For up to date local cinema links and day-by-day listings of what’s showing on local screens every week visit the Virtual-Lancaster Cinema Page. Read on for the weekly round-up, and reviews.
Only a single release of a mainstream movie this period, the latest in the Avengers franchise with Avengers: Age of Ultron (12A).
However there are a couple of new European films that make it to our
region. These are a look at the Christian Dior fashion house with the
French documentary Dior and I (12A) and a Spanish comedy/drama Wild Tales (15).
We also see the return of a couple of family movies with Fairytale: Story of the Seven Dwarves and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb. However we have lost the films Seventh Son; Suite Francaise; The Imitation Game and The Water Diviner.
Events of note this week include the screening of the Avengers triple bill at the Vue on the 22nd. This comprises Avenger’s Assemble; Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Avengers: Age of Ultron. In addition the Dukes is showing another film in their David Lynch season with The Elephant Man.
There is a distinct shortage of high culture during this period, the sole candidate of the genre being Elaine Page Royal Albert Hall concert. Also the Dukes theatre has only a limited program during the week.
Reviews
A Little Chaos
Director: Alan Rickman
Certificate: 12A
Cast Includes: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Alan Rickman, Helen McCrory
The film is set in Paris in 1862. King Louis XIV (Rickman)
wishes to build a marvelous garden at the Palace of Versailles and so
hires the famous landscape artist Andre Le Notre (Schoenaerts) to
undertake the work. Le Notre advertises for an assistant and hires
Sabine de Barra (Winslet), a talented and attractive woman with modern
ideas on gardening. Sabine has something of a past (told in flashback)
and must overcome the obstacles of her class and sex to function within
the court. The film is a period romance with the sexual chemistry
building between Sabine and Andre, while being opposed by Andre’s
scheming wife Francoise (McCrory). The performances are excellent and
the film a delight of stunning gardens and costumes. An entertaining if
somewhat unchallenging film.
Child 44
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Tom Hardy, Noomi Rapace, Gary Oldman
The film is based on Tom Rob Smiths novel of 2008 and is set in
Soviet Russia in the 1950s. Leo Demidov (Hardy) is an agent of the
secret police. However he refuses to denounce his wife Raisa (Rapace)
as a traitor so he and his wife are exiled to Volsk, a provincial
Russian outpost. Here Demidov, with his superior General Mikhail
Nesterov (Oldman), works to track down a serial killer who is attacking
young boys. However the investigation is hampered by the official
position that within the Soviet Union there are no such things as
murderers. The film could have been a very decent thriller and it
benefits from strong action. However it is let down somewhat by the
thick Russian accents adopted by the actors and lack of development of
some of the characters. The movie was banned within Russia for
portraying the county as Mordor.
Cinderella
Director: Kenneth Branagh
Certificate: U
Cast includes: Lily James, Cate Blanchett, Stellan Skarsgard, Richard Madden
Disney’s re-telling of the story of Cinderella. Cinderella
(James) finds herself at the mercy of her cruel stepmother Lady Tremaine
(Blanchett) following the death of her father. The film sticks very
close to Disney’s 1950 animated musical. Cinderella is rather ‘sickly
sweet’ but this is offset by the malevolence of the character of Lady
Tremaine. The movie has some comedy action and a good selection of
special effects. There is nothing in here to offend and the movie will
be loved by all.
Fast and Furious 7
Director: James Wan
Certificate: 12A
Cast Includes: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Dwayne Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Statham
Dominic Toretto (Diesel), Brian O’Connor (Walker) and the rest
of their associates return to the USA where they hope to find peace.
However Deckard Shaw (Statham) is the latest villain after Don and the
team as he seeks revenge for the death of his brother. The film is thus
a sequel to the 2013 Fast and Furious 6 and it involves even more car
chases and madcap action. The film suffered from the death of the actor
Paul Walker during filming but this does not detract from the frenzied
action. A worthy successor to this popular franchise.
John Wick
Director: David Leitch, Chad Stahelski
Certificate: 15
Cast includes: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Bridget Moynahan, Alfie Allen
John Wick (Reeves) used to be an assassin, but he left that
world behind when he got married. Unfortunately his wife Helen
(Moynahan) died from an illness but she bequeathed him a beagle puppy as
a gift. Wick subsequently met members of a Russian gang at a garage
forecourt and they tried to buy his car. He refused so the gang
followed him home where they beat him, killed the dog and took the car.
The rest of the film is the violent and action packed consequences as
Wick seeks revenge. The film has a rather comic book feel and it posits a
mysterious underworld of mobsters and assassins in which Wick must
operate. Reeves gives an excellent performance to make this a very
entertaining film in which there are no heros.
Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2
Director: Andy Fickman
Certificate: PG
Cast Includes: Kevin James, Raini Rodriguez
Paul Blart (James) is a Mall Cop who takes a vacation with his
teenage daughter Maya (Rodriguez) before she starts college. They go to
Las Vegas to attend a Security Guard Expo. Though Blart is mocked by
the Casino security staff, he uncovers an attempted theft and goes after
the thieves. The film is a sequel to Paul Blart: Mall Cop which was
released in 2009 and became something of a surprise box office hit. The
movie is an example of that rather rare genre, a true family comedy
that succeeds in entertaining young and old.
The DUFF
Director: Ari Sandel
Certificate: 12A
Cast Includes: Mae Whitman, Skyler Samuels, Bianca Santos, Robbie Amell, Bella Thorne, Nick Eversman
The film is based on the novel of the same name by Kody
Keplinger. Bianca (Whitman) is a high school senior who, at a party,
finds that she has been given the label the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat
Friend) to her more popular friends Jess (Samuels) and Casey (Santos).
She takes steps to challenge this designation by helping the star of the
school football team Wesley (Amell) with his academic work in return
for his helping her to re-invent herself. Yet she must face her nemesis,
the mean label maker Madison Morgan (Thorne). This is an entertaining
comedy albeit with some sexual references and crude language.
The Theory of Everything
Director: James Marsh
Certificate: 12A
Cast Includes: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Charlie Cox
A biopic of the early years of the world renown physicist
Stephen Hawkins, based on the memoir ‘Traveling to Infinity: My life
with Stephen Hawkins’ by Jane Hawkins. At Cambridge, Hawkins was an
active young man who fell in love with literature student Jane Wilde.
However, aged 21, Hawkins had an accidental fall and this led to his
being diagnosed with motor neuron disease and given just two years to
live. The film shows the marriage of Stephen and Jane and how she
supported him and their children during the years of their marriage
(they divorced in 1995). This is a beautiful film likely to leave the
audience in tears. The acting is excellent especially Redmayne’s
portrayal of Hawkins and the movie shows the lighter side of Hawkin’s
character, his humour and his passion.