The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a situation comedy in which a handful of some of Britain finest theatrical actors stay in a run down Indian mansion and get into a lot of mischief.

There is very little else to this movie’s narrative and that in itself says quite a lot. The reference to the “grey pound” (the untapped wealth of the middle class post pension aged demographic) in the early minutes of the movie sum up the concept behind Best Exotic quite well, someone somewhere realized it would be a good idea to make a film that’s a bit like Passage to India, starring actors of a certain age, to help lure in an audience of a certain age.

Goodness knows what possessed the cast to agree to this incredibly unimaginative British rom-com, but their presences at least make the piece bearable; Judi Dench, Celia Imrie, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Ronald Pickup, Tom Wilkinson and Penelope Wilton play a variety of single characteristic stereotypes of the British middle aged middle class acting up abroad, it’s an 18 to 30’s holiday with less sex, drugs and rock or roll and more blatant racial stereotypes and over extravagant settings. Not that we get to see a great deal of the local countryside during the movie’s runtime, other than a few brief references to a “fabulous temple” or two.

No matter how much high calibre talent has been employed in The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel it remains a distinctly average movie that relies on old stereotypes that will only be recognizable to an older audience.

Reviewed by Alyse Garner, Cinema Paradiso

Woody Harrelson stars as an LA cop who finds himself caught on camera assaulting an arrestee in a departmental attempt to draw attention away from a corrupt judicial system.

As with any corrupt-cop movie our anti-hero “Date-Rape” Dave Brown (Harrelson) is the man we love to hate and hating him is not a difficult task. He is a thoroughly unpleasant bully with absolutely no redeemable qualities, foul to his co-workers, despicably sexist toward his female colleagues and disgusting towards the two women he lives with, you can’t help but spend most of the movie hoping someone will shoot him in the face.

Beyond Harrelson’s gross and corrosive character Rampart is a portrayal of the LAPD in 1999; a time in which is discovered that a large part of the “Rampart” department were up to their necks in drug conspiracy and criminal behaviour. Although this is depicted as a public outrage, it somehow takes a backseat in the movie to Harrelsons character; who is so emotionally damaged and dangerous that all other aspects of the narrative seep into the darkness that surrounds him and become lost behind his atrocious behaviour.

Despite all of Brown’s horrors however Rampart is far from the quality of like minded movies such as LA Confidential, it is in fact an incredibly banal and predictable drama, fuelled only by Brown’s violent and abhorrent behaviour. The cameos from Steve Buscemi and Sigourney Weaver do nothing to save this movie from itself, and upon closing it remains an unnecessarily violent and occasionally chaotic run of the mill cop drama.

Reviewed by Alyse Garner, Cinema Paradiso

From the prolific director Steven Soderbergh comes what at first sight looks like a run of the mill high octane action movie; any Soderbergh’s fan will tell you however that that’s just not how Steve does it.

For starters just take a look at the cast; Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender, Bill Paxton, Channing Tatum, Antonio Banderas and Michael Douglas, as if the promise of such an eclectic selection of some of Hollywood’s finest wasn’t enough there’s the appearance of ex American Gladiator Gina Carano as the leading lady. The world number 3 brings a sense of realism to the film that could only be brought out by someone with the talents of Soderbergh; where most action movies are plagued by a lack of story and an over indulgence on visual effects and over dramatic fight scenes, Haywire has a wince making realism that is due in large part to Soderbergh’s choice to cast Carano.

Beyond the painful but thrilling fights lies a complex espionage storyline that is challenging and intriguing: black ops solider takes revenge after she is betrayed and set up during a secret mission. This is no masterpiece however, the action will keep you on the edge of your seat but the narrative is a little bit weak.

Overall Haywire is better than most action movies, but as Soderbergh movies go it’s hardly a corker,

Reviewed by Alyse Garner, Cinema Paradiso

A young English girl chooses to remain in America after her visa has expired after falling in love with an American; the couple’s relationship is put to the test when she is deported and they attempt to continue their romance from both sides of the Atlantic.

Felicity Jones plays Anna, an English student visiting America who begins a relationship with fellow student and American native Jacob (Anton Yelchin) when the summer term ends however Anna decides to stay in America rather than returning home for a few months to save money for a second trip. What follows is not, as I expected, a story of a couple’s attempt to overcome the visa authorities and stay together in America, but rather a far more honest and believable story of the way in which this decision, fuelled by young love and passion, affects both Anna and Jacob for the rest of the their lives.

Upon returning home Anna begins to become entangled with a neighbour, whilst Jacob finds himself pursued by a work colleague; the couple find themselves tormented by their commitment to one another, their impulsive desires and the heart-deep fear that there is no way of knowing whether staying together or being apart is the right choice.

I was very pleasantly surprised by Like Crazy Jones is a pleasing casting choice and the more I see of Yelchin the more I find myself warming to him, here the two characters – although having that inevitably forced quirkiness that passes for personality in all modern 90 minute romances – have a realism that is very intriguing, you find yourself mutually upset and unsure about the choices they make, wondering how you yourself would react faced with the possibilities of finding “the One” verse settling for the one that’s actually nearby.

