Film Review: Lovelace

Director:  Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman

After the sexual revolution of the late sixties, the world of pornography slowly reached a wider audience which reached its surprising crescendo with the release of the comedy porn film Deep Throat. It confirmed the rise of pornography into the homes of middle class America and moved it away from its reputation of being a seedy activity. The film Lovelace looks at the story behind its star Linda Lovelace (played by Amanda Seyfried) and her abusive relationship with husband Chuck Trainor (Peter Sarsgaard).

The film is told in two parts, the first being what Linda had originally told the publishing company about her life when writing her biography which is filled with how she was a very naive girl and was generally treated well by Chuck and the porn industry. The second half is what she later said really happened once she was away from the violent Chuck Trainor who raped and abused her whilst forcing her into porn and prostitution.

Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) on the set of the movie 'Deep Throat'

Amanda Seyfried is very good in the lead role, this is a very different role to anything she has done before and she takes to it well. The acting across the board is generally very good but its elsewhere that the movie falls apart. The plot itself is confused with the story generally being told twice and this makes it a tiresome film to watch despite it's short running time. The early parts of the film glamorize the entire industry before it then judges the characters that earn a living from it in the second half, the story of Linda Lovelace as so many interesting parts that were shunned from the film.

The ending was entirely rushed and a lot of her work before her death to help victims of domestic abuse and violence was marginalized to one line on the screen before the credits rolled. It felt like a voyeuristic look at her life that then decided to pull on our heart strings in the final 20mins which is questionable to say the very least.

1.5/4 Glamorizes the industry before trying to shoot it down, confused at best.

Film Review: Passion

Director: Brian De Palma

An erotic thriller from the famous director that brought us Scarface and Carlitos Way, it was film that flew completely under the radar after it was released at the Venice Film Festival. This was mainly due to De Palma releasing it straight to DVD and skipping cinematic releases.

Isabelle (Noomi Rapace) is an advertising executive who works under Christine (Rachel McAdams) in Berlin, Christine takes the credit for one of her ideas which is presented to management and is swiftly a success. Their rivalry becomes more than just professional as their battle develops and even involves Christine's husband Dirk (Paul Anderson) and colleague Dani (Karoline Herfurth).

Christine (Rachel McAdams) and Isabelle (Noomi Rapace)

Unfortunately it is a big mess of a film, the acting is surprisingly poor from McAdams (too cliché and obvious) and Rapace (genuinely uncomfortable and with only one facial expression). To add to this the plot including lots of sex, including bisexual action, BDSM and murder is somehow rendered into a dull lifeless film. The first act fails to create interesting characters whilst the twists and turns of the final act becoming tedious as you care little for what is happening as the unfathomable conclusion finally appears. The character of Dani adds something to the mix to create some intrigue later on but the idea of cockney chancer Dirk being the object of both Isabelle and Christine's desire is absurd.

De Palma has clearly struggled here to create anything other than a beautiful film to look at, its excellently filmed with an almost clinical touch of minimalist colour but this is one of its few redeeming features. As the film wore on it became apparent that the lack of cinematic release might have been an executive decision after the final edit.

1.5/4 Impressive visual style doesn't cover for poor acting and plot

Film Review: District 9

Director: Neill Blomkamp

A 2009 independent science fiction movie that was produced and largely filmed with South Africa, Peter Jackson was also a producer for the movie. The film is presented with many mock interviews with analysts and commentators as well as handheld footage from within the camp. Sharlto Copley who stars as Wikus improvised almost all of his line I am reliable informed.

The Alien spaceship

In 1982, an alien mothership parks itself over Johannesburg and is unable to move so after much time the army is sent to raid the ship and meet the extraterrestrials who are mostly sick. The government decides to hold them in a camp called District 9 which quickly turns into a dangerous ghetto of illegal activity, poverty and decay. In the present day we follow Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) as he attemps to re-locate the millions of ''prawns'' to a new camp out of the city but soon runs into trouble.

The links to apartheid era South Africa are clear given the location and nationality of the writers and director.  The film refers to contemporary evictions and forced removals to new suburban ghettos in post-apartheid South Africa as well as the resistance of its residents. This includes the high profile attempted forced removal of the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Cape Town to temporary relocation areas in Delft. It's an issue that is still not widely understood outside of South Africa itself. The themes of racism are applied to the aliens in this instance in some cases subtly and in others not so.

Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley) with a alien or ''prawn''

The opening act of the movie is excellent in setting up and analyzing the makeshift camp that has been created for the aliens. The fact there are aliens living there is almost irrelevant as it is a close comparison with what we see in the world currently. We are helped by Wikus to understand the plight of the prawns who have been forcibly made to stay in the camp without access to the outside world and people. The final act turns into more of an action movie which was a bit of a disappointment and strays away from the films core message but it's still a very impressive movie.

3/4 Thought provoking and clever movie

This week's releases

Lovelace: A biopic charting the life of porn icon Linda Lovelace (Amanda Seyfried) who rose to prominence after the film 'Deep Throat'.

Full preview here

We're the Millers: A film thats entire advertising strategy is based around the film having Jennifer Aniston perform as a stripper. A local pot dealer (Jason Sueikis) is convinced to get a shipment of marijuana from Mexico so pulls together a group of people to make it look like they're a family on holiday, naturally it all goes horribly wrong.

Pain and Gain: Finally Michael Bay has returned to save the world of cinema with this unfunny comedy about three personal trainers trying to get rich. Wahlberg should certainly know better than to get involved in something like this but he can't resist a quick buck.

Elysium: From the director of District 9 comes this tale of a dystopian future where the world is only inhabited by the poor and the rich live in a purpose built space station.

Full preview here

Film Preview: The Fifth Estate

An upcoming thriller about news leaking website WikiLeaks with Benedicte Cumberbatch taking on the role of its controversial editor Julian Assange. It is based in part on the book Inside WikiLeaks: My Time with Julian Assange and the World's Most Dangerous Website by Daniel Domscheit-Berg (played by Daniel Bruhl in the film). The film has been subject to controversy already though as Julian Assange read the screenplay and labelled it a "serious propaganda attack on WikiLeaks and the integrity of its staff".

The film largely deals with Assange's time with WikiLeaks and the cables that were intercepted by the website that were in turn leaked into the public domain, which changed WikiLeaks from a small internet startup to a household name in a matter of days.

The Fifth Estate is released in the UK on 1st January 2014 and the trailer is embedded below:

Film Review: The Last of the Mohicans

Director: Michael Mann

The 1992 historical epic, set during the French Indian War on the East coast of america, is a must see film that had past me by for all these years. The film is more based on the 1936 film than the novel of the same name, the screenplay was adapted by Mann and Christopher Crowe. The film became renowned for its stand out lead performance from Daniel Day Lewis and the ubiquitous soundtrack with the main song replayed during the movie being taken from "The Gael" by Dougie McLean.

Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis)

Set in 1757, The French and Indian War is well underway as the English and French battle over Carolina with the Mohicans taking sides to protect themselves. Hawkeye (Daniel Day Lewis) is the adopted son of Chingachgook (Russell Means) and his brother Uncas (Eric Schweig). They are fighting with the British in the war but are promised leave if they're villages are attacked. After the slaughter of their village whilst they are away, Colonel Edmund Munro (Maurice Roeves) say he does not have enough evidence of the attack as Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington) lies about it. This leave the Mohicans with very little chance of escape to save their land and people.

Daniel Day Lewis is excellent in the lead role, as an actor he is always thoroughly prepared for a role and performs to the highest standards. The score, with the recurring theme, is excellent and the perfect accompaniment to the backdrop of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. The setting is absolutely staggering and one of the best examples of stunning cinematography I've seen, give me this over CGI nonense anyday.

Major Duncan Heyward (Steven Waddington)

The plot is intriguing but plays a much bigger emphasis on the romantic storyline and the battles between the English and French than I thought it would, the displacement of the Mohawk people by the war and the violence against them was slightly pushed more into the periphery. This was certainly a disappointment for me but the storyline is a good one aside from that. Some of the lines have a cringe factor of cliché proportions but again I think that is just 20 years of aging catching up.

