Reviews of Great Expectations, Sightseers, The hunt and Trouble With The Curve
Great Expectations
(12A) 128mins
GREAT Expectations is arguably the most famous Dickens novel and, considering the number of adaptations over the years, the most popular.
So this latest offering, directed by Four Weddings And A Funeral's Mike Newell, is highly anticipated.
For the uninitiated, Pip (Jeremy Irvine) – a simple blacksmith's apprentice – gets the chance to become a rich London gent after he is informed by solicitor Mr Jaggers (Robbie Coltrane) that he is the recipient of a fortune from a mysterious benefactor.
Along the way, he encounters Miss Havisham (Helena Bonham Carter), who has remained in her wedding dress since being jilted at the altar, and her beautiful yet cold daughter Estella (Holliday Grainger) with whom he falls in love.
Don't expect much ... Ralph Fiennes as convict Magwitch
Despite terrific performances and it being visually stunning, Newell's film misses the intense drama that coursed through David Lean's 1946 version.
Ralph Fiennes lacks menace as convict Magwitch and Bonham Carter's portrayal of the austere yet tragic Miss Havisham comes over a little too wacky.
Enjoyable – as long as your expectations aren't too great.
RATING: THREE STARS OUT OF FIVE
Trouble With The Curve
(12A) 111mins
BEFORE I carry on with this review, let me just say I'm a huge baseball fan.
And, while there's plenty to enjoy in this drama for those not excited by America's national sport, you should know there is a lot of love for the game on display here.
Consider this an anti-Moneyball. While that film championed the statisticians' input, here it's Clint Eastwood's old-school scout Gus – a believer in man, not machine, predicting a player's potential – who is the hero.
As his failing eyesight starts to prevent him from doing his job, he begins to rekindle a relationship with his daughter Mickey (Amy Adams). Meanwhile she is being romanced by former baseball star Johnny (Justin Timberlake).
This is a solid entry into the genre. It ticks all the boxes without offering anything new.
Strong performances from the three leads make it enjoyable – and Matthew Lillard is great as a cocky computer whiz – but those without a passion for the sport might not get that emotional over the significance of the sound a perfect pitch makes as it hits a baseball glove.
RATING: THREE STARS OUT OF FIVE
The Hunt
(15) 115mins
Authentic ... Mads Mikkelsen as protagonist Lucas
By GRANT ROLLINGS
THIS Danish film says a lot about innocence.
A young girl called Klara with a "vivid imagination" tells a lie without comprehending what the consequences might be.
As a result, her nursery carer Lucas, who is also her father's best friend, is accused of child abuse and is shunned by most of the small town community.
With false paedophile accusations flung far too casually at Lord McAlpine recently, The Hunt is a timely release.
Emotions, understandably, run out of control and it's a reminder that guilt should be ascertained before bricks are thrown through windows.
Mads Mikkelsen is fantastic as the bewildered and honourable Lucas, while the rest of the main cast are equally believable.
Much of that is due to the work of director Thomas Vinterberg, who proves the authentic acting of the brilliant Festen was not a fluke.
But Vinterberg is a bit too keen to vilify the "witch hunt" leaders in what could have been a more even-handed study of hysteria.
RATING: FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE
Sightseers
(15) 88mins
Bloody funny ... dark comedy about a serial-killer couple starring Steve Oram
By GRANT ROLLINGS
BRUMMIE couple Chris and Tina give a whole new meaning to the term "caravan club" in this dark British comedy.
For these holidaymakers from hell have a penchant for hitting people who get on their nerves over the back of the head with blunt instruments.
If you like your bloody gore to be mixed with laughs, you are going to love Sightseers.
Comedians Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, who play the oddball lovers, also co-wrote this entertaining and original twist on the serial-killer genre.
Their victims simply make minor transgressions that annoy Chris and Tina as they tour various attractions, including Keswick Pencil Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct and the Crich Tramway Museum.
There are lots of brutally funny comments, such as Tina's mum telling her: "You're not a friend, you're a relative", an element of class conflict and one of the best soundtracks for years.
Sightseers has enough quality and attention to detail to turn these natural suburban killers into cult figures.
RATING: FOUR STARS OUT OF FIVE
Read More @ Source More Celeb Stories Here