawaiian royalty and missionaries.
GEORGE Clooney - well he doesn’t pick dud scripts on the whole, and since this is from the makers of the most excellent Sideways and About Schmidt, it was bound to be a good bet.
The film is entertaining, and moving without being melodramatic. It is thought-provoking, will make you laugh, will make you angry in parts, and produce a raft of emotions that will make you glad you bothered to go out and see it.
Clooney is perfect...but then Clooney is always perfect(!), and his Golden Globe for Best Actor is definitely well deserved. It is a shame that the brilliant performance by Shailene Woodley was not rewarded, but then it went to just as worthy a nominee from The Help, which matched the accomplishment of The Descendants at very turn.
Shan't spoil it - it is beautifully written and directed and shot, so waste no time and see it. What a pleasant start to the new year.
CAST: George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Beau Bridges, Robert Forster, Judy Greer, Matthew Lillard, Nick Krause, Amara Miller, Mary Birdsong, Rob Huebel, Patricia Hastie
DIRECTOR: Alexander Payne
RUNTIME: 115 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 15
RELEASE DATE: 16/11/11 12/01/12 20/01/12 27 January 2012 01/12 24/02/12
Best Motion Picture - Drama
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama: George Clooney
THE BIG YEAR
STEVE Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson are at a crossroads -- one is experiencing a mid-life crisis, another a late-life crisis, and the third, a far from ordinary no-life crisis. From David Frankel, the director of The Devil Wears Prada and Marley & Me, comes a sophisticated comedy about three friendly rivals who, tired of being ruled by obligations and responsibilities, dedicate a year of their lives to following their dreams. Their big year takes them on a cross-country journey of wild and life-changing adventures.
CAST: Steve Martin, Jack Black, Owen Wilson, Brian Dennehy, Anjelica Huston, Rashida Jones, Rosamund Pike, Dianne Wiest, Jobeth Williams
DIRECTOR: David Frankel
RUNTIME: 100 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: PG
RELEASE DATE: 14/10/11 11/11/11 02 December 2011 01/03/12 19/09/12
HAPPY FEET 2
THE sequel to Happy Feet, the Academy Award®-winning animated smash hit, HAPPY FEET TWO returns audiences to the magnificent landscape of Antarctica in superb 3D. Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem because his tiny son, Erik, is choreo-phobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven—a penguin who can fly! Mumble has no hope of competing with this charismatic new role model. But things get worse when the world is shaken by powerful forces. Erik learns of his father’s “guts and grit” as Mumble brings together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures—from tiny Krill to giant Elephant Seals—to put things right.
DESPITE the particularly excellent cast, Happy Feet 2 does not even come close to living up to the joy of the original movie. There are simply too many sub plots which make the entire film disjointed and staccato. The youngest children will of course love the film as it is very hard to resist very cute singing and dancing penguins, but for those old enough to understand how a good story works, they will not be fooled. I shouldn’t be rushing out to see this poor relation to what was a brilliant movie.
CAST: Elijah Wood, Elizabeth Daily, Sofía Vergara, Robin Williams, Matt Damon, Brad Pitt, Hank Azaria
DIRECTOR: George Miller
RUNTIME: 104 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: U
RELEASE DATE: 18/11/11 24/11/11 25/11/11 26/11/11 02 December 2011 07/12/11 26/12/11
HUGO
THROUGHOUT his extraordinary career, Academy Award-wining director Martin Scorsese has brought his unique vision and dazzling gifts to life in a series of unforgettable films. This holiday season the legendary storyteller invites you to join him on a thrilling journey to a magical world with his first-ever 3-D film, based on Brian Selznick's award-winning, imaginative New York Times best-seller, The Invention of Hugo Cabret.
HUGO is the astonishing adventure of a wily and resourceful boy whose quest to unlock a secret left to him by his father will transform Hugo and all those around him, and reveal a safe and loving place he can call home.
HUGO is one of the most touching, picturesque, stunning, magical and beautiful masterpieces I have seen in oh so long. Another absolute triumph for the cinematic genius that is Martin Scorsese.
Every actor plays his part to a tee, and especially the children who make it all so glorious. Even young Moretz from Atlanta, Georgia managed to perfect an English accent - a feat failed by many an American. The only fault I could find was Sacha Baron Cohen; his ridiculous accent was entirely unnecessary, and acting was about as clever as Borat.
Despite SBC, Hugo will make you smile, make you laugh, bring a tear to your eye, and leave you with that fantastic warm fuzzy feeling of total satisfaction and a couple of hours so perfectly spent. What a wonderful Christmas treat that will undoubtedly endure time well.
CAST: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer, Jude Law, Helen McRory, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Michael Stuhlbarg Sacha Baron Cohen
DIRECTOR: Martin Scorsese
RUNTIME: 126 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: U
RELEASE DATE: 23/11/11 02 December 2011 14/12/11 12/01/12 03/02/12
Best Director - Motion Picture: Martin Scorsese
PUSS IN BOOTS
LONG before he even met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw PUSS IN BOOTS becomes a hero when he sets off on an adventure with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty to save his town. This is the true story of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend... The Boots.
