Film Review: The Last Fall

Director: Matthew A. Cherry

Life after American Football and sports in general is an incredibly big issue at the moment, the NFL is struggling with so many of their sportsman dying young either through health problems or issues like suicide arising from depression. The Last Fall was released last year at a time when the topic is still a sensitive issue and sheds some light onto the topic of fringe players in professional sports teams.

Although it looks at the untold story of the glitzy world of professional sports where young players are cut from teams and sent back to the real world with no preparation for what they have to deal with. The average career of an NFL player is just 3 years because of the number of players who end up retiring after not making it onto a professional roster. The NFL is the main culprit because none of the contracts are guaranteed (players can sign a 4 year contract and be released the next day and only be owed the signing bonus) and every year 90 players join training camp in the summer competing for just 61 places on each team meaning that a third of players go back to real life jobs hoping for a second chance to impress.

Kyle clearing out his locker in Arizona

Kyle Bishop (Lance Gross) is a professional American Football player who has just been cut mid-season by his team (believed to be Arizona based on a present he has for his mum) and is told by his agent that nobody is interested in his services and that he was lucky to have been given the chance to play for so many different teams. Kyle is faced with the shocking reality of retiring at the age of 25 and moves back in with his mum back in his hometown, initially he hides the fact he's lost his job but soon learns to accept it and slowly makes up with his high school sweetheart. But what will happen when the NFL comes calling again?

Kyle with ex girlfriend Faith

The feature of American Football in the movie is really more of just a backdrop to Kyle going back home to face his family and past that he has ignored for the last few years. Whilst certain aspects are addressed it could have gone further in looking at the issues faced by professional sportsmen who've spent all their money as they've earned it and not looked to a future beyond Football. This really felt like an opportunity missed to bring a forgotten topic to the front of the public's minds.

Kyle's story about going back to his family who he's ignored whilst he was away including his separated Dad who is ill was a well trodden plot line. It was clear to see he would struggle to fit in back home and be accepted by the people he'd forgotten until he proved that he still cared, it became all too predictable at times but the open ending leaving the possibility of a sequel was more surprising. Whether I'm that intrigued to see what happens to Kyle Bishop over another 90mins is a question I'm still not sure I know the answer to yet.

2/4 Should have been much more, great premise turns into formulaic romantic drama

This week's releases

The Purge: In America, to solve the problem of rampant crime the government has decided that all crime is legal for one night only including murder. The annual slaughter of neighbours begins as planned with people taking full advantage of the night of crime, the story follows one family whose defences are breached and have to survive the night. Starring Ethan Hawke.

Byzantium: A Vampire thriller starring Gemma Arteton and Jonny Lee Miller, two young women arrive in a seedy Irish seaside resort and when the locals start dying one by one they suddenly realize what is happening to them because of the new people in the town.

Populaire: Set in 1950's France, we follow Rose (Deborah Francois) who is a shopkeepers daughter who tries for the job as a secretary but fails due to her complete lack of grace and manners. But her gift as a whiz on a typewriter means she is soon whisked off into the world of professional typewriting contests.

Film Review: Sunshine

Director: Danny Boyle

Sunshine came after a 3 year hiatus from film-making for Danny Boyle, it was released in 2007 and featured an impressive cast including Cillian Murphy, Chris Evans and Rose Byrne to name just three. Like many films in the sci-fi genre it is set in the future with the fate of humankind hanging in the balance of one space mission. It's a film that draws much of its inspiration from 2001: A Space Odyssey and this is none more apparent than in the cinematography, the shots of the crews faces when looking at the sun with the bright light on them was popularized from Kubrick's work. But in fairness there are much worse films to aspire to be in this genre, the final act seemed more like an ode to the Alien franchise.

The crew of the Icarus II are hoping to deliver a huge payload into the sun to stop it from slowly burning out (which wouldn't happen in reality) and on their mission towards the sun end up receiving a distress signal from the Icarus I that lost communication with Earth once they past Mercury. The crew try to decide whether to investigate the lost ship or continue on their own mission to save the Earth from freezing with no sun to warm it.

