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Angel  (tbc)
Starring Romola Garai, Sam Neill, Lucy Russell, Michael Fassbender, Charlotte Rampling, Jacqueline Tong Directed by François Ozon (France/UK/Belgium) Angel Deverell always knew that she would be a famous writer. Brought up above a lowly grocery shop, she whiled away her hours penning fantastic stories of the purplest prose. Then, still a schoolgirl, she is invited to London to meet a top publisher. Adapted from the 1957 novel by Elizabeth Taylor, Angel is inspired by the life of the British novelist Marie Corelli, the Barbara Cartland of her day.
22/08/2008

Babylon A.D  (12a)
Starring Vin Diesel, Michelle Yeoh, Mélanie Thierry, Gerard Depardieu, Charlotte Rampling, Mark Strong Directed by Mathieu Kassovitz (USA/France) Vin Diesel is back. Here he plays Toorop, a mercenary hired to transport a package from the ravages of post-apocalyptic Eastern Europe to a destination “in the teeming megalopolis” of New York City. The package, as it happens, is a beautiful young woman with an extraordinary secret… Based on the 1999 French novel Babylon Babies by Maurice Georges Dantec.
29/08/2008

Bangkok Dangerous  (tbc)
Starring Nicolas Cage, Charlie Yeung, Chakrit Yamnam Directed by The Pang Brothers (USA) Following the remakes of Gone In Sixty Seconds and The Wicker Man, Nicolas Cage now turns his hand to re-shaping the 1999 Thai movie Bangkok Dangerous. In the original, Pawalit Mongkolpisit played a hitman whose deafness conveniently prevented him from hearing the pleas and screams of his victims. However, for commercial reasons the producers of the new film felt they couldn’t pay Cage and not give him any dialogue. So they’ve turned his girlfriend into a deaf mute. Um…
05/09/2008

Brideshead Revisited  (12a)
Starring Matthew Goode, Ben Whishaw, Hayley Atwell, Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon, Greta Scacchi Directed by Julian Jarrold (UK) Twenty-seven years after Jeremy Irons moped around Castle Howard in the landmark TV series, Evelyn Waugh’s controversial novel once again sees the light of day. This time the plot has been mucked around with – much to the indignation of Waugh devotees – and relative newcomers thrust in the seminal roles (in spite of the much-publicised casting of Jude Law and James McAvoy). Again, Ben Whishaw – as the arctophilic Sebastian Flyte – proves that he can do no wrong, although critics have not been so kind to the rest of the package. Ready for some more Catholic guilt?
03/10/2008

Daylight Robbery  (15)
Starring Geoff Bell, Paul Nicholls, Justin Salinger, Robert Boulter, Vas Blackwood, Leo Gregory Directed and written by Paris Leonti (UK) As the rest of the world (supposedly) is watching Italy and France compete in the 2006 World Cup, a gang of criminals breaks into a central London bank. There, they take a number of hostages and refuse to co-operate with the police. Their plan is foolproof and there is no room for negotiation…
20/08/2008

Death Race  (15)
Starring Jason Statham, Joan Allen, Tyrese Gibson, Ian McShane, Natalie Martinez Directed by Paul W. S. Anderson (USA) It’s back to the future and our very own Jason Statham is back behind bars. This time he plays Jensen ‘Frankenstein’ Ames, the star attraction in a deadly dodgems demo, where the drivers score points for the pedestrians they kill. Nice. This is a remake of the 1975 Roger Corman actioner Death Race 2000, which co-starred a rather young Sylvester Stallone. For obvious reasons the title has been modified.
26/09/2008

Disaster Movie  (12a)
Starring Carmen Electra, Kim Kardashian, Matt Lanter, Nicole Parker, Peter Stormare, Amy Winehouse (appropriately) Directed by Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer (USA) Following in the skid marks of the spoof movies Meet The Spartans, Walk Hard, Epic Movie and Date Movie, this one takes on the disaster genre. So, brace yourself for silly skits sending up the likes of Cloverfield, Iron Man, Indiana Jones and, er, Sex And The City. Of course, the title says it all
05/09/2008

