EASY VIRTUE (PG) (All major cinemas)
AN ATTRACTIVE cast of new faces (Ben Barnes, Jessica Biel) and veteran stars (Kristin Scott Thomas, Colin Firth) join forces for a sparkling adaptation of Noel Coward’s play about a naive rich Englishman returning home with his brash new American wife, to the horror of his family.
STAR RATING: ***
THE FOX AND THE CHILD (U) (Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, Friday-Monday)
FAIRYTALE about a small girl who comes across a young fox living in the woods near her home. The girl brings food for the fox and its cubs and a trust builds between the two. Narrated by Kate Winslet.
STAR RATING: ***
GHOST TOWN (12A) (All major cinemas)
RICKY Gervais is the latest British TV comedy stars taking a shot at Hollywood movie fame and he is on sparkling form, even if the movie itself plays if safe.
STAR RATING: **
HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL 3: SENIOR YEAR (U) (All major cinemas)
TROY, Gabriella, Sharpay and Chad on the big screen in all their glory! It’s every teenage girl’s dream come true.
STAR RATING: ***
JAR CITY (15) (Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, Tuesday-Wednesday)
CRIME thriller in which a weary Icelandic cop is working on a recent murder of a little girl which has resonances with a similar case from more than 30 years ago.
STAR RATING: ***
IGOR (PG) (All major cinemas)
DIFFICULT to see exactly what audience this animated feature is trying to target. The animation is nowhere near as sophisticated as Pixar at its best; nor are the characters as vividly drawn.
STAR RATING: **
MAX PAYNE (15) (All major cinemas)
POORLY received action movie based on a popular video game which will do no good for the revived acting career of Mark Wahlberg.
STAR RATING: *
THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC (PG) (Clwyd Theatr Cymru, Mold, Thursday only)
BELIEVED lost until a complete print was miraculously found in a mental hospital in Oslo in 1981, Carl Theodor Dreyer’s 1928 chroniclem of the trial of Jeanne d’Arc is regarded as a landmark of cinema. STAR RATING: ****
PRIDE & GLORY (15) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks)
GIVING two powerhouse actors like Edward Norton and Colin Farrell strong, shouty roles to play must have been the reason they decided to sign up to what is otherwise an anonymous cop drama. Everything from Serpico in the 70s through The Departed and then bang up to date with We Own The Night has trodden the well worn path followed by this disappointingly predictable effort.
STAR RATING: **
QUANTUM OF SOLACE (12A) (All major cinemas)
THE Bourne Influence might be a good subtitle for Daniel Craig’s second 007 outing which merely adds to one’s enjoyment of a breakneck Bond sequel to Casino Royale with mind-blowing action sequences and cool performances (Olga Kurylenko is a real find) and great chemistry between Judi Dench’s M and our hero.
STAR RATING: ***
SAW V (18) (All major cinemas)
“YOU won’t believe how it ends” screams the tagline which accompanies a poster obscured by the claim that it has been censored from public view because it is so horrific! Such crude techniques are all the producers need because they know they are tapping into a built-in audience.
STAR RATING: *
SCAR (18) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks)
AN ATTEMPT is made to come up with a half-decent story for this horror flick as a traumatised woman returns to her home town 16 years after a serial killer attacked her and her best friend. But it isn’t long before we are back into torture porn territory with obvious Hostel and Saw influences.
STAR RATING: **
W. (15) (Vue, Cheshire Oaks)
OLIVER Stone directing a film about the early years of George W Bush’s presidency? You would be forgiven for expecting a merciless hatchet job. In fact, Stone is remarkably sympathetic towards W., portraying him as the black sheep of a highly influential family whose ex-President father continually refers to him as a disappointment.
STAR RATING: ***
ZACK AND MIRI MAKE A PORNO (18) (All major cinemas)
IT’S difficult not to be wary of a film which packs its entire plot into a title but for the liberal-minded among us, there is a lot of fun to be had in this foul-mouthed sex comedy starring Seth Rogen and Elizabeth Banks.
STAR RATING: ***
COMING SOON
November 28: WHAT JUST HAPPENED? (Robert De Niro)
November 28: FOUR CHRISTMASES (Reese Witherspoon)
Dates subject to change.