Simply brilliant. This is just so entertaining, and as good as the first Shrek film for giggle factor. What ever the age, you will not help but fall in love with the latino ‘Poose’ and his fabulous drinking habit, the sexy Kitty, the fantastical Jack and Jill - the animated world’s answer to Bonnie & Clyde perfectly voiced by Billy Bob Thornton and Amy Sedaris. And Humpty Dumpty...Galifianakis was made for this. If there is any film that deserves to become the Christmas special treat, this is it.
CAST: Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayek, Zach Galifianakis, Billy Bob Thornton, Amy Sedaris
DIRECTOR: Chris Miller
RUNTIME: 90 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: U
RELEASE DATE: 28/10/11 30/11/11 08/12/11 09 December 2011 16/12/11 26/12/11
NEW YEAR'S EVE
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Garry Marshall is joined by a stellar ensemble cast to ring in the 2011 holiday season with the romantic comedy NEW YEAR’S EVE.
New Year’s Eve celebrates love, hope, forgiveness, second chances and fresh starts, with intertwining stories told amidst the pulse and promise of New York City on the most dazzling night of the year.
The film’s all-star cast includes Academy Award® winner Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Academy Award® nominee Abigail Breslin, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, two-time Academy Award® winner Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Academy Award® nominee Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, two-time Academy Award® winner Hilary Swank and Sofia Vergara.
Reuniting with Marshall from last year’s hit romantic comedy Valentine’s Day are screenwriter Katherine Fugate and producers Mike Karz and Wayne Rice.
Some amazing actors join some diabolically awful wannabe thespians; the only worry is the claim that this has the same bloody awful screenwriters who wrote the unfathomable Valentine’s Day which had me walking out within 15 minutes of the opening titles.
CAST: Halle Berry, Jessica Biel, Jon Bon Jovi, Abigail Breslin, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Robert De Niro, Josh Duhamel, Zac Efron, Hector Elizondo, Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher, Seth Meyers, Lea Michele, Sarah Jessica Parker, Michelle Pfeiffer, Til Schweiger, Hilary Swank, Sofia Vergara
DIRECTOR: Garry Marshall
RUNTIME: 118 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 08 December 2011 09/12/11 21/12/11 23/12/11
SHERLOCK HOLMES - A GAME OF SHADOWS
SHERLOCK HOLMES has always been the smartest man in the room…until now. There is a new criminal mastermind at large—Professor Moriarty—and not only is he Holmes’ intellectual equal, but his capacity for evil, coupled with a complete lack of conscience, may actually give him an advantage over the renowned detective. When the Crown Prince of Austria is found dead, the evidence, as construed by Inspector Lestrade, points to suicide. But Sherlock Holmes deduces that the prince has been the victim of murder—a murder that is only one piece of a larger and much more portentous puzzle, designed by one Professor Moriarty. Mixing business with pleasure, Holmes tracks the clues to an underground gentlemen’s club, where he and his brother, Mycroft Holmes are toasting Dr. Watson on his last night of bachelorhood. It is there that Holmes encounters Sim, a Gypsy fortune teller, who sees more than she is telling and whose unwitting involvement in the prince’s murder makes her the killer’s next target. Holmes barely manages to save her life and, in return, she reluctantly agrees to help him. The investigation becomes ever more dangerous as it leads Holmes, Watson and Sim across the continent, from England to France to Germany and finally to Switzerland. But the cunning Moriarty is always one step ahead as he spins a web of death and destruction—all part of a greater plan that, if he succeeds, will change the course of history.
THE chemistry between Downey Jnr and Law is just magical. Guy Ritchie has again shot this film with such spectacular imagination that you cannot help but be taken in and whisked away to another age, this time in Paris and the Swiss mountains, which makes you long to get get on the first plane out there.
Jared Harris is evil personified as Moriarty, Noomi Rapace is sublime as Sim, and Stephen Fry is, in all his glory, completely as expected...delightful! And all this extravagance allows you to easily overlook the acting inadequacies of both Kelly Reilly and Rachel McAdams.
This has the scenic magic of the first Sherlock Holmes film, but an improved storyline, and so A Game Of Shadows is definitely worth a trip to the cinema in this festive season. It is exciting, mesmerising, visually breathtaking, very very funny, and simply a treat.
And to see how the Game Of Shadows premiere party panned out, check out our showbiz editor, Zoe Griffin's column:
CAST: Robert Downey Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Jared Harris, Eddie Marsan, Stephen Fry
DIRECTOR: Guy Ritchie
RUNTIME: 129 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 16 December 2011 
30/12/11 05/01/12 25/01/12
DON 2
HAVING conquered the Asian underworld, Don (Khan) now has his sights set on European domination. In his way are the bosses of the existing European underworld and all law enforcement agencies.
The action shifts from Kuala Lumpur to Berlin as Don must avoid assassination or arrest, whichever comes first, in order for his plan to succeed.
