Australia (Opens on December 26)
After a seven-year absence director Baz Luhrmann recruits fellow Aussies Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman in his attempt to pay tribute to the country of his birth. Australia proves to be as aurally and visually stunning as one would expect from the creator of Moulin Rouge, with lingering shots of the continent and its many gorgeous landscapes accompanied by an equally beautiful soundtrack. But despite the film’s epic eye candy (hovering just outside of kitsch), the plot is decidedly unremarkable and driven by cliché. Still, despite the fact that the characters played by Kidman and Jackman aren’t particularly deep, the smouldering chemistry between them means their interactions prove to be compelling viewing. A meandering third act is the film’s major downfall, ruining the frenetic energy that Luhrmann usually uses to keep the audience’s attention. — Shain Germainer
Bolt (Opens on December 26)
The comeback of 3D cinema gathers steam with Bolt. 3D films can be poor fare, relying on a time-worn gimmick to mask their dreariness. Bolt, however, would be every bit as good an animated feature without the added 3D dimension. Bolt (voiced by John Travolta) is a Hollywood movie dog who stars in a mega-budget TV show where the only thing standing between “his person”, Penny (Miley Cyrus), and the clutches of the evil Green-Eyed Man is himself and his superdog powers. The studio has conditioned Bolt to believe his powers are real, to enhance his performance. Thinking Penny has been kidnapped he escapes the studio and is accidentally couriered to New York. So begins a trans-American trek in a film that takes hilarious swipes at Hollywood cynicism. — Zinaid Meeran
Boy A (Opens on December 26)
Jack Burridge (Andrew Garfield) stars in this melodrama about a young man trudging back into society after spending more than a decade in a juvenile prison in Manchester, Britain. Jack comes from an unstable family — his mother is on her deathbed and his father is forever in whiskey-induced inertia and they don’t notice how he has fallen victim to the bullies at school. He befriends Philip Craig (Taylor Doherty), who knows a thing or two about confronting bullies. Before Jack knows it he is no longer attending class and winds up in a juvenile penitentiary. When Jack comes out he wants to break away from his violent and sordid past. The question foremost in our minds is whether society will allow him to. Supported by a social worker, Terry (Peter Mullan), Jack begins a long, uncertain struggle for redemption. What follows is a tender, sad and nervy portrait of a man who wants to do the right thing but might not be able to. — Percy Zvomuya
Elegy (Opens on December 26)
Based on Philip Roth’s coruscating novel The Dying Animal (though that’s obviously not a good title for a movie), this focuses on womanising littérateur David Kepesh and a devastating late-life affair with a great beauty (Penélope Cruz). This is an intelligent adaptation, often beautifully realised, with Cruz as the glowing star: she is wonderful in a brave and, er, well-rounded performance. Patricia Clarkson is also great to see, working to her usual high standard; so is Peter Sarsgaard as Kepesh’s combative son. Ben Kingsley as Kepesh is the major flaw. A tense, watchful actor, he gets the pernickety, anal-retentive side of Kepesh’s personality, but as a major sensualist you can’t believe him for a second; it’s inconceivable that he’d relax for long enough to have an orgasm. This leaves something of a hole in the middle of the movie. Also, his sidekick played by Dennis Hopper, allegedly a Pulitzer-winning poet and just dripping with wisdom, is barely credible. — Shaun de Waal
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (Opens on December 19)
What could have been an effective satire of the media industry is bogged down by romantic comedy clichés that completely bombard the film’s second half. Adapted from Toby Young’s novel of the same name, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People is the story of Sidney Young (Simon Pegg), a British journalist whose constant social faux pas make him an outcast at his new high-profile job at an American fashion magazine. The entertainment of the film’s first half is sustained through Pegg’s likeability, and his inappropriate interactions with the industry elite are not only humorous but quite scathing. Caricatures of Hollywood big-wigs pervade the movie, with a particularly noteable performance from Megan Fox, who portrays newfound starlet Sophie Maes, a vixen whose vapid sluttiness could make Paris Hilton blush. But as the main character begins his pursuit of a sensitive, intellectual female colleague (Kirsten Dunst), the focus of the film becomes romantic, and all bite is lost. — SG
It’s a Free World —
(Opens on December 19)