All in all a surprisingly impressive and emotive movie with all the charm of the indie-romance genre.

Reviewed by Alyse Garner, Cinema Paradiso

Ryan Reynolds, Denzel Washington and Robert Patrick star in the crime-action-thriller about a CIA agent who finds himself on the run with a fugitive after the safe house he was guarding is attacked.

Reynolds plays Matt Weston, a bored CIA agent who has been manning a safe house in South Africa for years, until one day one of America’s most wanted men turns up at his post, shortly followed by a suspicious gang who descend on the building, attacking Weston’s criminal dependant.

It quickly becomes apparent that this is more than a local grudge against fugitive Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington) and that in fact some one on the inside of the CIA is trying to ensure the secret Frost has been keeping for ten years stays secret.

What follows is a rather predictable and contrite thriller whose twist can be seen from miles off; expect double crossing, government secrets and minimal creativity. The only really interesting and different aspect of Safe House is simply it’s setting, replacing the blindingly repetitive streets of any American city ever with the unfamiliar and industrial sites of Cape Town makes a pleasant change.

Reviewed by Alyse Garner, Cinema Paradiso

The latest movie from prolific French auteur Jean Luc Goddard Film Socialsme is a bizarre non narrative film captured on a European cruise with a variety of men and women from across the continent.

This is not a light weight film, even by Godardian standards, this is a movie that requires you to do a lot of work; but even with your best efforts Film Socialsme is almost completely incomprehensible.

Hardcore fans of Godard are likely to follow the lead of many of the critics who first viewed the film at last years Cannes Film Festival, it has been praised for it’s inert message and directorial presence, for us mere mortals however you are more likely to find the movie a vile insult to all that Godard and the French New Wave stood for.

The film consists of various fragmented scenes on a cruise ship traveling the Mediterranean, and also shots which travel through human history, which for the film’s purposes involve Egypt, Greece, Palestine, Odessa (notably its famous steps), Naples, Barcelona, Tunisia and other ancient ports. There’s also a fair amount of topical images and some random but nonetheless still cute, kittens. This does not take into account the barrage of seemingly unconnected words Godard described as “Navaho English” which one can only assume are there to invoke particular emotions and images, why this could not be achieved through the traditional cinematic lanes of narrative I will never know.

There is really very little to hang acclaim on for this movie, and leaves most audience members with somewhat of a pounding headache. There is an interesting four minute fast forward version of the movie posted on the internet by Godard himself however, which is vastly more impressive and interesting.

Reviewed by Alyse Garner, Cinema Paradiso

Originally titled Kari-gurashi No Arietti, Arrietty is essentially an anime version of The Borrowers; starring the voice talents of Saoirse Ronan, Tom Holland, Olivia Colman, Phyllida Law, Luke Allen-Gale, Mark Strong, Geraldine McEwan in the English language version.

The story is hardly new and has been told and retold many times since the original success of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers in 1952 and Arrietty stays fairly close to the original. The movie tells the story of a family of tiny humans who live in the house of two older Japanese women, and survive by borrowing items from the women’s home. Things change however when a young boy comes to stay with his Aunt who owns the house and discovers the existence of Arrietty and her family; at first Arrietty, who for years has been sheltered by her parents from the dangerous world of the full sized humans, is afraid of the new arrival, over time however the two develop a gentle and quite moving relationship in which they both find they are able to escape the restraints of their individual lives.

In true anime fashion Arrietty has a fantastical and magical feel to it that has been a little lost in some previous adaptations of the story, yet what is most enchanting about this piece is the friendship between Arrietty and Sho, the sickly almost house bound boy who learns of her existence. Their friendship symbolizes the connection between two worlds that can seem markedly different but are still able to conjure the same depth and intensity of emotion between those living within them.

This again, is hardly a new idea however, and fantastical escapism is somewhat of the bread and butter of anime feature films, with this in mind it is difficult to feel too blown away by Arrietty despite it’s charm; I can assure those first venturing into the world of anime that this may well be a great place to start, as it combines the familiar Western story with tastes of the fantastic Japanese art form, it is not comparable however to classics of the genre such as Spirited Away or Howl’s Moving Castle.

Reviewed by Alyse Garner, Cinema Paradiso

Laure (Zoe Haran) is a 10-year-old girl who has just moved into a new apartment complex with her busybody father, pregnant mother, and six-year-old sister. Although Laure is biologically a girl, she looks like a boy, what with her short hair, lean body, and gravitation to any boy activities such as football.

When Laure meets a fellow yet pretty girl named Lisa (Jeanne Disson) her interest is piqued and develops a crush. Her name is asked but she gives a boy one – Mikael – and from there on, Laure has been a boy. This is the French film ‘Tomboy’, the second feature from director Celine Sciamma. If in her debut film ‘Water Lillies’, she tackles the discovery of sexuality among 15-year-old synchronized swimmers, this time it’s Laure/Mikael, a much younger child who starts to distinguish her/himself as the gender she/he wants to be.

