Jeff, Who Lives at Home
Director: Jay & Mark Duplass
Running Time: One hour & twenty-three minutes
Certificate: 15

I can’t say I’m a huge fan of Jason Segel’s. I’m not really convinced that he’s contributed anything worthwhile (as of yet) to the world of cinema. I’ve watched the occasional episode of How I Met Your Mother, but he’s not even the best thing in that. So, I was rather surprised by the trailer for his newest comedy, Jeff, Who Lives at Home.

Segel plays a thirty-something loser, who still lives in his mother’s basement and one day, Jeff sets off to the shops to buy some wood glue. Whilst off on his jaunt, Jeff looks to the universe for signs about what he should ‘do’ with his life and unexpectedly comes across his brother, sister-in-law and mother.

So, will these unexpected events lead Jeff to discover the ‘meaning’ of his life (as he desires), and will he make it to the shops in time? This is directed by the guys who made Cyrus, which was more miss than hit. However, this does show some promise, and what with me being a Kevin Smith fan, I do have a certain admiration for slacker-bum, characters. It will probably be perfectly forgettable, but it is by far the most interesting thing, Segel has done to date.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

Adrian Grunberg’s directorial début, star’s the fallen, former Hollywood action star, Mel Gibson. Originally titled Get the Gringo, Gibson plays Driver and rather predictably, Driver is having a very bad day. Having just completed a robbery which would ensure a life on easy street, Driver crashes his car whilst on the run from the U.S. Border Patrol. Unfortunately for Driver, when the car stops spinning, he’s crossed the Mexican/American border and is promptly arrested and imprisoned by the Mexican authorities, who just so happen to steal his loot too. The first thing Driver needs to do is escape from El Pueblito (the worst prison in Mexico), and there’s the small matter of reclaiming his money.

This all sounds vaguely reminiscent of Payback, but with a smattering of Xenophobia: The Movie A.K.A Taken. The latter largely because it will feature Gibson, shooting almost every Mexican in Mexico, but don’t worry he’s definitely not a racist. But the trailer does have a certain charm and Gibson can most certainly handle action and that grizzled voice-over just reminds me of Payback’s Porter, which was probably Gibson’s last great action character. It’ll most probably be rubbish, but you never know…

Angele et Tony/Angel & Tony
Director: Alix Delaporte
Running Time: One hour & twenty-three minutes
Certificate: 15

Angel is a beautiful young woman with a troubled past, who moves to a small fishing town in Normandy. There she meets Tony, a local fisherman who finds himself attracted to her, despite disliking her abrupt manner. Against his better judgement, Tony hires Angel as a fishmonger, rents a room to her and teaches her the tricks of his trade. The relationship between Tony and Angel is far from easy, but eventually, both parties adapt and little by little, Tony and Angel fall in love. A romantic drama, but uniquely French.

Juan de los Muertos/Juan of The Dead

The tag-line for Juan of the Dead is, ‘50 years after the Cuban Revolution, a new Revolution is about to begin’, and that’s something of an understatement, obviously. Cuba isn’t being invaded by American’s, as the inhabitants fear, but zombies!

Juan of the Dead is about Juan, a 40 year old who has spent most of his life in Cuba, doing absolutely nothing. It’s his way of life, and he’s prepared to defend it at any cost, along with his equally lazy and stupid pal, Lázaro. Juan’s only relative, is his daughter, Camila, a beautiful young girl who wants nothing to do with her father, because he’s only good at one thing, and that’s getting himself into trouble. However, out of the blue people start attacking one another. At first, Juan is convinced it’s just another stage of the revolution, with the media referring to the attacks as isolated incidents, provoked by Cuban dissidents, paid for by the US government. But Juan and his friends quickly realise that these attackers are not dissidents – they’re zombies!

And so, Juan goes into to business as a zombie slayer and even establishes his own slogan, ‘Juan of the Dead, we kill your beloved ones’. It sounds bonkers, it looks bonkers and I’m willing to bet, it is bonkers… I’m there!

Un amour de jeunesse/Goodbye First Love

This is another French drama – French cinema really is on a roll at the moment – and Goodbye First Love, chronicles a teenager’s first heartbreak. At the age of fifteen, Camille is a serious teenage girl, who falls intensely in love with the cheerful, but carefree, Sullivan – an older boy who has his sights set on backpacking around South America. And so, when Sullivan leaves, Camille is devastated, but over the next eight years Camille will develop into a strong headed woman, with new interests and loves. However, when Sullivan re-enters her life, will she revert back to her defenceless fifteen year-old self?

This is the third feature film from the French director, Mia Hansen-Løve, whose last film was the critically acclaimed, Le père de mes enfants/Father of My Children. This should offer a unique view of teenage love and specifically how that first love, can shape the rest of our lives.

Monsieur Lazhar

Monsier Lazhar is based upon the French play, Bachir Lazhar, by Evelyne De la Chenelière. It’s about an Algerian immigrant who is hired to replace an elementary school teacher, who recently died. Whilst his new class/school, come to terms with its grieving, nobody is aware of their new teacher/colleague’s own painful history, nor that Bachir is at risk of deportation at any moment.

Monsier Lazhar depicts what happens when to two distant worlds collide and the power of self-expression. It appears to feature great sensitivity and humour, and Philippe Falardeau has weaved a breath-taking tale about a humble man, who is ready to transcend his own loss, in order to accompany the children he teaches, beyond the silence and taboo of death. Simply breath-taking French cinema and my pick of the week.

Le Moine/The Monk
Director: Dominik Moll
Running Time: One hour & forty-five minutes
Certificate: 15

This Vincent Cassel film, The Monk, is set in seventeenth century Madrid. Cassel plays the titular monk, Ambrosio, an orphan who was abandoned on a monastery’s doorstep, and who was raised by the Capucin Friars. Once grown, Ambrosio becomes a friar himself and displays a great zeal for preaching, with his sermons drawing massive crowds and earning him great admiration; for his extreme vigour and absolute virtue. Ambrosio foolishly believes he is safe from any temptation, but is he?

Cassel has great screen-presence and this film about temptation, corruption and religion looks to be a well-directed piece, but it’s unlikely to find a big audience in cinemas – so see it if you can.

