Blitz reflects the challenges faced by a group of police officers working in a modern, multi-cultural society. A raw, gritty tale of moral ambiguity, outsiders and the sacrifices the police make to keep crime off British streets.

Also starring Paddy Considine, Aidan Gillen and Zawe Ashton.

Director: Elliott Lester

Writer: Ken Bruen (novel), Nathan Parker (screenplay)

UK Release Date: 20 May 2011

Directed by Kevin Munroe.

Source: MovieWeb

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night will be released in the USA on 29 April 2011.

Colter comes to in an isolation chamber, strapped to a seat, and wearing his military flight suit. He still has no idea what’s happening, except that he’s being spoken to by mission controller Carol Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), who calmly recites a series of memory questions to which Colter is shocked to realize he knows the answers. He learns he’s part of an operation called “Beleaguered Castle” but before he can progress any further, Goodwin starts up the machinery and suddenly…Colter is back on the train, at exactly the same time he first appeared there, once again speeding through Chicago with the same group of commuters. Colter figures he’s in some kind of simulation exercise, with his task being to find the bomber onboard the train before it goes off again. Living the explosion over and over, Colter must uncover the identity of the bomber, while also figuring out what the alternative universe of “Beleaguered Castle” is. Adding to the puzzle, Colter uses the second chance opportunities to make peace with his father, and to find romance with a fellow passenger on the train

.

TFB Anticipation Rating: *******~~~ (7/10)

UK Release Date: 1st April 2011

Director: Duncan Jones

On the brink of winning a seat in the U.S. Senate, ambitious politician David Norris (Damon) meets beautiful contemporary ballet dancer Elise Sellas (Emily Blunt)–a woman like none he’s ever known. But just as he realizes he’s falling for her, mysterious men conspire to keep the two apart.

David learns he is up against the agents of Fate itself–the men of The Adjustment Bureau–who will do everything in their considerable power to prevent David and Elise from being together. In the face of overwhelming odds, he must either let her go and accept a predetermined path…or risk everything to defy Fate and be with her.

The Adjustment Bureau is written for the screen and directed by George Nolfi (writer of Ocean’s Twelve, co-writer of The Bourne Ultimatum). It is based on a short story by Philip K. Dick (“Total Recall,” “Minority Report” and “Blade Runner”).

TFB Anticipation Rating: *******½~~ (7.5/10)

UK Release Date: 4th March 2011

Director: George Nolfi

The Plot

When Lara Brennan (Elizabeth Banks) is arrested for the murder of a homeless woman, the world of her husband, John Brennan (Russell Crowe), is turned upside down. Several years later and John has decided to take matters into his own hands by breaking his wife out of jail.

The Thoughts

This film is a drama. No, wait. I apologise, I’m getting a bit confused here. It’s a thriller. Or is it an action film? Frankly I’m just not sure. Paul Haggis films have a habit of turning, albeit usually in a good way. Haggis has both written and directed some fantastic films in recent years, including some fantastic collaborative work with Clint Eastwood. As anyone who has seen the Haggis-penned Million Dollar Baby (2004) will know however, his films can go in unexpected directions. Once seen, it’s hard to forget the moment in Million Dollar Baby when the feel-good sports genre caves way to tough kitchen sink melodrama midway through the film. The central issue with The Next Three Days is not its abrupt changes of tone, which roughly divide the film into two halves as with Million Dollar Baby, but rather the lack of plot consistency that exist between the two halves. Unlike Million Dollar Baby, in which the gravity of the plot twist necessitates the shift in tone, The Next Three Days simply abandons its own plot details in the midst of its copious tonal changes, to jarring effect.

For example, the question of Lara Brennan’s (Elizabeth Banks) guilt or innocence is raised after she is arrested following the murder of a homeless woman at the start of the film. Her husband, played by Russell Crowe, in spite of the strong evidence against his wife, becomes obsessed with breaking her out of prison, utterly convinced of her innocence. At one point in the film, Lara reveals to her husband that she did, in fact, commit murder. Possibly this was said with the intention of thwarting her husband’s plan to break her out of prison, but who knows? The film doesn’t provide the audience with anything approaching an adequate explanation of the situation and the issue of Lara’s innocence or guilt is clumsily dealt with – that is to say it is all but abandoned in the second half of the running time, when The Next Three Days transforms into a heist film. And this is only one example amongst several of plot points that are established only to be forgotten in the transition.

