From this Friday…

August: Osage County

A star cast (Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, Juliet Lewis, Benedict’s Cucumber-batch – are there any new film’s this man isn’t in?) feature in John Wells’ seriously dysfunctional family drama. Roberts, one of three sisters whose lives have taken vastly different turns, returns home and has to contend with, amongst other issues, her melodramatic, pill-popping mother (Streep).  Roberts has snagged herself a Best Supporting Actress nod, Streep (again) is in the running for Best Actress. The official website is here; the film will be playing all over.

Dark Days

Mark Singer’s brave sounding documentary follows members of a group of homeless people who have for some years lived beneath New York in an abandoned train tunnel. The official site is here; the film will play at key cities only.

The General

Perhaps silent movie comedian Buster Keaton’s most famous movie, this Civil War ‘epic’ (at 1 hour and 29 minutes, it is a long film for Keaton) sees him as a train engineer chasing after the Confederate soldiers who have stolen his locomotive. almost the entire film is taken up by a grandly orchestrated chase as he tried to get it back. The Park Circus webpage is here; the film will be showing at these locations.

The Grudge Match

Two old cinematic boxing champs (Sylvester Stallone as Rocky and Robert De Niro who was previously a Raging Bull) dust of their Zimmer frames and beef up at the gym as two former boxing champs who have a re-match many years after Stallone mysteriously and suddenly retired. An interesting pairing; these two have made a good film in the past (Copland, 1997) so there is some hope here, especially with Kim Basinger and Alan Arkin in support. The official website is here and the film will be playing across the whole UK.

Inside Llewyn Davis

The Cohen brothers’ latest feature has them focusing on a young folk musician in the 60’s (Oscar Isaac) who is just on the verge of being the next big thing. Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake co-star as does a cat that Isaac is either chasing or carrying throughout (so metaphor’s will feature strongly in most critics’ reviews). I’m ambivalent about Cohen films, having failed to crack a smile at their ‘comedies’ Intolerable Cruelty (2003) and Burn After Reading (2008) but loving every second of No Country For Old Men (2007). This at least looks well acted from the trailers and the glowing photography looks adorable. The official Canal+ webpage is here and you will be able to see it just about everywhere.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Third reboot of the screen adaptations of the Tom Clancy thrillers, sees Chris Pine step into Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck’s shoes in this original story. Pine uncovers a Russian plot to destabilise the American economy with a terrorist attack. Kevin Costner and Keira Knightley co-star in a film that will be playing just about every place. The official website is here.

Teenage

The teenager is a thoroughly modern concept so this drama looks at being a teenager during the first half of the twentieth century, from members of the Hitler Youth to black Boy Scouts. The official website is here; including screening details here.

And on Wednesday 29 January…

I, Frankenstein

Aaron Eckhart looks in decidedly fine, ripped fettle (age: 45)  as a modern day monster in writer/director Stuart Beattie’s silly sounding adaptation of  the Darkstorm Studios graphic novel, itself following upmteen increasingly ridiculous screen versions of what was Mary Shelley’s rather far-fetched and florid literary classic. Having lived for more than 200 years since his creator (Aden Young) stitched him together from the body parts stolen from corpses and a soupcon of electricity, Adam the monster still walks the earth. But when he finds himself in the middle of a war over the fate of humanity, he discovers he holds the key that could destroy humankind. At only an hour and a half, it seems suspiciously short but could be a fun night at the movies, in a Van Helzing kind of way. The official site is here and the film will be everywhere.

Out of the Furnace

Phew! Christian Bale, that very serious actor, is currently in ‘fitty’ mode for cinematic fans. Stuck in a dead end job, he gets involved with a notorious criminal gang when his brother (Casey Affleck), who works for them, mysteriously vanishes. Zoe Saldana is on-hand to help him solve this. The official Tumblr site is here; the film will be playing to saturation point.

That Awkward Moment

Stills have already been released from this film, showing Zac Efron peeing in an odd position following a Viagra overdose, an indication therefore of the type of comedy here as three friends face that titular point in a relationship when a young man must decide where things are going. The official site is here and the film will be showing just up, down and round the whole of the UK.

 

Age of Uprising

Mads Mikkelsen stars as a farmer in 16th Century France who takes violent revenge against the local M’Lord steals two of his horses. The official Music Box Film’s web page is here; use this link on Find Any Film to see where it is showing.

