CAPTAIN PHILLIPS:
Tom Hanks stars in the excitingly titled, Captain Phillips (!) Fast-paced true story from director Paul Greengrass (Bourne Supremacy/Ultimatum). Hanks plays the captain of a cargo ship hijacked by Somali pirates. No doubt fun and thrilling, but I’m finding it increasingly hard to suspend my disbelief these days in the face of another Hollywood A-lister playing yet another hero part in a yet another blockbuster. Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, George Clooney etc etc, all perfectly watchable in their big roles but somehow (despite a different haircut, glasses or a tie) always still Tom Hanks, Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt and George Clooney, super-sized, flexing and re-flexing jaw and muscle. Perhaps this (long felt) gripe springs back to mind now because of the loss of such talent as Philip Seymour-Hoffman, an actor with the ability to give superbly nuanced performances and who was able to embody real characters (not just characters perhaps based on real people), people of great complexity, people with many faces, not just box-office heroes with a face for the billboard… Thinking about this (remember Seymour-Hoffman’s mumbling monotone fantasy confession on the psychiatrist’s couch in Happiness) all this hero stuff seems a bit tired… But still, Captain Phillips: no doubt fun and thrilling, even if just a popcorn rollercoaster. Cert. 12
LE WEEKEND:
Jim Broadbent and Lindsay Duncan play a middle-aged couple who, after many years of marriage and seeing their children grown, return to Paris to rekindle romance. Sounds like a bit of a re-hashed premise (and why does it HAVE to be Paris always?), but a good cast (including the brilliant Jeff Goldblum) and a screenplay by Hanif Kureishi (My Beautiful Launderette, Intimacy) may be enough to bring spark to this comedy-drama, directed by Roger Michell (Changing Lanes, Enduring Love and Notting Hill (!)) Cert. 15
ENOUGH SAID:
James Gandolfini’s penultimate feature before his tragic death last year, Enough Said looks like a decent, gentle romantic comedy. Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Eva, a divorcee who falls for James Gandolfini only to find that he is her new best friend’s ex-husband. Great supporting cast in the shape of Catherine Keener and Toni Collette. Directed by Nicole Holofcener (Parks and Recreation, Please Give, Friends with Money). Cert. 12
GLORIA:
Chilean romantic comedy about mid-life self-discovery. A middle-aged woman finds herself single again and rediscovers her passion for life by being open to all it has to offer – including new love. Cert. 15. Spanish with English subs.
AIN’T THEM BODIES SAINTS:
An imprisoned man dreams of seeing his wife and child again only to discover, on his release, that she’s moved on… Starring Casey Affleck, Rooney Mara and Ben Foster. Directed by David Lowery, editor of the problematic Upstream Colour (2013)… Cert. 15
IN THE NAME OF:
Polish drama about a priest struggling with his sexuality in the face of a strong attraction to a troubled young man from the local rural community. Directed by Malgorzata Szumowska who directed the – in my opinion – under-appreciated Elles (2011), starring Juliette Binoche. Cert. 15. Polish with English subs.
Also out this week:
PRINCE AVALANCHE:
THE NUN:
FILTH:
TRAILER
MUSCLE SHOALS:
HOW I LIVE NOW:
TURBO:
DEATH COMES TO PEMBERLEY:
DRACULA SEASON 1:
Posted by Dixie Turner