Avengers Assemble

Avengers Assemble - stupid title! – doesn’t really need a synopsis. What’s the point, it’s just a band of YOUR favourite MARVEL superheroes, thrown together to fight some unstoppable force. Although the villain in this film is Loki, who’s already been defeated (last I saw), in last year’s Thor, so I’m not sure what’s gone on since Loki last tangled with his superhero brother, he’s obviously been eating his vitamins and saying his prayers.

As you’ve probably guessed, I don’t have much love for MARVEL’s newest film or any MARVEL film for that matter. I always thought each of their individual superhero jaunts - Iron Man, X-Men: First Class, Thor & Captain America - were all far too long, so heaven knows what the running time of this will be… longer, at a guess. You know, I hope that by Joss Whedon directing this, it facilitates him to make something half-way decent, otherwise, what was the point? If you like watching men in tights hitting each other with big hammers and shields, then you’ll probably love this. Moi, not so much.

Happy People – A Year in The Taiga

The synopsis of Happy People has Herzog written all over, so it’ll come as no surprise, that it’s my film of the week.

Herzog narrates this documentary about a remote village where 300 people live. They face some of the most hostile conditions on earth and inhabit the village of Bakhatia. There are only two ways to reach the small village and that’s by either helicopter or by boat. In this isolated wilderness, there are no phones, no running water and no medical aid. The people, who live here, do so according to their own values and cultural traditions, which have remained unchanged for centuries. And in Happy People, Dmitry Vasyukov and Werner Herzog, give us a glimpse of this curious village and its unique way of life. Do yourself a favour – just go and see it!

Iron Sky
Director: Timo Vuorensola
Running Time: One hour & thirty-three minutes
Certificate: 15

And so, the film about Nazis returning from a secret base on the moon, to overthrow the earth is finally released, but was Iron Sky worth the wait and can it possibly live-up to the hype?

Iron Sky is a Science-Fiction film directed by Timo Vuorensola and during the final moments of WW2 a top secret unit of Nazis, evade capture by fleeing to the dark side of the moon. Whilst in exile, the Nazis construct a gigantic space fortress and have even built themselves an armada of flying saucers, but when an American astronaut lands a little too close to the Nazi base, the Moon Führer (Udo Kier) decides it is time for the Nazis to retake the earth. Sound bonkers, right? But anyway, it’ll certainly make for a fun trip to the cinema.

Elles

The trailer for this French drama directed by Malgorzata Szumowska certainly looks interesting, however, I suspect it might descend into bourgeois navel-gazing. It’s about Anne, played by Juliette Binoche, who’s a well-off, Paris-based investigative journalist for ELLE magazine. Anne’s newest assignment involves writing an article concerning student prostitution, specifically about female students turning to prostitution in order to pay for their university fees. Anne meets with two fiercely independent young women, Alicja and Charlotte, and in doing so she has her own profound revelation, which leads to Anne questioning her most intimate ideals about money, family and sex.

Madrid, 1987

Madrid, 1987 is about two writers, one a celebrated journalist, Miguel (Jos Sacistn), and the other, Angela (Mara Valverde), a beautiful, young, undergraduate journalism student. Miguel agrees to meet with Angela to give her an interview, but the much older writer becomes intent upon seducing the aspiring journalist. The two end up spending a great deal of time together and rather inexplicably (from the trailer), that time appears to be spent in the bathroom, where they discuss literature, prose and career trajectories, whilst sharing a bath. Nice!

As the two chat, so they gradually divulge little snippets of information about themselves, revealing Miguel’s cynicism and Angela’s intentions. This will be a discussion on writing, journalism, careers, ageism and politics, and looks to be shot mostly in confined spaces. This is a rather exciting prospect for Spanish cinema.

Arrugas/Wrinkles

Wrinkles is the second Spanish film this week and it’s based upon Paco Roca’s comic of the same title, which won the Spanish National Comic Prize in 2008.

It’s an animated feature about a friendship between Emilio and Miguel, two elderly gentlemen who are shut away in a care home. Emilio has only recently arrived and is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, he’s about to be shipped off to the top-floor of the care-home, which is also known as ‘the lost causes’ or ‘assisted floor’, but Miguel and his friends are intent on preventing this from happening. This looks to be an insightful comedy about the pains of growing old but with humour and tenderness. The animation may lack a distinct ‘look’, it plainly isn’t as iconic as the recent A Cat in Paris, but regardless, this should be an entertaining watch.

LockOut

I can’t honestly say I ever expected to discover a trailer for a Science-Fiction Action film starring, Guy Pearce, especially one which is produced by the makers of Taken (one of the most xenophobic films in recent history), but there we go, that’s precisely what LockOut is.

So, starring the aforementioned Guy Pearce, and Maggie Grace, LockOut is set in the near future, and it follows the adventures of a falsely convicted ex-government agent, Snow (Pearce). Snow’s last chance for redemption and freedom  lies in a dangerous mission to rescue the President’s daughter (Grace), from rioting convicts on a maximum security prison, which just so happens to be orbiting earth, in outer space – damn! Guy Pearce and the film appear to be channelling Snake Plissken and Escape from New York, which is far from a problem for moi, so much so, that LockOut is unquestionably, my film of the week!

Blackthorn
Director: Mateo Gil
Running Time: One hour & forty-two minutes
Certificate: 15

Blackthorn is the fictional retelling of the Butch Cassidy fable. This story asserts that Cassidy, (played by Sam Shepard), wasn’t killed in a standoff with the Bolivian army in 1908, as is reported. Instead, Cassidy survived and escaped to quietly live out his days as James Blackthorn. However, after years of living in exile, missing his home in the U.S. and hoping to see his family one last time before he dies, Cassidy decides to set off on the long and dangerous journey home. But when the elderly cowboy has a chance encounter with an ambitious young outlaw, (Eduardo Noriega), his plans are derailed and he’s thrust into one last adventure, something he hasn’t experienced since his glory days with the Sundance Kid.

The Western still has a powerful allure for this writer and every few years it seems like some American actor decides to dust of his spurs and Stetson, and wander off into the wilderness. This time it’s Sheppard, and it’s hard not to be excited by this mythical retelling of the Butch Cassidy tale, and as a special bonus, Sheppard’s beard looks magnificent.

