Albert Nobbs

A woman posing as a male butler in 19th Century Ireland struggles to keep her secret as a group of con-artists try to get at her hard earned money.

Women in Dublin in the late 19th Century were not encouraged to be independent and often had to go to extreme lengths to be able to work. Albert Nobbs is a perfect example of this, holding down a butlers job at the very exclusive Morrisons Hotel. He is a highly respected member of staff at the establishment which is frequented by all the upper classes and even royalty.

Albert, although a servant, keeps very much to himself, not bothering to gossip with the others in the kitchen and often discouraging them from doing so too. When Albert has to share a room with the painter "Mr Hubert Page", his secret is discovered, but he is also introduced to a whole new lifestyle by the friendly painter. When a new scullery maid joins the hotel, Albert finds himself strangely attracted to her and tries to win her hand.

Unfortunately, the young lady is already involved with a rather unsavory character who thinks they can milk Albert for all of his savings. Albert however has plans of opening a shop and living with his new object of desire. The hardest part is how to bring up the subject with her that he is in fact a woman. After disease spreads through the country, Albert decides to accelerate his efforts, in wooing the young "Helen", but needs to somehow keep his secret under wraps.

Columbian director Rodrigo Garcia makes the large move from TV to the big screen to bring a truly superb and memorable film to the table and on this form should continue in this format.

Hollywood acting legend Glenn Close comes back to the big screen for the first time in five years, to give a truly inspired performance as "Albert Nobbs". The six time Oscar nominated actress gives one of the finest performances of her career as the cross dressing butler, making the audience doubt that underneath the clothing, she really is a woman. Her characters' struggle is deeply personal and ground breaking for the time, fighting to find her own identity and also the way that she should behave in a society which is not yet willing to accept her life choice.

Newcastle born Janet McTeer gives a stunning showing as fellow cross dresser "Hubert Page", posing as a burly and rugged house painter while living with a wife at home and nobody being any the wiser. She is able to show a whole new world to "Albert", a world that he never could have dreamed that existed and one he very much wants to be a part of. McTeer truly is something special in this film and this role led to her playing another great role in "The Woman in Black". I hope that this will pave the way for this talented actress.

Mia Wasikowska, best known for the playing the lead role in "Alice in Wonderland", gives a very decent showing as the devious, yet naive "Helen", while Tony Award winning actress Pauline Collins, gives a divine showing as hotel owner "Mrs Baker". Irish veteran Brendan Gleeson, gives yet another superb showing as the honest and lovable "Doctor Holleran". 22 year old Aaron Johnson, does very well indeed as the caddish "Joe", a young Irishman determined that the wealth of "Albert" will take him to the USA.

This is a truly wonderful film, with a good pace, lots of superb acting performances, tragedy, loss and suspense. It is not for everybody's taste, but will be enjoyed by most discerning movie-goers. Well worth at least one watch.

7/10

Safe House

The most dangerous man on the CIA's wanted list hands himself into a safe house in Cape Town. Now all the house keeper has to do is keep him alive...

When "Tobin Frost" the man at the very top of the CIA's most wanted list walks into a Safe House in Cape Town to hand himself in, he puts not only his own life, but also the lives of everybody around him in jeopardy as they struggle to keep him alive.

Matt Weston is bored on his detail, knowing he is more qualified than to "House sit" in a beautiful location, but a place where nothing really ever happens. He has a hotline, to one of the big wigs at Langley, but keeps getting told to bide his time, soon something will come up and he will be first on the list. He is told to babysit "Frost", but for some reason, for a house that is not meant to exist in the outside world, his, suddenly is getting a whole lot of attention and his quiet existence is shattered by various would be assassins.

As he struggles to figure out a way to contact his handlers and also stop from dying, he takes his prisoner on the run and the body count mounts as those chasing both him and "Frost" make a last ditch attempt to stalk their prey on the beautiful streets of the South African city.