The epic sun

The visuals within the film are stunning and the sun itself is a huge part of the film, not just an inherent danger that sits in the background. It is constantly a presence throughout the film and takes on its own characteristics which is an impressive feat when watching the movie. There are quite a few tense scenes in the early parts of the movie that help to build a sense of dread over the mission but a lot of this is lost by the final part of the movie. Many of the plot devices about the Captain only knowing the true mission and the malfunctions of the ships computer causing injury and death to the crew are recycled from previous sci-fi flicks but still used to decent effect here.

The final act of the film was where my intrigue piqued and saw me sorely let down by the decision to ditch the tension with it being replaced by a slasher movie. Another example of the world of film dumbing down its content to appease what it believes people want, I real shame in this case and certainly made me look back unfavorably on what I had witnessed before only for it to lead to this. The ending then becomes quite predictable and then house of cards that was slowly being built for the first hour comes crashing down to a disappointing ending.

2/4 Beautifully shot but well worn plot and final twist was a bad move

Film Review: Out of Africa

Director: Sydney Pollack

A hugely successful film from 1985 is a romantic drama which is loosely based on the autobiography of Karen Blixen, a Danish woman who moved to Kenya after a marriage of convenience and attempts to run a dairy business with her new husband but also meets another free-spirited man out there. Out of Africa won 7 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Cinematography.

Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) and Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford)

Karen Blixen (Meryl Streep) realises after moving to Africa with Bror Blixen (Klaus Maria Brandauer) that he intends to run a coffee plantation rather than a dairy farm and that it will take up to 4 years before they have any actual coffee they can sell. She also realises that he has little interest in the plantation and would rather hunt big game to shoot and sell at the markets. Despite this she does became infatuated with Bror but with his activities elsewhere and the First World War it becomes increasingly difficult for them to live together.

A well renowned film and arguably one of the most beautifully shot films to ever be made, the visuals of the plains of Kenya especially following the bi-plane later in the film are stunning. It is a film that is almost exclusively shot in Africa which helps to add to the authenticity of the experience even though the plot differs significantly in places from the book on Blixen's actual life. It does a good job of depicting life for Western settlers in Africa around the First World War as men clung to titles that they were bestowed and believed in the higher class aristocracy.

Bi-plane flying over a colony of Flamingos

Meryl Streep is excellent as Blixen in the lead but the best performance is for Redford whose the antithesis to the rest of the Europeans that live in Kenya at the time. He does need marriage (because a piece of paper won't make him love her more) and wants to move his stuff in but not himself, he still wants to be a free spirit and this is at odds with the rest of the characters within the movie which makes him a great character to watch. It's these subtle lines and moments that Redford produces which sadly show that this kind of clever writing is lacking in cinema these days.

I expected the social life of the Westerners to be examined more deeply and possibly even criticized but it was largely left untouched which is a shame, the length of the film certainly left it time to do so. The pacing of the film does make it quite a long film to sit through at over two and a half hours, it's certainly not in a rush to take you anywhere but with the breathtaking views it's not always a bad thing.

3/4 Stunning romantic drama

Film Preview: Pacific Rim

For action movie goers this film has pretty much everything with an alien invasion fought off by an army of mega-robots piloted by humans with presumably outlandish CGI special effects. This is what is going to fill the void whilst Michael Bay works out a way to re-boot his own Transformers franchise. Charlie Hunnam is the star (yes the one who was in Byker Grove) whilst Idris Elba is the other big name who stars in this film directed by Guillermo del Toro who has a good background in this sort of movie. A sequel to the original is already in the pipeline and is presumably just awaiting a good box office showing to be given the go-ahead.

Movie Poster

Giant monsters called "Kaiju" have risen out of a crevasse in the Pacific Ocean and wage war on humankind. To combat this new threat, a special type of weapon is designed: massive robots, known as Jaegers (sneaky advertising?), which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. It is down to these robots to save the human race from extinction.

Pacific Rim is released in the UK on 12th July 2013 in the UK and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Bullhead

Director: Michael R. Roskam

A 2011 Belgian drama which was recognized for bringing Matthias Schoenaerts to prominence for his dark and pained portrayal of Jacky. Following this he went on to star in Rust and Bone with Marion Cotillaird which helped solidify his status. It debuted at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language film but didn't win.