WHEN I saw the 2006 remake of Don, I did not even pay it heed as I considered it sacrilege that they had remade such a classic film. Earlier this year I watched it again...it was very very good. And at my last trip to the cinema to see a Bollywood film [incidentally also a Shah Rukh Khan film - the brilliant 
], the trailer was featured for the first time. It looked most excellent. Sadly the soundtrack was not so catchy, but the hope was the script would negate that necessity...
Unfortunately, it simply added to the banality of the film. DON 2 is badly directed, poorly scripted, appallingly styled making everyone look pretty much like 70s rejects with bad hair, make up and wardrobe. The storyline had major potential but lacked any finesse whatsoever, and despite the stellar cast, only the worst was brought out in each player with either over-acting or understatedness to the point of boredom. Even the talent of SRK or Chopra could not turn this action flick into a respectable film that Bollywood can be proud to showcase to the world.
On the bright side, the action sequences and hand to hand combat scenes are brilliantly executed, but Farhan Akhtar has to take responsibility for writing, producing and directing a poorly effected movie that could have been a slick, thrill-a-minute action flick rather than an amateur, over-acted pedestrian yarn. However, it being an SRK film, it will no doubt break box office records and make a fortune for the studio regardless.
CAST: Shah Rukh Khan, Priyanka Chopra, Lara Dutta, Boman Irani, Om Puri, Kunal Kapoor
DIRECTOR: Farhan Akhtar
RUNTIME: 145 mins
COUNTRY: India
LANGUAGE: Hindi/English/German with English subtitles
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 23 December 2011
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: GHOST PROTOCOL
DIRECTOR Brad Bird and Producer J.J. Abrams bring us the action packed, entertainment event of the holiday season with MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – GHOST PROTOCOL.
The new film in the series, which has grossed $2 billion dollars worldwide, will feature a new team: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and Simon Pegg.
This is not just another mission.
The IMF is shut down when it’s implicated in a global terrorist bombing plot. Ghost Protocol is initiated and Ethan Hunt and his rogue new team must go undercover to clear their organization’s name. No help, no contact, off the grid. You have never seen a mission grittier and more intense than this.
HOW thoroughly exciting - nothing quite as fun as an all-action movie at Christmas. The trailer looked fabulous, and the film didn't just live up to expectations, but far exceeding them.
By far the best of the Mission Impossible series so far, Ghost Protocol is pure, unadulterated, end to end action, suspense, spectacular stunts and more than one edge of seat breathtaking scenes. Frankly, I'd go as far as to say it's the best action movie of the year.
In case I wasn't clear - if you haven't seen it already, what the devil are you waiting for?! This is what the big screen was invented for.
CAST: Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton
DIRECTOR: Brad Bird
RUNTIME: 133 mins
COUNTRY: USA
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 12A
RELEASE DATE: 14/12/11 15/12/11 16/12/11 21/12/11 26 December 2011 13/01/12
THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO
HOPING to distance himself from the fallout of a libel conviction, journalist Mikael Blomkvist retreats to a remote island in Sweden's far north where the unsolved murder of a young girl still haunts her industrialist uncle forty years later. Ensconced in a cottage on the island where the killer may still roam, Blomkvist's investigation draws him into the secrets and lies of the rich and powerful, and throws him together with one unlikely ally - tattooed, punk hacker, Lisbeth Salander.
THE original Swedish trilogy is spectacular. Once I'd finally got round to watching them all, I could walk into a screening of the first of the English language versions with a clear conscience and an entirely preconceived idea of what it should be, to justifiably make up my mind whether perfection should have been reproduced...
And it's damn hard to call really. Rooney Mara is excellent as Lisbeth, but Fincher did make her too ugly unnecessarily. Daniel Craig played his part admirably, in fact as did every actor in the film. The film is made with typical Fincher panache, but somehow doesn't have quite the vile cringe-factor and edge as the Swedish version.
I think the verdict has to be if you've not seen the original then definitely go see it as the story is excellent, but if you have, there really is no point. There's nothing to fault it at all, but should it have been made again...I'm not convinced.
CAST: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Christopher Plummer, Stellan Skarsgård, Steven Berkoff, Robin Wright, Yorick van Wageningen, Joely Richardson
DIRECTOR: David Fincher
RUNTIME: 158 mins
COUNTRY: USA/Sweden/UK/Germany
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: 18
RELEASE DATE: 21/12/11 26 December 2011 12/01/12 18/01/12 03/02/12
THE ARTIST
HOLLYWOOD 1927. George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a silent movie superstar. The advent of the talkies will sound the death knell for his career and see him fall into oblivion. For young extra Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), it seems the sky's the limit - major movie stardom awaits. THE ARTIST tells the story of their interlinked destinies.
CAST: Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo, John Goodman, James Cromwell, Penelope Ann Miller, Missi Pyle
DIRECTOR: Michel Hazanavicius
RUNTIME: 158 mins
COUNTRY: France/Belgium
LANGUAGE: English
CERTIFICATION: PG
RELEASE DATE: 12/10/11 23/11/11 09/12/11 30 December 2011 02/02/12
Best Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical
Best Original Score - Motion Picture: Ludovic Bource
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical: Jean Dujardin
