Each weekend Jeff Simpson reviews a couple of the latest movie releases - you can read his review in full and submit your thoughts about the film.


AWAYDAYS (18)

It’s a British film, about a young guy growing up in Liverpool in 1979. And it’s a time when the only things to do really, for young men, are either to sit in your room listening to David Bowie records, or go off and be a football hooligan. So he ends up joining this gang of football supporters – and every time their team plays away, they go off on the train, and have massive punch ups in the street with rival fans. Hence the title, Awaydays.

So there’s plenty of violence, obviously. But the other element to the film is the music which they weave in. And that time, 1979, it’s quite an interesting time, in that gap just after punk and just before New Romantic – those couple of years when everything went very dark and electronic. So it’s early Ultravox before Midge Ure joined, and it’s Echo and the Bunnymen – Liverpool band, of course, and in fact, there’s a scene in the film in a club with a current group The Rascals actually playing Ian McCulloch and the Bunnymen. So the music fits perfectly, because cos the whole mood of the story is quite dark, disconnected from society, a bit depressing you could say.

There was a film out a couple of years ago which was also about gang culture, called ‘This is England’, where all that football violence became politicised by the National Front etc. Well, this one, Awaydays, is that period just before that, just before the Thatcher government. So it’s not as hard hitting as 'This is England', and it’s not political. Rather, it concentrates more on these slightly lost characters. It’s really a coming of age story - set against the gang violence of that period. But it’s a good portrait of that time – all the detail, student bedrooms with Lou Reed posters on the wall, record shops crammed with 12 inch vinyl, people robot dancing, punch ups in pubs.

The story drifts rather, but it still works, because the characters are drifting around themselves. And of course, a very good soundtrack, that actually completely fits the mood of the film.

TORMENTED (15)

Keeping with the dark moody British theme – this is a British teen horror film. And there’s been lots of horror films set in impossibly glamorous American High Schools, but this one’s a very British version. The hero, of a sort, is a fat boy who’s been so badly bullied that he kills himself – but then, he comes back from the dead to wreak murderous revenge on his bullying classmates. So there’s the fairly familiar pattern of good-looking young people getting picked off one by one, meeting horrible deaths – but it's good to see a British take on that. So there’s no clichés of spooky houses or creepy log cabins, it’s actually mostly set in a very normal British secondary school, with paint peeling off the walls and slightly bewildered teachers wandering round. And there is a pool party, but it looks like it might rain at any moment, like a wet Bank Holiday.

There's also a very good young British cast, who’re all really good at being very nasty, but still looking fantastic. But the other notable thing is that it's about bullying – and it’s quite an important subject, and they show happy slapping on mobile phones, and a boy getting his inhaler stolen by his classmates. And all that felt very much part of the real world, actually.

It’s a film that feels like it has a point behind it. So many horror films and slasher movies are completely pointless, it's good that this one's actually about something. It might not be the greatest horror film ever made, but it’s got very good young cast who’re probably going to be the next generation of Brit Pack actors, and at least it’s a film with a proper idea behind it.

STAR TREK (12A)

This is an incredible franchise – the first Star Trek episode was 1966. And there have been 11 movies, no end of TV series - and even some pretty aweful records. So for this film, your reaction will probably depend on when you joined the Star Trek journey. And for people who grew up on the first Star Trek TV, and Captain Kirk and Mr Spock, this will be the perfect film, because it’s the back-story of the early lives of Kirk and Spock, how they came to be who they are, and the creation of the first Star Trek team. So it covers the story of Kirk’s parents, and how he became a bit of a rebel, and Mr Spock and his Vulcan, half human history, athough those who were very young at the time might be slightly perturbed by seeing the new Leutenant Uhura, who seems very sexual compared to the original. But generally, the whole cast do a really good jobe of ’s re-creating the originals, including Mr Chekov and Sulu, etc, all with uncanny similarities to the originals. Storywise, there's a lot of territory to be covered - not just the back stories, but there also happens to be an evil alien who’s about to destroy the earth who they have to deal with. And some of it’s a bit corny, including quite a big surprise half way through, which is a bit far-fetched. And it's a slight disappointment that with so much ground to cover, they shy away from dealing with 'Big Ideas'. Star Trek always used to deal with Big Ideas, but here they’ve slightly taken the easy option of sticking with Big Action and special effects, probably because they're trying to introduce all these characters to a new generation. We went to a public preview earlier in the week, and it was slightly strange that there were a lot of ‘men of a certain age’, who’re presumably life long fans. As for the younger appeal that's key these days, it is a good-looking young cast, and they’ve done more than enough to get the younger audience on board. In fact, our very own Simon Pegg - providing the light relief as Mr Scott - is probably the oldest among the crew, he pops up as Scottie. So even if you didn’t grow up on early Star Trek, we still say go and see it – because there’s every sign that these characters will boldly go on for a plenty more film yet. And fantastic if they do, cos they’re great characters, and it’s a great franchise – we just hope they go for slightly meatier stories now they’ve got everything up and running.

