This week's releases

Carrie: A "re-imaging" of the classic horror tale by Stephen King about a teenage girl called Carrie White (Chloe Moretz). A shy and awkward girl ends up unleashing all sorts of horrors on the small town she lives due to her lack of control over her telekinetic powers. Julianne Moore plays her mother Margaret but it is going to be hard for this film to break out of the shadow of Brian De Palma's original film.

Saving Mr. Banks: A film about author P. L. Travers (Emma Thompson) who wrote Mary Poppins who reflects on her difficult upbringing when she meets with the famous Walt Disney (Tom Hanks). We see the battle Walt Disney goes through over many years to acquire the rights to make the movie that his daughters loved so much and hopes to do it justice.

Film Review: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Director: Francis Lawrence

The second installment of the franchise based on the novels by Suzanne Collins sees the return of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, dealing with the fallout from the ending of the first film and her victory in the arena. Once again it broke records upon release with box office sales higher than the previous film and it was 6th on the all-time list for highest box office takings on opening weekend. In addition to the return cast there were roles for Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Meta Golding and Jena Malone amongst others.

Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) salute the crowd in District 12

Following on from the first film, Katniss now lives in the Victors Village in District 12 with the rest of the world believing that she is deeply in love with Peeta. Before her victory tour around the districts she is visited by President Snow (Donald Sutherland) who says he must convince him that she is very much in love to help quell the possible riots in the districts against the Capitol. With the districts starting to show hope of a rebellion, President Snow with Gamesmaster Plutarch Heavensbee (Philip Seymour Hoffman) decide to crush Katniss in the hope of killing off the spirit of hope in the districts by having a special Hunger Games for the 75th anniversary.

A thoroughly engrossing and thrilling film that despite its relatively long running time, 146mins, manages to completely hold your attention right through to the dramatic ending. Jennifer Lawrence is excellent again in the lead role, the beacon of hope for the impoverished districts whilst Woody Harrelson is even better than before as the alcoholic but canny Haymitch who helps Katniss. Josh Hutcherson's performance as Peeta still leaves something to be desired, he just isn't convincing as the true hero behind Katniss whilst Liam Hemsworth as Gale is cast aside.

The tributes for the 75th Quarter Quell

Having read the books, a major part of the second book was how the film would go about presenting the arena for the 75th Hunger Games. The circular arena is well rendered and stays true to the original text that portrays the arena in very descriptive terms, you can certainly tell that the budget has been upped for this installment and put to good use. The conflicting feelings of Katniss towards not just Peeta and Gale but her role as the mockingjay which is sparking the rebellion is firmly believable, it ponders the question that not every hero is totally assured of themselves and what they are doing at all times. It means Katniss is much realistic as a person rather than a demi-god like other protagonists in similar films.

The film does grind to a bit of a halt during the early part of the film in District 12 and again in the arena which is something a lot of critics picked up on but its a small complaint when the rest of the ensemble is so impressive. The decision to split the final book into two films to finish off the series can't really be debated until we have seen the end product but the second film does a great job of building the excitement to a fascinating finale.

3.5/4 Excellent return to the Hunger Games sets up the final book perfectly

Film Review: Donnie Darko

Director: Richard Kelly

Released in 2001, it was a sleeper hit that didn't perform amazingly at the box office but slowly won over an army of movie fans and became a real cult hit. It grossed just $7.6 million worldwide at the box office but is now synonymous as a modern classic film despite its slightly dated 80's look. A spin-off sequel entitled S. Darko was released in 2009 which focused on Samantha, Donnie's younger sister. The sequel was panned by critics.

Donnie, Gretchen and "Frank"

Donnie Darko (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a troubled teenager living in the suburbs of Virginia who is woken in the middle of the night by a mysterious figure in a giant rabbit costume that tells him the world will end in 28 days. In the morning, Donnie returns home after waking up on a Golf course to find a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. The visits of the giant rabbit named "Frank" changes Donnie's behavior in a negative way which deeply concerns his parents and his psychologist.

