1. Rio – $40M
2. Scream 4 – $19.2M
3. Hop – $11.1M
4. Hanna – $7.3M
5. Soul Surfer – $7.2M
6. Arthur – $6.9M
7. Insidious – $6.8M
8. Source Code – $6.3M
9. The Conspirator – $3.9M
10. Your Highness – $3.8M
Review: Oranges & Sunshine (2010)
Based on a true story, Oranges & Sunshine is Jim Loach’s directorial debut, starring Emily Watson, Hugo Weaving, David Wenham, Lorraine Ashbourne and Richard Dillane.
The film tells the story of Margaret Humphreys (Watson), a social worker from Nottingham who uncovered one of the most significant social scandals in recent times: the organised deportation of children in care from the United Kingdom to Australia.
Almost single-handedly, against overwhelming odds and with little regard for her own well-being, Margaret reunited hundreds of families, brought authorities in both countries to account and worldwide attention to an extraordinary miscarriage of justice.
Loach’s debut feature is a respectable adaptation of Humphreys’ novel Empty Cradles, taking the morose subject matter and handling it with care.
Instead of floundering in the children’s torment, Loach, with the help of screenwriter Rona Munro, manages to steer the film to the fault-lines but is careful never to thwart the source material, only revealing the true hardships where absolutely necessary.
There are several clumsy moments within Munro’s screenplay, and some of the dialogue is a little too heavy-handed, but these factors are minor enough to never detract from the overall message and conviction of the film.
Loach’s direction compliments the material exquisitely, and he puts his experiences in documentary film-making to admirable effect. His valiant use of hand-held camera is restrained, and the beautiful visual antithesis between a wintery Nottingham and the hot, dusty terrain of Australia is used strikingly to create two very distinctive locations.
Perhaps the films greatest assest are the performances, with each actor delivering extraordinarily refined turns as their respective characters, but none more so than Watson, Wenham and Weaving.
Watson simply dazzles as Margaret, combining the characters vulnerability and unquestionable determination to tremendous avail. Wenham is captivating as the intricate and tightly strung Len, and Weaving delivers a noteworthy performance as the damaged and emotionally troubled Jack.
Oranges & Sunshine is a robustly inspirational yet deeply enraging film about child exile, with a fiery central performance from Emily Watson. It’s certainly a a film that deserves voluminous attention.
Review: Winnie The Pooh (2011)
After 35 years, Walt Disney Animation Studios bring Winnie The Pooh back to the screen in a new adventure for the amiable gang.
During an ordinary day in Hundred Acre Wood, Winnie The Pooh sets out to find some honey. Misinterpreting a note from Christopher Robin, Owl convinces Pooh, Tigger, Rabbit, Piglet, Kanga, Roo and Eeyore that their young friend has been captured by a creature named “Backson” and they set out to save him, with the lovably pessimistic donkey keeping an eye out for his ever-disappearing tail along the way.
The plot, while simple, meanders with lively diversions making it both endearing and entertaining for the very young, and whimsical enough to appeal to the nostalgic older demographic.
Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall do nothing in particular to disturb the status quo, but still manage to make Pooh look fresh and original, even while treading carefully to ensure they don’t ruin the beloved cultural memory of such a classic cartoon.
The animators superbly retain the look of E.H. Shephard’s classic illustrations while adding a number of sublime, modern touches through sharp attention-to-detail, luscious hand-painted backdrops and some well-integrated digital sequences.
Winnie and friends are all voiced with great care and energy. These classic characters look fantastic, but it’s through the skilful vocal work that they are truly brought to life. Whether it’s Tigger’s energetic lisp, Eeyore’s defeated sighs or Winnie’s emphatic “Bother”, these are very much the same animals you’ve come to know and love.
Zooey Deschanel’s quirky-cutesy voice works wonders in bringing Pooh into the 21st century, and helps the original songs to work harmoniously with the classically-tinged score, both of which beautifully enhance the overall experience.
Winnie The Pooh is enchanting, whimsical, and as luscious as the classic shorts. Its brevity makes it all the more winsome.
Review: Scream 4 (2011)
Directed by Wes Craven, Scream 4 is the fourth instalment in the popular slasher franchise, and comes eleven years after the pallid Scream 3 hit our screens.
The film centers on Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell), who returns to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey (David Arquette) and Gale (Courteney Cox), as well as her younger cousin Jill (Emma Roberts) and Aunt Kate (Mary McDonnell).
Unfortunately, Sidney’s appearance also brings about the return of Ghostface, putting Sidney, Gale, and Dewey, along with Jill, her friends, and the whole town of Woodsboro in grave danger.
Taking details from the original, Scream 4 presents itself as a horror reboot, and presents a twisted new set of rules. It calls out all the shoddy horror remakes and leaves them in its grisly wake, even taking time to be (genuinely) tech savvy and fit in a comical dose of social commentary.
Original screenwriter Kevin Williamson infuses his script with clever swipes at 21st century horror, nifty one-liners and genuinely surprising, very well executed twists.