El Bano Del Papa  (15)
Starring César Troncoso, Virginia Méndez, Mario Silva, Virginia Ruiz, Nelson Lence Directed by César Charlone and Enrique Fernández (Uruguay/Brazil/France) On 8 May 1988, the residents of Melo in Uruguay are to be blessed by an audience with Pope John Paul II. Seeing this as an opportunity to make a killing from the influx of tourists, the natives buy up mountains of food, drink and mementos for the occasion. Small-time smuggler Beto (Troncoso) has an even better idea: he will build a lavatory for the visitors. Inspired by real events.
01/08/2008

Get Smart  (12a)
Starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, Dwayne Johnson, Alan Arkin, Terence Stamp, James Caan Directed by Peter Segal (USA) Maxwell Smart is a secret agent who’s smart but not very adroit. He’s a whole level above Inspector Clouseau, but can he save Los Angeles from the evil clutches of a ruthless Chechnyan egomaniac? The first film based on the 1965-1970 TV series Get Smart - The Nude Bomb (1980) - was a flop. This one, in the capable hands of Steve Carell, has been a massive hit in the States
22/08/2008

Good Dick  (15)
Starring Jason Ritter, Marianna Palka, Eric Edelstein, Martin Starr, Mark Weber, Tom Arnold Directed and written by Marianna Palka (USA) A guy (Ritter) working in an LA video store breaks the cardinal rule by discussing a customer’s choice in porn rental. The latter, a pathologically shy woman, is then beleaguered by the lovelorn loser who, by underhand means, seeks out her residence… The Glasgow-born Palka plays the woman in question, in a film that she co-produced with her leading man, the son of the late John Ritter.
03/10/2008

Hancock  (12a)
Starring Will Smith, Charlize Theron, Jason Bateman, Eddie Marsan Directed by Peter Berg (USA) John Hancock (Smith) is a superhero with a serious case of low self-esteem. The only one of his kind, he is derided for his heavy drinking, foul mouth and disregard for public property. But public relations guy Ray Embry (Bateman) sees in Hancock a great PR opportunity. But first he must teach the man good manners…
02/07/2008

How To Lose Friends And Alienate People  (15)
Starring Simon Pegg, Kirsten Dunst, Danny Huston, Gillian Anderson, Megan Fox, Jeff Bridges Directed by Robert B. Weide (UK) Simon Pegg builds on his growing global reputation by playing an obnoxious Englishman in New York. Here, he’s the alter ego of Toby Young, the self-publicising journalist who had a rather hard time working for Vanity Fair in the Big Apple. In Pegg’s interpretation, he’s an English yob with appalling dress sense and an aptitude for disaster in the Mr Bean league. As for the film, it’s a shame that it’s so reliant on slapstick, face-pulling and obvious musical cues. The saddest thing of all, though, is to see Jeff Bridges in such a thankless part.
03/10/2008

Igor  (PG)
Voices: John Cusack, Steve Buscemi, John Cleese, Eddie Izzard, Molly Shannon, Jay Leno Directed by Tony Leondis (USA/France) Igor, the customarily hunchbacked aide of the likes of Dr Frankenstein, Dr. Finkelstein and even Count Dracula, is now given his own computer-animated movie with an all-star cast. Here, Igor is bent on entering an Evil Science Fair and becoming a mad scientist himself. And proof that the film is not entirely aimed at kids, Eddie Izzard voices a character called Dr. Schadenfreude.
17/10/2008

I've Loved You So Long  (tbc)
Starring Kristin Scott Thomas, Elsa Zylberstein, Serge Hazanavicius, Laurent Grevill, Frederic Pierrot Directed and written by Philippe Claudel (France) Kristin Scott Thomas is in her element as an aloof, icily beautiful, middle-aged Anglo-French woman. She is Juliette Fontaine, the older, prodigal sister of Léa (Zylberstein), the latter who is now married with two adopted Vietnamese daughters. Léa invites Juliette into her home, in spite of the protestations of her husband, a lexicographer. Gradually, painfully, Juliette adjusts to life around her, while coming to terms with the secret of her past… Another credible, grown-up, deeply moving offering from France.
26/09/2008