The film is deeply shrouded in the mystery surrounding "Frank" that appears at different times during the film but is only ever seen when Donnie can speak alone with him. It creates a lot of tension as to why Donnie continues to see him and whether it a delusion or that he is actually there in front of him, with Donnie's sleepy eyes adding to the idea that this may be him in some sort of trance. Kelly does a good job of pitching this creepy story amongst a very normal town with people engaging in the usual mundane activities. Jake Gyllenhaal is excellent in the lead role of the out of control teenager and for me adds another film to the list that he's impressed me in.

Donnie stabbing at "Frank"

*spoiler alert*
The ending was something I was concerned about as it seemed to weave towards the final act, I was hoping that whatever happened would live up to the impressive tension and drama that had been created. I certainly did not see the ending coming at all and was very impressed with a film that was slightly ambiguous about exactly what the ending meant. Naturally the film deals with an alternate universe which Donnie survives when in reality he should have died under the jet engine, many believe that his actions in the final act were to help go back in time so that he would die and set a different course of events so that others might live. In effect sacrificing himself for the good of others making him a surprising hero although this wouldn't be immediately apparent to the people he saved.

Another theory I heard runs along the same lines of it being an alternate universe with a finite end time that is given by Frank at the beginning of the movie, the actions of every person in this reality is there to guide Donnie towards his destiny at the end of the movie and that there actions are driven by God (Donnie speaks at length about his issues with the universe and there is a lot of religious symbolism throughout especially in the Director's cut). So on a subconscious level the people in Donnie's life drive him to create a time portal just before the universe collapses where he sends the jet engine from the plane his parents were on to land on his bedroom with him inside so that the last 28 days we've just seen never existed.

The final scenes of all the people Donnie knew waking up slightly haunted by what's happened and in some way knowing something strange has happened to the backdrop of Mad World by Gary Jules was a fantastic way to end it all.

3.5/4 Extremely clever and subtle film

Film Review: M

Director: Fritz Lang

Following on from his huge success with the 1927 silent movie Metropolis (a truly stunning film that I could not recommend highly enough). Fritz Lang made his first sound film loosely based around the real life case of Peter Kurten, the Vampire of Dusseldorf, who was a serial killer in the 1920's who killed and sexually assaulted adults and children. The film struggled for funding and studio space as the studio believed the film was meant to depict the Nazi's but Lang settled the confusion and they were able to begin filming.

The city of Berlin is under attack from a mysterious child killer who keeps taking children away in broad daylight without being seen. We see Elsie Beckmann taken away by a shadowed man who whistles the tune of  "In the Hall of the Mountain King" by Edvard Grieg. The police begin a huge raid of all criminals and houses they believe engage in illegal activity in search of this man which enrages the criminal bosses who begin their own search for this man to end the scrutiny by the Police. All the while more children appear to be disappearing.

Hans Beckert (Peter Lorre)

This German language film is a very roughly cut film, there are many scenes where the sound is clearly being dubbed in afterwards and times where the silence actually feels like the sound has just been muted rather than the genuine sound of nothing. Obviously technology wasn't what it was now in 1931 but it's still not impossibly to achieve this if you compare it to other films of the time. A few scenes are excruciatingly long like the chase for M and the criminal finally revealing why he was searching an office block that was closed for the evening. But this aside it is a very intriguing and daringly subtle movie.

Nothing is really known as to why the killer is doing it except for an impulse to do so or exactly how or what he is doing with the children. There has been much debate as to whether the killer is sexually motivated but there is nothing here to suggest that this is true or false. Lang purposefully left the murders to the imagination of the audience saying that they could come up with a far more gruesome scene than he ever could. Peter Lorre's portrayal of the simple and childlike Hans is excellent even if it typecast him as a villain for future roles.

3/4 Sinister German thriller

Film Preview: American Hustle

David O. Russell (the man behind The Fighter and Three Kings) is returning with this crime drama set in the late 1970's. He brings together an ensemble cast including Amy Adams, Christian Bale and Jeremy Renner whilst also reuniting with the stars of Silver Linings Playbook Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro. The original title for the film was American Bullshit on the original screenplay before it was picked up.