The film follows Jacky Vanmasenille (Schoenaerts) who is a farmer whose approached by a notorious Flemish beef trader with a dodgy deal regarding drug enhanced cattle but the death of a policeman investigating the crimes changes everything. We then see flashbacks to Jacky's past which help us to understand why he is like he is now and sets the story for what is to happen in the future.

Jacky Vanmarsenille (Matthias Schoenaerts)

Matthias Schoenaerts is truly excellent as the steroid induced Jacky with a troubled past, I wasn't that impressed with his performance in Rust and Bone playing a similar role but here he carries himself like he's in constant pain and discomfort. He looks uncomfortable inside the body that the steroids and the incident in the past have given him, almost like he's still fighting for justice to satisfy his past but going about it all in the wrong manner.

The pacing of the film is uneven which means your interest levels fluctuate, the flashbacks in the early part of the film work reasonably well but the latter half of the film seems to indulge itself in stories and conversations that are irrelevant. The main plot feels like something from a Coen brothers movie but without the dark humour and more of the melodrama. But for the most part its more a portrayal of deeply troubled man and how that affects everything he does rather than what goes on around him.

2/4 Uneven plot saved by stand out lead performance

This week's releases

The Hangover Part III: The Wolfpack is back for one final installment of drunken fun that once again sees them in Las Vegas searching for money that is owed by Chow (Ken Jeong), this means they rescue Alan (Zach Galifianakis) from a mental institution. They continue to wreak havoc in their own unique way as the franchise ends leaving just the memory of how good the first one was originally.

Epic 3D: Animated adventure film from the makers of Ice Age, Epic is the story of good versus evil as a young girl is transported to a magical land to lead the battle for the good. She meets many intriguing characters along the way and learns that the fate of this world will affect her own.

Film Review: Xich lo

Director: Tran Ahn Hung

A 1995 Vietnamese language film set deep in the heart of Ho Chui Minh City (formerly Saigon) which follows a cyclo/rickshaw driver who cycles people round the city earning a modest amount, his world is rocked when local gangs start threatening him for working on their turf. He unwittingly gets involved in the murky underworld of local gangs and drugs within the city, something he is too young and naive to understand.

A strange feature of the film is that nobody in the film uses their name, the cyclo rider's family are known by their relation to him but none of the gang members etc ever use names within the film. It gives the entire film a distant and impersonal touch that carries on throughout the film as the gang members never really show who they really are. The only character given a name is a merciless assassin called Mr. Lullaby who before slashing a mans throat describes the near death experiences he's had and that he feels the mans pain as he awaits death, this leads to a horrifying scene where he sings a lullaby to the man as he kills him and watches him die.

Cyclo driver (Le Van Loc)

The films intensity is palpable in the stifling heat of Saigon and the hardships faced everyday by families in the city is grimly displayed. The allure of a life of crime is even higher in a city stricken with people living just above the poverty line but never has joining a criminal gang been less appealing when we see drugs being transported in pig carcasses, blowing up rival cyclo business and the usual street gun fights. This couldn't be much further from the high life of The Godfather if it tried.

The acting is incredibly real but the plot wavers at many points down dead ends that should have been left on the cutting room floor, a twenty minute window in the middle of film tells us very little about anything except to serenade us with some slightly odd music. It's a film that tries to set the mood in a very distinctive style and it isn't always something that works, the score makes the film feel very dated with cheap musical effects that are a dis-service to the rest of the film.

2.5/4 Intriguing yet at times baffling film

Film Preview: Ain't Them Bodies Saints

Probably a little early to be previewing this film, another in a succession of films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival that was picked up for distribution. At the point of writing there still isn't an official trailer for this film so it is hard to get a read on how the film is but reviews from Sundance pointed to a return to the style of the likes of Terence Malick and Robert Altman's outlaw films from the 1970's which is exciting to say the least. The film has a lot of intense visual images of the Texan countryside and some very troubled characters at its heart.

The tale of an outlaw (Casey Affleck) who escapes from prison and sets out across the Texas hills to reunite with his wife (Rooney Mara) and the daughter he has never met.