La Belle et la Bete

Jean Cocteau’s achingly beautiful telling of the Beauty and the Beast fairytale stars his off-screen lover, the achingly beautiful Jean Marais as the beast and Josette Day as beauty. Re-released as part of the BFI’s ‘Gothic’ season, movie’s don’t come more ravishing than this. The BFI’s web page with screening locations is here.

Last Vegas

On the cusp of turning into OAP’s, Michael Douglas, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman and Kevin Kline revisit their youth in Las Vegas to celebrate bachelor Douglas finally getting married to his much younger girlfriend. Sounds like The Hangover with a bus pass. The official Universal website is here and you can book tickets/get screening locations from the home page. It even takes you direct to your nearest cinema – bonus!

Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom

This isn’t the first biopic of Nelson Mandela (for instance, Freeman played in him in the sports drama Invictus, 2009) but this has an added piquancy as Mandela passed away as the film was premiered in London a few weeks ago. Idris Elba grabs an opportunity for a unique headline role in mainstream cinema therefore to play the man from his youth, through his struggle to end Apartheid in South Africa and his latter days as the first black President of South Africa. Noemie Harris plays his controversial second wife Winnie. The film will be screened across almost all UK cinemas and the official website is here.

The Missing Picture

One man’s search for a photo of a war crime in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge ruled becomes a quest for the nature of reality and representation in this Cannes Film Festival winning film with plasticine dolls as the characters. The official New Wave Films site is here; the film will show at key cities only.

 

Unlucky for some today, but not if you are planning a visit to the cinema over the next few days, you lucky, lucky things you!

Here are the main UK releases for this week:

The Christmas Candle

Santa Clause is a-coming and you can instantly tell by the titles of the festive season’s movie offerings. This fable sees Hans Matheson as a vicar who arrives in a village steeped in magic and miracles, but teetering on the edge of modernity thanks to his new fangled ideas. Sounds cute and loads of good online stuff: official website here, Facebook page here and full list of cinema’s screening it with booking info here.

Cinema Paradiso

A classic of world cinema; film-maker Philippe Noiret visits his home town and recalls how the local cinema’s projectionist fired his enthusiasm for making movies. Re-released as part of the film’s 25th anniversary; no details about screenings other than it will show in key cities only so keep ’em peeled on your local art-house or big multiplex screens.

Fill the Void

Life in an orthodox Jewish community as a young woman is pressurised by her family to marry the widower of her recently deceased sister. Official Artificial Eye pictures page is here; the film will show at key cities only.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Ridiculously titled second instalment in the forever-to-conclude Peter Jackson sextet of Tolkein epics. Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) continues his journey to reclaim the dwarf kingdom of Erebor. Ian McKellan co-stars as the wizard Gandalf. The immaculate official website is here and the film will be showing at just about every cinema up and down and across the land.

The Innocents

A chilling Christmas ghost story showing as part of the BFI’s ‘Gothic’ season. Deborah Kerr stars as the Victorian governess who becomes convinced her charges have been possessed following the death of her predecessor. Think The Others but minus Nicole Kidman’s ‘gerbil in the headlights’ ™ acting and buoyed up by the fantastical Kerr, almost possessed herself. The BFI site gives you screening locations here as this is will be at key cities only.

Tamla Rose

A Scouse Dreamgirls (2006) about a Motown-esque girl group pursuing stardom. The official Facebook page is here, official website is here and the film will show at key cities only.

And on Wednesday 18 December…

Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues

Will Ferrel returns as news anchor Ron Burgundy as prepares to head up America’s first ever 24 hours news station. It won’t be easy when his old colleagues Steve Carrel (weatherman), Paul Rudd (the ‘man on the street’) and David Koechner (sports desk) also join him. The official site is here and the film will be playing all across the UK.

Big Bad Wolves

This violent Israeli thriller has been acclaimed by no-less an authority on such movies than Quentin Tarantino as the best film this year.

A vigilante cop, sure he knows the identity of a child killer, beats the suspect half to death. But this is filmed and goes viral, leading to an escalation of his problems. No official site, but Wikipedia has the low-down here. The film will be on a limited showing only so keep your peepers out for it.

Black Nativity

Teenager Jacob Latimore moves in with strict religious relatives (Forrest Whittaker, Angela Bassett) but embarks on a journey of faith himself when he tries to return home to mom Jennifer Hudson. The official Fox Searchlight page is here; the film will be showing across most of the UK.