3/4 Beautiful classic but looks a bit dated

Film Review: American Psycho

Director: Marry Harron

A 2000 satirically dark comedy, based on the now infamous book by Bret Easton Ellis of the same name. It was always said that the book was too violent and complex to be made into a film, having read the book I don't think I've ever seen anything that would be harder to make into a film. Before viewing the film I felt it would either be a long epic covering every subtle nuance from the book or a quick short film that just covers the basic storyline, as it turns out they went for the latter.

Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) attacking someone with an axe 

Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) is a wealthy investment banker who lives along in an impressive Manhattan apartment. His life generally involves eating in upmarket restaurants, wearing expensive designer clothes and look great amongst his equally shallow friends and work colleagues. However he is also secretly a complete psychopath whose main aim is to torture and kill his victims.

Harron does a good job of pulling together a richly complex book into a narrative fit for the big screen, its almost a nostalgia piece to the late 80's with its gaudy sets, bad suits and cheesy 80's pop. The violence is toned down a lot from the book which is to be expected but its actually very tame indeed compared to similarly violent flicks of the time. The whole film is very distant and sanitized which I guess was a deliberate move by Harron to reflect this quality in the characters who are actually all very distant from one another. Bale is excellent in the lead although quite different from how I imagined Bateman to be.

Patrick Bateman contemplates killing his secretary Jean (Chloe Sevigny)

The ambiguity over how reliable Bateman is as the source for this narrative is largely untouched within the film, there are still the trademark scenes from the book (police cars blowing up. conversation with his lawyer and everyone mistaken Bateman for someone else) but the actual question is largely ignored. The film world demands much more answers than the world of writing so we almost have to believe what Bateman is doing is actually happening which removes some of the mystery and allure.

The snappy back and forths between Bateman and his colleagues are rather poor to say the least, it lacks the dynamism that is displayed in the book which is something that cannot be blamed on the transition between mediums. This makes the final acts of the film more tiresome than they should be as we rumble on from the violence to see what will become of Patrick Bateman. But I feel my criticisms are probably on the harsh side, mainly because I adore the book so much.

2.5/4 A good effort to film the unfilm-able book

Film Review: Charlotte Gray

Director: Gillian Armstrong

Based on the book of the same name by acclaimed writer Sebastian Faulks, Charlotte Gray is a tale of the exploits of female special operatives during the second world war who were taken to occupied France to help the French resistance against the Nazis. The film was a big failure for Film Four who financed the project and lost a lot of money due to poor box office sales, they even had to restructure the production teams to cope with the loss.

Charlotte Gray (Cate Blanchett) is convinced to help the war effort after meeting a man on a train who learns that she is fluent in French. Despite warnings from her new lover Peter (Rupert Penry-Jones) she joins the special ops to help the French resistance in a small town called Lezignac in the free zone. There she meets Julien (Billy Crudup) who leads the resistance but is also a communist and she also becomes close to Levade (Michael Gambon), Julien's father, and two Jewish children whose parents have been taken away.

Julien (Billy Crudup) with Charlotte Gray (Cate Blanchett)

The film was generally panned by critics but I have to say I found it an intriguing and tense drama as the Nazi's slowly tighten the net around the French resistance in their small town. Cate Blanchett is a delight to watch in the lead role, despite one or two problems which Ill mention below, and Michael Gambon is the other star man playing his classic role as a grumpy old man. The underhanded nature of the town at the time is what struck a chord with me most throughout the whole film.

There are a few initial problems that come to light with Charlotte Gray, Cate Blanchett's Scottish accent is capable but isn't always present when it should be as she lulls back into her normal accent. This is a minor detail compared to everyone in France speaking English even though the Germans and French sometimes converse in French to one another, once you get past this flaw you see an absorbing and enjoyable war time drama.

3/4 Absorbing drama shows a different war fought in France

This week's releases

Planes 3D: Imagination is obviously at an all time low at Disney, after failing to rehash The Lone Ranger they have taken the success of Cars and gone for the same movie but in the Sky. Dusty, a lowly crop duster plane who sets his sights on becoming a champion aerial racer.

With the odds stacked against him and a most unfortunate fear of heights, Dusty turns to a seasoned pro for tuition and is soon put on the right trajectory to make his dreams come true.

