(USA) Here’s the thing. Robert Downey Jr. does Tony Stark—Iron Man’s unsubtle alter ego—effortlessly, convincingly, and with such breezy charm that he’s easily the best thing about superhero movies right now. The man could do it locked inside an iron suit with a glowing electromagnet implanted into his chest, no sweat. In fact, he does.
(USA) Comedy. Directed by Larry Charles. Starring Sacha Baron Cohen, Anna Faris, Ben Kingsley, Jason Mantzoukas. Category IIB. 83 minutes. Opens Jun 7.
(USA) Directed by Martin Scorsese. Starring Ben Kingsley, Asa Butterfield, Sasha Baron Cohen, Chloë Grace Moretz. Category I.
(USA) The Sands of Time is based on the video game sensation originally created two decades ago, and is produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, the mastermind behind the Pirates of the Caribbean series. Though Disney expected this to be the start of another phenomenal franchise, it predictably turns out to be a lackluster letdown. Director Mike Newell hasn’t made anything amazing since Donnie Brasco after all.
(USA) OK, so this does not quite pack a punch like any of Scorsese’s great gangster films. But still there is enough rough and tumble in this psychologically searing thriller to leave your head ticking over for a good while.
Dennis Lehane’s 2003 novel has been given a thoroughly good working over by screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis, who along with Scorsese, has taken us back to the era of stylish noir thrillers with this ingenious effort.
(USA) It’s always displeasing to exit a cinema hall thinking, “That could have been sooo much better.” Isabel Coixet’s (The Secret Life of Words) Elegy leaves one coming away with just that—a dispiriting sensation of knowing that the ingredients were all spot-on yet the pie, somehow, turned out to be a forgettable piece of fluff. Elegy’s premise isn’t alien; in fact it’s very much the opposite. How many times have we sat through the old-pervy-professor-falls-for-the-young-nubile-raven-haired-beaute offering?
Right from the start, we know this mind-bending thriller from director Paul McGuigan (“Wicker Park”) is going to be entertaining. Its opening prologue - a moody segment about the myth of the Kansas City Shuffle, where a family was brutally gunned-down following a horse bet gone horribly wrong - sets the tone of this riveting film. We are then introduced to the film’s deadly assassin and resident cool dude, Goldkat (Bruce Willis), the guy who establishes the movie’s strategy of misdirection and deadly sleight of hand.
Roman Polanski tackles Charles Dickens in this beautiful and refreshing adaptation.Although child abuse is hardly a pleasant topic to watch for two hours, director Roman Polanski's period drama offers a powerful interpretation of the classic Charles Dickens story. And whether or not it seems entirely relevant today, Polanski is able to hold the audience with this timeless story of a poor child struggling against insurmountable obstacles.