Jar City  (15)
Starring Ingvar E. Sigurdsson, Agusta Eva Erlendsdottir, Bjorn Hylnur Haraldsson, Olafia Hronn Jonsdottir Directed and written by Baltasar Kormákur (Iceland/Denmark/Germany) In Iceland, a two-day-old corpse is found in a basement flat with an ugly gash in its head. While coping with his pregnant, drug-addicted daughter, Det Erlendur (Sigurdsson) takes on the murder case, which leads him to a windswept graveyard by the coast… From the award-winning Icelandic director of 101 Reykjavík and A Little Trip To Heaven.
12/09/2008

Kung Fu Panda  (PG)
Voices: Jack Black, Dustin Hoffman, Angelina Jolie, Ian McShane, Jackie Chan, Lucy Liu Directed by John Stevenson and Mark Osborne (USA) Jack Black is the voice of Po, a lethargic, cumbersome panda who works in a noodle shop. While Po’s father - a stork - lives and breathes noodle haute cuisine, Po idly dreams of becoming a kung fu master. Imagine his surprise, then, when he’s chosen to defend his city against the onslaught of a terrifying snow leopard bent on total domination… From the team that brought us Chicken Run, Shrek and, er, Flushed Away.
02/07/2008

Mamma Mia!  (PG)
Starring Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Julie Walters, Amanda Seyfried Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (UK/USA) First there were the phenomenally popular Abba songs, then the enormously successful stage show and now the, er, film musical. With Karen Silkwood, James Bond, Mr Darcy and Mrs Overall thrown into the stew, it seems a curious mix. Still, there is a certain ghoulish fascination in watching Pierce Brosnan wring the emotion out of S.O.S. (“How can I even try to go on…”). Still, the blue-rinse and pink-shirt faithful may embrace it…
11/07/2008

Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day  (12a)
Starring Frances McDormand, Amy Adams, Lee Pace, Ciarán Hinds, Shirley Henderson, Mark Strong Directed by Bharat Nalluri (UK) Miss Pettigrew (McDormand) is a mousy, judgemental governess who can’t seem to hang on to a job. Desperate for money, she manages to worm her way into the affections of Delysia Lafosse (Adams), an air-headed, two-timing but disarmingly sweet American actress. Miss Pettigrew disapproves of everything she sees but finds herself drawn into the dizzying, amoral world of the West End theatre… Based on the 1938 novel by Winifred Watson.
15/08/2008

Nights In Rodanthe  (PG)
Starring Richard Gere, Diane Lane, James Franco, Scott Glenn, Christopher Meloni, Mae Whitman Directed by George C. Wolfe (USA/Australia) Retreating to the coast in North Carolina, Adrienne Willis (Ms Lane) is at the end of her tether. Her husband has been unfaithful, her daughter is unspeakable and her life is in ruins. Then, in the small town of Rodanthe, a major storm is forecast and Adrienne meets Dr Paul Flanner (Mr Gere), who is suffering his own crisis of conscience. Based on the 2002 novel by Nicholas Sparks.
10/10/2008

Pineapple Express  (15)
Starring Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Danny McBride, Amber Heard Directed by David Gordon Green (USA) An amiable pothead (Rogen) witnesses a murder and goes on the run with his drug dealer, an affable imbecile (Franco)… An action-comedy from the team that brought us Knocked Up and Superbad, Pineapple Express warns of the dangers of a drug-fuelled life - but is best viewed while stoned. Older viewers may recall Cheech And Chong - and weep.
12/09/2008

Righteous Kill  (tbc)
Starring Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent, Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Brian Dennehy Directed by Jon Avnet (USA) Ever since The Godfather Part II, De Niro and Pacino have been circling each other like wary gladiators. They shared a scene in Michael Mann’s Heat and now team up on the right side of the law as a pair of highly decorated NYPD cops. They’re both due for retirement, but have one last case to solve: the murder of a pimp, whose body is accompanied by a four-line poem…
26/09/2008