Most disappointing of all for me was the film’s failure to capitalise on the links Russell Crowe’s character is repeatedly insinuated to share with Don Quixote. Don Quixote is a fascinating character and the comparison holds great potential; the problem is that the film completely loses its nerve to go ahead with it. Don Quixote is of course the famous story of the man who sets out one day to become a noble knight and achieve fame and fortune, disregarding the fact that he is now old and that knights no longer exist, if such noble knights ever did. The comparison the film makes is that both Russell Crowe and Don Quixote seek to achieve an impossible goal which they believe is a certainty. But the essence of Don Quixote is that the world he creates in his mind blinds him to all reality, with both amusing and tragic consequences. The combination of Don Quixote references and the aforementioned goings-on with Lara Brennan’s character lead to my anticipating an equivalent scene of one particular moment from Don Quixote: in one chapter, Don Quixote is staying at an inn (which he imagines to be a castle), when one night he has a romantic midnight encounter with a servant girl. Don Quixote of course sees her as ‘a goddess of beauty’. We are then told that none ‘of the good maiden’s attributes could discourage him, though they were enough to make any man who was not a muledriver vomit’. The sad thing is that the potential is there for just that scene in The Next Three Days – the bit where Russell Crowe breaks his wife out of jail only to have her stab him as a thank you – but the film doesn’t go the distance.

It is not good enough just to hint at more interesting things when there’s nothing of substance going on, because the resulting film looks worse for its half-baked pretensions. The pacing suffers heavily too. The film’s first half is too slow, packed as it is with allusions to Don Quixote and consequence-less, predictable plot twists; persist to the second half though and you’ve got yourself a serviceable heist film. Those looking for a decent Don Quixote-esque film, however, don’t bother with this – go treat yourself to the very best of the bunch, Martin Scorcese’s masterful King of Comedy (1982). That is, the best until a Hollywood film comes out with the sex scene between an old man in a suit of armour and the vomit-inducingly hideous girl I have been waiting for.

The Film Buzz Review Rating: ******~~~~ (6/10)

Release Date: 5th January 2011

Director: Paul Haggis

Writers: Paul Haggis (screenplay), Fred Cavayé (screenplay “Pour elle”) and Guillaume Lemans (screenplay “Pour elle”)

Links: IMDB, Official Site

The Plot

Elise Ward (Angelina Jolie) is summoned to Venice by a mysterious personality known as Alexander Pearce. Aware of his notoriety, he instructs Ward to mislead those who are after him by selecting a human decoy with a strong resemblance to himself. Ward chooses Frank Tupelo (Johnny Depp); a humble math teacher whom she encounters on the train from Paris to Venice.

Tupelo, though taken aback by Ward’s directness, falls into her trap instantly and seems overpowered by her lure. The trouble begins at a magnificent Venetian hotel when Tupelo is believed to be Pearce and is chased by Russian thugs. While he ends up in more danger than he could ever imagine, Tupelo declines Ward’s ticket to escape and involves himself even further in her dangerous schemes.

The Thoughts

Although this was not a film which I had expected to be of high quality; I had nevertheless anticipated a fair handful of action scenes, a thrilling plot, and even a substantially intimate scene between Jolie and Depp. Disappointingly, there was nothing; null, nada, zilch.

Jolie, a personality whom I have admired since my teens for her uniqueness and usually strong roles, was the first let-down. She strutted around in The Tourist pouting as if her life depended on it, used scarce and impotent dialogue, and portrayed a good-for-nothing ego that had eclipsed the entire film; she was so fabricated and unyielding that she resembled little more than a mannequin. However when Jolie did open her mouth, out had erupted her awful and stereotyped attempt at an English accent; I was one of many who were heard sniggering at it. What had struck me as even more disappointing, were the few scenes where she would normally have whipped out a pistol, a rifle, or even a surprise knife from her suspenders or other such kinky garment – instead she continued to pose with her nose turned up to the point where it could hardly be seen, draped in gleaming oversized jewels, and caked in more cosmetics than a clown, all Victoria Beckham-esque, swinging her hips so dramatically that it seemed as if she was starring in a parody. I wasn’t sure whether to laugh or curl my lip.