If "Agent Matt Weston" can figure out who has authorized the hit on his prisoner before its too late, then maybe he can stay alive, but with a secret force and half the CIA on his tail, it does not look good. He will discover that sometimes you don't want to know the answers to certain questions....

The film is an action packed roller-coaster ride from start to finish. Back-stabbing, double crossing and keeps the audience guessing to the very end, who on earth may be behind the ginormous body count. The action takes place on the back drop of the streets of possibly the most beautiful city in Africa, capturing the carnage, while every day life goes on unabated. The story is intricate, but rather decent to watch and will have action fans drooling in their chairs throughout.

Ryan Reynolds returns to the big screen in his first serious role since "Green Lantern" and impresses with a far, far better performance than his last outing. He seems to enjoy the depth that goes along with playing CIA Agent. "Matt Weston", allowing himself to fully embrace the heart-stopping chases and death defying shootouts that he must endure to keep a man, who he doesn't know, alive. His acting is respectable and worth the ticket price, and it would be good to see him in a few more testing roles, he has more to show.

Hollywood legend Denzel Washington is his usual genius with his delivery of the character of the fugitive, "Tobin Frost". An ex CIA Operative, he vanished off the grid and has back-stabbed his country for the past decade, but now needs to know which of his many enemies, wants him dead. This is his first outing since the action squash-buckler, "Unstoppable" in 2010 and it is so good to have a man of his talents back in the driving seat. His grasp of "Frost" is inspired, showing coolness even under the most deadly of pressure, but you imagine that he is always secretly aware of who is trying to do him in. His performance, although not as in depth as the likes of "Courage under Fire" or "Philadelphia" is still inspired and well worth your time.

Irish born Brendan Gleeson has been on an awesome run of late, with such hits as "The Guard" and "Albert Nobbs" to his credit in recent months, comes up trumps once more as CIA Director "David Barlow". The audience will never really know whether to trust the mentor to the lead character; he seems to always have a hidden agenda and may not always be putting the interests of his service in first place. Vera Farminga, does well as fellow CIA agent Cathernine Linklater", one who seems on the level and actually wants to see the situation resolved amicably. Nora Arnezeder does a convincing job as "Ana Moreau", the under fire girl friend to "Matt Weston".

All in all this is a decent film. The pace is good, the plot intricate, but not impossible to follow, while the action is intense and the drama emotive. This is a film that will entertain quite a wide audience demographic and with the South African setting proves that Cape Town is a really viable location for feature films. Keep an eye out for a truly superbly shot scene at a local football game. Well worth your time, but probably not one for the kids

6.5/10 

What to Expect When You're Expecting

The story of five expectant couples and the trials and tribulations they have to endure towards the goal of mother and fatherhood.

Pregnancy is never an easy time, but is meant to be all about "The Glow" that new mothers and sometimes fathers get in anticipation of the new addition. This film takes all of these myths and legends and boots them firmly into the bleachers.

It follows the lives of five very different couples, all experiencing the new life for the first time. Five very, very different situations into which they fall and how they experience the joy from conception to the miracle of birth. The film covers the tragedy of loss, strife, struggles, parent and sibling rivalry, miss-communication and calls "bullshit" on so many myths that perpetuate every day life.

It also shows the side of life we hardly get to hear about, that of the father and role that they play in the lives of babies, pre and post birth. For almost the first time in film, it shows the fun side of fatherhood, the joy to be had of being a dad and also how much is kept from their wives and partners. It is a refreshing look into a side of parenthood that is often glossed over.

The film covers some very difficult territory, with the sensitivity and feeling that it needs, but shows us, if you stick together, it'll all be fine in the end.

I was not too sure really what to expect with this film. I did see a number of very reluctant boyfriends/husbands dragged into the cinema, but I really do hope they were taking in the very relevant message which this film was trying to convey! It was a lot less of a comedy than I expected (there are several very talented comedic actors and actresses in this one), but more like a light-hearted look at issues which a lot of people do not like to broach. I really, really enjoyed this film!

