Grace Of Monaco

Director: Olivier Dahan Starring: Nicole Kidman, Tim Roth, Frank Langella, Pez Vega, Parker Posey, Robert Lindsay, Derek Jacobi, Milo Ventimiglia Written by: Arash Amel Running Time: 103 mins Cert: PG Release date: 6th June 2014 Universally panned when it opened the Cannes Film Festival this year, the big question is: Is it as bad as people are…

Fruitvale Station

Director: Ryan Coogler Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, Ariana Neal, Trestin George Written by: Ryan Coogler Running Time: 85 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 6th June 2014 A sad fact about modern life is the countless stories on the news about some youngster being caught up in an event that has left…

Omar

Director: Hany Abu-Assad Starring: Adam Bakri, Leem Lubany, Iyad Hoorani, Samer Bisharat, Waleed Zuaiter Written by: Hany Abu-Assad Running Time: 96 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 30th May 2014 Omar has taken a long time to reach the UK shores but its been well worth the wait. Winner of the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section of the…

Jimmy’s Hall

Director: Ken Loach Starring: Barry Ward, Simone Kirby, Andrew Scott, Jim Norton, Brian F. O’Byrne Written by: Paul Laverty and (based on the play) Donal O’Kelly Running Time: 109 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 30th May 2014 Director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty have worked together for nearly twenty years and in that time…

Maleficent

Director: Robert Stromberg Starring: Angelina Jolie, Elle Fanning, Sharlto Copley, Lesley Manville, Imelda Staunton, Juno Temple, Sam Reilly Written by: Linda Woolverton, (based from the story “La Belle au bois dormant”) Charles Perrault, (based from the story “Little Briar Rose”) Jacob Grimm, Wilhelm Grimm, (based from the motion picture “Sleeping Beauty”, story adaptation) Erdman Penner, (based from the motion picture “Sleeping Beauty”, screenplay) Joe Rinaldi, Winston Hibler, Bill Peet, Ted Sears, Ralph Wright, Milt Banta….

Blended

Director: Frank Coraci Starring: Adam Sandler, Drew Barrymore, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Kevin Nealon, Terry Crews. Written by: Ivan Menchell and Clare Sera Running Time: 117 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 23rd May 2014 Adam Sandler. A man who, once upon a time, starred in a film called Punch Drunk Love. It wasn’t a massive success and some regarded it as just odd…

The Two Faces Of January

Director: Hossein Amini Starring:   Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac, David Warshofsky, Daisy Bevan Written by: Hossein Amini and (based on the novel) Patricia Highsmith Running Time: 96 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 16th May 2014 I have said it once and I will say it again: it doesn’t matter how big the budget, it doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve got a good…

Frank

Director: Lenny Abrahamson Starring: Michael Fassbender, Domhnall Gleason, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Scoot McNairy, Francois Civil, Carla Azar Written by: Peter Staughan and (also based on his newspaper article) Jon Ronson Running Time: 95 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 9th May 2014 Frank Sidebottom was a legend. Created by Chris Sievey, the papier-mache headed musician and comic…

Ilo Ilo

Director: Anthony Chen Starring: Koh Jia Ler, Angeli Bayani, Tian Wen Chen, Yann Yann Yeo Written by: Anthony Chen Running Time: 99 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 2nd May 2014 Sometimes simplicity makes a much louder noise than throwing everything you have at the screen. Take Ilo Ilo for example. A small-scale, simple tale of…

Blue Ruin

Director: Jeremy Saulnier Starring: Macon Blair, Amy Hargreaves, Devin Ratray, Kevin Kolack, Eve Plumb Written by: Jeremy Saulnier Running Time: 90 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 2nd May 2014 Blue Ruin should be subtitled Blood Bath In Small Town America because this low budget independent thriller may not have the big names or big studio behind…

Transcendence

Director: Wally Pfister Starring: Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Morgan Freeman, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Cole Hauser Written by: Jack Paglen Running Time: 119 mins Cert: 12A Release date: 25th April 2014 It is official. Transcendence is a total flop, both financially and critically. Having been universally panned, the audience in the States have…

The Quiet Ones

Director: John Pogue Starring: Jared Harris, Sam Claflin, Olivia Cooke, Erin Richards, Rory Fleck-Byrne Written by: Craig Rosenberg, Oren Moverman, John Pogue and (based on the screenplay) Tom de Ville Running Time: 98 mins Cert: 15 Release date: 10th April 2014 Those who are regular readers will know that I have soft spot for Hammer…