James Absolon explains how this Pope-themed film, despite its risky premise, works
Alex Pollard reviews Hollywood's biopic of the controversial Margaret Thatcher
- The highly anticipated sequel to Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight has finally been named: it will be called The Dark Knight Rises. Also of interest was the announcement that The Dark Knight Rises will not continue the current trend of shooting blockbusters in 3D as Christopher Nolan has instead opted for a more conventional high definition 2D approach.
- The sequels for Avatar (the highest grossing film of all time) have been given tentative release dates of December 2014 and December 2015 for Avatar 2 and 3 respectively. Reportedly, writer-director James Cameron will begin working on the scripts next year, before deciding whether to shoot the sequels back-to-back or not.
- Super 8, the highly secretive collaboration between J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg has been set a release date of June 10 2011. Very little is known about the film, other than its setting of 1979 and its positioning as a tribute to Spielberg’s science fiction films of the 1970s and ‘80s.
- Hot on the heels of news that Martin Freeman will play Bilbo Baggins in Peter Jackson’s upcoming two-part adaptation of The Hobbit comes reports that the role of the wizard Radagast the Brown will be played by none other than the former Doctor Who star Sylvester McCoy, although contracts remain unsigned for now.
For a light Halloween film, Casper is on ITV2 at 5:55pm on this Sunday. Those after more traditional Halloween fare should check out White Noise (Film4 at 11:00pm) or Black Sheep (BBC2 at 11:30pm) on Sunday. Roman Polanski’s adaptation of Oliver Twist (2005) is on Film4 at 6:25pm on Tuesday. Those looking for a hard-edged controversial film should definitely watch Thirteen (2003) which is on ITV1 at 2:35am on Thursday (although this isn’t one for the faint-hearted).
- Saw 3D: The Final Chapter
Saw 3D: The Final Chapter is the seventh and allegedly final part of the long-running horror franchise. Which, as the title suggests, enters the third dimension with the same trick the Nightmare films pulled. If you like Saw then you’ll inevitably go and see it but it’s hard to see what can be added to this particularly same tired old mix. On the other hand, the seventh Nightmare film was the most imaginative and intriguing of the franchise, so there is some hope.
- Burke and Hare
Burke and Hare is the new film from director John Landis (American Werewolf, Blues Brothers). It’s an extremely dark comedy about real life Victorian murderers, starring Simon Pegg and Andy Serkis. Burke and Hare is hardly traditional material for a comedy but then again, neither was being ripped apart by an angry wolf (which worked surprisingly well). However, all of Landis’s best work was made in the ‘80s so this may lack the same magic.
- The Kids Are All Right
The Kids Are All Right is perhaps the most anticipated major release of the week. It stars the ever-watchable Julianne Moore (Far From Heaven) alongside Annette Benning (American Beauty) as a lesbian couple whose children seek out their biological father. The film has received positive reviews on both sides of the Atlantic and is likely to be an intriguing look at a dysfunctional family.
- The Hunter
Maybe this week’s most interesting release is The Hunter. It’s a very unusual Iranian film about a man who flees from the police into the woods. Nominated for the Golden Bear in Berlin it’s supposedly disturbing and fascinating cinema, although considering its tiny release you’ll be very lucky to see it on the big screen.
You must log in to submit a comment.