Ain't Them Bodies Saints doesn't have an official UK release date but it is rumored it should be released around the end of 2013 here.

Film Review: Do the Right Thing

Director: Spike Lee

Spike Lee is renowned for making films examining race relations between the black community and the rest of America especially with regards to urban poverty and crime. Do the Right Thing is seen as one of his best works which combines the intense heat of a summers day in Brooklyn with the loud street music from the local community. Many well known comedians and actors played roles in the film like Martin Lawrence, Samuel L. Jackson and Steve Park. The film, released in 1989, was nominated at the Oscars for Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor in Danny Aiello but neither won.

Mookie (Spike Lee) and Sal (Danny Aiello)

Mookie (Spike Lee) who lives with his sister who wants him to move out and show some ambition in his life is a pizza delivery boy for Sal (Danny Aiello), a local Italian pizzeria owner. The local neighbourhood in Brooklyn is full of different characters like Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn) who walks round with a ghetto-blaster constantly playing "Fight the Power" by Public Enemy, Smiley (Roger Guenveur Smith) who is a mentally impaired man who tries to sell pictures of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King and Buggin' Out (Giancarlo Esposito) whose protests to put black people on Sal's wall of fame starts the chain of events off. The race relations between the black community and the other locals reaches boiling point on the hottest day in years which sees things get even more heated.

Films of the late eighties and early nineties seem to have a certain quality that makes them look extremely dated, even more so than there predecessors which is strange. This aside it is a deeply intriguing political piece about the treatment of black people at the time which still has the power to make you laugh and enjoy what is happening at times. It was a highly controversial film at the time as many felt it was inciting black people to riot at their predicament especially in big cities. Many have tried to criticize the film and its message but you cannot deny that it a strong message about the race relations in America at the time and even now.

Radio Raheem (Bill Nunn)

The name of the film relates to Mookie's action near the end and asks us whether he did the right thing, Lee stated that he is only ever asked by non-blacks as to whether he did infact do the right thing. The song "Fight the Power" was written at the request of Spike Lee and is the perfect soundtrack to much of the film. The ensemble cast make the whole film more believable with a real diverse community feel rather than just a few central characters whilst the screenplay gives very little away as the film develops so you are genuinely surprised as it all unfolds.

3/4 Enjoyable yet politically heated film

Film Review: Swingers

Director: Doug Liman

Jon Favreau's comedy about unemployed actors living in Hollywood is a piece very typical of the mid-nineties, it manages to look more dated than many films before it but this aside it is a funny and trendsetting film. It's the film that is renowned for introducing the phrases ''wingman", "Vegas baby!" and the term "money" to mean something good or great. It also helped launch the career of a young Vince Vaughn who looks surprisingly slim in this movie.

Mike (Jon Favreau) is new to Los Angeles having just split up with his girlfriend of six years, his friend Trent (Vince Vaughn) tries to cheer him up with an impromptu trip to Las Vegas where we see the less glamorous casinos and nightspots. Mike fails in his attempts to pick up a girl and they return to LA where he has more trouble chatting to women due to his problems letting go of his ex. The film takes place during the 60's swing revival in the mid nineties.

Trent Walker (Vince Vaughn), Mike Peters (Jon Favreau) and  Skully (Rio Hackford)

The chat and banter between the characters is funny and engaging, its reflects the conversations of young guys when they are out in bars. They discuss sports and women mostly in a derogatory fashion as well as talking themselves up with macho bravado. Vince Vaughn excels as the cocky and brash Trent whilst Favreau is comfortable playing the slightly unsure and nervous Mike.

The less glamorous side of acting (not getting jobs) and the lesser known casinos off the strip give a more realistic side of life out on the west coast of America, different to what it is often painted in the movies. It's a hard movie to review because it has lost a lot of its originality in the following years and watched for the first time now makes it seem quite cliché when really this was a film that set the curve that came after it. The plot itself is slightly unsure in where its going a lot of the time and the ending is rather obvious but the writing and comedy within make it an enjoyable film.

2.5/4 Funny and sharply written, almost slacker comedy.

