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December 09 > January 10 www.cornwallbigscreen.co.uk

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WHAT’S ONDECEMBER > JANUARY

THE ROAD

8 Known for his dark, gritty and unflinching subject

matter, Cormac McCarthy’s work was always going

to be high on Hollywood’s list to adapt for the big

screen. Following the success of the Coen brothers’

adaptation of No Country For Old Men, McCarthy’s

2006 novel The Road is his latest work to receive

the big screen treatment, bringing his harrowing

vision of the future to cinemas this January.

The Road follows the journey of an unnamed

father and son across a post-apocalyptic landscape

following an unexplained cataclysmic event.

Civilisation has been destroyed, along with almost

all life on Earth. As they make their way towards

the coast in search of food and shelter, they find

themselves in sinister encounters with cannibals and

other desperate gangs of survivors. And in a world

where it’s every man for himself, it’s kill or be killed.

The film is a dark and haunting affair helmed by John

Hillcoat, director of The Proposition; with a sterling cast

including the likes of Viggo Mortensen, Guy Pearce and

Robert Duvall, The Road promises to be a gripping and

unforgettable cinematic experience. Paul Weedon

THE BOOK OF ELI

8 As the international economic downturn rumbles

on and natural disasters happen left right and centre,

it appears audiences just can’t get enough of post-

apocalyptic tales. The latest directors to step up to the

plate and tackle the end of the world extravaganza are

the Hughes brothers, made famous for their 1993 urban

drama Menace II Society, as well as 2001’s From Hell.

The brothers’ latest outing sees a lone hero, Eli

(Washington), fighting his way across America in order

to protect a sacred book that holds the secrets to saving

humankind. Sword fighting and gunning down anyone

who stands in his way, Eli eventually meets his match

in Carnegie (Oldman), a dictator of a small, makeshift

town who wants to take possession of the book.

The two impressive trailers suggest that The Book

Of Eli will utilise a Mad Max style storyline, coupled

with similar visuals from the impressive Fallout

computer games, to create an explosive action

adventure that will not only captivate audiences -

but blow them away. James Wright

FILm info

cOnTEnT icons

release date

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10

FILm credits

Director John Hillcoat

Starring Viggo

Mortensen, Guy Pearce,

Robert Duvall,

Charlize Theron

8th January

FILm info

cOnTEnT icons

release date

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10

FILm credits

15th January

Directors Albert Hughes,

Allen Hughes

Starring Denzel

Washington, Gary

Oldman, Michael

Gambon, Mila Kunis

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WHAT’S ON DECEMBER > JANUARY

44 INCH CHEST

8 A film likely to offend those with delicate sensibilities,

this is the second screenplay from Sexy Beast writers

Louis Mellis and David Scinto. An honorary follow up to

that 2001 cult hit, 44 Inch Chest welcomes producers

Richard Brown and Steve Golin (Babel, Eternal Sunshine

of the Spotless Mind), further adding to the gritty pedigree.

Car salesman Colin Diamond (Winstone) is left

devastated when his wife informs him that she is

leaving him for another man, a French waiter referred

to only as ‘Loverboy’. After beating more information

out of her, Colin gathers a group of middle aged and

somewhat unhinged friends, and attempts to salvage

his self-esteem by kidnapping Loverboy.

Although predominantly theatrical in staging,

cinematic flair is offered through jumbled chronology

and surreal, almost whimsical, flashback sequences.

Radiating quiet menace, Beast had its bunny,

and Chest has Samson and Delilah.

Otherwise, this is a dialogue driven picture, and the

ensemble group brazenly chews the scenery with their

expletive ridden banter. While much of the running

time is spent locked inside the house, the atmosphere

grows more claustrophobic as the four letter words are

spat with increasingly poetic conviction. Chris Wasey

FIlm info

CoNTENT icons

release date

15th January

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10

FIlm credits

Director Jason Reitman

Starring George

Clooney, Anna Kendrick,

Vera Farmiga,

Jason Bateman

UP IN THE AIR

8 Jason Reitman, the director of Thank You For

Smoking and cult classic Juno, is at it again with his

latest off beat comedy drama, based on the 2001

novel of the same name by Walter Kim. The film

stars George Clooney as Ryan Bingham, a corporate

downsizing expert who lives out of a suitcase as he

travels around America firing people on behalf of

corporations - and he is loving every second of it.

However, on the cusp of ten million frequent

flyer miles, Ryan’s own job comes under threat

when his boss hires arrogant young Natalie

(Kendrick), who develops a method of video

conferencing that will allow companies to fire

people without ever having to leave the office.