CHERI (15)

A French title, a French setting, but not a French film. It’s Michelle Pfeiffer as a retired courtesan at the height of the Belle Epoque, which was this golden age in Paris about 100 years ago. And these courtesans were very famous – they were known as Les Grandes Horizonatles. And Michelle as a retired coutesan, starts an affair with a much younger man, and they have this very sumptuous relationship, but then he has to go off and get married – but he can’t forget her, because she’s the most beautiful woman in all of Paris. Michelle Pfeiffer is still strikingly beautiful, a perfect example for the over-50s. And matching her beauty is turn of the century Paris, its lavish costumes and incredible sets, and all these ex-courtesans sitting around in art nouveau boudoirs talking about La Belle Epoque, all rather lovely. Also very lovely is Rupert Friend as her younger beau. He played Prince Albert in Young Victoria, but he’s got even more floppy hair in this one, and is actually probably even prettier than Michelle Pfeiffer. There are strong airs of 'Les Dangerous Liasons', which was also with Michelle Pfieffer, and the same writer and director, but this is a similar world of French Courtesans, 100 years on. The characters themselves are not very likeable characters, with these spoiled lives that they had, so you’re not very sympathetic when they start suffering for their love. But just take it on the level of lovely to look at, beautiful people, beautiful outfits, and a really fascinating time in history, La Belle Epoque. And a footnote for rock historians. You’ll see Anita Pallenberg popping up in a cameo. She was one of the chief groupies to the Rolling Stones in the 60s, she had relationships with three of them, and two kids by Keith Richards. In fact, ‘Angie’ is about her, and ‘Wild Horses’ is about the fact that Keith couldn’t be dragged away from her. So rock fans should keep an eye out for Anita as one of the ageing courtesans.

X MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE (12a)

X Men has been a great franchise, with a mixed bag of superheroes, and lots of big ideas about mutants and society. But it's also true that by the third one, it was all getting a bit too complicated, and a bit too camp really. So they’ve absolutely done the right thing here – which is to take the strongest character – Wolverine, who happens to be played by Hugh Jackman, who’s now this huge star, and just make a film about him, and his back story. So this is a back-to-basics X Men, with this great gritty, powerful character at the heart of it, and an emphasis on straight-down-the-line, gung ho action - perfect blockbuster stuff. They show how he’s recruited by an evil scientist, and he has all this indestructible metal injected into him. He’s got an evil brother as well, and he meets a few fledgling X Men along the way, all with different powers, so it’s an excuse for a whole series of fantastic set piece action sequences, which really seem to come along at least every 10 minutes – plenty to keep you on the edge of your seat. So no complaints really about the action, and no complaints about him, Hugh Jackman, as well – he has this really strong physical presence, by which we mean there’s lots of scenes with him running around in a sweaty vest. It's worth saying that in simplifying it, they may have lost some of the big ideas which were in the other films, but it still works. Whereas last year, Batman Dark Knight went deeper and darker, Wolverine is more gritty rather than dark. And thankfully no Ian McKellern camping it up, which can only be a good thing. Hopefully, Wolverine will herald a great summer of proper blockbusters - starting next week with Star Trek, then there's Terminator and another Harry Potter. So good for Wolverine, for kicking it all off.

