AUSTRALIA (12A)
COOL director Baz Luhrmann tells the sweeping tale of English aristocrat Nicole Kidman arriving in Oz to take over the huge ranch owned by her philandering but now murdered husband.
STAR RATING: ***
BEVERLY HILLS CHIHUAHUA (U)
THE pampered pooch of the title finds itself stranded in the middle of Mexico with no obvious way of getting back home. The voice cast includes Drew Barrymore and Andy Garcia while humans on screen include Piper Perabo and Jamie Lee Curtis.
STAR RATING: **
BRIDE WARS (PG)
BY THE book chick flick starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway as best friends who declare war on each other when they announce they are getting married on the same day.
STAR RATING: **
DEFIANCE (15)
EXTRAORDINARY true story about three brothers, led by Daniel Craig, during World War Two who hide from the Nazis in a Russian forest and provide a sanctuary for hundreds of Jews against incredible odds.
STAR RATING: ***
THE DUCHESS (12A)
THE Diana parallels have lent a topical air to this intelligent account of what befalls 19-year-old Georgiana (Keira Knightley), a fun-loving, intelligent young woman who ends up in what turns out to be a loveless marriage. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold on Friday, January 23 only.
STAR RATING: ***
INCENDIARY (15)
A BORED married woman (Michelle Williams) is having an affair and as she watches a football match on TV, the stadium is blown apart by a terrorist bomb. Her husband and son are at the match and are killed. Filled with grief, she goes on a mission to track down the wife and son of one of the suspects. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Monday on Saturday and Sunday.
STAR RATING: ***
MADAGASCAR : ESCAPE 2 AFRICA (PG)
THE animated foursome, Alex the lion, Marty the zebra, Melman the giraffe, and Gloria the hippo are back, in this spectacular sequel.
STAR RATING: **
MY BLOODY VALENTINE (18)
JUST reading the plot of this oh-so predictable slasher is enough to send you to sleep. The young man who caused a mine accident 10 years earlier, prompting a survivor to go on a killing spree, returns home only to discover another nutter is on the loose.
STAR RATING: *
OF TIME AND THE CITY (12A)
ONE of the unsung highlights of the Liverpool Capital of Culture year was this largely overlooked documentary from Terence Davies in which he explores his memories of growing up in Liverpool in the 50s and 60s which he brings to life using newsreel and documentary footage, radio clips and music. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cyumru in Mold on Thursday.
STAR RATING: ***
QUIET CHAOS (15)
PIETRO (Nanni Moretti) returns home one day to find his wife has died suddenly. Unable to take this in, he focuses on maintaining life as normal for their daughter and waits for the full force of grief to hit. But all he feels is a quiet chaos and talking with friends only leads to them confiding their own problems. Showing at Clwyd Theatr Cymru in Mold on Tuesday and Wednesday.
STAR RATING: ***
THE READER (15)
YET another stunning performance from Kate Winslet dominates this Stephen Daldry film based on the acclaimed book set in post World War Two Germany where a young man encounters the older woman with whom he had an affair 10 years earlier - only to discover she faces war crime charges.
STAR RATING: ***
ROLE MODELS (15)
SURPRISINGLY witty and character-filled comedy about two slackers who trash a truck and are forced to do community service by mentoring two young lads - one a wise-cracker, the other a nerdy role playing geek.
STAR RATING: ***
SEVEN POUNDS (12A)
WILL Smith is brilliant as the IRS man who decides to change the lives of seven people forever. Why and how does not start to become clear until well after an hour into the film.
STAR RATING: ***
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (15)
THE race to Oscar night glory begins here and, by all accounts, this most unlikely of films is going to take some beating. 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!
STAR RATING: ****
THE WRESTLER (15)
MICKEY Rourke gives arguably the performance of his career in this absorbing character study of an ageing wrestler, plying his trade in the small town community halls of America while trying to mend his relationship with his daughter (Evan Rachel Wood) and romance Marisa Tomei’s stripper.
STAR RATING: ***
COMING SOON
January 30: REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (Kate Winslet)
February 6: BOLT (Animation)
February 13: HOTEL FOR DOGS (Emma Roberts)
February 20: GRAN TORINO (Clint Eastwood)
February 27: NEW IN TOWN (Renee Zellweger
Dates subject to change.
