Cinemas - What’s still showing - 25/6/09

Jun 25 2009 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

THE AGE OF STUPID (12A)

FRANNY Armstrong directs this ground-breaking drama eco-documentary starring Pete Postlethwaite as an old man out there in the not-too-distant future looking back and asking “why didn’t they do something while they had the chance?”. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold on Tuesday and Wednesday.

STAR RATING: ***

ANGELS & DEMONS (12A)

TOM Hanks returns to the role of Dan Brown’s hero Robert Langdon for this Da Vinci Code sequel set in Vatican City where a series of brutal killings puts the Pope in danger.

STAR RATING: ***

BARRY LYNDON (PG)

STANLEY Kubrick’s 1975 adaptation of Thackeray’s novel set in Georgian England about a young Irish lad who moves through society to join the highest ranks of English nobility by whatever means necessary.

STAR RATING: ***

DRAG ME TO HELL (15)

SPIDER-Man director Sam Raimi returns to his Evil Dead horror roots for this thoroughly entertaining gore epic in which poor unfortunate Alison Lohman falls foul of a gypsy curse which puts her through all manner of nightmarish ordeals.

STAR RATING: ***

DUPLICITY (12A)

JULIA Roberts and Clive Owen are reunited for this complex but playful series of crosses and double crosses in the world of high powered corporate executives who are as tough in the bedroom as they are in the boardroom. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold from Saturday-Monday.

STAR RATING: ***

THE HANGOVER (15)

A STAG night goes hilariously awry in The Hangover, the new comedy from Todd Phillips, writer-director of Road Trip and Old School. Two days before he walks down the aisle, Doug (Justin Bartha) heads for the desert strip of Las Vegas with his three best buddies, Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms) and Alan (Zach Galifianakis) for a night they can’t remember.

STAR RATING: **

LAST CHANCE HARVEY (12A)

LOVE blossoms when two lonely people least expect it in writer-director Joel Hopkins’ gently paced and incredibly charming romance, set in bustling, modern-day London. The sensational pairing of Oscar winners Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson adds polish to very familiar material.

STAR RATING: ***

THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT (18)

LAME remake of Wes Craven’s landmark 1972 horror film, a grisly rape revenge thriller which has been rendered essentially harmless by this inept retread.

STAR RATING: *

LOOKING FOR ERIC (15)

BRITISH director Ken Loach shot his latest bittersweet slice of life on location in Manchester, and scores possibly his most mainstream, feel-good hit to date. Featuring a pivotal dramatic role for both Manchester United Football Club and its fondly-remembered Gallic superstar Eric Cantona, this heartfelt coming-of-middle-age story finds emotional truth and earthy humour in the simple story of a single father struggling to raise two stepsons. The introduction of the eponymous footballer – a figment of the central character's imagination – provides an unusual catalyst for the subsequent journey of self-discovery and self-realisation.

STAR RATING: ***

A NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM 2 (PG)

A RARE example of a superior sequel following up a rather lame opening entry.

STAR RATING: ***

RED CLIFF (15)

DIRECTOR John Woo bids farewell to Hollywood and returns to the East to helm the most expensive Chinese-language film in history, set 1,800 years ago during the time of the Han Dynasty when China is divided between ruling forces led by the ambitious Cao Cao (Fengyi Zhang), Sun Quan (Chen Chang) and Liu Bei (Yong You).

STAR RATING: ***

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (15)

OSCAR night glory came eight times for this phenomenal film. It has no stars whatsoever, is set on the teeming streets of India, is directed by maverick Brit Danny Boyle and has India’s version of the hit TV quiz show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? at the very heart of its story! Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold on Friday only.

STAR RATING: ****

STAR TREK (12A)

THE 40 year old franchise is given a kick-start and sent back into warp drive by Lost creator JJ Abrams who has directed the best reviewed Star Trek movie ever. Purists will have problems with new faces in the iconic roles of Kirk and Spock but on its own merits, this is quality science fiction.

STAR RATING: ***

TERMINATOR SALVATION (12A)

MAN battles the machines once again in an all-guns-blazing reboot of the Terminator series, which sows the seeds of a new trilogy charting John Connor's rise to leader of the Resistance in the aftermath of Judgment Day.

STAR RATING: **

TRANSFORMERS: REVENGE OF THE FALLEN (12A)

THE robots in disguise clash again in the eagerly-awaited sequel. Director Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbor) returns to the helm to destroy large swathes of planet Earth via computer-generated imagery. Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox again try to add a touch of human drama.

STAR RATING: **