IS THERE ANYBODY THERE? (12a)

It’s a British film, and it’s Michael Caine, taking the opportunity to do some ‘proper’ acting. It's set in an old people’s home in the early 1980s, and it’s about a young boy whose parents run an old folks home, so he grows up fascinated by death. And then Michael Caine comes along as a retired magician, and it’s about the friendship between the young boy and Michael Caine. And it’s all rather charming, really. For a start, there’s a fantastic array of doddery old English actors toddling around in the background – like Leslie Phillips as an old boy who likes cracking dirty jokes, and Thelma Barlow from Coronation Street, all these people you thought were long dead. But it’s also got two very good actors playing the parents – Anne Marie Duff from the original Shameless. And David Morrissey, who was in the Christmas Dr Who as the other doctor. But it’s really Michael Caine’s film – and a lot of people say he can’t act, that he’s just Michael Caine all the time. But the fact that when we see Michael Caine we're also seeing Alfie and the guy from Zulu and The Italian Job and everything else he's done, all adds to the impact. And in some ways it’s quite serious, because it’s about death and growing old, but there's enough light and shade and charm for it not to get too heavy.

STATE OF PLAY (12A)

A really good thriller with Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck. It’s actually based on a BBC series from a few years back, by Paul Abbott - but the film is a bit different (a) because it’s set in the world of Washington politics. And (b) because the themes are absolutely bang up to date, in terms of the issues that it deals with. So Russell is an investigative reporter, who’s writing about a murder. And there’s another story going on about a congressman, Ben Affleck, and a sex scandal, and it turns out these two things are linked. But behind it all, there’s a big corporation pulling the strings, which is a rather sinister company working as a private defence contractor. And in real life, there's a lot of these companies who've taken over a lot of the work of the US army in places like Iraq, and let’s just say they are quite controversial. So Russell Crowe ends up investigating a fictional version of one of these companies, and the idea is, he’s a very old-fashioned reporter, so he’s also taking on the new world of journalism, which is all to do with blogs, and very tight, rolling deadlines. And as he says, a lot of it’s more about opinion these days, than actually discovering the facts. So there’s plenty of important issues there, there’s a lot of meat to the story. But it’s also a very good thriller – lots of stylish ariel shots of Washington, lots of chases, twists and turns along he way. And all this adds up to a very classy, very stylish, good solid film, which also raises these important issues about defence, and about journalism itself. So it scores highly on every count for me. And worth a shout for the Brits involved - Paul Abbott – the original writer - has been involved in this version as well, and Kevin MacDonald, the British director of Last King of Scotland. All very impressive.

50 DEAD MEN WALKING (15)

If you're out to avoid the Easter kids films and action flix, this is a more grown up offering. 50 Dead Men Walking is about an IRA informer, in the late 80s, and it's based on a true story, and a very good book by a guy called Martin McGartland. And there's a great cast, led by a young British actor called Jim Sturgess as the IRA man, and Sir Ben Kingsley as his British handler. It starts off with Jim Sturgess’s character as a small-time petty criminal, and he gets a job as a driver for the local IRA. And then the British come in and recruit him to start informing for them. And at first, he just sees it as a way of making a bit of extra money. But, of course, as he goes in deeper, it all gets more complicated and he has to deal with all the moral issues about whether to inform on his mates, thereby saving the lives of their victims. And of course it all goes wrong, with dire consequences. So it’s strong stuff, and the first thing to say is both actors are really, well up to the subject. Jim Sturgess particularly is fantastic. And it is amazing to see all the stuff about Northern Ireland at that time from the inside, rather than what we used to see on the news, with the reality of soldiers on the streets, and the people who had to live with that. So there’s some very good things about it. But there could have been a bit more of an emotional kick to it. And it was a bit short of tension, considering it’s about a guy who’s acting undercover who might be exposed at any moment. It’s good in that it throws a bit of light on what people went through at that time. And great performances. But it doesn’t quite grip the viewer as much as it could.

LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (15)

This is a bit of a weird one, a Swedish vampire films, award winning and much talked about this week. It’s set in the 70s, in a very boring suburb of Stockholm. And the two leads are a 12 year old boy, and a 12 year old girl, but the girl is a vampire. To be honest, it’s one of those arty films which is very moody and atmospheric, with lots of long silences. But it does have a certain style to it, and visually there are some really interesting moments, even though some of the more ambitious elements are done a bit on the cheap. But after the dreadful Lesbian Vampire Killers, it’s interesting that the idea of a vampire story can be used to explore very different things – and this one is very much about teenage infatuation and obsession. Although it’s very much an adult film – and be warned, it’s in Swedish with subtitles. There's a Hollywood remake already in production, so at least if you catch this version, you'll be able to see the Hollywood one and say 'Oh, it's not as good as the Swedish original.'