Floating Skyscrapers

Polish gay drama about an athlete’s developing sexual curiosity for a man he meets at a gallery opening. Apparently one of Polish cinema’s only queer offerings, the film will be showing at these limited locations and the official Facebook page is here.

Frozen (3D)

Disney animated adventure about a spirited girl who sets out to rescue her sister, whose magical powers have frozen the kingdom of Arendelle in perpetual winter. The official site is here and the film will be playing all over the show.

Getaway

Former race car driver Ethan Hawke steals “international music sensation” (if you believe the website’s blurb) Selena Gomez’s car, with the girl still in it, as a means to save his wife. You might have to bear with this plot. The official site is here; the film will show at most UK cinemas.

Homefront

Coming in the wake of the much lauded American drama Breaking Bad this action thriller sees Jason Statham as a former Drug Enforcement Agency man moving to a small town with his family but finding himself entangled with the local Crystal Meth lord (James Franco). Winona Ryder and Kate Bosworth round out the star cast; Sylvester Stallone is the credited scribe. The official Facebook page is here; the film should be playing at all cinemas with enough screens.

Kill Your Darlings

Director John Krokidas’ feature film debut looks at what happened when a murder happened that brought together leading beat generation poets Allen Ginsberg (Daniel Radcliffe), Jack Kerouac (Jack Huston) and William S. Burroughs (Ben Foster). The film will show at key cities only, but Facebook lists the locations here.

Klown

Slightly bonkers and certainly outrageous, this sex-fuelled Danish comedy follows two men as they plough through Denmark and unmentionable debaucheries as they join their friend on a secret, sex-fuelled canoeing weekend. Comedians Frank Hvam and Casper Christensen play the two leads and the film will be showing at key cities only. Official site is here.

A Long Way From Home

James Fox goes for his ‘Bogart/Death in Venice’ slot as a retired Brit lusting after Natalie Dormer’s younger woman while he takes it easy in France with wife Brenda Fricker. The film will show at key cities only and the official Soda Pictures is here.

Nebraska

Bruce Dern could well be a shoe-in for an Oscar next year if the buzz around his performance here is anything to go by. He receives a sweepstake letter and, thinking he’s won it big, ropes in son Will Forte to take him on a road trip across four states to collect his prize. Alexander Payne (Abouth Schmidt, Sideways) directs. The official website is here and the film will be showing across the whole of the UK at most cinemas.

Oldboy

American remake, surprisingly directed by Spike Lee, of the decidedly weird 2003 Park Chan-Wook thriller. Josh Brolin stars as a man who is imprisoned and framed for the rape and murder of his ex-wixe, his daughter having been taken away and adopted by another family. He spends the next 20 years training as a boxer to take revenge on the men who did this to him. But there is a lot more to this story than meets the eye as one can see from the official Tumblr site here. The film should be playing at most places.

The Patience Stone

Afghani film, based on the novel by Atiq Rahimi tells one woman’s story to break away from silence and oppression. The stills of the film alone look heart-achingly beautiful. The film will show at key cities only and the official webpage is here.

The Powder Room

Brit actress of the moment Sheridan Smith leads a largely female cast of girls in this raucous ‘girls on the piss’ comedy as they face up to where their lives are as they paint the town red. Jaime Winstone co-stars. The film will be showing at key cities only and the official Vertigo Films page is here.

Rough Cut

Director James Shovlin explores and pays homage to the slasher genre with this film-within-a-film, following a remake of an old classic of the genre. The official website is here and it will show at key cities only.

Scatter My Ashes at Bergdorf’s

Matthew Miele’s documentary peeks behind the scenes at the legendary American department store. Contributors include Joan Rivers and Karl Lagerfeld. The official website is here and the film show at key cities only. If you want the lowdown on the store itself, click here.

This Ain’t California

Drama-documentary following the hitherto neglected 80’s skateboarding scene in the East Berlin of the 1980’s. Now there can’t be many of these films, so knock yourselves out skater boyz and girls! The official Facebook page is here and the film will show at key cities only.

 

Blue is the Warmest Colour – some controversy around this tale of a lesbian teenager (Adèle Exarchopoulos) and her affair with her blue-haired teacher (Léa Seydoux), some accusing it of perving a little longer than necessary on the characters (see Metro  interview with Seydoux here). Either way, this seems brave and frank and will be showing at many UK cinemas, so check out your art house places or bigger multiplexes. Official Artificial Eye site is here.