Determined to show Natalie the error of her

ways, Ryan takes her on one of his cross-country firing

adventures. However, while Natalie starts to realise

the disheartening realities of her profession, Ryan

begins to see the downfalls of his way of life - just

after he’s met Alex (Farmiga) the frequent-traveller

woman of his dreams. James Wright

FIlm info

CoNTENT icons

release date

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10

FIlm credits

Director Malcom Venville

Starring Ray Winstone,

Ian McShane, John

Hurt, Tom Wilkinson,

Stephen Dillane

22nd January

October > November 09 www.cornwallbigscreen.co.uk

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MooNRelease date 16th novemberDirector Duncan JonesStarring Sam Rockwell, Kevin Spacey, Dominique mcelligottalthough James cameron’s avatar

may well serve to buck the trend

on its release, much of recent

science fiction movie making has

seen computer-generated imagery

taking precedence over storytelling.

thankfully, first time director

duncan Jones is driven here by the

limitations of a low budget rather

than the studio pressures of the

blockbuster, and resorts to ingenuity

over pixel power. model makers

take the place of number crunchers

in this production, a decision which

lends solidity to the effects shots

and draws an aesthetic parallel

with such giants of the genre as

2001: a space odyssey, star wars

and bladerunner. this retrofitted

innovation also extends to the

narrative, which is informed by

classical themes of identity and loss

rather than guns and gadgets. sam

rockwell carries the film through a

stand out performance, while Jones

successfully avoids the pastiche

which sank boyle’s sunshine,

keeping his many references less

overt and placing the story front

and centre. Kingsley marshall

AWAYdAYsRelease date 28th SeptemberDirector Pat holdenStarring nicky Bell, Stephen graham, liam Boylethe movie adaptation of Kevin

sampson’s novel brings the grit

of birkenhead to the cinema

screen with some style. unlike

its forebears, the violence of the

period’s football casuals plays

second fiddle to something much

richer. the pack, a group of likely

lads who prowl for battles at the

away games of tranmere rovers,

exists in stark contrast to the grey

streets of 1970s’ britain. though

the subplot of emergent sexuality

is overstated, both this and the

ritualised aggression of the matches

is arguably much less important

than the sense of belonging

provided by the group - fashion

offering a much-needed counter to

the day to day drudgery of their work

and locale. comparisons have been

made to sean meadows’ paean to

punk this is england, but holden’s

film operates more in the spirit of

anton corbijn’s control where this

generation, far from the metropolitan

boltholes of punk, have found their

own means of expression amongst

the bleakness of the period. these

themes are reflected in a superb

soundtrack, populated by the bleak

electronica of cabaret voltaire,

uitravox and the ubiquitous Joy

division. Kingsley marshall

RUssell BRANd: scANdAloUsRelease date 9th novemberStarring Russell Brandbrand’s stand up comedy has

long revolved around the forensic

analysis of his many misadventures,

with 2008 having provided ample

material for this latest tour, which

was filmed at the 02 arena in the

spring. the presenter’s dalliance

into the minefield of presidential

politics caused controversy at

mtv’s annual video music awards,

causing him to flee the us with the

intention of lying low. this soon

backfired when a misjudged song

and dance with Jonathan ross

inadvertently ignited the bbc’s

biggest controversy since the

death of david Kelly. a whooping

crowd lap up brand’s post mortem

of both these events, embellished

with a slew of stories mined from

the minutiae of a wide-eyed (and

often crotch led) engagement with

celebrity culture. the laughs come

both in his mannerisms - an

english gent exasperated at the

rest of the world - and his honesty,

where a detailed account of an

unfortunate encounter with acting

royalty helen mirren typically

tumbles into a whirlpool of

misfortune. Kingsley marshall

iP MANRelease date 26th OctoberDirector Wilson YipStarring Donnie Yen, Simon Yam, Siu-Wong fan, Ka tung lambruce lee is one of the most

important men in martial arts

cinema - ask anyone with even

a passing interest. without the

tutelage of master ip, however,

lee’s brand of martial arts cinema

would never have been seen. this

biopic isn’t as violent as the kung-

fu flicks that he inspired; instead it

successfully manages to draw focus

on the emotional strain the chinese

citizens suffered under Japanese

internment during the sino-

Japanese war. but when there is

fighting, the choreography - which

won awards at the hong Kong film

awards - is sensational and creates

breathtaking bone breaking to rival

a tony Jaa film. it is by no means

perfect, but for fans who want to

gain an insight into martial arts

history, it’s essential. Chris Upton

looKiNG FoR eRicRelease date 12th OctoberDirector Ken loachStarring Steve evets, eric Cantona, Stephanie Bishop, gerard Kearnsfootball fanatic postman steve

evet is at the brink of insanity, his

life slowly descending into chaos.

his first wife, who he walked out on

many years ago, still haunts him; his

second wife has walked out, leaving

behind two stepsons who are out

of control, and, for no good reason,

there’s a cement mixer in his front

garden. despite the support of his

friends, evet continues to sink into

depression and, at his weakest

moment, he considers committing

suicide. however, before the deed

is done, evet starts to hallucinate

and before his very eyes appears

his hero: the suave, philosophical

and footballing genius that is eric

cantona. with the help of cantona,

evet grows in confidence and

begins to conquer his problems

through inspirational advice such as

“he who is afraid to throw the dice,

will never throw a six.” priceless. James Wright

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DVD REVIEWS october > november

DVDreVieWs

1 i ain’t gettin’ on no plane fool! ................................................