Elizabeth Banks continues to crank out great films, and has really built herself a reputation in the past 12 months, with really decent showings in "Hunger Games" and "Man on a Ledge". In this one she takes on the role of "Wendy", a first time mom, going through the hell that can be pregnancy. To make things worse, she has to be the poster child for the pregnancy industry, but the combination can only lead to one thing, a VERY public meltdown.

Established stars Cameron Diaz and Jennifer Lopez, give very decent showings as "Jules" and "Holly", one fighting a damaged relationship and an "oops" pregnancy, while the other has to face up to her lack of conception, and emotional fulfillment that is adoption. Brooklyn Decker shows that she is not just a pretty face (see "Battleship" for an example of this) and gives very convincing showing as the beautiful side of pregnancy in her role as "Skyler". The true star on the ladies front is Anna Kendrick, following up her stellar role in "50/50" with a real gem as the troubled and traumatized "Rosie". She continues to impress with each new film role, quite easily shedding the yoke of "Twilight" to show that she is a truly talented actress and I look forward to her next outing.

Comedian Chris Rock is superb in this film, his performance as "Vic" is both, just the right amount of funny, but also shows a well deserved gravity for the topic at hand. He is more than ably assisted by Thomas Lennon, Rodrigo Santoro, Joe Manganellio and the very funny Rob Huebel. Hollywood veteran Dennis Quaid is really good in an intense yet intimate, father/son struggle with the talented Ben Falcone, as "Gary". The only slight downer came from Chase Crawford, whose role as "Marco" was convincing, but I wish he would have decided whether his character needed an American, Latin or French accent, but at least that added a bit to the laugh factor

The film is a fine example of how a director can bring a very serious topic to the table, but lighten the tone and produce an incredibly touching and thought provoking piece which will have you leaving the audience with a far different perspective on pregnancy. I would highly recommend this film.

7/10

Haywire

A female killing machine is double crossed and swears vengeance against her employers.

When female super soldier "Mallory Kane" is double crossed by unknown sources, she goes after the men who have made her life a living nightmare. She has to first figure out who the people are who are trying to kill her and make her way back to the USA to put this menace to an end.

In a world of back stabbing, counter intelligence, where you cannot even trust the people who claim to love and care for you, it is difficult to be able to establish who is trying to get rid of you. When she gets back to the US, she is thrown into not only a political struggle, but also an emotional one, trying her utmost that the only man she has ever loved would want to get rid of her.

Using all of her extensive skills, "Mallory" has to track down the people trying to kill her and turn the tables on them, if she is ever to gain revenge on her employer and save the life of her father.

American director Steven Soderbergh, has made some truly incredible films in his career, but seems to have forgotten to read the brief when making this film. For starters he chose to use mixed martial artist turned actress Gina Carano as the lead in this film. Her portrayal of "Mallory Kane", although very good technically, the fighting scenes being truly amazing, does still not make up for her complete lack of acting talent. She does well on the physical side of the role, but her delivery of lines and attempt at emotion are truly sad to behold.

Thankfully she has a cast behind her which any Hollywood director worth their salt would drool over. Ewan Mcgregor does well as the devious "Kenneth", the ex love interest of the lead character, but it is still difficult to get used to him with an American accent. He takes a step down from his last outing in "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" and not even his extraordinary talents can make this one any brighter.