This week's releases

Fast & Furious 6: The usual adrenaline filled car chasing action is to be expected in the latest installment in the popular franchise, Vin Diesel and his crew swap sides to help out Agent Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) as they hunt down a brutal mercenary in exchange for diplomatic immunity. The success of this film will more than likely show that this franchise is still alive and kicking.

The Great Gatsby: A film that was delayed and is opening to such little intrigue that it already seems to be a flop waiting to happen, something unsurprising when you try to remake the classics. Baz Luhrman brings F. Scott Fitzgerald's tale back to the big screen, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby who is an author who begins to chart his own playboy life into a story of love and tragedy.

Film Review: To The Wonder

Director: Terrence Malick

A short turn-around (by Malick's standards) from his last film The Tree of Life, this 2012 romantic drama is semi-autobiographical according to Malick himself with the character of Neil going through many of the same things Malick did in his life. Malick married a European women in the 80's and they moved to a suburban town in America but the relationship failed to last under the strain which aligns with some of the storyline here in To The Wonder. Christian Bale was originally cast to play Neil but pulled out due of the production.

In Malick's usual visual style what is displayed is beautifully crafted and perfectly shot but as a film to watch and understand it struggles deeply. Very little conversation is used with the plot being conveyed by actions with a superb orchestral score played over the top, we are allowed into the thoughts of Marina as she speaks over scenes in French. The shots of the young couple in Paris and visiting Mont St. Michel are truly stunning and this film is probably second only to Into the Wild in how naturally beautiful it is as a visual piece.

Neil (Ben Affleck) and Marina (Olga Kurylenko)

Life in suburban Oklahoma is difficult for Neil and Marina especially when Marina's travel visa runs out, Neil begins to re-connect with old flame Jane (Rachel McAdams) as they begin another whirlwind romance much the same as Neil did with Marina. From there the paths cross as Neil wonders what he wants from his life. The opening act is intriguing enough and leaves you intrigued as to how the relationship of Neil and Marina will play out but the films style grows more tedious as the plot becomes less intriguing which leaves you with an ending you're waiting to happen for the wrong reasons.

The sub plot of Neil working on a project to understand what is poisoning the water in the town is an intriguing one that is under utilized in the film, whilst the story surrounding a priest (Javier Bardem) disillusioned with his faith is laughable and utterly superfluous. Overall its a bit of a mess of a movie where you're probably best just seeing the first act then leaving it there.

1.5/4 Visually stunning but lacking anything more redeeming features

Film Preview: Prince Avalanche

Picked up at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2013, it represents a change of pace for Paul Rudd although he still doesn't move away from Comedy. Emile Hersch whose known for his roles in Into the Wild and Milk joins Rudd in this nostalgic comedy. The filming for the movie was done in secret and the finished product only became known when it was announced that it would feature at Sundance.

A comedy about two highway workers who spend the summer of 1988 out in the wilderness on a job, they take the job as the area has been ravaged by a wildfire. Alvin (Paul Rudd) and his girlfriends brother Lance (Emile Hersch) don't really get on due to Lance's dopey demeanor but as they spend more time together they grow a mutual bond.

Prince Avalance doesn't have an official UK release date although it should be announced reasonably soon, the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Major League

Director: David S. Ward

A 1989 American comedy about a major league baseball team and a bunch of misfit players who end up on their roster. The film featured an impressive cast at the time of Charlie Sheen, Wesley Snipes and Tom Berenger to name just three. Although the film is based around the Cleveland Indians it is an entirely fictionalized set of events.

Ricky Vaughn nicknamed 'Wild Thing' (Charlie Sheen)

Rachel Phelps (Margaret Whitton) inherits the Cleveland Indians from her deceased husband and decides that she wants the team to tank the season so that she can move the team to Miami because its warmer and the city will build them a new stadium (quite apt considering the recent events with the Marlins). She makes the General Manager assemble a poor roster of old players passed their prime and young players from her list who all have major flaws in their game whether it be the inability to feed, hit curveballs or throw anything but fastballs.

Another film that set the trend for films to come, the storyline of a team of misfit players being thrown together but suddenly improving and winning has been well used but this is a film that was one of the first to do so. Leading the way for many films to follow like The Replacements and The Mighty Ducks franchise. Charlie Sheen is comfortably at home playing a wild pitcher with an even wilder temper and Wesley Snipes is superb as Willie Mays who turns up uninvited to training camp but impresses with his quick speed.