Breakfast With Jonny Wilkinson – as you might predict, this comedy takes place during the Rugby World Cup as a local team are set to lose their beloved chairman. The official Facebook page is here and the film will be playing at key cities only.

Computer Chess – it’s not often that chess forms part of a film. And even rarer for that film to be a comedy. Computer developers pit their intelligence against that of chess masters during a weekend of software development craziness. Hilair! Thankfully, it will only be showing at key cities so easy to miss. The official Flickr site is here.

The Family – Luc Besson is probably the last director one would associate with the crime genre. But here he is helping this darkly funny ‘mafia fish out of water’ thriller with Robert De Niro as the crime boss relocated under the witness protection scheme with his family to a small town in France after snitching on the mob. Trouble is, they find it hard to shed their old way of life and, of course, are soon tracked down. The official Tumblr site is here; the film will be showing at most UK cinemas.

Flu – Korean pandemic disaster film. The official website is in Korean, as is the Facebook page, so if you don’t speak the dialect, better check out IMDb here. The film will be showing at key cities only.

Gone With the Wind – aaaaah. There can be no better word for this, possibly the most famous of Hollywood films, than perfection. And by perfection we are of course bypassing the rampant racism, wild histrionics, Vivien Leigh’s continent jumping accent (and most of said histrionics) and the longuers after the Civil War has finished. Classic American film-making like this will never be seen again. Clark Gable, Leslie Howard and (the only remaining principal cast member still alive, at the grand old age of 97) Olivia de Havilland round out some of the massive cast list. Re-released in a tarted up edit, it is being presented by the BFI at these cinemas to coincide with what have been Leigh’s 100th birthday.

Killing Oswald – 50 years ago this week JFK was assassinated so there has been a glut of TV documentaries to chronicle this seismic historical event. This docu looks into the mystery of why the President and his killer Lee Harvey Oswald were both murdered that year. The official website is here and the film will be playing at key cities only.

Parkland – and here is the second big screen JFK offering this week, purporting to be the ‘true’ telling of that fateful day in Dallas. The disparate stories of various people closely involved in the tragedy, including duty doctor Zac Efron are woven together, a la Robert Altman. The official site is here; the film will be showing all over.

Vendetta – ‘Danny Dyer back doing what he does best!’ scream the slogans for this crime thriller, not leaving us many entertaining options to contemplate. He kills someone trying to break into his shop and the man’s gang return to beat him and rape his wife leading to a sub-Death Wish on a council estate. The film will be showing at key cities only and the official website is here.

Vivan las Antipodas! – beautiful sounding documentary as filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky takes us to several antipodes on the planet (antipodes being places that are diametrically opposed to one another) to show us the different people who live there. The official website contains a little more here; the film will show at key cities only. 

Battle of the Year (3D)

Drama about a group of  American dancers who try to wrest back the title of best international dance act as the states haven’t won in 15 years. Starring Josh Holloway and Laz Alonso, this will be showing at key cities only and the official website is here.

The Butler

Highly regarded stateside, Forrest Whittaker stars in what looks like a romanticised view of the Oval office and race relations. He is the butler (to seven US Presidents over three decades) of the title and whose own tenure sees in and out the Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam war and more. Amongst those in the top job, Robin Williams as Dwight Eisenhower, James Marsden as John F Kennedy and Alan Rickman as Ronald Regan. Lee Daniels (Precious) directs and the film will be playing just about everywhere. See the official site here.

The Counsellor

Michael Fassbender stars in this Ridley Scott directed version of the Cormac McCarthy thriller about a lawyer (Fassbender) whose deal with drug lord Brad Pitt spirals out of control. The official website is here and the film will be playing all over.

Dom Hemingway

Jude Law’s sweary ex-con sets out to collect what he is owed after keeping quiet and taking the rap for his boss (Demian Bechir). Accompanying him is his best pal Dicky (Richard E. Grant). Stylish looking crime thriller and Law has had great reviews for this role. The official Fox Searchlight film is here; the film will show across most UK cinemas.