The filming didnt go completely smoothly as they were filming in Boston around the time of the bombings that took place during the marathon which shutdown production. Some of the actors visited victims in the local hospitals in the days before filming started again.

A brilliant con man, Irving Rosenfeld (Christian Bale), who along with his British partner and lover, but frightened newbie grifter, Sydney Prosser (Amy Adams), are recruited and forced to work for an FBI agent, Richie DiMaso (Bradley Cooper), who pushes them into a world of Jersey powerbrokers and mafia that is as dangerous as it is enchanting. The film revolves around FBI ABSCAM that took place around 1978 and was revealed on NBC in 1980 that the FBI had found the level of corruption had moved into Congress.

American Hustle is released in the UK on 20th December 2013.

This week's releases

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire: The second book by Suzanne Collins is shown on the big screen with its star Jennifer Lawrence back as Katniss Everdeen.

Full preview here

Parkland: Zac Efron stars in this drama about the events on that fateful day in Dallas where John F. Kennedy was assassinated. The film focuses more on chaotic scenes at the Dallas Parkland Hospital that Kennedy was taken to after he was shot whilst the Police try to piece together exactly what happened to the President of the United States.

The Family: Luc Besson's latest incarnation is a comedy about a mafia family that is forced to leave America under the witness protection programme. There new home is to be in Normandy in France but unfortunately old habits die hard as they try to adjust to a law abiding life in France. Starring Robert de Niro and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Favourite movies of all-time revisited

In June last year I named my top 10 favourite movies of all-time list, a bold list that created some good debate. The issue with producing such a list is that it will change based on your mood at the time of writing and will constantly be in flux, or in my case you'd forgotten some key movies you loved like The Shining and Metropolis. It only took a few weeks for me to start picking apart my own list and critique my reasons for choosing certain films.

The main films in peril were the most recently released in Drive and Margin Call. The issue is that are they on the list because they are very good recent films that are stuck in my mind? Is it because they look even better against most of the predictable dirge served up by Hollywood these days? Looking back now with both films having been out for well over 18 months I'd say I'm happy with both being included. Drive is easily one of the slickest and aesthetically pleasing films I've ever seen (and I've seen it 5 times in the last 18months or so). Whilst Margin Call was clever, depressingly realistic and sharply scripted that it felt like a film for our time whilst we all suffer and endlessly hear about the recession.

The two films that may fall close to being axed would be Alien and Vanishing Point. I had considered one of the David Lynch films but it just can't happen, axing one of those would be like choosing which of your children you'd like the least. Alien is a great tense sci-fi classic that set the standard for so many films afterwards whilst Vanishing Point is the ultimate road chase movie but are they both films I love that much to include still? Possibly not when considering the films I mentioned above that I missed out and others such as City of God which wasn't included because I only saw it for the first time this year.

The list from 10-6: http://therollingpicture.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/10-favourite-movies-of-all-time-part-1.html
The list from 5-1: http://therollingpicture.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/10-favourite-movies-of-all-time-part-2.html

Film Review: Hitlerjunge Salomon

Director: Agnieszka Holland

Based on the true story of Solomon Perel who released an autobiography of his life during the second world war when he hid his Jewish heritage to avoid capture and became part of Hitler's youth. The film was released under the name 'Europa Europa' in the UK but was sometimes confused with the Lars von Trier film Europa so many reverted to the original German name.

Solomon Perel (Marco Hofschneider) is a Jewish teenager living in Nazi Germany and has to escape naked on the day of his bar mitzvah to avoid the Nazi's attacking Jewish homes and shops. His father originally came from Lodz in Poland so he decides to take the family there. His family then sends him and his brother East towards the Russians who are less likely to persecute the Jews but they are seperated and Solomon starts a long journey to survive during the bleak Second World War.