The horror beats in the script make for a triumphant return. It truly feels as though Williamson has upped his game, especially with regard to the flaws in Scream 3 which occurred in his absence. He has returned to the original film’s ideas, and delivers a much more realistic and contemporary horror film – once again instilling fear and nervousness into the audience’s minds.
Wes Craven’s direction is snappy, coherent and naturalistic. Instead of relying on heavy camera tricks like many recent horror directors, he shoots his film in a very raw fashion – as if making a real effort to produce a much more natural horror within his viewers.
The gore has been increased to counteract any feeling of over-familiarity with the franchise, and the deaths have become increasingly inventive. Special regard goes to the hall-of-mirrors style opening, which takes the well worn opening sequence formula and turns it on its head.
It’s a joy to see the new cast gel so well with the returning trio – who, after eleven years, re-inhabit their respective roles exquisitely, making it feel as if no time at all has passed between films and the characters have been living on in peace.
All the newbies are up to the task and fully invest in their roles no matter the screen time, providing plenty of entertainment and witty one-liners. Of them, Roberts, Hayden Panettiere and Alison Brie are the most impressive, each moulding their personalities into fleshed out, humorous and believable characters.
Scream 4 is an undeniably sharp, well-crafted and suitably gory improvement on its weak predecessor, and a sprightly addition to the much-loved slasher franchise. Please, Craven, can we have some more?
Cinema Releases: April 15, 2011
Scream 4
Director: Wes Craven
Starring: Neve Campbell, David Arquette and Courteney Cox
Red Riding Hood
Director: Catherine Hardwicke
Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Lukas Haas and Gary Oldman
Winnie The Pooh
Director: Stephen J. Anderson and Don Hall
Starring: Jim Cummings, Craig Ferguson and John Cleese
Little White Lies
Director: Guillaume Canet
Starring: François Cluzet, Marion Cotillard and Benoît Magimel
Meek’s Cutoff
Director: Kelly Reichardt
Starring: Michelle Williams, Bruce Greenwood and Paul Dano
The Last Picture Show
Director: Peter Bogdanovich
Starring: Timothy Bottoms, Jeff Bridges and Cybill Shepherd
Cinema Releases: April 13, 2011
Your Highness
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: James Franco, Danny McBride and Natalie Portman
UK Box Office: April 8 – 10, 2011
1. Rio – £1,515,853
2. Source Code – £848,366
3. Limitless – £737,417
4. Hop – £611,367
5. Sucker Punch – £346,399
6. The Eagle – £181,823
7. Thank You – £160,191
8. Unknown – £135,025
9. The Roommate – £120,365
10. Mars Needs Moms – £113,559
Review: Wake Wood (2011)
Directed by David Keating, Wake Wood is the latest film from the recently revived Hammer Film Productions, and stars Timothy Spall, Aidan Gillen, Eva Birthistle and Dan Gordon.
The film centers on the parents of a girl killed by a savage dog who are granted the opportunity to spend three days with their deceased daughter.
Whilst there are a few distinctly stale looking shots that disclose the paltry budget, there’s enough directorial flair from Keating to overcome any unfortunate imperfections, and make him a filmmaker worth keeping an eye on.
The special effects are mostly retro and wonderfully eerie, and though not the most visually memorable horror production, it does engender a suitably unpleasant sense of foreboding, artfully ushering classic Hammer conventions into the 21st century.
The screenplay, however, doesn’t hold up to much analysis, often falling foul to erroneous cliches, but it’s nonetheless a boisterous and disconcerted piece that thrills from start to finish.
Gillen and Birthistle each deliver suitably grim and tormented performances as the grieving couple, while Spall manages to reign in his borderline over-the-top performance to a level of creepiness that chills more than you’d think possible.
Wake Wood is a sly, compelling and notably spooky British horror that astutely reintroduces classic Hammer conventions into modern cinema.
DVD Releases: April 11, 2011
Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 1
Director: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint
Legend Of The Guardian: The Owls Of Ga’Hoole
Director: Zack Snyder
Starring: Jim Sturgess, Hugo Weaving and David Wenham
Monsters
Director: Gareth Edwards
Starring: Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able
Rubber
Director: Quentin Dupieux
Starring: Stephen Spinella, Roxane Mesquida and Wings Hauser
The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet’s Nest
Director: Daniel Alfredson
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Noomi Rapace and Lena Endre
Of Gods And Men
Director: Xavier Beauvois
Starring: Lambert Wilson, Michael Lonsdale and Olivier Rabourdin
His And Hers
Director: Ken Wardrop
Fred: The Movie
Director: Clay Weiner
Starring: Lucas Cruikshank, Jennette McCurdy and Jake Weary
Trailer: The Woman In Black
Director: James Watkins
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Ciarán Hinds, Janet McTeer and Shaun Dooley
Plot: A young lawyer travels to a remote village to organize a recently deceased client’s papers, where he discovers the ghost of a scorned woman set on vengeance.
UK Release: February 10, 2012
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