RocknRolla  (15)
Starring Gerard Butler, Tom Wilkinson, Thandie Newton, Idris Elba, Ludacris, Jeremy Piven Directed by Guy Ritchie (UK) When a Russian mobster orchestrates a crooked land deal, millions of dollars are up for grabs and London’s entire criminal underworld wants in on the action. Everyone from a dangerous crime lord to a sexy accountant, a corrupt politician and down-on-their-luck petty thieves, conspire, collude and collide with one another in an effort to get rich quick… Nobody complained when Sergio Leone made nothing but Westerns, so why carp at Guy Ritchie for directing another gangster movie? Mr Madge does good gangster.
05/09/2008

Sex And The City  (tbc)
Starring Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Kristin Davis, Cynthia Nixon, Chris Noth, Jennifer Hudson Directed by Michael Patrick King (USA) Considering the wit of the HBO series, the poster strapline - “Get Carried Away” - is a little feeble. Anyway, Sarah Jessica Parker reprises her role as Carrie Bradshaw, who appears to be making plans to marry Mr Big (aka John James Preston). And to really alter the dynamic of the racy quartet, it looks like Charlotte Goldenblatt (Kristin Davis) is pregnant. Still, the plot strings are being played pretty close to the chest, or in this case a pink and black Cosabella brassiere.
22/05/2008

Somers Town  (12a)
Starring Piotr Jagiello, Thomas Turgoose, Ireneusz Czop, Elisa Lasowski, Perry Benson, Kate Dickie Directed by Shane Meadows (UK) After a series of critically acclaimed films set in the Midlands, the UK’s great working class hero Shane Meadows takes on London’s Kings Cross. Here, a sixteen-year-old runaway from Nottingham (Turgoose) pairs up with a Polish emigrant (Jagiello). With nothing but time on their hands, the unlikely duo dabble in petty crime and first love…
15/08/2008

Star Wars: The Clone Wars  (15)
Voices: Matt Lanter, James Arnold Taylor, Ashley Drane, Tom Kane, Christopher Lee, Samuel L Jackson Directed by Dave Filoni (USA) Just when you thought it was safe to go back into space… The Star Wars franchise continues apace with this animated version, produced by George Lucas. Set between the periods covered by Attack Of The Clones and Revenge Of The Sith, the film is geared to usher in the all-new animated TV series. Some might call it all rather calculated. But then nobody’s forcing you to buy the attendant books, video games, tea cosies…
15/08/2008

Swing Vote  (12a)
Starring Kevin Costner, Paula Patton, Kelsey Grammer, Dennis Hopper, Nathan Lane, Stanley Tucci, Madeline Carroll Directed by Joshua Michael Stern (USA) For the first time in the history of American elections, both the Republican and Democratic incumbents receive the same number of votes. But, due to a technical hitch, one man’s ballot was not counted. So both political parties pitch their election campaigns - their TV commercials, conventions and unalloyed attempts at bribery - at one man. However, the latter couldn’t really care less… A great idea, this, produced by and starring Costner as America’s most loveable loser.
26/09/2008

The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas  (12a)
Starring Vera Farmiga, David Thewlis, Asa Butterfield, Jack Scanlon, Rupert Friend, David Hayman Directed by Mark Herman (UK/USA) The ‘Final Solution’ has been portrayed many times in many ways by the cinema. But this is the first Holocaust drama aimed squarely at children. And it’s a provocative tale: Bruno, the eight-year-old son of a Nazi commandant, befriends a Jewish boy on his father’s ‘farm’ - their games and talks separated by a high wire fence. Of course, Bruno doesn’t know any better, but the strange little boy with the shaved head is the only real companion he has…
12/09/2008

The Dark Knight  (PG)
Starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Aaron Eckhart Directed by Christopher Nolan (USA) After the Beginning, Britain’s Nolan and Bale return for more battles against lawlessness. This time, the Caped Crusader is pitted against a rising criminal mastermind going by the ironic title of The Joker. The latter is played by the late Heath Ledger in his penultimate role, so there’s already built-in interest. But can our Welsh flutterbat compete with the likes of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk? We would certainly like to think so.
25/07/2008