Don John

That talented young actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt-Gordon-Levitt-Levitt has only gone and directed his first film! As one would expect, he has also written the script about a young porn-obsessed lothario loved by many a girl but falling in love with Scarlett Johansson. So who better to cast in that role, than the man himself! Good reception and box office so far in what looks like a charming relationship fable. The official Facebook UK page is here; the film will touch most UK screens.

Future My Love

A wide, WIDE (!) ranging documentary from the Swedish director Maja Borg who meets the American futurist Jacque Fresco and looks at his ideas on his social designs, creating a fairer world less reliant on money and debt. Well regarded by esteemed critic Mark Cousins, the official Independent Cinema Office website is here; Borg’s more detailed site contains screenings (internationally!) here.

In Fear

British horror starring Iain de Caestecker and Alice Englert. Scant details online, but the official Studio Canal page is here and the film will be showing across most of the UK.

Pandora’s Promise

Here’s an enviro-doc with a difference, as director Andrew Stone looks at various people who have gone form being anti to very much pro-nuclear power for a variety of reasons. The official website is here and the film will be showing at key cities only (see listings here).

Utopia

John Pilger, one of the world’s most respected journalist, directs this journey into the titular region of Australia, home to the oldest presence of humans on Earth and looks at the history of Aboriginal oppression. The film will be shown at the Ritzy in Brixton and screened across other cinema following a Q&A with Pilger. Information on Pilger’s official site is here.

And on Thursday 21 November…

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are on a tour after winning the ‘Hunger Games’, a Krypton Factor to the death for teenagers in a future world where they fight to appease the totalitarian regime that lords it over their poorer home communities. Katniss senses a rebellion is simmering, not a good idea when the President (Donald Sutherland) is in full control and that the last time this happened, the rebelling community was wiped out. The Lionsgate Films site is here, there is also a massive fan community network called The Hunger Games Explorer here and the film will, naturally saturate UK cinema screens.

The Broken Circle Breakdown – Belgian family drama about the romance between a tattooist and a musician and how their love is tested when their daughter becomes seriously ill. The official site is here; the film will show at key cities.

Captain Phillips – director Paul Greengrass looks at the 2009 hijacking of the U.S. container ship Maersk Alabama by a crew of Somali pirates.  Tom Hanks takes the lead role as the captain who tries to save his crew during this desperate time. The film will be showing across the UK and the official Sony Pictures site can be found here.

Enough Said – the late James Gandolfini stars in this, his penultimate film as the potential romantic partner of Julia Louise Dreyfuss. He is also the ex-husband of her best friend. The film will show across most UK cinema screens and the official Fox Searchlight site is here.

The Epic of Everest – the BFI dust down and add a new score to this original chronicle of the 1924 Everest expedition by George Mallory and Andrew Irvine. The official web page can be found here and it contains screening locations.

Escape Plan – Arnold Schwarzenegger has been ambling back to leading man status since hanging up his ‘Governator’ gloves back in 2011. Here, he teams up with his former screen rival Sylvester Stallone as two men in an ultra high tech prison who work together to break out. The official website is here and, as befitting two titans of cinema, it will be showing just about every place.

Last Passenger – much mentioned recently in The Metro (see interview with star Dougray Scott here, for instance), this economically made thriller follows a group of passengers on a runaway  London commuter train as it hurtles towards a deathly terminus. Kara Tointon and Lindsay Duncan co-star. The official Facebook page is here and the film will show at key cities only.

The Lebanese Rocket Society – this drama, from the Lebanon obviously, looks at a sixties group of scientists who joined the space race. The official Soda Pictures site is here; the film will be showing at key cities only.

Like Father Like Son – highly regarded Japanese film in which a father learns his biological son is actually a child swapped with another at birth. He must make a decision about whether to choose his real son or stay with the boy he has raised. No official website, but the IMDb page is here. Showing at key cities only.

Love, Marilyn – intriguing drama in which actresses such as Uma Thurman and Ellen Burstyn help bring to life aspects of screen goddess Marilyn Monroe’s persona. The official Studio Canal page is here; the film will be on a limited release only.

Prince Avalanche – Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch star in this odd-bods bonding comedy as two men who vacate the city to help repaint lines down a highway in countryside ravaged by a forest fire. The official Magnolia Pictures site is here; the film will show at key cities only.

Turbo – DreamWorks animation about a snail that attains the power of super speed and uses it to help his friends. The official website is here; the film will show all over the UK.