The Cleveland Indians team

Its a very watchable film but is actually more an underdog sports story than a comedy film for the most part, there are certainly laughs to be had here but it doesn't offer up quite as many jokes as comedies seem to these days. Maybe that's a good thing considering how poor comedies have been of late. The sidestory about Jake Taylor (Tom Berenger) trying to patch it up with his ex-wife was a cliché story arc that certainly wasn't new at the time, unfortunately this takes up too much time in the movie but this aside its a light hearted enjoyable film.

2.5/4 Funny enjoyable comedy

Film Review: Star Trek Into Darkness

Director: J.J. Abrams

The second film in J.J. Abrams set of Star Trek movies (twelfth film overall), with the back story of how the crew coming together dealt with in the first film it gave this film the opportunity to be bolder and more complex in its storyline for the USS Enterprise to battle an intergalactic foe. The ensemble cast from the first film regathers with the additions of Alice Eve and Benedict Cumberbatch as the main antagonist. I have to point out that I watched the film in standard 2D and not IMAX 3D which I feel is superfluous when watching a film.

Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve) and Captain Kirk (Chris Pine)

The crew of the USS Enterprise land in hot water when they reveal themselves to a planets primitive inhabitants, this is against the primary directive so Starfleet take the Enterprise from them. But when Starfleet is attacked first by a bomb planted within an archive facility in London and then a gunship attack at a an emergency meeting of the high ranking officers, it's down to Kirk and his crew to go after the attacker in the Enterprise.

Naturally the film is a glitzy CGI spectacular with impressive visuals and action scenes galore as the crew are placed in peril on numerous occasions. Although Chris Pine playing Kirk is the Captain and at the centre of most of the movie it is Zachary Quinto's role as Spock that is always the most enjoyable with his unknowing wit and timing. Karl Urban's role as Bones is one I'm never comfortable with, he plays the character with such obvious intensity that it borders very close to parody, although he does deliver a few clever comedy lines.

John Harrison/Kahn (Benedict Cumberbatch)

Benedicte Cumberbatch isn't your conventional villain with his slight figure but his convincing intellect makes him an intriguing adversary nonetheless. There is very little in the way of clever dialogue between Kahn and Kirk like you often see in other action films and this is a shame, Cumberbatch and Pine could really have worked some snappy lines at one another. The addition of Alice Eve made a plot device for later rather obvious and her contribution in the acting stakes can be summed in one scene where she needs to get changed in the same room as Kirk.

The story has a couple of moments that make possible endings very obvious to keen observers during the film, whilst an enjoyable film I felt they could have been grander and more ambitious with the plot. The end sequences were far too long and just as you felt the film was about to reach a reasonably satisfying climax it finds one more battle and in this case it was one too many. It's certainly a film franchise that still has some life in it for now.

2/4 Improvement on the first but expectations were higher

Film Preview: The East

After premiering at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, The East was picked up for distribution as expected. The trailer looks genuinely intriguing and I can put my dislike for Ellen Page to one side, I think the tone of the movie reminds me of Martha, Marcy, May Marlene which is why I have such high hopes for this film. Director Zal Batmanglij is reasonably knew to the scene having only directed Sound of my Voice in 2011 so it will be interesting to see what style he brings to this sort of movie, he also co-wrote the script with lead actress Brit Marling (Arbitrage).

Sarah Moss (Marling) is a an FBI agent who is asked to infiltrate a group of anarchists calling themselves The East. They carryout covert attacks on major corporations who are seen to be profiteering and acting irresponsibly, Moss meets the group but has her conscience questioned as she starts to agree with the groups philosophy whilst falling in love with the groups leader Benji (Alexander Skarsgård).

The East is released in the UK on the 28th June 2013 and the trailer is embedded below:

This week's releases

Star Trek Into Darkness: The latest installment in the Star Trek franchise sees Captain Kirk leading a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one-man weapon of mass destruction.