‘Tomboy’ examines if gender especially among children is in-born or acquired; a sort of conditioning depending on the people he/she meets and the environment he/she lives in. But director Sciamma’s film does not exact seriousness with her very young cast or even the subject matter.

Her camera follows Laure on her day-to-day without much comment; just a presentation of evens at times hilarious and cute, especially the natural interactions of the children with each other. The kids are being kids – they are still welcoming, curious, and non-judgmental. The relationships Laure/Mikael forms are interestingly expected and make for fun scenes. It is also wonderful to note that Laure/Mikael’s younger sister is very accepting, an unconditional love that is undeniable and heartwarming at best.

The film is shorter than expected but it’s enough to open eyes on how children recognize themselves as they grow older. As adults, we assign certain expectations how girls and boys dress, act, and go about their lives. With children, they are only expected to be kids and only once adults intervene do they imbibe certain norms that don’t really apply to them yet. Besides, what is a ‘tomboy’? Does she remain a tomboy forever? Does she revert to the body that she was born with?

Reviewed by Melissa Orcine, Cinema Paradiso

Doug (Cris Lankenau) is a forensic science student who suddenly drops out of college to pursue being Sherlock Holmes instead. He likes sleuthing but he doesn’t see it fit well in a school setting. He then moves into the apartment of his sister Gail (Trieste Kelly Dunn) whom he hasn’t really been chummy with since they were kids. But whatever, an apartment is an apartment. Doug then finds himself a job at an ice factory even though at first he didn’t even know that ice factories exist.

At work he meets Carlos (Raul Castillo) and they become fast friends. When Doug’s ex-girlfriend Rachel (Robyn Rikoon) tells him she’s about to visit but doesn’t show up, Doug and Carlos don their detective caps on and search for her. Will they find her eventually? Why is the weather always bad in Portland, Oregon where they live? This is ‘Cold Weather’ directed by Aaron Katz, a mumblecore independent picture devoid of a beginning, middle, and end.

As a movie itself ‘Cold Weather’ is nothing new. This is the kind of indie fare that movie aficionados eat up. If you like plot, it’s flimsy but it doesn’t matter. If you want character studies, nothing to see here. If you want people just falling into any situation that comes up, you’re in the right place.

In ‘Cold Weather’ we are taken for a ride with Doug’s non-exciting life. We don’t know if it’s because he lives in Portland or he is just an unexciting person to begin with. But he exists; therefore, something ought to happen. Cris Lankenau as Doug is a good choice; his face is neither here nor there, you can’t really tell if he’s into what he’s doing or just going through the motions. Lankenau does give a comic performance during the sleuthing episode and the circumstances that they are thrown in become a farce. And yet, you can’t help but feel saddened for Doug and company – this is the life you’ve got? More importantly, this is the life you want to settle for?

‘Cold Weather’ isn’t a sunny picture, all right.

Reviewed by Melissa Orcine, Cinema Paradiso

Prosopagnosia or ‘face blindness’ is a real illness where the brain is incapable to recognize and distinguish faces. Basically, you see people and even if they are not strangers to you, it doesn’t matter – you won’t know. You can’t differentiate between friend and foe, and that, is a more frightening thing.

‘Faces In The Crowd’ is a psychological thriller starring Milla Jovovich, she plays Anna Marchant, a schoolteacher who suddenly experiences face blindness after accidentally hitting her head. She had just witnessed the serial killer Tearjerk Jack assault another one of his female victims. Tearjerk Jack knows Anna did but even with her current state, and he cannot be sure that he can get off the hook that easily. As Anna tries to regain her ability to recognize faces and put names on them, she is also being haunted by the serial killer, making ‘Faces In The Crowd’ a thriller worth checking out.

Or is it really?

As a concept, using face blindness as an important detail in a psychological thriller bordering on horror flick is ingenious. But still, ‘Faces In The Crowd’ disappoints. Milla Jovovich overacts in every scene, particularly her waking-up-from-a-coma sequence where she truly freaks out. My take is: If you’re suddenly afflicted with face blindness, you would have to fake it to make it. Meaning: I can’t recognize faces – I should be discreet about it. I would be ashamed to admit that I’ve lost the ability to know people. And Jovovich’s portrayal is a major freak-out each and every time, not letting up, and hysterical through and through.

‘Faces In The Crowd’ also discards the exciting element of a serial killer on the loose, now stalking Anna (Jovovich). If the film makers were clever, they would have capitalized on this twisted cat-and-mouse game and yet, face blindness becomes the center of the story – plot be damned. In fact, a little romance is even injected. Anna becomes entangled with the detective (Julian McMahon) on her case, and you know, sparks.

A good effort from director Julian Magnat but ‘Faces In The Crowd’ screams straight-to-DVD at the get-go.

Reviewed by Melissa Orcine, Cinema Paradiso