Very Extremely Dangerous – the story of Curtis Buck, a rock and roll legend who tried to return to recording aged 70 and as he is dying of cancer. The official Facebook page is here; the film will be playing on London and Dublin screens only.

Walesa: Man of Hope – Polish cinema giant Andrzej Wajda directs this dramamentary about Lech Walesa, the charismatic leader and unofficial leader of Polish dockworkers. The Wikipedia page is here; the film will play at key cities only.

And on Wednesday 23 October…

Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa – Jackass supremo Johnny Knoxville plays 86 year old Irving Zisman who travels across the states with his eight year old nephew encountering, as you would expect a host of crazy characters along the way. The official site is here; the film will be all over the show.

Baggage Claim – Paula Patton leads an all-star cast in this sky-high romantic comedy as a cabin crew member who flies around the world in pursuit of  the perfect suitor. Taye Diggs, Djimon Honsou and Jill Scott co-star. The official Facebook page is here and the film will show at most UK cinema screens.

The Fifth Estate – Julian Assange/Wikileaks drama that has had a mixed reception so far. Benedict Cumberbatch plays Assange, Daniel Bruhl is his colleague and Wikileaks co-founder as we follow them as they team up to take on the secrets of the world’s power elite. The official site is here and the film will show at most UK cinemas.

Haewon (Nobody’s Daughter) – this drama tells the story of a University student and her romantic relationship with her lecturer. The Facebook page is here; the film will be showing on a limited release only, so check out your local art house cinemas (the Institute of Contemporary Arts and BFI will have screenings).

Le Week-end – apparently French for ‘The Weekend’! Lindsay Duncan and Jim Broadbent star in director Hanif Kureshi’s (My Beautiful Launderette) bittersweet romance about a middle-aged couple returning to Paris to reignite the passion in their marriage. Bumping into old friend Jeff Goldblum unfortunately does not help. Sounds like a classy affair; the official Embankment Films website is here; the film will be showing across the UK.

Machete Kills – I usually hate Tumblr sites, so confusing and messy and difficult to locate information, like a student’s scrapbook. The Tumblr site for this Robert Rodriguez violence/actioneer (and what other type of film would he make?) is, on the other hand, perfectly set out, with just the right soupcon of flash. Danny Trejo nabs the lead. The film will show across most of the UK.

Not Another Happy Ending – Karen Gillan of Dr Who fame stars as an author who, bouyed up by the success of her last novel, has writer’s block. Her publisher tries to make her miserable to get the creative juices flowing again. Trouble is, the more he tries, the more he falls in love with her. The official website is here; scroll down in the News section here for screening locations.

Romeo & Juliet – a star studded Brit cast, headlined by Douglas Booth, pepper this adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic romantic tragedy. It looks as beautiful as Mr Booth himself. The film will be showing right across the UK, so time to brush up your Shakespeare at any multiplex. Official Facebook page is here.

Which Way is the Front Line From Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington – HBO documentary about the titular photographer’s work across the world’s war fields. The official website is here; the film will show at key cities only.

And on Monday 14 October…

V/H/S/2  – Follow-up to last years V/H/S this brings a further anthology of horror films as two private investigators searching for a missing student uncover a collection of mysterious VHS cassettes. The official website is here; the film will play at key cities only.

Austenland – Jane Austen fan Keri Russell travels to England to visit an Austen Theme Park and finds herself falling for a Regency era gent in this frothy and pinky looking comedy co-starring American Pie‘s Jennifer Coolidge. The official (and cutsey) site is here; the film will show at key cities only, so google your local art-house screens and larger multiplex venues for screening details.

Blue Jasmine – the critics are hailing this as Woody Allen’s return to his old 80’s/early 90’s form, with Cate Blanchett as the wealthy New York socialite whose life goes into free fall when her husband (Alec Baldwin) is arrested for fraud. In a film that clearly echoes A Streetcar Named Desire (1951) she moves in with her more modest living sister Sally Hawkins and her husband Andrew Dice Clay. The official website is here and the film will be showing all over.

Bring Me the Head of the Machine Gun Woman – a sexily clad machine gun wielding mercenary will stop at nothing to kill a Chilean gangster in this kinkily booted actioneer. The film will play at cities only and the official website is here.

Girl Most Likely – Bridesmaid’s Kristen Wiig is still single and still failing in her character’s on-screen career, this time as a playwright rather than a cake maker. She makes the humiliating move back home to Mom (Annette Bening) – only to find a strange man now lives in her bedroom and another man is in her mother’s bed. The official website is here and the film will show at most UK cinemas.

