On The Sly
Eighties action movies will always hold a special place in cinematic history, their glorious excesses a continuing influence. But although it's been hyped as 2010's biggest movie, there was always the possibility that The Expendables would be nothing more than an exercise in nostalgia. Luckily, it's a little more than that.
Summer Knights
When June Havens (Cameron Diaz) finds herself on a rapidly descending plane with a strange man, she’s pleased to awaken the next day back in her own bed. But the mysterious Roy Miller (Tom Cruise) quickly reappears in her life and tells June she’s in danger, caught up in the scheme of a rogue CIA operative who wishes to sell a powerful battery to foreign powers. But is he who he claims to be or is he the rogue the CIA must bring down?
There is no hunting like the hunting of men
Almost a quarter of a century ago, John McTiernan's Predator cast Arnie as an alien hunter extraordinare and thrilled audiences in the process. No matter that it stuttered as a franchise, with the recent Alien Vs Predator movies smacking of desperation; the original is now heralded as one of the pinnacle moments of Eighies action excess. And riding the wave of nostalgia for this decade that has driven recent reboots like Rambo and A Nightmare on Elm Street comes the all-new Predators, a glossy homage to its 1987 godfather that celebrates all that was great about the original while introducing the concept to a new, effects-savvy generation.
The Brothers Gloom
When 17-year-old Bennie (Alden Ehrenreich) arrives in Buenos Aires in search of his long lost brother, he is surprised to find that the man he remembers as a passionate, creative writer now cuts a melancholy and isolated figure who has re-christened himself Tetro (Vincent Gallo). Although Tetro's girlfriend Miranda (Maribel Verdu) welcomes Bennie with open arms, Tetro is less than pleased to have his sibling back in his life. As Bennie digs deeper into why Tetro left the family, it becomes clear that there are painful secrets buried in their shared past. And when Bennie finds, and decides to finish, Tetro's deeply personal play, their relationship takes a turn from which there may be no coming back.
Lost in translation
Single mother Maria (Elena Anaya) is enjoying a day out with her young son Diego (Kaiet Rodriguez) visiting El Hierro, the most isolated of the Canary Islands. Things take a tragic turn, however, when she dozes off on the ferry and awakes to find Diego missing, catapulting her into a nightmare from which there is no awakening. For six months she waits desperately for answers and, when a body is finally found, Maria returns to Hierro. When she arrives, however, she makes a shocking discovery and that, combined with with the bizarre behaviour of the locals, convinces Maria that foul play may be involved. Determined to uncover the truth, Maria embarks on her own investigation that has devastating repurcussions...
Pretty Vacant
In over six years of attending press screenings, I have never seen anything like the furore that accompanied last night's showing of Sex and the City 2 in Leicester Square. The huge queue outside the cinema soon turned into a scrum, as women dressed in their finest pushed and shoved to get through the door and secure a prime seat. Inside, the atmosphere was palpable; this is undoubtedly one of the most hotly anticipated films of the year, and legions of SatC fans are at a fever-pitch of excitement to see how the lives of the fab four have moved on in the two years since the (excellent) first film. So, were those lucky few who had managed to secure on the hottest tickets in town rewarded for their efforts?
Heart of glass
More gritty psychological drama than blood-soaked chiller, Heartless was a somewhat surprising inclusion in the lineup for the 2009 Frightfest horror festival. Even more unexpected, then, that it should prove to be one of the standout highlights of the whole weekend. And with its intelligent, gripping story, brilliant performances and assured direction, it's one of the best British films you'll see this year.