2 Guns: Mark Wahlberg and Denzel Washington are agents who botch their attempts to infiltrate a drug ring, after escaping they both release the other is an undercover agent and that they have to flee from the gang and their own superiors.

Film Review: Platoon

Director: Oliver Stone

When looking to the studios for funding for his Vietnam war movie, Oliver Stone ran into the issue of legacies within a genre. The studios were reluctant as they saw The Deer Hunter and Apocalypse Now as the pinnacle of the Vietnam War movie which could not be bettered, they didn't want to make another movie which may flop in comparison to the timeless epics that had gone before. Stone had finished his duty in Vietnam in 1968 so wanted to share his new found beliefs about life and war after such a traumatic experience, finally in 1986 he went out to Philippines to start shooting the movie.

Sergeant Elias in one of the now infamous climatic scenes (Willem Dafoe)

The films main focus is on Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) who is a college dropout who volunteers for combat duty in Vietnam during the war in 1967. His enthusiasm for war is quickly dropping as he fights near the Cambodian border with the heat and tiredness wearing him down, he slowly becomes part of the group within the company that he is assigned despite being accused of falling asleep whilst on watch. But as the war develops he realises that the enemy isn't just the Vietcong.

Like Apocalypse Now, it features a vast cast of characters rather than just focusing on a few. The early parts of the movie do very well in setting the mood between the soldiers and portraying them as many army units are, a bunch of macho men who bullshit and mock each other at every opportunity. But it's the second half of the film that shows the harrowing side of war where men without distinct rules and boundaries take lives into their own hands. A scene where Taylor stops two soldiers from raping young girls in a village they come across was also starkly reminiscent of Casualties of War which has a similar theme set during the Vietnam War.

Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen)

The acting is top notch from many of the actors involved, Charlie Sheen as the still morally guided and fresh faced Taylor is impressive to watch in arguably Sheen's best performance to date. Willem Dafoe is another actor who I would point out for significant praise within the film but on the whole the acting is good from all involved. But most importantly the film adds another dimension to the Vietnam War epics that have gone before and that is surely the highest praise that can be heaped upon Oliver Stone in making this movie, its success was always going to be based around it not just being another run of the mill Vietnam war movie and it certainly isn't.

3.5/4 Still a classic to this day

Film Review: Delicatessen

Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

French filmmaker Jean-Pierre Jeunet captured the hearts of movie going public with the incredibly sweet and funny Amelie in 2001, but his first film that brought him into the public view was Delicatessen. A film instantly recognizable as one of Jeunet's for its offbeat humour and zany scenes. Being a film from the early 90s it was clear early on that it hadn't aged well in the last 20 or so years and had a clear influence from Terry Gilliam in the way it was shot.

Unemployed circus clown Louison (Dominique Pinon) arrives at a dilapidated apartment building above a delicatessen looking for a place to stay and a job as a handyman, he is eventually hired by landlord Clapet (Jean-Claude Dreyfus) who has a track record of luring victims to the building then killing them and serving them as meat in his shop. In a futuristic post-apocalyptic France with food in short supply this is the best way for Clapet to make money. His plans to make Louison his next victim hit a snag when he forms a close bond with his daughter Julie (Marie-Laure Dougnac).

Louison (Dominique Pinon)

This film was bizarre from the outset with Jeunet using some quite simple jokes and a musical routine based around noises coming from the different apartments, it was more of the sweet-natured humour that was much better refined in Amelie and in this instance it completely fell flat. The plot itself is never really developed until a final act which just sees the entire set being trashed by various characters for little real reason, the introduction of the vegetarian troglodists just came across as a desperate attempt to fill in the time to make this a feature length movie.

To be honest the rest in between was rather uninspiring that I'm struggling to find the will to continue writing about it, one of the few redeeming scenes was when Julie invited Louison into her apartment and tries to pretend she doesn't need classes so plans out exactly how it will go she knows where everything is but it was really slim pickings.

1/4 Jeunet makes murder dull and zany humour tiring

Film Review: The White Ribbon

Director: Michael Haneke

Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke has never been renowned for making anything other than unsettling and harrowing film. Last year Amour won the award for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars as a tale of one couple being torn apart by Alzheimers wowed critics, but in 2009 The White Ribbon was released and also nominated at the Oscars in the same category. Haneke explained the film as being about  "the origin of every type of terrorism, be it of political or religious nature."