Solomon Perel (Marco Hofschneider)

The story of Solomon Perel has divided people for many years with some saying it showed an amazing will to survive to go through what he did whereas many others accuse him of turning his back on his religion and his own people. At the end of the day we are all selfish people on some level and at some point your own will to survive will kick in and you may act in your own best interests. Other critics said it did embellish upon the book and made it more interesting for the screen with him not actually coming as close as it seems to being caught as a Jew by the Nazi's.

Where the film should be lauded is for its depiction of ordinary people, this film refuses to make sweeping judgements about groups of people purely based on what history has told us. Not every Jewish person was good and the victim just as not every Nazi was evil at the time, many sympathized with the plight of Jewish people and other victims of the regime. It was refreshing to see this and the acting from the star Marco Hofschneider was impressive as he is very much left to carry the film, this was very much a depiction of his time during the war and nothing else.

2.5/4 Alternative look at one Jew's experience of the Second World War

Film Review: Rush

Director: Ron Howard

Howard is an experienced man whose produced many impressive films over a long film career spanning four decades. A documentary was also produced by the BBC called Hunt vs. Lauda: F1's Greatest Racing Rivals which aired in July. This gave viewers a chance to see old footage of them racing with interviews etc and get a feel for what the film would be about.

The film follows both Hunt and Lauda as they start their careers and their rivalry at a Formula Three race where Lauda blames Hunt's reckless driving for him spinning out of the race. The rivalry is renewed when they both enter Formula One but Lauda forces a move to Ferrari to help him win the 1975 Championship whilst Hunt struggles on a poor team. With Hunt moving to MacLaren both drivers are primed for a huge run at the 1976 Championship.

James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl)

Howard moves back to the 70's following his film Frost/Nixon that was so well received and also sees two men slug it out on the international stage but in this case in driving a Formula One car. Chris Hemsworth actually puts in a decent performance which surprised me having seen him play very similar characters in his previous work but he is still no match for Daniel Bruhl who coolly impresses as the genius Lauda. The driving scenes are quite impressive but on the whole the film didn't wow me and certainly lost momentum with Hunt's marital problems. I think F1 fans will find a lot to enjoy here but for the rest of us I'm not sure.

2/4 F1 fans aside, it doesn't offer a whole lot

Film Preview: Dallas Buyers Club

The main news associated with this movie is the huge amount weight that the lead actors Matthew McConaughey (50lbs) and Jared Leto (30lbs) have lost in preparation for this movie. McConaughey is almost unrecognisable in the lead role in which he dieted for 5 months under the supervision of a doctor to protect his health, although he is still said to have suffered due to the weight loss whereas Jared Leto mainly just stopped eating. The film is directed by Jean-Marc Vallée who is Canadian and mostly known for doing French-language films so it was unsurprising that the film debuted at the Toronto Film Festival.

Matthew McConaughey as Ron Woodroof

In 1986 Dallas, homophobic, drug addicted party boy Ron Woodroof is diagnosed with HIV and is given 30 days to live. He starts taking the Food and Drug Administration approved AZT, the only drug legally available in the U.S, which brings him to the brink of death. To survive, he smuggles anti-viral medications from all over the world, which were still unapproved and unavailable in the U.S.

Dallas Buyers Club is released in the UK on 7th February 2014.

This week's releases

Don Jon: Joseph Gordon-Levitt writes, directs and stars in this comedy drama about Jon who is a New Jersey guy who is a great friend and family member but suffers from an addiction to pornography. As he meets Barbara (Scarlett Johansson) he is forced to confront his addiction and make choices about the life he wants for himself.

The Butler: Classic Oscar material, Hollywood is now rolling out films set during the civil rights movement to push for Oscar nominations and to be fair you can't blame them with the Oscar buffs being even more obsessed themselves. Forest Whittaker plays Cecil Gaines who plays the butler to eight different presidents during his working life as the civil rights movement and the Vietnam War take hold of America.