Ken Loach’s new film is about Angie (Kierston Wareing), a young British working-class woman who loses her job in an employment agency touting for workers in Poland. Back in the UK she sets up her own agency in an attempt to make a decent living for herself and to support her son. She has spunk, energy and determination — all the things you want of a young entrepreneur. But she finds herself both on the wrong side of the law and caught in a cycle of exploitation. The style here is ultra-naturalistic; you feel like you’re watching a particularly detailed documentary — and it’s riveting. The performances are superb all round and, despite the depressing subject matter, this makes a superb, disturbing and touching film. — SdW
Pride and Glory (Opens on Jaunary 2)
The theme of rotten cops has been overdone. Pride and Glory is this festive season’s instalment on the subject. Directed by Gavin O’Connor, it is about brothers Ray (Edward Norton), Frannie (Noah Emmerich) and their cop father, Francis Tierney (Jon Voight). It begins with the murder of cops in an ambush in Washington Heights, a tough neighbourhood in New York. On the face of it there is nothing unusual — cops die on duty all the time. But what’s worrying for Ray is that the drug dealers who killed the cops seem to have got their tip-off from a source deep within the police. As he burrows inch by inch into the matter the evidence points to his brother, head of a unit in Washington Heights, and his brother-in-law, Jimmy Egan (Collin Farrell). Pride and Glory is cinematically aware of the rough, snowed-under streets and cityscapes. Simultaneously raw and tender, alternately slow and fast-paced, it comes out as a grimy, somewhat truthful portrayal of the streets and the cops who prowl them. Although it runs at just more than two hours the action is gritty and arresting enough to keep you stuck to your seat. — PZ
Twilight (Opens on December 19)
The first instalment of Stephenie Meyer’s cult book series makes it to the big screen and, although the film is certainly not as badly written as its source material, it still manages to be just as unintentionally hilarious in its portrayal of teenage romance. The plot focuses almost exclusively on the burgeoning love between the main characters — human Bella and vampire Edward (played by Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson respectively) — as they attempt to overcome the fact that Edward’s bloodlust could mean a rather messy end to their relationship. A subplot concerning a particularly unimpressive antagonist takes a backseat to the melodramatics that the two lovebirds (and the audience) must endure before their inter-species dependence can blossom. Although the chemistry between the two leads is certainly believable, their “love” affair is characterised by obsessiveness, lust and misogyny, which, considering the target audience (throngs of teenage girls), is more than just a little disturbing. — SG
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (Opens on January 2)
Gosh — two movies, in as many weeks, with both Penélope Cruz and Patricia Clarkson in them. This is Woody Allen’s latest, and it’s rather good: it features his usual concerns with love and sex, but they are translated to the city of GaudÃ, a fair number of whose works we see. Allen himself does not star, which is usually a good sign at this late stage of his career — he doesn’t even do the voice-over. Two young American women, Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johanssen) go to Spain for a long holiday, and within days have been hit upon, simultaneously, by a smoulderingly sexy painter, Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). Their reactions indicate how different two women are, as neatly indicated by the brunette/blonde division: Vicky, relatively conservative and about to be married, is horrified by Juan Antonio’s proposal; Cristina is an artier, more romantic free spirit, and she’s intrigued. As it happens, Juan Antonio also has a demented ex-wife to deal with — that’s Cruz, in another sterling performance. All the cast members do fine work, though. The story, given a novelistic narration, is engaging and amusing, despite a slightly weak ending, and it looks good too. — SdW
Yes Man (Opens on January 2)
An interesting concept is squandered in the generic comedy Yes Man, a film that revolves around ardent pessimist Carl Allen, who, after joining a bizarre self-help group, forces himself to agree to any proposition that comes his way. One would expect this to lead to many wacky situations, but most of the propositions prove to be rather banal. Jim Carrey remains securely in his comfort zone as he plays the titular character, occasionally delivering a decent one-liner but failing to bring his usual vigour to the role. Zooey Deschanel returns to form as quirky love interest, Allison, regaining some of that gravelly voiced charm that she so often exuded earlier in her career. Though not entirely devoid of humour, the film suffers from a lack of particularly memorable scenes and had a schmaltzy ending that will leave all but the most die-hard romcom fanatics feeling sickened. — SG
SHORT CUTS
And When Did You Last See Your Father? Complex, moving father-son drama. Stars Colin Firth and Jim Broadbent.