The Pastor (Burghart Klaubner) with the children from the village

The film is set in the fictional German town of Eichwald in 1913, the town is a deeply protestant as the children are harshly taught religious values in confirmation classes by the local pastor. Whilst the women of the town are generally mistreated by the Baron (Ulrich Tukur) who employs most of the town and the doctor (Rainer Bock). The story is told by the local school teacher (Christian Friedel) who is looking back on his time in Eichwald as a strange set of events un-nerves the entire town before the First World War begins.

The actions of some of the powerful males in the town as they oppress the women and children is deeply troubling, very little of the abuse is actually physical but they are repressed and intimidated psychologically as the children are belittled whilst the women are left completely vulnerable without the males to feed them and house them. I genuinely think that Haneke didn't give many of the male characters actual names to imply that they could be anybody from any time and that this sort of behaviour isn't limited to this time or place. The films name comes from a story that the pastor tells saying that with his children he used to tie a white ribbon to them as a reminder of purity and innocence from which they have strayed.

The School teacher (Christian Friedel) and Eva (Leonie Benesch)

The tracking shots of the surrounding countryside are beautiful especially in the second act where we see the town in the middle of winter with thick snow on the ground. The beauty of nature cast against the ugly side of human nature. The acting in the film is simply fantastic, every character is entirely believable but the children are the most impressive. They are naturally curious but completely repressed from enjoying their naive childhood by the adults around them. Many believe that Haneke is a joyless and cynical filmmaker but in this instance he is simply humanistic and the ending is a far more truthful revelation than you could genuinely expect.

3.5/4 Harrowing and deeply upsetting parable

Film Review: Alpha Papa

Director: Declan Lowney

I've already spent a disproportionate amount of time previewing this film due to my belief that the Alan Partridge series is one of the best comedy series of all time. My immediate concern after seeing the stage version that Steve Coogan took on tour and the online series Mid-Morning Matters was whether there was any mileage left in the character, the two shows I mention above were certainly not of the quality of his early work.

Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan)

After being fired from North Norfolk Digital when it is taken over by a multinational conglomerate and renamed Shape, a disgruntled DJ (Colm Meaney) returns to the station during an office party with a gun and holds the station hostage. The only person he'll talk to during siege negotiations is fellow DJ Alan Partridge (Steve Coogan of course) who, as he quickly becomes the public and media face of the siege, sees an opportunity to stage a triumphant return to the limelight.

The return of Alan Partridge is a glorious one, naturally the plot struggles to last the full distance but the laughter certainly does not. It is a film with many laughs that are evenly spread out throughout the film and very rarely does Coogan & Co have to rely on recycling old jokes and quotes to get a laugh. The return of Lynn and Michael is coolly handled with neither taking a bigger role than they ever did before, this is Partridge's vehicle from start to finish even if the return of Dave Clifton is also very funny. It would have been more organic from Dave to have been the one to lose the plot and hold people hostage rather than a new character.

Alan and Michael with a hostage

The plot moves well for the first hour but then struggles to really know where it's going before working its way to a conclusion, but the plot is a side point when watching a comedy. Alan's story of redemption is unique to him and completely in keeping with his character. It's filmed using mostly handheld cameras like the original TV series in the travel tavern so it retains a more personal and familiar feel. It gives Coogan the best opportunity to be himself and a superb scene outside the scene where it looks like he's back on Knowing Me, Knowing You. Put away your fear and trepidation about Partridge's latest return, its a cracker.

3.5/4 Endlessly quoteable and thoroughly enjoyable

This week's releases

Alpha Papa: One of the funniest TV characters of all-time is returning and this time to the big screen. Steve Coogan is back as Alan Partridge whose pursuit of TV and radio stardom is still alive and kicking. But here he becomes the unlikely hero as he tries to save North Norfolk Digital Radio and his own reputation as a hostage situation ensues.

Lone Ranger: Johnny Depp only seems interested in roles where he can dress up in bohemian fashion and wear excessive makeup, from Pirates of the Caribbean to being the Lone Ranger. Surprisingly its the same team that was behind the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean but I think the audience is going to grow tired of this franchise much sooner.