Greedy Lying Bastards – climate change controversy docs are not exactly unique at the moment, so that might explain the attention grabbing title of this film, that looks at the lies being told (or so the makers claim) by leaders of the fossil fuel industry in regards to global warming. The official website is here, the film will show at key cities only.

Hannah Arendt – drama about the German-Jewish journalist who wrote famously about the ‘Banality of Evil’ to describe the blandly sociopathic Nazi Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the holocaust.  Co-starring Janet McTeer this will show at key cities only and the official Soda Pictures page is here.

In the Name Of – gay Polish drama about a Priest falling in love with an eccentric young man and facing conflict with his spiritual calling. The official Peccadillo Pictures page is here including London screening details (more screening locations to follow).

Mister John – following his brother’s death Aiden Gillen travels to Singapore to help his sister-in-law sort his brother’s affairs out. Suddenly, he considers the possibility of reinventing himself. The official Artificial Eye website is here and the Find Any Film website here will show what key cities it is showing at.

Nothing But a Man – the Library of Congress in the states have given this archive African American film about a black labourer trying to settle down with a career, but finding family pressures and racist white bosses impeding his progress. The BFI has more information, including sparse UK screening locations on their website here.

Prisoners – Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal lead this starry and taut sounding drama about a Dad (Jackman) who is left frustrated and wound up by police (Gyllenhaal) inaction when his young daughter goes missing. Paul Dano is the young man who may or may not have taken her. The official website is here and the film will be showing at almost all UK cinemas.

Runner Runner – thriller with Justin Timberlake as a Princeton University graduate who travels to Costa Rica to confront a man (Ben Affleck) who has swindled him. When the FBI get involved, he finds himself being squeezed on all sides. The official website is here; the film will show all over UK screens.

Smash and Grab – The Story of the Pink Panthers – this documentary looks at a group of jewel thieves. The official Facebook page is here and it will show at key cities only.

The Wicker Man: 40th Anniversary – Robin Hardy’s seminal pagan horror with new-in-town copper Edward Woodward on the trail of a missing girl on Scottish Laird Christopher Lee’s island. The official Facebook page is here; the film will show at key cities only.

The Call – an extraordinarily permed Halle Berry stars as the 911 operator who takes a call from Abigail Breslin, who has been kidnapped and placed in a man’s car trunk. Given the recent revelations about women held captive by Ariel Castro in Cleveland, this thriller may have an added resonance with American audiences and might translate to the UK. Official Sony Pictures website is here; the film will play across most UK cinemas.

Cold Comes the Night – sexually exploitative sounding thriller about a blind gangster taking a mother and daughter prostitute operation hostage when his driver disappears. Showing at key cities only; the official website is here.

Diana  – surely worth seeing if only to see how terrible this “real life” account of the HRH of Wales’ affair with a heart surgeon really is. Naomi Watts doffs her head at a canted angle, a la Bashir interview, in this hagiography of the century. Wonder what Majesty magazine will make of it all? Official site is here; the film will play at most UK cinemas.

Harrigan – it’s 1974 and a local, northern man becomes committed to retaining what is left of decency in his local community. Stephen Tomkinson stars, the official site is here and the film will be showing at key cities.

Hawking – biopic that tells the story of the most famous (if not the only) astro-physicist on the planet. The official Vertigo Films website has the low-down here; it will show at key cities only.

Kelly and Victor – this is a haunting, candid depiction of a young couple embarking on a passionate and transgressive love affair. Stars Antonia Campbell-Hughes and Julian Morris. The film will play at key cities only; UK screenings can be found here.

Metro Manila – Oscar Ramirez and his family decide to move to the capital mega city of Manila. Upon arriving in the big city, it isn’t long before they fall foul to various city inhabitants whose manipulative ways are a daily part of city survival. The official site is here and the film will play at key UK cities.

R.I.P.D. – well-haired Jeff Bridges helms this 3-D sci-fi action nonsense with an equally follically blessed Ryan Reynolds as two cops dispatched by the otherworldly Rest In Peace Department to protect and serve the living from an increasingly destructive array of souls who refuse to move peacefully to the other side. Blah, blah, blah, yackety, schmackety the official site is here and this will evade no one’s notice as it will play everywhere.