The Cabin in The Woods

So plot details and the synopsis are relatively sparse on Whedon’s newest script, The Cabin in The Woods. This is largely due to the films twisty nature but here’s what to expect. A group of five teenage friends, go for a break at a remote cabin in the far reaches of a wooded wilderness. And would you believe it, terror quickly ensues!? Shock horror, right? Well, the band of nubile teens must work together to discover the truth behind the cabin in the woods before they get ‘offed’, one by one.

This is the directorial début of Drew Goddard and like this film’s scribe (Whedon), Goddard is no stranger to TV writing, which is where the director made his name, on shows like; Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Lost, and he also wrote J.J. Abrams, Cloverfield, but I’m not really sure that’s a good thing. It’s got no real stars to speak of, but it does feature MARVEL’s Thor, Chris Hemsworth. But please don’t hold that against this rather intriguing horror film.

Film of the the week… I think… probably…

North Sea, Texas
Director: Bavo Defurne
Running Time: TBA
Certificate: 15

North Sea, Texas, is a coming-of-age tale about the pains of unrequited love, from the Belgian director Bavo Defurne. It tells the story of Pim, a lonely, gay adolescent, who lusts after his neighbour and motorcycle enthusiast, Gino, whilst another neighbour, Sabrina, longs for Pim’s attention – oh how the road to true love is never straight forward. This is Defurne’s first feature length film, the rest of his output thus far has been a collection of shorts, but based upon this trailer, he could be a director to watch. Defurne’s debut certainly looks intriguing.

This Must Be The Place

Christ! A Sean Penn film that I actually want to watch, this is a great week for cinema. Penn plays the wealthy former rock-star, Cheyenne, who looks an awful lot like Robert Smith of The Cure. Anyway, Cheyenne, now in his retirement, is bored and jaded with life, and upon hearing that his father is near death, travels to New York to be beside his father, who he hasn’t seen for over thirty years, before he dies. However, he arrives too late but discovers that his father suffered great humiliations, whilst being held in in Auschwitz, at the hands of former SS Officer, Aloise Muller. Cheyenne’s father was desperate to take his revenge on his persecutor, and so his son (Cheyenne), will pick-up where his father left of.

As with any road movie – which this unquestionably is – Cheyenne will be awoken by the people he encounters on his journey, much like Bill Murray’s Don Johnston in Broken Flowers, and before coming face-to-face with his father’s nemesis Cheyenne will have to choose whether he is seeking revenge or redemption. An unexpected surprise, and certainly worth the trip to the cinema.

Headhunters

Headhunters is the adaptation of Jo Nesbo’s, acclaimed Norwegian novel and this Norwegian film marks the second that I’ve featured in Knotted Fur, in as many weeks – now that’s a consecutive rarity! For the majority of the American and British audiences, this film’s biggest star will undoubtedly be the Danish actor, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, who stars in HBO’s, Game of Thrones series. But anyway…

Apart from being vertically challenged, Roger is a man who (apparently) has it all. He’s Norway’s most successful headhunter, he’s married to an exceedingly beautiful woman, Diana, and has a luxurious villa. However, to keep all that he has to resort to a side-line career, in crime, stealing famous paintings and artworks. But his final big heist might just be his last – SURPRISE! Whilst Clas Greve (Coster-Waldau), may appear to be the perfect dupe for Roger’s final big hit, the tables will soon be turned. Greve may well be a chief executive in the electronics business, who’s also in possession of some lucrative artworks, but he’s also a former elite soldier… Doh! Blinded by greed, Roger plans his final heist, but when he breaks into Greve’s house, he finds far more than he bargained for and thus chaos (expectedly) ensues.

A Norwegian action film, yep, you read that correctly, what’s not to like? This looks excellent and I’ll be first in line when I get the opportunity to see it.

A Cat In Paris

Personally, I think this French animation from directors, Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli, looks absolutely breath-taking and it makes a refreshing alternative, to the excellent but now annual Miyazaki releases. Its European-ness also makes this an attractive proposition.

A Cat In Paris weaves together a tale (no pun intended), about a cat by the name of Dino, who leads a double life. During the day, he lives with Zoe, a little girl who lives with her mother, Jeanne, a police officer. Unknown to mother and daughter by night their cat, Dino, works with a notorious cat burglar, Nico, but Nico is an acrobatic burglar with style, grace and a very big heart.

However, Dino’s worlds collide when Zoe decides to follow her cat on his nocturnal adventures – and falls into the hands of local thug, Victor Costa. So Dino and Nico have no choice, but to team-up and rescue Zoe from the bumbling thieves clutches. This stylish animation has obvious nods to classic noir fiction, but also the humour and wit of the Pink Panther animations – definitely not to be missed and it was an extremely close contender, for film of the week.

Le Havre

So, my two top picks this week are both French! In this warm-hearted portrait of the French harbour city, Le Havre, Aki Kaurismäki, director of, The Man Without a Past, returns to tell the story of a young African refugee, Idrissa, who runs into the path of Marcel Marx, who works as a shoe-shiner. Marcel takes a shining (pun intended) to the young refugee and with the support of his community, stands up to the local officials, who are pursuing Idrissa for deportation.

This has been described as a political fairy tale, which exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic French cinema, of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné. Whatever, Le Havre certainly has bucket-loads of charm, and if the trailer is any indication, then this will be an absolute delight.

Tiny Furniture
Director: Lena Dunham
Running Time: One hour & thirty-eight minutes
Certificate: 15

Lena Dunham writes, directs and stars in her newest film, Tiny Furniture. Dunham plays Aura, and as the poster suggests, Aura wants you to know that she’s not very happy. This is only the director’s second feature film and her first, Creative Nonfiction, premiered at SXSW in March 2009.

The 22-year-old Aura returns to live with her artist mother after her boyfriend leaves her to ‘find himself’ at ‘Burning Man’. All Aura has is a useless film theory degree (not at all familiar), 357 hits on her Youtube page, and a dying hamster. Clearly, she’s one of life’s winners. This is going to be a quirky and pretentious film with a New York setting, so I for one will certainly give it a go.

The Island President

Jon Shenk’s documentary, The Island President, is the story of Mohamed Nasheed, until recently the President of the Maldives. Nasheed was a president confronting a greater problem than any other world leader had ever faced—the survival of his country and everyone living on the island. Sadly, Nasheed resigned as president in February, after he was threatened with violence in a coup d’etat, carried out by security forces loyal to the country’s former dictator. This of course appears to leave the country’s future in the hands of the gods. But its central message concerning global warming is still valid.