As abysmal as Jolie’s on-screen self-indulgence was, I eventually overlooked it, considering her reputation is based on her appearance rather than her acting skills – thus there is only so much one can expect from her. It was Johnny “Scissorhands” Depp however, that made me feel like bursting through the screen and shouting “What were you thinking?!” In an interview that I watched afterwards, Depp was asked how it had felt to play such a “normal” role, taking into account his history of eccentric on-screen characters. I laughed; “normal” role? For someone of Depp’s capability, it was a mind-numbingly-pathetic role. The character of Frank Tupelo was less convincing than any of Depp’s previous “oddball” roles; regardless of how far from reality the characters had seemed, they were more comprehensible and certainly more compelling  than this lame persona to which he was painfully ill-fitted. His character was neither shy, nor humorous, nor a “hero” of any sort; he was simply indifferent – possibly the worst criticism an actor could receive whether or not it was intentional. Depp was far better off playing the quirky, unconventional roles which I believe  he had acquired well, thus giving him the respect he should deserve.

As I sunk into my seat, I tried to figure out what exactly director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck had planned for the audience. The film was miles from being exceptional enough to stand in a genre of its own, so it appeared as if von Donnersmarck had combined a pretentious “romance” with a “thriller” that had absolutely zero suspense and a bland, uninspiring plot, thus the overall product resembled a spoof movie – which I somehow assume was unlikely to be the writer’s intention. The embarrassment of the film had reminded me of my screenwriting tutor’s advice;  she warned us that one of the worst reactions to a potential “drama” is to send the audience into fits of laughter – otherwise known as clichéd melodrama. I rest my case.

The Tourist‘s inappropriately corny music, awful dialogue (or lack thereof) and vague, hollow characters had me astonished that Depp, and even Jolie, were the leads of such a dreadful failure. To sum it up: two points go to the few wide shots of Venice, and the other two for the predictable, yet somewhat entertaining (in comparison to the rest of the film), “twist” at the end.

The Film Buzz Official Rating: ****~~~~~~ (4/10)

Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

Writer: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (screenplay), Christopher McQuarrie (screenplay)

UK Release Date: 10 December 2010

The Plot

After being shot by her father, Alexander Zalachenko (Georgi Staykov), in the end of the previous film, Lisbeth Salander (Noomi Rapace) is rescued by helicopter and treated at a hospital in Gothenburg by Dr Jonasson (Aksel Morisse), after having the bullets surgically removed.

Nevertheless Zalachenko, who is also recovering in the same hospital in a room near Salander’s, conspires with a member of the “Section” – a group within the Secret Police – about how to camouflage his survival. Although he is suddenly murdered by Evert Gullberg (Hans Alfredson), the rest of the “Section” calculate how to punish Salander for her attempts at killing her father and make great endeavours to send her back to St Stephen’s mental institute – as they had unlawfully done when she was twelve years old.

Mikael Blomvkist (Michael Nyqvist) teams up with his sister, Annika Giannini (Annika Hallin), who agrees to defend Salander as her lawyer in her trial for attempted murder. As Blomvkist persists to save Salander, it becomes a complicated game of “tug-of-war” between the two opposing parties.

The Thoughts

Although The Girl Who Played With Fire had proven to be less satisfying than the brilliant first film, I hoped that it was simply playing the role of “the calm before the storm” – the subtle pivot in between a gripping introduction and a hopefully climatic ending to the trilogy. I grinned with excitement when I read that The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest was to be released only three months after the second instalment, so I rushed to see it within the first week – alas now I sit here disappointed, confessing that it was miles from the ending which I had so eagerly anticipated.

The final instalment of the Millennium trilogy started well; picking up exactly where the second one left off, and even throwing in a couple of surprise gunshots in the beginning hospital scenes. Nevertheless, director Daniel Alfredson did not hesitate to diminish the dark thrill that should have enwrapped itself around the audience; instead we were repeatedly faced with a group of uninspiring elderly men and an over-complicated plot.