Full Preview here

Mud: In drama 'Mud', a charismatic fugitive (McConaughey) is discovered living on a remote island on the Mississippi by two young Arkansas teenagers. An unlikely friendship forms as the boys struggle to help him escape from bounty hunters and his dark past; at the same time attempting to reunite him with his long-lost love, Juniper (Witherspoon)

Deadfall: A crime thriller about a brother (Eric Bana) and sister (Olivia ''Thirteen'' Wilde) who perform a heist but find themselves separated during the getaway and must survive alone from the authorities trying to catch them.

A Hijacking: A Danish thriller about a boat hijacked by pirates by the Somalians and the tense negotiations that ensue to gain their release.

Full Preview here

Film Review: Gone Baby Gone

Director: Ben Affleck

A 2007 American mystery film was Ben Affleck's first film as director and the only one to date which he hasn't also starred in. In Gone Baby Gone its his brother Casey who takes the lead role and to great effect, many attribute this as Ben Affleck's best film. The screenplay was co-written by Ben Affleck and Aaron Stockard but was based on the novel of the same name by acclaimed author Dennis Lehane who also wrote Mystic River and Shutter Island.

Private Investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan)

A missing child called Amanda comes to the attention of Private Investigators Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and Angie Gennaro (Michelle Monaghan) as they hired by the childs aunt Beatrice (Amy Madigan) to find her. They interview the mother Helene (Amy Ryan) whilst two police detectives are there, Remy Bressant (Ed Harris) and Nick Poole (John Ashton), and Helene comes across as brash and uncaring towards her child. There hunt for the child sees them tangle with a local criminal boss called Cheese (Edi Gathegi) who was ripped off by Helene and tracking a known paedophile but nothing can prepare them for the truth behind the disappearance.

What is produced is a thrilling and slightly complex narrative that leaves you with an uneasy ending, the conclusion to the story itself is a bit of a letdown given the intrigue that occurs in getting there but the moral dilemma that you take away from it really resonates with you. The story takes you down a number of blind alleys leaving you with little chance of predicting the ending. As a film it really makes you think about a number of issues and that is something that is sadly lacking from the world of film at the moment.

Helene McCready (Amy Ryan) with Detective Sergeant Remy Bressant (Ed Harris)

The acting in the film is excellent especially from Casey Affleck and Amy Ryan, the former being a conscientious yet street-wise Boston man and latter being a drug-addicted mom with a foul mouth and little regard for anyone but herself. Both performances are equally impressive and you can feel Ben Affleck's roots in Boston shine through both these characters. Ed Harris is on good form as intimidating and angry detective whilst Michelle Monaghan is largely forgettable as Patrick's girlfriend Angie. Gone Baby Gone isn't perfect but it comes very close.

3.5/4 Enthralling drama with a clever moral dilemma to finish

Film Preview: The Wolverine

The film series has taken a small hiatus since its last film in 2011 after previous director Darren Aronofsky left the project as well as the tsunami that hitting Japan where they were filming lead to big delays. The film is to be released this year and this is quickly followed by Days of Future Past which is due to be released in 2014.

Hugh Jackman returns as Logan/Wolverine, a bit of a change from his role in Les Miserables as Jean Valjean, in the latest film in the X-Men franchise. Jackman's role as Wolverine in the X-men series launched his film career after a stellar career as a Broadway actor in the late 90's and coming to prominence outside of Australia by starring in Oklahoma! at the West End in London.

Set sometime after X-Men: The Last Stand, Logan travels to Japan, where he engages a mysterious figure from his past in a fight that has lasting consequences. Vulnerable for the first time, and pushed to his limits, he confronts not only lethal samurai steel, but also his inner struggle against his own immortality, emerging more powerful than ever before.

The Wolverine is released in the UK on the 26th July and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: Sicko

Director: Michael Moore

A documentary released in 2007 by the controversial film maker Michael Moore, after dealing with the issue of the American government's involvement and subsequent cover up of 9/11 and the spiralling violence from the lack of gun conrol, Moore looks at the healthcare system in America that leaves 50 million people without any sort of medical care.