A rise of just three feet in sea level would submerge the 1200 islands of the Maldives, which would be enough to make them uninhabitable. The Island President is a documentary about Nasheed’s first year in power and his struggle to elevate the discussion of climate change, something which will have an impact upon us all. The first of two interesting documentaries this week.

Corpo celeste

Corpo celeste is set deep in the south of Italy and it’s the story of Marta, a 13-year-old girl who is struggling to adapt to life in her native homeland after a ten year stay in Switzerland. Corpo Celeste marks the debut of Alice Rohrwacher, who directs and writes here and her film looks to be a sensitive discussion concerning the moral and religious layers that can smother adolescence.

The bright-eyed and restless, Marta, investigates her new home taking in Italy’s unfamiliar sights, sounds and smells, but she’s unable to shake the feeling of being an outsider. Marta is about to undergo the rite of confirmation but she confronts the morality of her local Catholic community and through a series of subtle moments she begins to connect and conflict with her mother, sister and Sunday school teacher. All leading to Marta taking her first steps to controlling her own future and life.

Babycall

Noomi Rapace stars in this Norwegion thriller/horror, which is something of a departure for the actress as of late, what with starring in Hollywood epics, Sherlock Holmes 2 and the forthcoming Sci-Fi extravaganza, Prometheus.

Anyway, Rapace plays Anna, a single mother who moves with her eight-year-old son to a new flat, outside Oslo, to escape her violent husband. Anna is petrified that her husband will find them, and is under heavy surveillance by the social services. One day Anna decides to buy a babycall, so her son doesn’t have to sleep in her bed. However, the babycall appears to pick-up the screams of a mysterious child, who lives somewhere in the flats. So, are Anna and her son safe from her violent husband and what of this tormented child who they hear screaming?

I sincerely doubt this will be a revelation, as far as thrillers go, but it’s certainly nice to see Rapace in something other than an American production again. Maybe wait until it’s out on DVD.

The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists
Director: 

Aardman’s newest animation sees ‘The Pirate Captain’, setting out on a mission to defeat his arch rivals, ‘Black Bellamy’ and ‘Cutlass Liz’, in the competition for ‘Pirate of the Year Award’. The quest takes the Captain and his intrepid crew from the shores of Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London. By the look of trailer this will incorporate all of the trademark wit and humour, which we’ve come to expect from the Bristol based animation-studio. With it’s arrival anybody would think it was half-term…

Into The Abyss: A Tale of Death, A Tale of Life

This week’s top pick was an easy choice, despite the strong competition. Bavarian film director, Werner Herzog, is on one hell of a roll after his move to America, with hit after hit since 2009′s, My Son, My Son, What have Ye Done, and fortunately his current success shows no sign of waning.

Into The Abyss is part of Herzog’s ‘Death Row’ project, which also includes a collection of shorter TV films and it is a film I have been awaiting for some time now. It’s a documentary exploring violent crimes and their consequences, not just for the individuals involved but society at large. Herzog focuses his documentary upon Michael Perry and Jason Burkett, both of whom were convicted of a triple homicide, committed in their home state of Texas. Whilst Burkett didn’t receive the death penalty, Perry was interviewed on camera just days before his execution. Along with these interviewees, Herzog also talks to their families and those of the victims, and those who are intimately involved in the administration of execution. This should be a fascinating subject for Herzog to investigate, a subject which conjures up the movie maestro’s favourite themes.

The Hunger Games

I’ve just read the encyclopaedia or more accurately what passes for The Hunger Games synopsis. Man, that in itself is bloated and tedious, so what hope does the film have… Not much!

In the not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed. The USA has been renamed and replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and twelve districts. Every year, two young representatives are chosen by a lottery to compete in, ‘The Hunger Games’. A televised gameshow kind of like The Krypton Factor, but with knives and bows and arrows, which is basically, a complete rip-off, of Battle Royale, but a PG13 version for the yanks – way to go America! When Prim, is selected to enter the games for her district, her older sister Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) volunteers to take her place. Katniss and her male counterpart, Peeta (Josh Hutcherson), who’s the local baker, have absolutely zero fighting skills, but somehow I’m sure, they’ll see it through until the end, well, Katniss certainly will.

This is based upon the novels by Suzanne Collins, so I’m sure there’s something more to this than a mere Battle Royal rip-off, although to be perfectly blunt, I don’t think I can muster the enthusiasm to find out what.

The Kid With a Bike

Set in Seraing a young boy, Cyril (Thomas Doret), is abandoned by his father and left in a state-run youth farm. In a random act of kindness, the town hairdresser, Samantha (Cécile De France), agrees to foster him on the weekends.

The Kid with a Bike is directed by the Dardenne brothers, the French filmmaking duo’s previous films include; The Silence of Lorna, The Child and The Son. The film won the Grand Prix at 2011′s Cannes film Festival, and it shared that win with last week’s Turkish film, Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. The film appears to be a critique on absent fathers and it’s trailer has far more charm than its American cousin.

Wild Bill

‘Wild’ Bill Hayward (Charlie Creed-Miles), is released from prison after serving eight-years inside. Bill returns to the East End streets where he grew up and decides he needs to skip town and leave his tough-man reputation, in his shady past. However, that proves difficult for Bill, after he visits his family and discovers his ex-wife has deserted their two sons and left them to fend for themselves. Bill’s older son, Dean (Will Poulter), is fiercely independent and wants nothing to do with his father, but when suspicions are raised about who is looking after the two boys, Bill agrees to stay with them, to avoid raising the social services suspicions any further. Stuck in the East End of London, which Bill is so desperately trying to escape, he must decide whether to face up to his parental responsibilities, risking association with his old thugs and new criminal cohorts, or make a run for it, forever.

This is Dexter Fletcher’s directorial début. Yes, that is Dexter Fletcher from ITV’s Press Gang and this looks to be an impressive début. Ok, it isn’t a particularly brave or even refreshing look at British culture, it is after all just another gangster flick, but at least it has some interesting nuances, which is a rarity in this most awful of genres. If The Kid with a Bike is about absent fathers, then Wild Bill is about absent father’s returning and learning to do the right thing, no matter the sacrifices they have to make.

Wild Bill is my film of the week, but if you can, why not make a ‘double bill’ out of that and The Kid with a Bike. The one thing you can say about this week’s releases – with the exception of the awful Hunger Games – they certainly have synergy.