2 Quit your jibber jabber.............................................................

3 i’m teachin’ fools some basic rules........................................

4 it takes a smart guy to play dumb ..........................................

5 i believe in the golden rule - the man with the gold rules....

MR t’sRAtiNG

DVD releases

>>>

october aNd NoveMber 09

october 12th coraline

19th x-men origins: wolverine

last house on the left

the age of stupid

the uninvited

blood: the last vampire

26th monsters vs aliens

drag me to hell

obsessed

November2nd public enemies

last chance harvey

9th brüno

night at the museum:

battle of the smithsonian

16th star trek xi

23rd terminator: salvation

ice age 3: dawn

of the dinosaurs

coco before chanel

my sister’s Keeper

30th transformers:

revenge of the fallen

the proposal

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FIlM SHORTS october > november

GloRioUs 39 Release date 20th novemberDirector Stephen PoliakoffStarring Romola garai, Bill nighy, Julie Christie, David tennant, Christopher leehaving made his name helming big

budget television dramas, stephen

poliakoff’s big screen return brings

with it a plethora of thespian talent.

hopping back and forth between

present day london and an idyllic

countryside setting in 1939, the

story sees high society girl, anne,

discover mysterious recordings

pertaining to britain’s relationship

with nazi Germany. betrayed

and pursued, her secret could

change the course of world history.

meanwhile, our country stands on

the brink of war as hitler’s march

continues. with an awe-inspiring

cast, a veteran director and glossy

production, this unsettling dissection

of pre-war society represents uK

cinema at its best. Chris Wasey

NAtiVitY Release date 4th DecemberDirector Debbie isittStarring ashley Jensen, martin freeman, marc Wootton, alan Carrunderachieving primary school

teacher paul maddens has been

charged with the biggest challenge

of his life: overseeing the school

nativity play. competing against

local private school rivals in a bid

to be named the best production

in town, the stakes are raised

when maddens idly boasts to

his archrival that his ex-girlfriend

Jennifer, a hollywood producer, is

coming to see his show with a view

to turning it into a film. what he

omits to mention is that he has not

spoken to her in years and, with

his eccentric assistant fuelling his

white lie, maddens finds himself

amidst a whirlwind of quarreling

parents and over-excited children

hungry for fame. James Wright

PlANet 51Release date: 4th DecemberDirector Jorge Blanco Starring Dwayne Johnson, Jessica Biel, Justin long, gary Oldman, John Cleese take a dash of american

suburban innocence, a sprinkle

of 1950s paranoia, and another

solar system as a setting - and

there you have the concept

behind planet 51. captain charles

‘chuck’ baker is the astronaut

who lands on planet 51 and

claims it in the name of earth,

only to be met with an already

civilised world not entirely

dissimilar to our own. chuck

must navigate his way through

the strange landscape to escape

capture by the anti-alien army

and find his way back home.

boasting an all-star voice cast,

expect lots of pop-culture

references in the name of

comedy. gavin embley

deAd MAN RUNNiNGRelease date 30th OctoberDirector alex De RakoffStarring monet mazur, 50 Cent, Danny Dyer, Brenda Blethynwhen the recession starts hitting

the criminal underworld, new York

gangster and loan shark mr. thigo

decides to make an example out

of ex-con nick Kane by giving him

24 hours to raise the £100,000

he owes or become a dead man

running. in order to raise the

money, Kane embroils best friend

bing and girlfriend frankie in his

mission, which takes them from

the dog tracks of east london

to the underground drug scene

of rural manchester. with his

wheelchair-bound mother being

held at gunpoint by thigo, Kane

tries every scam in the book to

save their skin. edge of the seat

stuff. James Wright

tRiANGleRelease date 16th OctoberDirector Christopher Smith Starring melissa george, holly marie Combs, Rachael Carpani, emma lungok, so triangle isn’t the catchiest

title ever. but with christopher

smith - who directed creep (2004)

and severance (2006) - taking the

writing and directing credits and

ex-home and away star melissa

George in the lead role, this creepy

thriller has potential written all over

it. when Jess and a group of friends

set off on a yachting trip, a freak

storm leaves them stranded out

at sea - that is, until a mysterious

ship appears out of nowhere. with

no sign of life on board and an

uncanny feeling that she has been

on the ship before, Jess soon

comes face to face with the ship’s

sole occupant. Justin Vingoe

FilM sHoRts a round up of the movies due to hit the biG screen

tRiangle

glORiOUS 39