Upcoming Releases - March '12

Here is a selection of films due out in UK cinemas next month.


John Carter - 9th March
Action | Adventure | Fantasy
132 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Mark Strong, Ciarán Hinds
Director: Andrew Stanton

'Transplanted to Mars, a Civil War vet discovers a lush planet inhabited by 12-foot tall barbarians. Finding himself a prisoner of these creatures, he escapes, only to encounter a princess who is in desperate need of a savior.'

Official site: http://www.johncarterarrives.com/


The Decoy Bride - 9th March
Comedy | Drama
89 mins
12A certificate
Main cast: Kelly Macdonald, David Tennant, Alice Eve, Dylan Moran
Director: Sheree Folkson

'When the world's media descend on the remote Scottish island where a Hollywood actress is attempting to get married, a local girl is hired as a decoy bride to put the paparazzi off the scent.'



The Raven - 9th March
Thriller
111 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: John Cusack, Alice Eve, Luke Evans, Brendan Gleeson, Kevin McNally
Director: James McTeigue

'A fictionalized account of the last days of Edgar Allan Poe's life, in which the poet pursues a serial killer whose murders mirror those in the writer's stories.'

Official site: http://www.theravenmovie.com/


Cleanskin - 9th March
Thriller
108 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Sean Bean, Abhin Galeya, Charlotte Rampling, Tom Burke
Director: Hadi Hajaig

'Ewan is a Secret Service Agent faced with the task of pursuing and eliminating a suicide bomber Ash and his terrorist cell, whilst Ash wrestles with his conscience and reflects on his journey to terrorism.'



Bel Ami - 9th March
Drama
102 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Robert Pattinson, Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas
Director: Declan Donnellan, Nick Ormerod

'A chronicle of a young man's rise to power in Paris via his manipulation of the city's most influential and wealthy women.'


Contraband - 16th March
Action | Crime | Drama
109 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Mark Wahlberg, Giovanni Ribisi, Kate Beckinsale, Ben Foster
Director: Baltasar Kormákur

'To protect his brother-in-law from a drug lord, a former smuggler heads to Panama to score millions of dollars in counterfeit bills.'

Official site: http://www.contrabandmovie.net/


We Bought a Zoo - 16th March
Comedy | Drama | Family
124 mins
PG certificate
Main cast: Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church, Elle Fanning
Director: Cameron Crowe

'Set in Southern California, a father moves his young family to the countryside to renovate and re-open a struggling zoo.'

Official site: http://www.weboughtazoo.com/


 21 Jump Street - 16th March
Action | Comedy
109 mins
15 certificate
Main cast: Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Ice Cube
Director: Phil Lord, Chris Miller

'A pair of underachieving cops are sent back to a local high school to blend in and bring down a synthetic drug ring.'

Official site: http://www.21jumpstreet-movie.com/


The Hunger Games - 23rd March
Action | Drama | Sci-Fi
Running time and certificate: TBC
Main cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson
Director: Gary Ross

'Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister's place for the latest match.'

Official site: http://www.thehungergamesmovie.com/


 Wrath of the Titans - 30th March
Action | Adventure | Fantasy
Running time and certificate: TBC
Main cast: Sam Worthington, Liam Neeson, Rosamund Pike, Bill Nighy, Ralph Fiennes
Director: Jonathan Liebesman

'Perseus embarks on a treacherous quest into the underworld to rescue Zeus, who has been targeted for capture by his traitorous son, Ares, and his brother, Hades.'

Official site: http://wrathofthetitans.warnerbros.com/



Information obtained from IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, http://www.filmdates.co.uk/, and the films' official websites.

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Review: Near Dark

Near Dark is a vampire Western from 1987, co-written and directed by Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker, Point Break). The film marked her first solo directorial effort and although it wasn’t a big hit at the box office, it has become something of a cult classic thanks to its performances, genre fusing and unusual portrayal of vampires. The film stars Adrian Pasdar, Jenny Wright, Lance Henriksen, Bill Paxton, Jenette Goldstein and Joshua John Miller.

Read my review at Suite101: A Review of Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark

Alternative Oscar movie posters

This great poster series for the 2012 Best Picture nominees was designed by Hunter Langston. The nine minimalistic posters feature a red, black and white colour scheme that ties them all together really well. Take a look at the designs for Hugo, Midnight in Paris, The Artist, The Descendants, War Horse, The Help, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Moneyball, and The Tree of Life:

Trailers: The Avengers, The Amazing Spider-Man...

An extended cut of the TV spot shown during the Super Bowl for The Avengers, directed by Joss Whedon and starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Hemsworth, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson. Release date: April 27th

The second theatrical trailer for The Hunger Games, directed by Gary Ross and starring Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. Release date: March 23rd



The second theatrical trailer for The Amazing Spider-Man, directed by Marc Webb and starring Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Rhys Ifans, Martin Sheen, Sally Field and Denis Leary. Release date: July 4th



An extended Super Bowl TV spot for John Carter, directed by Andrew Stanton and starring Taylor Kitsch, Lynn Collins, Willem Dafoe, Ciaran Hinds, Mark Strong and Bryan Cranston. Release date: March 9th

Review: Crazy, Stupid, Love

Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) has been married to his high school sweetheart for 25 years. His world falls apart and he jumps out of a moving vehicle after his wife Emily (Julianne Moore) suddenly announces that she wants a divorce and confesses that she slept with another man. Meanwhile, good-looking ladies man Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling) tries to pick up straight-talking Hannah (Emma Stone) in a bar but finds that his irresistible charms don’t work on her as she shoots him down.

After finding himself alone, and with no idea how to meet new people, Cal goes to the bar to drown his sorrows and grumble about the man his wife slept with, David Lindhagen (Kevin Bacon). He sees how popular Jacob is with women and one night Jacob invites him over and offers to help him rediscover his manhood. The young bachelor seems to be an expert in the dating game and takes Cal shopping to buy new clothes, and to the bar so he can learn to be more confident with women.

At the same time, we see that those around Cal have romantic problems of their own and the film’s great ensemble cast feature in these different threads. Cal’s 13-year-old son Robbie is hopelessly in love with the 17-year-old babysitter Jessica, but she has a secret crush on Cal. His wife Emily is unsure of her relationship with her work colleague David. Jacob finds himself falling for Hannah, the one who briefly got away and makes him reconsider his womanizing ways. As all of these connected strands develop, Cal has to decide whether to move on or fight for the woman he loves.

Crazy, Stupid, Love is directed by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (I Love You Phillip Morris) and written by Dan Fogelman, who previously wrote the screenplays for a number of animations including Cars, Bolt and Tangled. He offers a fresh and witty script that avoids many of the pitfalls that spoil most modern romantic comedies. The characters are all likeable and the talented cast all give good performances. There is great chemistry between Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, especially in the scene where their characters stay up for most of the night talking, and Gosling shows an aptitude for comedy. Steve Carell is also impressive, and I liked the funny subplot about Cal visiting the family home to secretly do the gardening at night because he had a nightmare that David Lindhagen was doing it.

The film is essentially about people finding their one true love or their soulmate. It identifies that some get lazy or complacent after years of marriage and advocates continuing to work hard at relationships to show how much you love someone. Although the rom com is one of my least favourite genres, I found this film engaging, sweet and a lot funnier than most recent offerings.

 [DVD screener provided by flickfeast. Review originally posted here]

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