We Bought a Zoo
Director: Cameron Crowe
Running Time: Two hours & four minutes
Certificate: PG

We Bought a Zoo is based upon the book by Benjamin Mee, about his real life story in which he bought a zoo, although all of this took place in Devon, England, as appose to America; the zoo in question being, Dartmoor Zoological Park. Anyway, Mee approved of Crowe’s changes and so here we have, We Bought a Zoo!

Crowe’s adaptation, tells the story of a recently widowed father of two, Benjamin, played by Matt Damon, who decides to move his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open the titular zoo. Whilst doing so, he’ll meet the beautiful zoo-hand, Kelly Foster, (Scarlett Johansson), and fall helplessly in love. And all of this will transpire alongside a beautifully apt soundtrack, because that’s what Cameron Crowe does.

Be warned, this film includes the line… “I like the animals but I love the humans”. Somebody pass me the sick bucket. Cameron Crowe, what on earth went wrong? But still, the soundtrack will be okay.

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia

This Turkish drama is based upon the actual experiences of one of the film’s writers. It is the story of a group of men who go searching for a dead body on the Anatolian steppe. The film premièred at 2011′s Cannes Film Festival, where it was declared the co-winner of the Grand Prix prize. While the official synopsis lacks much in the way of detail, the trailer more than makes up for this, with its breath-taking vistas and scenery; from leaves blowing in the wind, to moustached men looking conspicuous. This is certainly one to watch-out for and I for one will certainly be seeing it, when it eventually hits the South Coast.

The Other Side of Sleep

Arlene lives in a small town in the Midlands, surrounded by fields, woodlands and country lanes. One morning, Arlene awakes in the woodland beside the body of a young woman. Upon this discovery, Arlene realises that someone is watching her from the trees, and shortly after this the body of the deceased woman is discovered, and then suspicion spreads throughout the local, small town community. Confused and scared, Arlene decides to barricade herself in at night, afraid to sleep and haunted by grief, Arlene’s sleeping and waking realities soon blur. But all the while, somebody is watching her every move…

The Other Side of Sleep looks like it’s going to be a rather intriguing British thriller and if the trailers are anything to go by, it’ll feature a dash of surrealism. This is Daly’s first feature length after directing two shorts; Hum and Joyriders. The film certainly has a spooky and eerie feel to it and this film could mark the arrival, of a bright British talent.

Four Horsemen

The Four Horsemen is a documentary from the debuting director, Ross Ashcroft. This documentary looks interesting because it claims to be interested in igniting a discussion about how ‘we’, can usher in a new economic paradigm, something which the filmmaker and interviewees argue, would dramatically improve the quality of life for billions. So, no lofty aspirations here then! The documentary also claims to be free of mainstream media propaganda and that it doesn’t feature; banker bashing, criticism towards politicians or propagated conspiracy theories. So it will be interesting to see what the twenty-three ‘international thinkers’ – including Noam Chomsky – do come up with, aside from revealing how the world ‘really works’, and if there’s the slightest hope of re-establishing a moral and just society. Heavy stuff, and no doubt a deeply thought-provoking and interesting watch.

With the exception of We Bought a Zoo there’s plenty to choose from this week at the cinema and personally, at the top of my list will be the Four Horsemen.

Payback Season
Director: Danny Donnelly
Running Time: One hour & thirty-one minutes
Certificate: 15

Here’s Adam Deacon’s first film, since winning his ‘Rising Star’ award at this year’s Baftas. On the strength of the trailer, this merely confirms that the great British public (those who voted at least), are pea-brained simpletons. The sort of mouth breathing morons, who walk around with a permanent grin on their faces, saying things like “innit” and “wha-wha-bruv”, and all whilst wearing gravity defying trousers – in other words, c*nts!

Deacon plays premiership footballer, Jerome. As with any overpaid ‘athlete’ in today’s premiership, Jerome has everything he could want – luxury flat, fast cars, girls, and a high profile career. This is in vast contrast to the council estate he left behind. But when Jerome has a chance scuffle with his old crew, on the council estate where he grew up, his world is turned upside down, as he’s dragged (back) into a world of blackmail, bribery, dealers, thieves and all the other miscreants, Jerome used to associate with. It’s a ‘hard knock life’ and Jerome has no easy way out… “Yeah Blud!”

The trailer looks horrible, and this will be a predictably dull gangster affair, with all the usual inner-city London bollocks. To be perfectly honest, I hope Deacon stays in Hackney, because I don’t give shit what ‘he’s about’. To call this sort of film poison would be inflammatory, but it’s definitely not meant for human consumption.

Hard Boiled Sweets

Hard Boiled Sweets is another British gangster film, it’s tag-line reads, ‘no soft centres’, so naturally I’m expecting big things. Johnny is a ‘suited and booted’ thug, a con trying to go ‘straight’, but he’s forced into doing another ‘job’. Mob boss, ‘Shrewd Eddie’, has one million in cash stashed at his home, presumably just waiting under his mattress, to be stolen. But what Johnny doesn’t know, is that there are seven other thugs, all planning the same heist. Sounds riveting, right? The trailer is filled with clichéd, corny dialogue, guns, gangsters and of course, frequent shots of women in various states of undress. Expect this to have an exemplary, moral constitution.

John Carter: Formally of Mars

I sort of want to like John Carter, but I’m fairly confident that I’m not going too – I can just tell. My only real reason for wanting to like it, is that it’s directed by Andrew Stanton, who gave us Pixar’s brilliant, Wall-E. Ok, the first twenty minutes are brilliant, while the rest is just your average Pixar, but that’s still way better than the majority of films, released by American studios. He also directed Finding Nemo, which I’m led to believe was fairly popular with the general masses.

Civil War veteran, John Carter, is mysteriously transported to Mars, where he discovers a lush and wildly diverse planet. Upon arrival, Carter is captured by the planet’s main inhabitants – 12-foot tall, green barbarians. Carter quickly escapes his captors, only to encounter the Princess of Helium, Dejah Thoris, who is in desperate need of a saviour. Hmm, who could that possibly be?