The Duchess  (12a)
Starring Keira Knightley, Ralph Fiennes, Charlotte Rampling, Dominic Cooper, Hayley Atwell, Simon McBurney Directed by Saul Dibb (USA/UK) Once again Keira straps on her bonnet and stays, this time for a true story. Here, she plays the articulate and strong-willed Georgiana Spencer who, of course, is the great-great-great-great aunt of the late Princess Diana. And an extraordinary story it is, being the tale of a woman of high society, fashion icon, paparazzi darling and doting mother. But is she happy in her high-profile marriage? From the director of Bullet Boy (amazingly).
05/09/2008

The Fox And The Child  (U)
Narrated by Kate Winslet Directed by Luc Jacquet (France) Following his success with March Of The Penguins, former biologist Luc Jacquet turns his camera closer to home. Returning to the awe-inspiring scenery of the Rhône Alps where he grew up, Jacquet records the tale of a ten-year-old girl who attempts to befriend a fox. But there’s a whole menagerie of wildlife here, from hedgehogs and badgers to wolves and bears.
08/08/2008

The House Bunny  (12a)
Starring Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Christopher McDonald, Beverly D'Angelo Directed by Fred Wolf (USA) Shelley Darlington (Faris) is a Playboy Bunny who has been living a carefree life until a rival gets her tossed out of the Playboy Mansion. She then finds herself teaching an awkward sorority about the opposite sex – only to learn that what boys really like is what’s on the inside. Ms Faris, who’s had eye-catching cameos in Lost in Translation, Brokeback Mountain and Just Friends, is shaping up to be a watchable comedienne. She certainly got favourable reviews for this, which is more than can be said for the movie…
10/10/2008

The Love Guru  (12a)
Starring Mike Myers, Jessica Alba, Justin Timberlake, Ben Kingsley, Romany Malco, Verne Troyer Directed by Marco Schnabel (USA) Maurice Pitka is a self-styled love guru distraught that Deepak Chopra is still considered the Number One self-help mentor in the US. Chopra’s trick, apparently, is that he has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. So Pitka sets his sights on Oprah by turning round the declining skills of hockey star Darren Roanoke (Malco). It’s complicated. Mike Myers plays Pitka and also produced and co-wrote the screenplay.
01/08/2008

The Mummy: Tomb Of The Dragon Emperor  (tbc)
Starring Brendan Fraser, Jet Li, Maria Bello, John Hannah, Luke Ford, Michelle Yeoh Directed by Rob Cohen (USA/Germany/Canada) For the next chapter in the sub-Indiana Jones adventure series, The Mummy franchise shifts its action from Egypt to Asia. Brendan Fraser returns as explorer Rick O’Connell to combat the resurrected Han Emperor (Jet Li) in a story that races from the catacombs of ancient China high into the icy Himalayas. Having won an Oscar, Rachel Weisz relinquishes her role as Rick’s missus to Maria Bello, an equally fine - if lesser garlanded - actress. Rob Cohen (The Fast And The Furious, Stealth) takes over the directorial reins.
08/08/2008

The Wackness  (tbc)
Starring Ben Kingsley, Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby, Mary-Kate Olsen, Jane Adams Directed and written by Jonathan Levine (USA) Set in New York in the summer of 1994, The Wackness is a piece of nostalgic whimsy with girls, hip-hop and a whole lot of weed. Josh Peck plays Luke Shapiro, a bright but disturbed slacker looking for love. He finds it in Stephanie Squires (Thirlby), the daughter of his shrink (Kingsley), the latter giving Luke free sessions in return for marijuana.
29/08/2008

The Wave  (15)
Starring Jürgen Vogel, Frederick Lau, Jennifer Ulrich, Max Riemelt, Christiane Paul, Elyas M'Barek Directed by Dennis Gansel (Germany) Originally an American TV movie, a novel and a play, The Wave is an all-new version based on a true-life educational experiment. A maverick teacher (Vogel) attempts to demonstrate the principals of Fascism to his students, inventing a movement that they elect to call ‘The Wave.’ But the enterprise gets out of hand when the pupils create their own rules and start to exert their new-found superiority on others…
19/09/2008