The Counselor: The latest film from director Ridley Scott is a crime thriller with an ensemble cast. After much anticipation the initial reviews were poor from America with many blaming a laughably poor script, we have to wait till this Friday to find out for ourselves. The film is set by the troubled border between Texas and Mexico at Juarez with a lawyer finding himself in deep trouble with drug trafficking.

Film Review: Moon

Director: Duncan Jones

The debut film from director Duncan Jones, son of popstar David Bowie, is a science-fiction film with a nod to the heroics of 2001: A Space Odyssey among others. It was praised by scientists for its generally realistic depiction of what life would be like on the Moon. The film was written by Jones along with Nathan Parker who wrote the film specifically as a film for Sam Rockwell to star in and it was a film that many felt was snubbed by the Oscars.

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is nearing the end of his three year work contract at the lunar mining base on the Moon. Lunar Industries are mining Helium-3 from the moon to meet the energy needs of the planet and seem to be very profitable from doing so. With no live link to Earth he speaks to his wife and daughter with delayed video messages and his only companion is an AI machine called GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey). Sam starts to suffer from loneliness as he starts to hallucinate but how many of the images are actually real?

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell)

The film lines up a few surprises which took the plot in a completely different direction to what I was expecting. It is a clever and thought provoking piece that deals with many of the mysteries of life and who we are and what we believe. Sam Rockwell is decent in the lead role that he carries well through the first half of the movie. Kevin Spacey's deadpan tone as the computer GERTY is pitched perfectly although is slightly more sympathetic than his spiritual brother HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey. 

In a bizarre coincidence I watched this film straight after Ridley Scott's Blade Runner which Duncan Jones said would be the spiritual descendant of his next movie which is believed to be a semi-sequel to Moon. Clearly looking at some of the same questions as Scott's film I actually think Jones does a great job in questioning our existence and our reality in a more engaging way than the lauded Blade Runner ever did. For a debut film this is a very impressive effort.

3.5/4 Thoughtful clever sci-fi drama

Film Review: Blade Runner

Director: Ridley Scott

A 1982 American Science Fiction film that despite indifferent reviews on release, became a huge hit as many discussed the more subtle questions around the improvements in technology to the detriment of society and the issue of being human. The screenplay, written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples, is loosely based on the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick. Blade Runner has many different versions as the original featured a much parodied narration by Harrison Ford as Rick Dekard but subsequent releases took this out and also changed the ending.

Downtown Los Angeles in 2019

Retired Police Officer Rick Dekard (Harrison Ford) is forced to meet his former supervisor to return as a blade runner to catch four bio mechanical beings known as replicants. The plan is to find them and "retire" them (basically kill them) as they are no longer allowed on Earth. The Voight-Kampff test is performed to try and promote an emotional response from the subject to prove whether they are human or not. The film continues with the theme of what it means to be human throughout.

The main criticisms of the original release of the film was the narration and poor choice of ending which were both changed for this release. A bigger issue lies in the pacing of the film as after the opening scenes, which basically setup the films premise, it slows to a crawl that spends the next hour not really going anywhere before an intriguing climax. The films presents some very good ideas to consider over the course of the film but at times they are so lost amongst everything else. It feels like a film that is remembered fondly because people forget how dull it is in parts.

Rick Dekard (Harrison Ford) and Replicant Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer)

The special effects for the time were very impressive and the overall look of the film especially the downtown shots of Los Angeles are excellent. The constant stream of light shining into peoples homes and the buildings of the city show the negative effect that improved technology has had on society, along with the omni-present police and huge corporate advertisements. Harrison Ford is surprisingly off form here and is easily overshadowed by the violent yet intelligent Rutger Hauer as Roy Batty. Sci-Fi fans will be guaranteed to love this one but the rest of us may struggle.