So far, so boring. But is there anything exciting in the trailer that fills me with hope? Honestly, no, nothing, zip! Problem No. 1: it bares an uncanny resemblance to Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Boredom. The sequence (in the trailer) where John kills the big, blue, sasquatch-thingy, in particular, and those green barbarians, both look a little too similar to George Lucas’ efforts. I can’t imagine why anyone would consciously rip-off Lucas, but heck, what do I know? It’s also in 3D… *sigh* However, if I am to say one nice thing about John Carter, it will be this; it stars Mark Strong. That’s it. No, really.

Cleanskin

Out of the gangster thrillers released this week, Cleanskin looks to be the most tolerable, although that’s only because it stars Sean Bean and not because I’m endorsing it in any real sense. So, don’t expect this to be one of Bean’s finest performances, this is one of those ‘straight to DVD’ affairs – or rather it should be. Chances are this will get a very limited theatrical run, before quickly finding its way to rental DVD, where the meatheads will lust over the vengeful Bean’s, action-man bravado.

Sean Bean is Ewan, a Secret Service Agent, charged with the task of pursuing and eliminating suicide bomber Ash, and the members of his terrorist cell, whilst Ash wrestles with his conscience and reflects upon his journey into terrorism. Sounds deep doesn’t it, but the trailer doesn’t convey much other than Sean Bean, shooting and stabbing people, whilst also ‘copping-off’ – Great! Expect xenophobia, no-doubt an abundance of casual racism and of course, bucket loads of blood, bullets and boobs. Nonsense; The Daily Star’s readership and fans of Danny Dyer will be in absolute Heaven!

The Raven

The Raven is an odd proposition. On any other week, it probably wouldn’t’ be my ‘top pick’, but this week’s releases are so spectacularly dull, that I had little choice – and I do have a soft spot for John Cusack. Anyway, this is the fictionalised account of Edgar Allan Poe’s (Cusack) last days, in which the poet pursues a serial killer, whose murders mirror those in the author’s stories.

This is directed by James McTeigue, whose previous films are far from stellar, with the average ninja affair, Ninja Assassin and the underwhelming and ultimately pointless adaptation of Alan Moore’s, V for Vendetta. It’s hardly going to set your world on fire, but this has far more charm than any of the week’s other releases. Oh, and as a special bonus, it features ‘The Cusack’ doing a marvellous impression of Christian Bale’s, raspy-Batman, “Where is she?” Although I don’t think he’s referring to Rachel Dawes…

Khodorkovsky
Director: Cyril Tuschi
Running Time: One hour & fifty-one minutes
Certificate: 12A

Khodorkovsky is directed by Cyril Tuschi. By all accounts, it’s an extremely well researched and entertaining documentary about one of Russia’s wealthiest men, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, and how he defied ‘tough man’, Vladimir Putin. The film recounts the strange story of the titular, Khodorkovsky, the famous political/business oligarch who has been imprisoned since 2003 in a Siberian prison, on jumped-up charges of tax-evasion.

The documentary explains how Khodorkovsky made the transition from chemistry student to businessman and weaves together interviews, archive footage and stylised animated sequences, which illustrate key moments from Khodorkovsky’s life, including his arrest. Although this is a documentary, it appears to be using the proven genre trope of the gangster film, ‘the rise and fall’ narrative, documenting a fascinating life about a man, who at the age of 39, was one of the richest people, on the face of the planet. If it’s on near you, I suggest you book a ticket!

Carancho

The Argentine director, Pablo Trapero, returns to cinemas this weekend with the (sure-to-be) exhilarating, Carancho, which certainly marks a new direction for the Argentine.

Every year in Argentina over 8,000 people die in road traffic accidents, but behind these tragedies is a flourishing industry, founded on insurance pay-outs and the exploitation of legal loopholes. Sosa is a lawyer who specialises in road accidents. He scours the casualty departments of hospitals and police stations, seeking new clients. One night Sosa meets a young doctor, Luján, who is trying to save a man’s life, whilst Sosa intends to add him – once he’s recovered – to his client portfolio.

Perhaps unsurprisingly the company Sosa works for, who supposedly aid victims of traffic related accidents, are in fact a front for a far shadier business. How long will Sosa be able to work for them once he discovers the truth, about the sinister corporation and the role he has played in facilitating their morally questionable deeds? Another interesting film, from the director of Born and Bred & Crane World.

Blank City

Some weeks there are absolutely no documentaries to speak of whatsoever and then this week there are two and both of them look bloody spectacular! Directed by Céline Danhier, Blank City, weaves together the definitive history of the ‘No Wave Cinema’ and ‘Cinema of Transgression’ movements, which would profoundly influence independent cinema in America for years to come. The documentary examines the economic landscape, which helped fuel this unique moment in New York’s history. It features interviews with the people at the front of these movements including Jim Jarmusch, John Waters, Steve Buscemi, and Blondie’s Debbie Harry (to name but a few). And let’s face it, any film which features archive footage of the young Deborah Harry, can’t be bad – she was hot!

Michael

My pick of the week is this German film, entered at last year’s Cannes film festival. A film which focuses upon five months in the life of a paedophile, who keeps a 10-year-old boy locked in his basement. Right, straight away, almost 50% of my readership have switched off – that makes a change! Anyway, the trailer gives little away, merely suggesting – but not showing – that a middle-aged man is holding somebody, presumably a child, captive in his basement. Paedophilia will always be a difficult subject to tackle in cinema or any other medium, but there have been some successful attempts, if you’ve never seen it, then I suggest you check out Kevin Bacon’s, The Woodsman. There, that’s your homework assignment this week. Now, get out of here you crazy cats, you.

PS. Expect the Daily Mail and it’s readership to be predictably outraged, naturally!

Safe House
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Running Time: One hour & fifty-five minutes
Certificate: 15

Safe House stars Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds. Reynolds plays a rookie CIA operative, Matt Weston, who is charged with looking after a notorious fugitive, former government agent, Tobin Frost (Washington). But when the safe house is attacked, Weston finds himself on the run with his prisoner, which in turn, leads him to question, who is the real enemy? Hmmm. Sounds intriguing doesn’t it, well, mediocre and predictable actually – but hey-ho!

Daniel Espinosa’s film, certainly boasts a strong supporting cast, with appearances from Vera Farmiga, Brendan Gleeson, Liam Cunningham, Robert Patrick and Sam Shepard. However, the film’s protagonist is played by Ryan Reynolds, who appears to have learnt very little since he starred in the surprisingly good, Buried. Safe House will be a predictable, action-affair, with obvious nods to conspiracy action vehicles, such as the Bourne series or even Will Smith’s, Enemy of the State. There are worse ways to spend your money, I suppose.

Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel
Director: 

Next up, is this intriguing directorial debut from Alex Stapleton, a documentary charting the incredible career of one of America’s greatest exploitation director’s, Roger Corman, in, Corman’s World: Exploits of a Hollywood Rebel. As far as contributors go, I think it’s safe to say everybody has an opinion/story about Corman, in Hollywood and wanted to talk about the rogue film-maker; with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Jack Nicholson, Ron Howard, Quentin Tarantino, Traci Lords, Peter Fonda, Pam Grier and even the little known actor, Robert De Niro, all appearing. That’s quite an exhaustive list of who’s-who! If you’re interested in American exploitation films, then this will be an absolute must.

Every once in a while, Woody Harrelson shows up in a film, which quietly shouts, “Hey man remember me, I’m actually a great actor“! I’m pleased to report Rampart, follows in the tradition of fines roles, that Harrelson has quietly secured for himself, over the past ten years. What’s more, the screenplay was written by American crime writer, James Ellroy, who also penned L. A. Confidential and the ridiculously overlooked, Dark Blue, which is another cop drama, which boasts a similar, menacing performance from Kurt Russell.

Rampart is directed by Oren Moverman, it’s his second feature and second film working with Woody Harrelson, the first being The Messenger, which co-starred Ben Foster, who just so happens to have produced and starred in Rampart. But anyway, Rampart, is the tale of Dave ‘Date Rape’ Brown, a cop who isn’t so much dirty, but filthy. It’s set in 1999 and charts the dying days of the renegade LA cops, charting Dave’s own disturbing brand of ‘justice’, as he cruises the streets of LA in his black-and-white. It’s a film, which is obviously dominated by issues of ‘men at work’ and the homosocial sphere, so it bares an obvious comparison to other crime fictions, but also the Western genre, it feels very much like a film set on the frontier, a frontier which Dave no longer has any control over. Harrelson’s performance alone, make this film of the week.

Hadewijch
Director: 

‘Hadewijch’, the newest film from French provocateur, Bruno Dumont, is about the plight of religious enthusiast extraordinaire, Céline (Julie Sokolowski), a young woman searching for acceptance, love and god. After Céline is turned away from her covenant, because of her ecstatic blind faith, she turns to the streets of Paris and finds herself being led down a very dangerous path; and all because of her passionate love for god!

I’m not sure why we haven’t seen this on UK soil sooner? It was released in France in 2009 and what’s even odder, is that it is getting a theatrical release – considering it’s been three years since it debuted on the continent. Whilst this certainly looks interesting, it’s a film which will find its most profitable form of distribution – in the UK at least – on DVD. Still, if it’s playing in a theatre near you, it should prove to be a thought provoking analysis, on the potential dangers of religion.

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance
Director: 

And so it’s time for Nicholas Cage to add another bad film to his massively expanding filmography of tripe. I will continue to defend equine-face and his receding hairline, but only because the guff he relentlessly churns out, is so damn bad, it’s enjoyable. Just look at the synopsis of ‘Ghost Rider II’ or ‘Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance’ - if you want to be precise. Now, first a disclaimer, I’ve not made this up, this is actually the synopsis for ‘Spirit of Vengeance’. So, after the ‘breath-taking’ shenanigans in ‘Ghost Rider’, Johnny Blaze has taken off to eastern Europe so he can hide from both the devil and god, both of whom are pissed at the Rider, mainly because he’s got a skull, which is literally, on fire; Nicholas cage is just that badass. Anyway, the basic premise is that Blaze is called upon, by a band of ‘Europeans’, to stop the devil from taking human form on earth… yada yada yada! Cue Nicholas Cage quips, hair and of course chains à la the coolest chain wielding anti-hero of all time, I’m referring to ‘The God of War’ not ‘Ghost Rider’ – sorry MARVEL chumps!

Be under no false pretence, (this will be utter drivel), but with Cage at the helm (sort of), it’ll be fantastic, nonsensical-balderdash. I presume everybody has seen the first ‘Ghost Rider’, which was (of course), utter nonsense, so why fix what isn’t broken, well, not fundamentally shite – like 90% of MARVEL’s output! Plus I could listen to Cage saying lines like this, “that being the case we’d better make sure he doesn’t turn out to be the ANTI-Christ“, all night long – all night! Oh, and it features Christopher Lambert, presumably playing some sort of mystical monk, as opposed to a mystical Gnome, ’cause that, would just be stupid! Whatever anybody says, Nicholas Cage is a fooking marvellous actor and in 3D, he’s MARVELLICIOUS!

Position Among The Stars
Director: 

My final pick of the week, is this odd but enthralling looking documentary, from Leonard Retel Helmrich, ‘Position Among the Stars’. Apparently, it’s the concluding film in Lemrich’s award winning trilogy. The other two films being ‘Eye of the Day’ and ‘Shape of the Moon’.

The documentary takes the POV of Rumidjah, a poor, Christian, grandmother, who lives in the slums of Jakarta. The film illustrates the economic change taking place in Indonesian society and the influence of globalization, reflected in the lives of her teenage granddaughter Tari and her sons Bakti and Dwi. Leonard Retel Helmrich, not only directs, but is also the film’s director of photography and he follows the family in his own unique style, using a ‘single shot cinema’ method. No, I’m not sure what that is either, perhaps it’s as obvious as it appears? Anyway, this is a documentary without interviews or voiceovers, so it’s probably not for those who believe documentaries only involve an anchor, narrations and interviews – that’s you Michael Moore sycophants!

Honestly, film of the week is a toughie this week, I’m tempted to pick Cage’s ‘Ghost Rider II’, but that’s just poppycock fun, whereas Helmrich’s documentary about Indonesian society, looks genuinely intriguing. Hmmn!? So, film of the week is… ‘Position Among The Stars’, if you’re fortunate enough to be near a cinema screening it, but for everybody else, it’s Nicholas Cage time!

Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace
Hack: George Lucas
Running Time: Far too long but sadly not in a galaxy far far away
Certificate: Brain dead

This weekend sees the long overdue, 3D release of “The George Lucas Saga”. It’s long overdue, not because I’ve been chomping at the bit, to see both prequels and originals in 3D, but because I’m astounded it has taken Lucas this long to produce 3D versions of each, ‘Star Wars’ film. The man has clearly not been working his minions hard enough. I can’t imagine how many Bothans had to die to bring us these needless atrocities. So thanks George, here’s another £10 so you can shit some more on the original films, heck, we’ll even pay for the privilege, again and again and again. The best solution to George Lucas, is to just stop watching or buying anything (vaguely), ‘Star Wars’ related, in the hope that the ‘man’ (if that’s what he is?), disappears up his own arsehole. Seriously, just don’t go see them. The 3D is hardly going to divert your attention away from the crappy, two-dimensional acting – Zing!

The Woman in Black

James Watkins is best known for his British horror film, ‘Eden Lake’, which starred an emerging Michael Fassbender. ‘Eden Lake’ was a film about the fear of our children, in which a very middle class couple, on a weekend retreat, are terrorised by a gang of youths. Sadly, Watkins hasn’t decided to follow that film with another scathing analysis of modern Britain, but instead a very safe, by the numbers horror vehicle, for Harry Potter, the boy who bored (almost) the entire world to death, for over a decade, with his amazing acting skills.

This by the numbers horror, features scary Victorian skids, a rickety old house, a bog (no I’m not referring to a toilet) and scary looking toys. Boring! The screenplay is written by Jane Goldman, who has penned more successes than flops,  such as ‘Kick-Ass’ and ‘Stardust’, however, she also gave us, ‘X-Men: First Class’.

A Dangerous Method

So, Viggo Mortensen has made his third film, with director, David Cronenberg, in, ‘A Dangerous Method’. However, I find myself feeling somewhat apathetic to this drama, about the relationship between Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender) and Sigmund Freud (Mortensen) and the birth of psychoanalysis. And then there’s the always tiresome appearance of Keira Knightley, attempting to act. In this film, she appears to wail a lot and demand to be punished by her ‘daddy’, who her character lovingly refers to as ‘big boy’.

All pessimism aside (including Knightley) a Cronenberg film is always worth watching and it’ll be interesting to see his interpretation of Freud and Jung. What’s more, it stars Vincent Cassel, who is always an entertaining watch; I loved him in Cronenberg’s, ‘Eastern Promises’. But ultimately, this will probably prove to be the weakest of Mortensen and Cronenberg’s collaborations, but it is still a thousand times more appealing than, ‘The Woman in Black’ or helping to fund George Lucas’ next project. Plus there’s something rather Freudian about watching Mortensen chewing on a stogie!

Bombay Beach
Director: Alma Har’el
Running Time: One hour & twenty minutes
Certificate: TBC

Watching the trailer for Alma Har’el’s second feature, it’s kind of difficult to tell what the film is about. I quite easily determined that it’s an odd, quirky affair, about childhood and growing up and that it features original music from Beirut and songs from Bob Dylan, but that’s about it, for this pseudo documentary. However, the official synopsis goes a little something like this.

Alma Har’el’s film features three protagonists; Benny Parrish, CeeJay Thompson and Red. Benny is bipolar, his vivid imagination and troubled soul creating both joy and suffering for his complex and loving family, who support the young boy. CeeJay is an aspiring football player, who has run away to Bombay Beach, in the hope of avoiding the same fate, which met his cousin, who was murdered by a gang in his former home, Los Angeles. Red, the eldest of the three, is an ancient survivor who once worked as an oil field worker and yet despite his hardships, has an irrepressible love of life.

What makes Har’el’s film such an interesting proposition is its central question, which asks whether these men in their various ages and guises are a product of their world or if their world is a construct of their own imaginations. Which all sounds rather pretentious, but I for one am rather intrigued by this hypnotic looking, whimsy of a film.

Young Adult

So the creative team behind Juno, Jason Reitman and Diablo Cody, are back together in Reitman’s newest film, which stars Charlize Theron, Young Adult. Out of the majority of Reitman’s films, Juno is the one which I’m most unsure of, it’s that whole ‘independent’ and ‘quirky’ vibe it features, it just feels so obviously contrived (although obviously all film is contrived). Perhaps it’s Michael Cera, but it certainly wasn’t Juno’s parents, who were actually rather awesome.

Anyway, Young Adult sees a recently divorced fiction writer (Theron) return to her small, home-town of Mercury, Minnesota, looking to rekindle her high school romance with her ex-boyfriend, played by Patrick Wilson, who is now happily married with a newborn child. This is an interesting role for Theron, an actress who wouldn’t be my first choice for a comedic role, but clearly she had fun playing the manipulative and headstrong, Mavis. I’m not sure it’ll be as enjoyable as Up in the Air or as funny as Thank You for Smoking, but Reitman continues to make interesting films.

Chronicle

As a fan of Akira, Science-Fiction and the Super-Hero genre I’m intrigued by Josh Trank’s theatrical début, Chronicle. This just turned film director is most famous for his work on American TV serial, Kill Point, which featured John Leguizamo and Donnie Wahlberg. I wish I could say I was optimistic about this found footage, this ‘chronicle’ of three teenage boys who mysteriously develop super human powers (telekinesis, flight, and invulnerability) but I can’t. For one, just look at the acting in the trailer, one word… Hideous!

Basically, we’ll see the three leads go from Joe Average to Joe Dangerous, initially using their powers to frighten and bemuse the local inhabitants of their small town, until one, or all of them are seduced by their powers and begin to use them for ill gotten gains. Let’s keep those fingers crossed, but if you go expecting a film version of TV’s Heroes, you may well be rather disappointed.

Carnage

Who would have thought that 2012 would see Roman Polanksi release a film that I would happily pay money to go and see, particularly after the boresome, The Ghost, but that’s exactly what the infamous director has achieved; I bet he’s thrilled!

Carnage tells the story of two sets of parents, Penelope Longstreet (Jodie Foster), Michael Longstreet (John C. Reilly), Nancy Cowan (Kate Winslet) and Alan Cowan (Christoph Waltz), attempting to have a cordial meeting after their sons are involved in a schoolyard scrap. However as time goes by so their behaviour becomes increasingly childish, throwing everything into question, in this drama/comedy from the director of Rosemary’s Baby… exactly what is wrong with the world!? I’m as perplexed as you, but I’m picking this rather quotable Roman Polanski film, as my film of the week! Now, I’m off for a lie down.