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Firth is a stylish Single Man
A stylish outing for designer Tom Ford's debut.
COLIN Firth has become cinema's 'Mr Bland', but his ordinariness is often used to great effect.
And this is certainly the case in A SINGLE MAN (12: Icon), in which he presents a facade of dull and unemotional respectability as the eponymous character.
Firth's English academic George Falconer lives in Los Angeles and appears to be your average Joe, but in reality he's struggling to come to terms with the death of his gay partner Jim (Matthew Goode). The film is set in the early '60s when attitudes were very different to those of today.
The movie's impetus surrounds Firth contemplating whether life is worth living without his lover. When he buys bullets for an old gun there's suspense as he seemingly prepares to end his anguish.
Will the attempts of a student (Nicholas Hoult) to break through his reserve or an evening spent with boozy best friend Charley (Julianne Moore) change his mind?
Tom Ford's directorial debut oozes panache and style and he's obviously a fan of Hitchcock.
He alludes to the great director both visually with a poster of Psycho and musically with Abel Korzeniowski's score echoing Hitchcock's best-known composer, Bernard Herrmann, all of which adds to the drama and turmoil of Firth's beautifully portrayed character.
> One of Hollywood's famous studios dusts down its hairy horror icon and lets THE WOLFMAN (15: Universal) loose in the digital era.
This enjoyable makeover cost an incredible $100million, but director Joe Johnston (Jurassic Park III) remains faithful to the spirit of the 1941 original, while updating the skin-stretching, bone-clacking special effects.
Benicio Del Toro plays it straight as Lawrence Talbot, a travelling player who returns home after his brother's remains are found on the blood-soaked moors and becomes the victim of an ancient family curse.
Anthony Hopkins is less convincing as Talbot Sr, who feasts on hunks of ham, while Emily Blunt's anaemic damsel in distress is a weak link.
You would think the film also had a curse put on it as the notoriously troubled production saw a change of director, reshoots and a delayed release date.
But despite some erratic pacing and occasional lack of emotion, the result is an above-average return to Universal's much-loved Gothic tradition.
> Relentlessly gripping thriller A PROPHET (18: Optimum) emphasises the humanity of the characters while in no way flinching from showing the brutality of criminal life.
Tahar Rahim is compelling as Malik El Djebena, a 19-year-old French Arab sent to jail for a petty crime.
Behind prison walls his youth and inexperience leave him open to exploitation. He's initially forced to do the dirty work of Corsican kingpin Cesar, but Malik also uses his time inside to get an education – both academic and criminal.
Although director Jacques Audiard supplies the requisite violence, revenge and betrayal, he manages to resist most prison movie cliches and instead focuses on Malik's path from naive teenager to tough crime lord.
The grimy, downbeat atmosphere is lightened by moments of surrealism and Audiard also sensitively examines the political and racial issues at the heart of the story.
But it is Rahim's portrait of a young man struggling to survive without losing his identity that makes this an unforgettable viewing experience.
> Inspired by The Little Mermaid, PONYO (U: Optimum) is a delightful Japanese animated fantasy about a little fish who dreams of becoming a human girl.
A young boy called Sosuke lives in a small coastal town and discovers a pretty goldfish he names Ponyo. Her love for Sosuke sets in motion events that threaten to disrupt the balance of nature.
This is a million miles away from the garish and crude cartoons that American studios often churn out and serves as a reminder that animated films can be imaginative, enchanting and exciting while still telling a warm-hearted story.
TOP TEN: 1.It's Complicated; 2.Edge Of Darkness; 3 Brothers; 4.Daybreakers; 5. Avatar; 6. Up In The Air; 7.Precious; 8.Did You Hear About The Morgans? 9.The Road; 10.The Box.
Chart supplied by Blockbuster
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Weather for Leighton Buzzard
Tuesday 22 May 2012
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