While Lisbeth Salander remained as the tough-as-nails, bold, and self-sufficient heroine we know and love, it appeared that the privilege of a front-row ticket to her mind was taken away from us. What had made The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo so outstanding was the continual focus on the enigmatic lead character; the audience was permitted to a fly-on-wall perspective, enabling empathy and support towards her. The interesting relationship between her and the determined Mikael Blomvkist in the first film was another successful trait; the chemistry between the oddly-matched pair had shown depth to both of the characters yet as the sequels progressed, their connection gradually faded to the background despite it being the foundation of the trilogy.

All three of the films, although part of a unit, do differ from each other but while this opportunity had the potential to enhance each film – it did the unfortunate opposite. The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest focuses on plot rather than character development or action though this is done faultily as it fails to involve Salander or even Blomvkist and becomes seemingly irrelevant. While the end of the film sees a couple of potential ‘thriller’ scenes, the audience is left with an empty feeling far from climatic; had the trilogy continued with the director of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, Niels Arden Oplev, the remaining two films might possibly have been as stimulating. In its place we were left with a dull film with only splashes of action and a significant lack of Lisbeth Salander’s powerful presence – the backbone of the trilogy in all possible ways.

Although I felt glad at the end of the film in terms of the story, the rest of the film felt like a hazy blur of unnecessary plotting; however when we were allowed glimpses of Salander, her remorseless attitude, mysterious qualities and an underlying softness reminded me of why I admired her character and the Millennium trilogy so much in the first place. Despite the dreariness of the last instalment, I quietly confirmed the DVD set on my Christmas wish list to myself, as I realised there will be never be another Lisbeth Salander.

The Film Buzz Official Rating: ******½~~~ (6.5/10)

Director: Daniel Alfredson

Writer: Stieg Larsson (novel), Ulf Ryberg (screenplay)

UK Release Date: 26 November 2010

In the lead up to Christmas, we shall be expecting a plethora of treats on the big screen, here is the pick of exciting movies released this week to whet your appetites.

Monsters

Six years ago NASA discovered the possibility of alien life within our solar system. A probe was launched to collect samples, but crashed upon re-entry over Central America. Soon after, new life forms began to appear and grow. In an effort to stem the destruction that resulted, half of Mexico was quarantined as an ‘infected zone’. Today, the American and Mexican military still struggle to contain the massive creatures… Our story begins when a jaded US journalist (McNairy) begrudgingly agrees to find his boss’ daughter, a shaken American tourist (Able) and escort her through the infected zone to the safety of the US border.

Starring: Whitney Able, Scoot McNairy

See it if you liked: Cloverfield (2008), District 9 (2009), The Road (2009)

Certificate: 12A

Genre: Sci-Fi/Thriller

Release Date: 3 December 2010

Megamind

Megamind is the most brilliant super-villain the world has ever known… and the least successful. Over the years, he has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way. Each attempt has been a colossal failure, thanks to the caped superhero known as “Metro Man,” until the day Megamind actually defeats him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant, leaving everyone to wonder: Can the world’s biggest “mind” actually be the one to save the day?

Starring voices of: Will Ferrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey, Jonah Hill

See it if you liked: The Incredibles (2004), Shrek Forever After (2010), Toy Story 3 (2010)

Certificate: PG

Genre: Animation/Comedy

Release Date: 3 December 2010

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale

It’s the eve of Christmas in northern Finland, and an ‘archeological’ dig has just unearthed the real Santa Claus. But this particular Santa isn’t the one you want coming to town. When the local children begin mysteriously disappearing, young Pietari and his father Rauno, a reindeer hunter by trade, capture the mythological being and attempt to sell Santa to the misguided leader of the multinational corporation sponsoring the dig. Santa’s elves, however, will stop at nothing to free their fearless leader from captivity. What ensues is a wildly humorous nightmare – a fantastically bizarre polemic on modern day morality. Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is a re-imagining of the most classic of all childhood fantasies, and is a darkly comic gem soon to be required perennial holiday viewing.