2/4 Plot too often takes a backseat to special effects

Film Review: Gravity

Director: Alfonso Cuaron

The latest film from Mexican film maker Alfonso Cuaron takes him firmly away from any of his previous films and into the world of sci-fi with Gravity. It received rave reviews after being premièred at the Venice Film Festival before moving onto many other film festivals where it continued to impress the critics. The project saw many actors and actresses linked to play the main role with Robert Downey Jr interested before George Clooney took the role of Matt Kowalski. For the lead Angelina Jolie was initially interested whilst Marion Cotillaird and Natalie Portman both passed due to scheduling conflicts before Sandra Bullock agreed to the movie.

Dr. Ryan Stone (Bullock) and Matt Kowalski (Clooney)

Dr. Ryan Stone and astronaut Matt Kowalski are on a space mission floating above the Earth and have been in space for a number of weeks. Their mission is aborted after mission control in Houston (voiced by Ed Harris) warns them of a Russian missile strike on a satellite that has caused a cloud of debris to orbit the Earth at high speed and is heading their way. The two astronauts and the crew on-board the Explorer must battle to survive and return to Earth.

The opening shots of the shuttle just floating above Earth with the voices of the crew members slowly becoming louder and more clear is beautiful, it sets the tone for the whole movie and its simply sublime cinematography (hats off to Emmanuel Lubezki). The shots of the astronauts against the deep blue sea and the infinite skyline are a joy to watch and simply remind you of 2001: A Space Odyssey in its beauty, the comparison was inevitable so got it out of the way early. Although its worth noting that I only saw it in regular 2D so cannot comment on how good the 3D effects were.

Debris strikes the space shuttle Explorer

Sandra Bullock is soft yet steely determined in the lead role whilst Clooney is his natural easy going self as the experienced astronaut doing his last space mission. Ed Harris lends a familiar voice to mission control in Houston essentially picking the role he took in Apollo 13. The terror of being alone drifting in space is incredibly real here on many occasions and rarely has it been done to greater effect, unlike so many sci-fi movies that have gone before it didn't need an actual physical enemy to create tension and difficult situations for the main characters. As the film progresses it does lose its way in parts but this doesn't detract from the superb impression it leaves upon you.

3.5/4 Beautiful yet tense sci-fi thriller

This week's releases

Gravity: The much anticipated release of the new sci-fi film starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney is finally here, reviews in the States have been very good upon its initial release. A medical engineer and an astronaut work together to survive after an accident leaves them adrift in space desperate to survive.

Seduced and Abandoned: This film is described as the exploration of film world from the Cannes Film Festival to money and fame. It features many famous people from the business like Ryan Gosling, Martin Scorcese, Jessica Chastain and Alec Baldwin to name just a few.

Film Review: Runner Runner

Director: Brad Furman

A 2013 crime drama which moves the high stakes world of the casino into the online realm. This film will feel very familiar to fans of films like 21 but the glamour of Las Vegas is replaced with a off-shore venues where the internet casino is king. Unfortunately Runner Runner doesn't match the slick casino dramas that have gone before with a very familiar and unsurprising plot. Brad Furman is mostly known for his previous films The Lincoln Lawyer.

Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) is trying to pay his way through Princeton University by referring students to an internet gambling site and receiving a fee for his referral. He is told to stop this by the Dean of the university who receives complaints so he decides to gamble all his savings online and loses. But Richie believes it was because he was cheating so goes to Costa Rica to speak to Ivan Block (Ben Affleck) about the loopholes in his website and to claim his money back. Ivan agrees to pay him back and offers him a job with him working on the website but how legal is Ivan's operation?

Richie and Ivan

The plot is formulaic and unsurprising in its twists, its no shock to learn that Richie won't be having an easy trouble free life whilst he earns millions working for Ivan. Gemma Arterton appears as the dull femme fatale who tries to make you second guess her intentions when really you know all along what she will do in the finale. It's a lazy film that spends most of its time by the pool or at a party without creating characters you're really rooting for or even care about.

1.5/4 Dull and lazy crime caper

Film Review: Killer Joe

Director: William Friedkin

The experienced director William Friedkin has an excellent record with previous films, he produces films that stay with you for different reasons. The French Connection is remembered for one of the best car chase scenes and The Exorcist is known for its shocking scenes and is generally seen as one of the best horror movies of all time. Here many critics left the Venice Film Festival shocked at what has now been named "the fried chicken scene".

