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Aliens turn tables in Planet 51
DVDs out this week.
IT'S far from being out of this world, but fun animated flick PLANET 51 (U: Entertainment In Video) is full of slapstick humour and memorable characters.
Chisel-jawed astronaut Chuck Baker lands on what he thinks is an uninhabited planet, only to find it populated by little green men.
With the help of some well-meaning alien teens, fish-out-of-water Chuck has to find his way back to his spaceship before it returns to Earth without him.
This alien world bears a striking resemblance to 1950s America and its attendant fashions, fears and morals. Laughs come thick and fast in a sprightly kid-pleaser, while more grown-up viewers will find themselves grinning at the Cold War paranoia of bygone sci-fi movies and good-natured digs at the era's emerging protest movement.
The all-star voice cast features John Cleese, Gary Oldman, Jessica Biel and Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson.
>> Macho man flavour-of-the month Gerard Butler gives an edgy portrayal of the central character in the violent LAW ABIDING CITIZEN (18: Momentum).
He walks a thin line between madness and genius - and as usual with Butler has difficulty keeping his shirt on - as he turns vigilante.
Philadelphia family man Clyde Shelton is enraged when hotshot prosecutor Nick Rice (Jamie Foxx) strikes a deal with one of the men responsible for the murder of his wife and daughter.
Shelton embarks on a bloody revenge mission against everyone involved in the trial and although Rice puts him behind bars, he's baffled when the gruesome deaths continue.
Has another killer taken up the cause or is Shelton somehow orchestrating the carnage from his prison cell?
The film offers an intriguing spin on the revenge thriller while examining the loopholes and inadequacies of the justice system.
The plot's quick-fix resolution may disappoint some, but the performances of the two leads are excellent. Foxx is perfectly cast as the moral compass and Butler's good guy-turned-bad will leave a lasting impression.
>> Period thriller GLORIOUS 39 (12: Momentum) marks a return to the movies for writer/director Stephen Poliakoff after a decade crafting some of British TV's most original drama.
Anne (Romola Garai) is a privileged girl who breaks ranks with her family when, just ahead of the Second World War, she discovers that her politician father (Bill Nighy) may be involved in a sinister plot to appease Hitler.
Poliakoff cleverly translates the mood of fear and uncertainty in Britain into a dark psychological maze that leads Anne to the verge of insanity.
Garai makes a gutsy yet vulnerable heroine, Nighy is superb and there's great support from Julie Christie, David Tennant and a creepy Christopher Lee. Events become a tad too surreal at times, but it's still impossible to look away.
>> The most notable aspect of tepid romantic thriller THE MERRY GENTLEMAN (15: Universal) is that it marks the directorial debut of Michael Keaton.
He also stars as hitman Frank Logan who is saved, unknowingly, from suicide by receptionist Kate (Kelly MacDonald) when she spots him at the scene of his latest crime.
Frank inexplicably strikes up a relationship with Kate, an abused wife who has run away from her husband, while the cop investigating the assassin's crimes also falls for her. Then the estranged husband comes back on the scene – and that's just about it.
McDonald's perky performance is a distinct plus, but Keaton's character is so enigmatic that it's impossible to fathom him out and the lack of pace is only partly offset by the subtle camerawork
>> Urban drama 1 DAY (15: Momentum), spotlighting gang rivalries and drug-related violence in Birmingham, has an offbeat twist by having the cast rapping in the middle of the action.
A young hustler has only one day to settle a debt with a ruthless dealer, yet despite that potentially gripping premise, the film loses its way with a meandering tour of the neighbourhood.
Director Penny Woolcock deserves praise for ambition, and is clear-sighted enough to show the attractions as well as the deadly cost of the drugs trade, but due to the jarring hip-hop interruptions the result is about as believable as West Side Story.
>> TOP TEN: 1 Twilight Saga: New Moon; 2 Paranormal Activity; 3 Law Abiding Citizen; 4 Zombieland; 5 The Time Traveler's Wife; 6 Harry Brown; 7 The Fourth Kind; 8 Saw VI; 9 The Invention Of Lying; 10 Up. Chart from Blockbuster.
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 10 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: North
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 12 C to 22 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: North