The Women  (tbc)
Starring Meg Ryan, Annette Bening, Eva Mendes, Debra Messing, Jada Pinkett Smith, Candice Bergen, Bette Midler Directed by Diane English (USA) Practically every major actress in Hollywood was attached to this project at one time or another. In the end, the Julia Roberts and Sandra Bullocks have made way for a more modest cast, albeit a respectable one. Mick Jagger produces this comedy of gossipy women meddling in the worlds of fashion and publishing (think Sex And The Suburbs), a remake of the all-star 1939 film of the same name..
12/09/2008

Then She Found Me  (15)
Starring Helen Hunt, Bette Midler, Colin Firth, Matthew Broderick, Ben Shenkman, Salman Rushdie Directed by Helen Hunt (USA) Helen Hunt plays a nursery school teacher whose life is falling apart at the seams. Then, when things couldn’t get much worse, she’s approached by a brash TV star (Midler) who claims to be her biological mother… Adapted from the novel by Elinor Lipman, Then She Found Me marks the directorial debut of the Oscar-winning actress Hunt.
19/09/2008

Tropic Thunder  (15)
Starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black, Robert Downey Jr., Steve Coogan, Nick Nolte, Tom Cruise, Matthew McConaughey Directed by Ben Stiller (USA) A group of self-absorbed actors set out to make the biggest war film ever…With a blond Black, a Negroid Downey Jr. and Tom Cruise as a studio executive, Tropic Thunder already looks promising. And the buzz is good (if not spectacular). And in the tradition of Grindhouse, there are four fake trailers to set the ball rolling.
19/09/2008

What Just Happened  (15)
Starring Robert De Niro, Sean Penn, Catherine Keener, Robin Wright Penn, Stanley Tucci, Bruce Willis Directed by Barry Levinson (USA) All-star adaptation of the caustic memoirs of Art Linson, producer of The Untouchables, Heat and Fight Club, among others. Here, Linson regular De Niro plays his producer as a stressed-out liar, struggling to juggle the demands of kids, ex-wives, studio heads and psychotic English directors. This has all been done so much better before (cf. Robert Altman’s The Player), and certainly with more humour and momentum.
10/10/2008

Wild Child  (12a)
Starring Emma Roberts, Natasha Richardson, Alex Pettyfer, Aidan Quinn, Shirley Henderson, Georgia King Directed by Nick Moore (USA/UK/France) Mean Girls meets St Trinian’s from the editor of Nanny McPhee. Here, Emma Roberts - Julia’s niece - plays Poppy Moore, a spoilt Paris Hilton wannabe who, for her sins, is sentenced to a stretch at an all-girls English school. So Poppy sets out to be as obnoxious as possible in order to be expelled post-haste. Scripted by Lucy Dahl, daughter of Roald.
15/08/2008

X Files: I Want To Believe  (15)
Starring David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Billy Connolly, Amanda Peet, Callum Keith Rennie, Xzibit Directed by Chris Carter (USA) At the time of going to press, much secrecy still surrounded the premise of this second big-screen adaptation of the cult TV series. We do know that David Duchovny is returning as Fox William ‘Spooky’ Mulder and Gillian Anderson will be joining him as Dana Scully. The story is also set six years after the events of the series. We also suspect that the subject matter will be on the, er, spooky side.
01/08/2008

You Don't Mess With The Zohan  (12a)
Starring Adam Sandler, John Turturro, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Nick Swardson, Rob Schneider, Lainie Kazan Directed by Dennis Dugan (USA) Zohan Dvir (Sandler) is a top Israeli commando who fakes his own death so that he can pursue his dream: to become a New York hairstylist. Though Zohan wants to put his life of counter-terrorism behind him, he quickly finds that it’s not so easy to escape one’s roots… In spite of scathing reviews, Sandler’s latest assault on cultural decency grossed $100 million in little over a month. Scary. Very scary.
15/08/2008


Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information within the Diary. Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council & What's On Magazine Group cannot accept responsibility for any error or omission which may have occurred.