The Railway Man

UK Release Date: 10th January 2014

A former British Army officer, who was tormented as a prisoner of war at a Japanese labor camp during World War II, discovers that the man responsible for much of his treatment is still alive and sets out to confront him (www.imdb.com).

Director: Johnathan Teplitzky (Burning Man)

Starring: Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Stellan Skarsgard, Jeremy Irvine, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tanroh Ishida

The Railway Man is a mixed bag of emotions. On one side is the post-stress of a prisoner of war, and the family it effects. Eric's (Firth) ordeal (he became a POW, helping the Allied forces build the 'Death Railway') is hard to watch, with new found love for Patti (Kidman) bringing out his troubled psyche. On the other side is a psychological state that's hard to digest for those who cannot see what they cannot feel. Eric's worst state awakens only when Patti enters his life, not before. We don't get the chance to see his life prior to her arrival (it's explained through friend and fellow army-man Stellan Skarsgard). The acting isn't a shame, but the The Railway Man's is. Both Firth and Jeremy Irvine, who plays the younger Eric, are on fine form, as is Sanada and Ishida, who're the older and younger Takeshi, the man who tortures Eric. The Railway Man is insightful to all, whether you're keen on WW2 history or not. It's a cautious blend of fact and true story. What Eric will do to Takeshi, once he finds him, is the ultimate dilemma.

3/5

Pitch Perfect 2

UK Release Date: 15th May 2015

After a humiliating command performance at Lincoln Center, the Barden Bellas enter an international competition that no American group has ever won in order to regain their status and right to perform (www.imdb.com).

Director: Elizabeth Banks

Starring: Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Adam Devine, Elizabeth Banks, Ben Platt, John Michael Higgins

Pitch Pertect 2 is actress Elizabeth Bank's first crack at directing, and she's settled in to the role very nicely. Her ability to make us laugh comes naturally; Becca (Kendrick) and the other Barden Bellas are on fine, funny form, starting with Fat Amy's (Wilson) blunder in front of the president. The Bellas' embarrassment has brought them back to square one, and the only way they can get back to the top is by winning the world championships. There's nothing much new on offer here; the music and the singing is just as good as the first, the Bardem Bellas and other competing groups bang out contemporary tunes with ease. In this respect it doesn't quite match its predecessor, but that hardly matters when there's so many memorable, amusing moments. Rebel Wilson steals every scene she's in (again), with help from The Treblemaker's Bumper (Adam DeVine). Other characters have little screen time, including Becca's boyfriend Skylar and the nerdy Benji. Some of the Bellas have become an in-joke (they're basically extras) but some solace can be found in newcomer Emily (Steinfeld). Banks reprises her commentating role alongside John Michael Higgins, only to abuse the Bellas and make a bunch of gags. Pitch Perfect 2 maybe not be as aca-perfect as 2013's outing, but it's sure to appease the fans.

3.5/5

Mad Max: Fury Road

UK Release Date: 14th May 2015

In a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, two rebels just might be able to restore order: Max, a man of action and of few words, and Furiosa, a woman of action who is looking to make it back to her childhood homeland (www.imdb.com).

Director: George Miller (Mad Max, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Mad Max: Fury Road is a visually stunning masterpiece by George Miller. It's been 30 years since Miller's last project: the last of the orginal Mad Max films, starring Mel Gibson. Comparisons cannot be made as I've yet to watch them. There are no excuses. Max's crazy adventure may not take him very far,  but the world in which he resides is imaginative. The vast wasteland surrounding small territories show how bleak everything has become. Water is sparse and saved for the main cretin and his crew. Weird, cult-like followers, with their bald heads, white painted bodies and addiction to silvery substance, follow his orders. There's no sign of any nature, only a rumour of a place populated by trees and running water. Theron's barbaric-looking Furiosa, with her metal arm and gigantic tanker, thwarts her bosses' orders and steals that which is most precious to him. Immortan Joe (Keays-Byrne) gathers his whole force in pursuit. What emanates is a fantastically frenzied chase across the desert. MM:FR is full of insane car chases (the cars are a sight to behold in themselves), incredible explosions and well thought-out action. The 3D isn't necessary; only one part stands out in particular and the story is only strong enough to keep the action expressive.  Max (Hardy), with his gruff voice and limited dialogue, is secondary to Furiosa. His serenity and coldness towards others makes him the perfect character to explore. Flashes of his family, from a world once known, haunt him constantly. Mad Max: Fury Road isn't just creative and captivating to the very end, it sets up potential for expansion. After this ride, it'd be criminal for the film studio not to.