Starring: Per Christian Ellefsen, Peeter Jakobi, Tommi Korpela

See it if you liked: Bad Santa (2003), The Big White (2005), The Hole 3D (2010)

Certificate: 15

Genre: Action/Comedy

Release Date: 3 December 2010

The Warrior’s Way

The world’s greatest swordsman abandons his warrior clan to start a new life in the American Badlands in The Warrior’s Way, a visually dazzling modern martial arts adventure with stunningly choreographed fight sequences and gravity-defying stunts. In an original, gorgeously realized journey into a mythical past, writer and director Sngmoo Lee seamlessly marries the cinematic traditions of East and West. Korean superstar Jang Dong Gun, Kate Bosworth, Danny Huston and Academy Award-winner Geoffrey Rush star in this epic story of revenge and redemption.

Starring: Dong-gun Jang, Kate Bosworth, Geoffrey Rush, Danny Huston

See it if you liked: Solomon Kane (2009), Jet Li’s Fearless (2006), Jonah Hex (2010)

Certificate: 15

Genre: Action/Fantasy

Release Date: 3 December 2010

The Plot

When the patriarch of a dysfunctional family passes away, the teenage children must take responsibility for the family chores: the preparation of the rituals, the hunting of other human beings in order to put the all-important meat on the table. These newfound responsibilities cause conflict between the family members who all have their own agendas and soon wreck unsettlingly havoc in the Mexican suburbs.

The Thoughts

A breakthrough in cannibal horror, this is by far the best of the bunch of the past few years, and has much to be commended for. The plot slowly unfolds suspending the audience in artful cinematography and a haunting film score, leaking just enough information every so often to keep the audience hooked into an horrific stupor.

Startlingly grisly yet somehow manages not to be ‘in-your-face’ gory, the director was extremely clever in leaving a lot of the cannibalistic rituals to the imagination which made it all the more horrifying. Lined with black comedy and unforgiving menace mixed in with excellent sound effects of bones crunching and tissue tearing, this film is directed by Jorge Michel Grau whom shows how violence and madness can be the genesis of a ritual so embedded with fear and guilt, that there will be no end to it. When the leader passes away, someone has to be elected leader of the pack and when the pack is threatened, one must survive on to continue the ritual.

The excellently casted actors breathes life into this demented creation and sheds light on what it feels like to be an out-cast, dysfunctional family living in the harsh and unforgiving environment of the Mexican suburbs, struggling to satisfy their carnal hunger and keep their macabre ‘ritual’s’ alive. With some interesting twists and a clever, meaty plot (pun intended), this is by no means a regurgitation of previous cannibal films, but an original and enlightening film.

The Film Buzz Official Rating: *******~~~ (7/10)

Release Date: 12 November 2010

Director: Jorge Michel Grau

Language: Spanish

Starring Gemma Arterton as Alice Creed, Martin Compston (Doomsday (2008)) as Danny and Eddie Marsan (V for Vendetta (2005)) as Vic.

The Plot

Two men transform and fortify an English basement into a prison cell and kidnap a young woman, tying her to a bed and gagging her. The two men Vic and Danny have meticulous plans and strict protocol to make millions on the ransom for their hostage – Alice Creed, daughter of a rich businessman chosen by Vic and Danny as their passport into a better life. Terrified for her life, Alice is not about to let the captors have their way with her without a fight but as tension builds in the basement, the sexual and psychological ties between the captors and captive become more and more twisted and all three are brought close to breaking point with Vic and Danny’s foolproof plan descending into a desperate struggle for survival.

The Thoughts

I found this film thoroughly enjoyable which was a pleasant surprise since I am not usually easily impressed by homeland produce, and what with the budget cast and set – it could have been a major fail. However, the film was greatly saved by cutting edge performances by all three of the cast and a pretty superb plot that was unconventionally clever and maintained mystery throughout. J Blakeson’s slick directing ensured the film captured my undivided attention from the beginning, even though the beginning sequence was virtually dialogue-free for a good 10 minutes. I thoroughly enjoyed trying to guess what was going to happen next but then being surprised by the nifty twists right til the end.

The Film Buzz Rating: 7.5/10

UK Release Date: 30th April 2010

Director: J Blakeson

Writer’s: J Blakeson

Links: IMDB, Official Site