Beginners, 2011. Written and Directed by Mike Mills. Starring Ewan McGregor, Christopher Plummer and Mélanie Laurent. SYNOPSIS: Oliver (Ewan McGregor) is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father Hal (Christopher Plummer): that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover. I wanted to start by saying that I was actually […]

Cowboys & Aliens, 2011. Directed by Jon Favreau. Starring Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Paul Dano, Clancy Brown and Keith Carradine. SYNOPSIS: A posse of cowboys attempt to defend Earth from extraterrestrial invaders. Cowboys and Aliens. Now there’s a high concept movie title if I ever heard one. There are cowboys. There […]

Win Win, 2011. Directed by Thomas McCarthy. Starring Paul Giamatti, Amy Ryan, Bobby Cannavale, Alex Shaffer, Burt Young and Jeffrey Tambor. SYNOPSIS: A struggling lawyer and volunteer wrestling coach Mike Flaherty (Paul Giamatti) decides to ‘innocently’ relocate an elderly client with dementia, Leo Poplar (Burt ‘Paulie’ Young), into a nursing home to receive his guardian […]

Conan the Barbarian, 2011. Directed by Marcus Nispel. Starring Jason Momoa, Stephen Lang, Rachel Nichols, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan and Bob Sapp. SYNOPSIS: Conan the Cimmerian journeys across the continent of Hyboria on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and slaughter of his village. *** SPOILERS *** I went into Conan with […]

Neds, 2010. Written and Directed by Peter Mullan. Starring Conor McCarron, Peter Mullan, Gary Lewis, Mhairi Anderson, Greg Forrest and Martin Bell. SYNOPSIS: In 1970s Glasgow, a young boy finds his life spiralling out of control when he falls in with the wrong crowd, entering a world of cheap drugs, violence and the camaraderie of […]

Camp Victory, Afghanistan, 2010. Directed by Carol Dysinger. SYNOPSIS: The true story of the American Exit Strategy in Afghanistan, compiled from 300 hours of footage shot over the course of three years. Little-known documentary director Carol Dysinger has achieved an admirable feat with her film Camp Victory, Afghanistan. Not so much the production itself but […]

Lock Up (Spanish: Cruzando el límite), 2010. Directed by Xavi Giménez. Starring Marcel Borràs, Carlos Cuevas, Adolfo Fernández and Cristina Dilla. SYNOPSIS: A troubled teen is admitted to a high-security rehabilitation centre in an attempt to curb his dangerously wayward behaviour. What a week it has been for the common folk of England. A week […]

Captain America: The First Avenger, 2011. Directed by Joe Johnston. Starring Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hugo Weaving, Stanley Tucci, Hayley Atwell, Dominic Cooper, Sebastian Stan and Toby Jones. SYNOPSIS: During World War II, Steve Rogers is turned into the heroic super-soldier Captain America. In a summer schedule which has been jam-packed full of sequels, […]

Super 8, 2011. Written and Directed by J.J. Abrams. Starring Kyle Chandler, Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Riley Griffiths, Noah Emmerich and Glynn Turman. SYNOPSIS: A group of young filmmakers witness a spectacular event that changes their lives forever. THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SOME SPOILERS… Before we started, let’s get one thing straight. There is no ‘new’ […]

Wreckage, 2010. Directed by John Mallory Asher. Starring Aaron Paul, Justin Allen, Scoot McNairy, Kelly Kruger and Mike Erwin. SYNOPSIS: A group of teenagers find themselves stranded in a scrapyard after their car breaks down, where an escaped convict begins to hunt them one by one. When I received the screener with the title emblazoned […]