Acting legend Michael Douglas, does a decent job as the government stooge, "Coblenz", while fellow theatrical genius Antonio Banderas delivers a decent showing as the blood-thirsty "Rodriguez". Sadly neither of these fine actors can make up for a strangely flat script. Channing Tatum, the flavour of the month at the moment, gives yet another very decent performance as "Aaron", adding yet more weight to his struggle to be taken seriously as a good actor, and not a piece of eye candy. He has done a few very good films lately and long may this continue

Michael Fassbender makes a fleeting showing in this one, his performance is violent, but he does a lot better than his most recent showing in "Shame". His role as "Paul" is convincing and made me think that he might make a rather good "James Bond" in the coming years

The action in this film is probably the only true saving grace. The story is disjointed and slow, and takes a long time to really reach a climax. I went in expecting so much more of this film and was grossly disappointed. Fight fans should enjoy this one, but serious film followers will not be impressed

4/10

War Horse

The story of a horse who is taken from his home in Southern England and through amazing determination survives the great war.

At the start of World War I the British Army decided that domestic farm animals (especially horses), could be requisitioned to be used in the fighting. This is the story of of a horse which was taken into some of the worst battles in this horrendous conflict and the spirit he shows to survive. The film focuses not only on the horse, but also on his various short term owners and the young man who will always love him.

It encompasses the true horrors of war as it was between 1914-1918, the plight of the common man, and the breaking down of the social classes when faced with life-threatening danger and also, shows the lives that went on during the war, the sacrifices which were made and the pain which was felt by those whose animals (often pets), were sent off to war.

The film brings to life the characters of the multi award-winning stage productions which have had lengthy runs in both London and the US, showing a side to the conflict which many of us would never have even thought about.

The genius that is Steven Spielberg once again does not disappoint, delivering yet another epic in a career which has spanned nearly forty years and has brought us some of the most iconic movies in film history. This film brings us the full horror of the great war, from the point of view of the animals involved, a really unique outlook.

The action is explosive, the feelings of dread and fear all too real, almost giving the viewer the experience of what it must have been like in the trenches during that time. At the same time the viewer is exposed to the feelings of not only the officers, but also the average soldier on both sides, caught up in a conflict that they felt obligated to fight, but had more in common with each other, than many realized.

Although the equine stars are the truly amazing ones in this film, the human ones do fairly well also. 22 year old Jeremy Irvine, is his first major motion picture, does a phenomenal job as the horses' original owner "Albert Narracott". He gives a truly sublime portrayal of the young man who is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to ensure the survival of the horse that has become his entire world. If this performance is anything to go by, then we may well have a future superstar on our hands.

Peter Mullan and Emily Watson, give truly sublime performances as "Ted" and "Rose Narracott", showing the full desperation which so many families were forced to face in the early years of the 20th century. Tom Hiddlestone and Benedict Cumberbatch (He of Sherlock Holmes TV series Fame), both give stunning showings as privileged British army officers, showing the true naivety of so many of these ranked men, who thought the war would be over in a matter of weeks.

In a cast of literally thousands, it is so difficult to pick out those who shine. Suffice it to say that the pace of the film is intense, the action and emotion non-stop,  and the acting is of such a high standard that you will not be sure where to look next. The script is powerful and tragic, taking you from highs to lows in the brief light of a powerful explosion.

This film is a true classic, and will leave you sitting in the cinema after it finishes, contemplating that you have just seen something truly special. It is incredibly brutal in places, and may well easily upset the more sensitive of viewers, but try to look past this to the true beauty of the film. This will have you rooted to your seat for the full 2 hours and 22 minutes and truly is something to behold

8.5/10

Silent House

A girl is trapped inside of her holiday home while an unknown stranger hunts down her father, uncle and her...

A teenage girl, her father and uncle, decide to sell their family holiday house, but decide to do the place up before putting it on the market. With no power in the house it can be a fairly scary place, especially for the jumpy "Sarah". She finds her father knocked out and then the faceless attacker turns his venom on her, chasing the young lady around the house which holds so many happy memories for her.

To add to this, she keeps having visions of a little girl, enduring horrible things and the memories of her life in the house keep flashing through her mind. She meets a child hood friend, of whom, she has no recollection and also keeps finding pictures of a little girl strewn all over the house. As the power in the old building keeps going on and off the person chasing her gets more frantic and images she keeps seeing get more and more frightening. But how much of what she is seeing is real, and how much is just her overactive imagination...