Set in Texas, Chris Smith (Emile Hirsch) owes a local gang boss for gambling debt so decides the best way to make the problem disappear is to have his mother killed for the insurance money. He agrees this with his dad Ansel (Thomas Haden Church) who has separated from Chris' mother and now lives in a trailer with Sharla (Gina Gershon) and Chris' naive and innocent sister Dottie (Juno Temple). They agree to claim the $50,000 in insurance and pay half to local cop "Killer" Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) but naturally not everything goes to plan.

Chris (Emile Hirsch) and Cop Joe Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) 

The brutal finale in the trailer is completely lead by the psychotic Joe Cooper played by Matthew McConaughey who is unrecognizable from almost every other role I've seen him play. His quiet menace builds throughout the film to this incredible crescendo. The role of Dottie played by Juno Temple is also beautifully played as the naive childlike younger sister who is suddenly forced into this adult world.

At times Friedkin almost makes this a black comedy as the trailer trash characters delve into a world far too complex and dangerous for them to understand. Their dim-wittedness at times is amusing but also expected as Hirsch's character lurches from one problem to another usually of his own making. The move of taking this story from a play to a feature film isn't without its problems, the final scene works beautifully but I think the claustrophobic feel of a theatre stage would suit the material very well. The final act has to be entirely carried by McConaughey which isn't always possible and Hirsch portrays a particularly uninteresting character that struggles to bring much to the screen.

2.5/4 Slow developing thriller quickly smashes its way to a brutal climax

Film Review: Prince Avalanche

Director: David Gordon Green

An American independent film that has just been released in the UK, the film was only brought to the attention of the movie world upon completion. Director David Gordon Green said he wanted to get back to his indie roots after his last few films like Compliance and The Sitter were major studio productions. Paul Rudd found the role difficult at times and was quoted as saying  "I found the biggest challenge of working on this was trying to stifle my alpha-male [masculinity]."

Alvin (Paul Rudd) is a line painter in Texas following the wild fires in 1987 that ravaged the state who employs his girlfriends brother Lance (Emile Hirsch) to help him. Alvin likes the solitude and to meditate whilst Lance is mainly interested in sleeping with women and loud rock music. Their personalities clash in the strange wilderness as they argue about their lives back home. Then film is loosely based on the Icelandic film Either Way.

Lance (Emile Hirsch) and Alvin (Paul Rudd)

The plot itself is an incredibly loose concept in this film as very little actually progresses through the movie, the story is more driven by the interactions between the characters which for the most part are wholly uninteresting. The script is key in a film based mainly on dialogue between two people and here it is severely lacking. The parts where the plot does progress are completely predictable and the characters reactions to these developments even more so.

The character of Lance is a cliché although in parts quite accurate portrayal of a late teen stuck doing a dead end job whilst Alvin is a slight over the top nerdy type. Some moments are sweet with Alvin as his heart is clearly in the right place even is his brain isnt and some of the shots of the Texas wilderness are impressive but not good enough to warrant the length of camera time devoted to them.

1.5/4 Sweet but very dull and unfunny comedy

Film Preview: The Immigrant

An American drama that was released at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the illustrious Palme d'Or this year but lost out to epic French movie Blue is the Warmest Colour, which clocks in at over three hours and was labelled soft-core pornography by many. Director James Gray is mostly known for the film We Own the Night. This will be the fourth time he has cast Joaquin Phoenix in one of his movie with his first film Little Odessa being his only film not to star the aforementioned Phoenix.

Set in the 1920's, Ewa (Marion Cotillaird) travels to America with her sister Magda (Angela Sarafyan) in search of the American dream. When they finally reach the US, they are separated as Magda is ill and alone Ewa falls into the arms of Bruno (Joaquin Phoenix) who looks after her but then forces her into prostitution.

The Immigrant is released in the UK on 27th November 2013