5/5

The Age of Adaline

UK Release Date: 8th May 2015

A young woman, born at the turn of the 20th century, is rendered ageless after an accident. After many solitary years, she meets a man who complicates the eternal life she has settled into (www.imdb.com).

Director: Lee Toland Kriger (The Vicious Kind, Celeste & Jesse Forever)

Starring: Blake Lively, Michiel Huisman, Harrison Ford, Kathy Baker

Lee Toland Kriger's The Age of Adaline is a superb romantic thanks to its lead duo. Blake Lively is Adaline, the fair immortal who hasn't aged for several decades due to a severe car crash. She goes from relationship to relationship, from town to town, never settling down. A risky chance comes in the form of Ellis (Huisman), a stylish man whose intellect almost matches Adaline's own. Their encounters are warm, humorous and touching. Great support comes from Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker as Ellis' parents. Nudges of surrealism make TAoA vary from the usual romantic stories. Its voice-over, telling Adaline's 'miraculous' tale, is its only downfall. The unknown storyteller attempts to justify Adaline's conditions, but it comes across as a magnificent coincidence instead.

3.5/5

The Italian Job (2003)

UK Release Date: 19th September 2003

After being betrayed and left for dead in Italy, Charlie Croker and his team plan an elaborate gold heist against their former ally (www.imdb.com).

Director: F. Gary Gray (The Negotiator, A Man Apart)

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Chalize Theron, Edward Norton, Jason Statham, Donald Sutherland, Seth Green, Mos Def

The latest version (there being only two.....so far) of The Italian Job has no merit to its name. Director F. Gary Gray and screenwriters Troy Kennedy-Martin and Donna Powers have taken the best out of Michael Caine's original (three Mini's in a car chase, one thought-out heist) and glamourised it (Hollywood A-listers, pristine, clean shots) but with out the charge and the adrenaline we assume that's there. Wahlberg is a flat front-man. Edward Norton makes for a suprisinggg bad guy, annoying and outsmarting Croker (Wahlberg) and his team left, right and centre. The other cast members struggle due to a lacklustre script and and its inability to succeed our expectations. You'll be least disappointed in this film if you get the chance to watch this before the 1969 classic.

2.5/5

Pitch Black

UK Release Date: 10th November 2000

A commercial transport ship and its crew are marooned on a planet full of bloodthirsty creatures that only come out to feast at night. But then, they learn that a month-long eclipse is about to occur (www.imdb.com).

Director: David Twohy (The Chronicles of Riddick, A Perfect Getaway, Riddick)

Starring: Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser

Pitch Black is a decent cross-genre movie, that ups the ante the deeper it goes. Starting as a fight for survival, PB is an upheaval of frights for the marooned party we know so little about, on an unknown planet after their plane crashes. With limited food, water and no shelter, the odds are against them, especially with a known murderer in their midst. The temperature drops, sun begins to fade, and the creepy crawlies come out to play. Pitch Black holds no originality to its name, displaying facets of thrillers like Alien and Predator. The computer-generated beasts riddling the survivors' breathing space are imaginative; covered by the darkness to make our imaginations run wild, but also to hide the fact the CGI is below par. The darkness settles, scaring them and us respectively. One terrifyingly cool scene sees the group fending off hordes of monsters with big glow sticks. At the time in 2000 none of the actors were glowing stars. This means everyone and no one can survive, from Diesel's hard-edged mystery man to Radha Mitchell's likeable captain. All you need to know is what's right in front of you. Like other thrillers, the who's and the hows aren't necessary.  

3.5/5