Elizabeth Olsen (The younger sister of the rather more famous, Mary-Kate and Ashley) makes her big screen debut in this wannabee thriller and shows that she has even less acting talent than her older siblings and is one of the worst movies I have seen this year.

She spends 88 minutes, panting, screaming, crying, smudging her makeup and trying her best to save a script, which has maybe 5 minutes of decent writing in it. The story is flat, but for five minutes towards the end where they roll out the reasoning for all the goings on and then end the film, in the most random way possible.

The action is slow, and the thriller element of the film, had the audience actually laughing out loud in places, not really what the directors were going for. There is no real suspense, and although the film deals with a really serious issue, the writers failed to convey this throughout. The finale makes you sit up and take notice, but with such a lame plot beforehand it is hard to grasp the gravity of what the story is really about.

Adam Trese is poor as "John", while Eric Sheffer Stevens, may want to do a few more TV movies before returning to the big screen, (He certainly needs the practice). Julia Taylor Ross is the only one bright light in this complete let down, giving a decent showing as "Sophia", despite only being on screen for a very short time. Maybe the director should have given her more of a role and she might just have saved this film. Keep an eye out for this actress, she could go places.

It seemed that the director was more interested in cleavage shots of Elizabeth Olsen (there are plenty of these), than her actual acting talents. The filming of this is sketchy at best, zooming in and out at will and also battling to stay in focus. If you have 90 minutes of your life to lose, and absolutely nothing else to watch, then this film, might be for you. If not, don't bother.

3.5/10

Act of Valor

An international terrorist finds a way to infiltrate the USA and a group of Navy Seals has to stop him.

A group of Navy Seals are tasked with the almost impossible chore of protecting the USA from an international terrorist who is set on their destruction. A Ukranian drug dealing billionaire decides to back the terrorist cell fronted by one of his childhood friends. Together they develop a number of suicide vests which cannot be picked up by airport security machines.

This would give them the chance to attack the country at whichever port they decide on and the USA would have absolutely no way of being able to track their movements. A group of experienced Navy Seals, who stumble upon these activities quite by accident, are thrown into the fray, needing to stop the suicide bombers before they can release their deadly packages.

They use all of the ultra modern technologies available to aide them in their quest to stop the terrorists, all the time, trying to stay alive, while some of the most deadly men on the planet are trying to keep them from returning to their families who love them.

This film originally started life as a short recruitment film for the US Army and Navy and it was decided that this was so good that it should be made into a full length movie. I am not sure who decided this, but they made the wrong choice. The movie plays out as a combination of a recruitment film, a documentary of sorts and a a realllly long intro video for "Call of Duty, Black Ops". All of which might have been good things, but together they are certainly not.

Taking the risky venture of using real active Navy Seals as the stars of this film, did not pay off. These men are true heroes, but sadly, despite all of their fine acts of heroism in the service of their country, they are not actors. Giving them emotional lines and scenes to perform was not the finest of ideas,and the actors which co-directors Mike Mccoy and Scott Waugh DID find, were sadly, not up to the task either.

Jason Cottle takes the role of Russian terrorist Abu Shabal, in his first major film since "Wedding Singer" in 1998, but sadly is neither convincing nor plausible. His performance is weak and the film needed a far stronger actor to carry it. Ukranian born Alex Veadov, gives a fair showing as billionaire drug pin "Christo", but should probably stick to the computer games voice roles which has paid the rent for the past few years. The beautiful Roselyn Sanchez is a nice distraction as CIA agent "Lisa Morales" and it should be interesting to see her in more serious roles going forward.

Even if you are a fan of war films, or a hard core first person shooter fan, you will still have trouble digesting this film as anything but an experiment. The script is weak and the action not too convincing. It will more than likely do well as a recruitment film, but for serious movie goers, steer clear of this one.

3.5/10