Grown-Ups 2: The first thing that strikes me about Adam Sandler's sequel is that it must have been a lot of fun to make, but then its the same with all Sandler's films. He turns up has a great time making it, siphons off a boatload of cash and then also cleans up at the box office (until recently), all without worrying about whether anyone actually likes it. I would normally describe the plot here but from the trailer and previews I can't honestly find one.

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters: Lavish CGI action for kids and teens here as Percy and his gang have to journey to the sea of monsters as they are attacked by an ancient evil so that they can find the golden fleece. A rather understated cast but a reasonably big budget and extensive marketing campaign must mean someone has high hopes for this.

Film Review: Good Night and Good Luck

Director: George Clooney

A 2005 American drama which represented Clooney's second film where he undertook the role of director, the film though is more about the work of Edward R. Murrow who is one of the most revered figures in American TV broadcasting. His reports during World War II on the radio, especially about the Blitz in London, were listened to by millions of Americans and made him a household name before he worked for CBS. He was renowned for being one of the most honest news broadcasters around who called out people who he believed were acting dishonestly.

In the 1950's, Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn) is the presenter of a TV program on CBS called See It Now where they delivered the news with the help of his extensive team of people. The honesty and integrity of the show at risk due to corporate pressures from above over advertisers not being happy with the content. The program calls out Joseph McCarthy who has being using dishonest tactics to try to identify people he believes to be communists who work in the media or for the government.

Fred W. Friendly (Clooney) and Edward R. Murrow (David Strathairn)

After being nominated for 6 Academy Awards it came away with none, it lost the Best Picture to Crash, but Clooney does a great job of presenting an intelligent drama about the inside workings of CBS at that time. It's comparable to the work of Aaron Sorkin on shows like The Newsroom but set to a backdrop more suited to Mad Men (without the womanizing), and even has Jeff Daniels who plays the lead anchor Will McAvoy in the aforementioned TV show.

The entire film save for a few scenes takes place indoors giving the whole piece a claustrophobic feel especially in the corridors and recording rooms of CBS. It's immaculately shot in black and white which adds to the authenticity as well as the close natured feel with the naturally black backdrops. The acting is top notch from Strathairn and Clooney in the leads whilst backed up admirably by the likes of Jeff Daniels, Patricia Clarkson and Ray Wise, although I was once again disappointed by Robert Downey Jr. The honour and integrity is missing from so many news organisations these days and Good Night and Good Luck is the example of how things used to be and how they should be in the future.

3.5/4 Beautifully shot in black and white adds to the understated approach

Film Review: The Usual Suspects

Director: Bryan Singer

Some films don't age particularly well, especially when they are groundbreaking in plot or script because they become endlessly copied and imitated by films that follow and end up becoming cliché. It was certainly a concern I had sitting down to watch The Usual Suspects having not seen it for around 15 years but fortunately this was not the case, it still had that clever edge to separate it from the rest. It's a film that was still easily enjoyable for the slick dialogue and clever plot device even if you know how it all ends.

Following a truck hijack in New York, five conmen are arrested and brought together for questioning. As none of them is guilty, they plan a revenge operation against the police. The operation goes well, but then the influence of a legendary mastermind criminal called Keyser Söze is felt. It becomes clear that each one of them has wronged Söze at some point and must pay back now.

The now infamous scene

Although there are certain questions left unanswered at the end, it is a superb twist which makes up for any other flaws and leaves you caring a lot less about the imperfections. The cast is stellar and is reminiscent of the cast in Reservoir Dogs but without the obvious violence and menace. Naturally Kevin Spacey works himself to be the focal point but this is one of the films that was part of his upward trajectory rather than the lazier attempts later in his career. But most important of all, the film expects you to keep up with a complex storyline and treats the viewers intelligence with respect which is sadly lacking in films at the moment.