The film looks at the American healthcare system where everyone has to have insurance to be able to receive treatment for any range of medical ailments, he speaks to a man who had to decide which finger to re-attach after he cut two off in a buzz saw accident. He also speaks with people who lost family members simply because they couldn't afford treatment and had no insurance, later on in the film he learns of healthcare options in Canada, France and the UK where it is free to all citizens. The film was criticized for not stating the long waiting times in Canada, France and the UK but the general principle of healthcare being free for all still applies.

Michael Moore talks to a British Doctor

The shocking facts and failings of America's corporate healthcare system are plain to see here. Politicians receiving thousands from healthcare lobbyists, companies targeting employees on the number of claims they reject and ludicrous medical fees being charged to patients are all exposed here. The film caused such a shock that the healthcare companies started a smear campaign towards Moore and referred to him as a ''Hollywood film maker" to try and discredit his documentary work but clearly failed.

Aside from the one sided view of free healthcare elsewhere in the world this is an incredibly touching and informative documentary. Moore genuinely tries to help American people by visiting Guantanamo Bay with them to try and use the free healthcare there before visiting Cuba to have these people treated. His shock is plain to see when he learns of all the benefits received in France for not just healthcare but holidays from work, childcare etc. The systems outside of America aren't perfect but they are certainly much fairer than what is laid before us by Moore here.

3/4 Greatest country on Earth takes another pasting

This week's releases

21 and Over: From the writers of The Hangover, another teen comedy about a group of students who embark on their quest for an epic party to beat all others in this retrodden plot. hard working medical student Jeff Chang (Justin Chon) has his 21st birthday the day before his crucial final exam but is convinced to go out drinking on a night out that gets out of hand.

Dead Man Down: Colin Farrell and Noomi Rapace star in this action thriller about a New York hitman whose criminal boss has the whole city in his grips. He is then seduced by one of the bosses intended victims so begins a fight back against the evil crimelord.

Flying Blind: Frankie (Helen McCrory) is a successful aerospace engineer who meets Kahil (Najib Oudghiri) who is a student 20 years younger than she is. They develop a steamy romance before she is arrested by the security services as Kahil is a 'person of interest' to them, what develops is a web of accusations and deception.

I'm so Excited: A Spanish language comedy about a stricken airline that is struggling in the clouds on its flight to Mexico City. The crew decide that the passengers should be entertained and given the best flight of their lives despite the fact their fate lies in peril. A colourfully camp comedy.

Film Review: Much ado about nothing

Director: Kenneth Branagh

A 1993 romantic comedy based on the play by the famous Williams Shakespeare, Kenneth Branagh is renowned for his adaptions of Shakespeare's work into plays and films with other such as Henry V, Othello and Hamlet. He also stars as Benedick who is a noblemen in this film. The film features an ensemble cast including Denzel Washington, Robert Sean Leonard, Richard Briers, Emma Thompson and Keanu Reeves to name just a few.

The prince Don Pedro (Denzel Washington) and his noblemen are visiting their good friend Leonato (Richard Briers) in Messina after having quashed the uprising led by Don John (Keanu Reeves), the prince's bastard half-brother. The noblemen include Benedick (Kenneth Branagh) and Claudio (Robert Sean Leonard) who both find themselves smitten with Beatrice (Emma Thompson) and Hero (Kate Beckinsale) respectively. The devious plan of Don John and his men to ensure the marriage between Claudio and Benedick doesn't happen throws everything into chaos.

The galliant men return

Fair to point out at this stage I'm not a huge fan of Shakespeare, probably the years of having it rammed down my throat at school in my youth. The story here is slightly frustrating as you just want to scream at the characters to actually talk to each other to solve the problems they are facing with the wedding, but this aside its a light enjoyable film. Branagh does a good job of making this film reasonably accessible beyond some of the Shakespearean language that is used by the cast.

The cast itself is extremely impressive in parts with Branagh himself being the stand out performer which is not surprising but there were a few odd choices with Keanu Reeves being the obvious one. Reeves acting is not strong at the best of times and here against a strong film cast backed up by Shakespearean actors he just looks out of his depth and out of place, it was a strange choice to say the least. There was some criticism for casting Michael Keaton as Dogberry but I think he is the funniest character in the film alongside his partner Verges (Ben Elton).

3/4 Much fun and impressive cast but slightly simplistic plot