The Band’s Visit. Down-to-earth comedy about the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Behind the Rainbow. Long documentary about the history of the conflict between Thabo Mbeki and Jacob Zuma. Interesting, but mystery remains.
Body of Lies. Muddled, overlong Ridley Scott thriller set in Middle East — call it Syriana Lite. Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio star.
The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas. A child’s-eye tour of the Holocaust with dubious elements and yet striking conclusions.
Brideshead Revisited. Good, long but rather dull, hollow adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s novel. Ben Whishaw shines, though, as the tragically dissolute Sebastian Flyte.
The Christmas Cottage. Bloated piffle about a young artist returning to his family home.
The Counterfeiters. Intelligent take on institulionalised evil set during World War II. About a Nazi plot to undermine the Allies’ currencies.
The Day the Earth Stood Still. Remake of 1951 science-fiction classic upgrades the special effects and downgrades the human drama. Keanu Reeves is the wooden alien with a message for the planet.
Death Race. Mindless action. With Jason Statham.
Discreet. Gripping, courageous, dialogue-based South African drama.
Eagle Eye. Reasonably entertaining technological thriller. With Shia LaBoeuf.
Flashbacks of a Fool. Washed-out, poorly conceived, boring drama with Daniel Craig.
Fugitive Pieces. Average war drama. Loses something of the power of the book.
High School Musical III: Senior Year. Fun teen fluff.
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa. Okay animation with a few risqué jokes smuggled in for the grown-ups.
Max Payne. Empty eye-candy action with Mark Wahlberg.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. Pointless teen romcom.
Mr Bones II. Kids may enjoy the slapstick (and drinking from toilets) in this alleged comedy about a white sangoma (Leon Schuster) magically transported from the late 1800s to today’s Durban. Like toilet paper, it’s making a lot of money.
Mrs Ratcliffe’s Revolution. British communists emigrate to German Democratic (that is, communist) Republic in the late 1960s. Soft-centred and soft-headed. Comedienne Catherine Tate stars.
Nights in Rodanthe. Average romance with Richard Gere and Diane Lane.
Pineapple Express. Funny stoner action comedy with Seth Rogen and James Franco.
Quantum of Solace. Bond is back, except this is more of a Bourne movie. Less fancy technology, more racing around; but Daniel Craig makes a good, mean Bond, and Judi Dench slums it appealingly as his spy boss and mother-figure. A disappointment after Casino Royale, though.
Religulous. Talk-show host Bill Maher travels the United States and the world quizzing religious people, from imams to actors, about their beliefs and why they take preposterous things literally. Not deep, but very amusing — good for an atheist snigger.
The Stone Angel. Soppy drama about an older woman looking back on her life. With Ellen Burstyn.
Synecdoche, New York. Scriptwriter Charlie Kaufman (of Being John Malkovich and Adaptation fame) turns director for this disjointed and overblown meditation on the perils of directing. Philip Seymour Hoffman stars.
The Tale of Despereaux. Dark but charming animation about a medieval mouse.
Vaatjie Sien Sy Gat. Poena follow-up, and in the same vein. Poep humour galore.
Wild Child. Icky teen romcom about spoilt American brat sent to British boarding school.
The Woman. Poor chick flick — the Femina to Sex and the City‘s FairLady magazine. Stars Meg Ryan. and Annette Bening.