3.5/4 Still as clever as it was 18 years ago

Film Review: Roman Holiday

Director: William Wyler

A classic 1953 romantic comedy which is beautifully set in the bustling streets of Rome, it has now become infamous for the visit to the main sights of the Italian capital city. Audrey Hepburn looks at her ravishing best but what is often forgotten is how incredibly slow the first hour is as the backstory to their day of escape in Rome is set up. At times I felt like physically trying to push the movie forward so as something interesting may happen, once you finally reach the final act of the film it is once again a joy to behold.

Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) is the royal princess of a un-named country which is doing a publicized tour of major cities in Europe and her latest stop is Rome. She is growing tired of the regimented schedule that she has to keep and the fact she never gets any privacy so one day she sneaks out of the embassy to see Rome for herself. But haven taken a sedative to calm herself down she falls asleep on a bench and is helped by American Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck) who is a journalist but doesn't initially realise who she is before agreeing to look after her.

Princess Ann (Audrey Hepburn) and Joe Bradley (Gregory Peck)

Hepburn is understandably impressive in a very comfortable role for her, Peck is an actor I've never been that impressed with and that opinion hasn't been changed on viewing this film. His character Joe Bradley is at times a hard one to like considering his attempts to get a sneaky interview with the princess and his actions against a child whose camera he wants to borrow/steal and the deliberate attempts to make his photographer Irving leave. I think its a film that you remember the fond moments and slowly forget the first hour giving you a greater impression than what you had after the first viewing.

2/4 Enjoyable final act is the saving grace.

Film Review: Rachel Getting Married

Director: Jonathan Demme

A 2008 drama directed by the man behind The Silence of the Lambs, this is a very different picture with it all being filmed with handheld cameras and a score played live on film rather than layered over the top to give it a more authentic feel. You can feel that Demme obviously had a distinct vision for this film and that it was one that he valued highly. The screenplay was written by Jenny Lumet who is the daughter of esteemed writer Sidney Lumet.

Kym (Anne Hathaway) is released from rehab so she can attend her sisters, Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt), wedding to Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe). The relationship between Kym and her family is strained as they are all concerned for her well-being which she mistakes for mistrust and resentment for Kym's past actions constantly reappear as preparations for the wedding continue in days preceding the event.

Anne Hathaway is very different playing an unsympathetic and attention seeking former drug addict, the days leading up to her sisters wedding end up revolving around her and her problems rather than her sister whose the bride. The tension and hostility subtly builds between the family and friends as the niceties wear off after the first day. Demme does a great job of making the entire film feel like you are sat in the corner of the room watching people's real lives unfold infront of you. It has a truly intimate feel and some scenes, like the challenge between Sidney and Dad Paul in loading the dishwasher the fastest, give a genuine family feel to proceedings.

Kieran, Kym, Rachel and Sidney

Anne Hathaway is immensely impressive as the recovering Kym, a performance so lacking in empathy and consideration for those around her that she steals the thunder of her sister who is getting married. Rosemarie DeWitt is also impressive as the hard done by sister whilst the male casting is a little more bewildering but they are merely a sideshow to the true strife between the family and Kym.

It has many moments of impromptu and possibly unedited scenes of family members giving speeches at a rehearsal dinner, never understood why they happen, and at the wedding itself with dancing. Although it is all part of the real life feel of the movie they do drag on too long to be enjoyed the whole way through, especially the dancing at the wedding as anyone who has sat and watched people dance will realise that it is actually quite tedious after a few minutes. But these are a few minor criticisms in what is a deeply painful and yet joyous movie.

3/4 Subtle real life drama with a haunting past

This week's releases

Only God Forgives: Nicholas Winding Refn and Ryan Gosling reunite in this stylish yet violent collaboration that sees Julian (Gosling) forced to take vengeance against his brothers death by his overbearing mother (Kristin Scott Thomas).

Full Review here

The Heat: Sandra Bullock must have enjoyed the Razzie she won for All About Steve as she stars in this ''comedy'' with Melissa McCarthy (playing a character very similar to Megan from Bridesmaids surprisingly). The trailer was so tedious that I didn't hang around long enough to find out much else to tell you except that they're both quirky cops.

RED 2: If you're an aging action star in need of a payday and the original RED film wasn't enough then here is the sequel, although you dont have to be an action star in Helen Mirren's case. The experienced crew reunite to stop a nuclear device falling into the wrong hands (because that has never happened before in a Hollywood film).