THE BOAT THAT ROCKED

It’s a Richard Curtis film – but don’t let that put you off. Because it’s about that fantastically colourful time of Pirate Radio in Britain in the 60s, when the BBC broadcast hardly any pop music, and the gap was filled by a number of illegal stations broadcasting from offshore. Liz and I both worked for Radio 1 at the end of the 80s and into the 90s, and many of the ex-pirates were still around. They were larger-than-life characters, all men, of course, but they had a particular way of talking, everyone was 'me great mate' (even when they couldn't stand each other), and let's say they had their own way of looking at the world. And this film really explains why they were like that. It's really what you get when you take a bunch of men, and put them all on a ship together in the middle of the North Sea – and their only way of communicating with the outside world is through a microphone. And the rest of the time, when they’re not on air, they’re completely cut off from real life, just hanging around, a-laughing and a-joking with each other, but often in their own little worlds. This seems to be what must have attracted Richard Curtis to the story, because he’s written in as an ensemble piece – there’s about a dozen lead characters. And they all have their thing – one of them is the comedian of the airwaves; there’s the American one – in real life, it was Emperor Rosko – but the fictionalised version is played by Phillip Seymour Hoffman. There’s Midnight Mark, the seducer of the airwaves. There’s the guy who does the graveyard shift, who spends the rest of his day listening to the Grateful Dead. And a really motley bunch of people. And the film, really, is about just colouring in all these characters. The story’s quite loose – they do go through the business of the government trying to close them down, with Kenneth Brannah playing the Minister, but that side of the story's a bit light. But it’s really a set of character portraits of these rather bizarre men, who somehow managed to deliver the Swinging 60s to most of Britain during this amazing moment in pop history. The other appeal, of course, is the music. Because that mid-sixties period was a terrific time for music, so there's a spectacular soundtrack of 54 (count them, pop pickers, fifty-four) hits on the film. And to give the pirate guys their due, it’s also about how these DJs were totally devoted to their music. So full marks to Richard Curtis for (a) taking on the subject, but (b) for not making it cutesy like a lot of his other stuff. 'The Boat that Rocked' is a fantastically colourful, rocking romp through a very British moment in popular culture.

CHERRY BLOSSOM

Something from the other end of the scale to Boat that Rocked. This is an indie, foreign film. It’s German, and it’s about a sweet old couple who live a quiet life in Bavaria, and they’re gradually losing touch with the modern world, and with their children. But she’s always had this dream of going to Japan, to see Mount Fuji. But unfortunately, she dies, so the husband uses all his savings and goes out to Japan, to fulfil his wife’s dream for her. So it’s a lovely idea. And it’s quite stunning when it goes over to Japan, you see all the cherry blossom. It’s called 'Cherry Blossom' because out there, cherry blossom is a symbol of the fact that everything beautiful eventually fades. And all of us probably have something we want to see or do before we die, and it's really touching to watch the husband doing this for his wife. Yes, it’s in German with subtitles, and it’s probably only in those indie cinemas that show foreign films. But it’s worth seeking out if it comes round your way.

THE DAMNED UNITED (15)

This is a film from the same team who did The Queen – the writer is called Peter Morgan, and it’s Michael Sheen, who played Tony Blair in The Queen. And this is about another controversial British figure – for people who like old football, anyway. It’s about Brian Clough. He was quite a big name in British football in the 70s – mainly because of his big mouth. He ran Leeds United, which was top of the league at the time. And the film really focuses on his rivalry with the former Leeds manager, Don Revy, whom Clough replaced when Revy went off to be manager of England. But the players didn’t really take to Clough, because he wasn’t afraid to put people’s noses out of joint. So it’s a good story, and a great character to do a film about – because he was really loud and arrogant. He said ‘I may not be the best manager in the country, but I’m certainly in the Top One.’ And interestingly, there’s a lot about class and the class system, because he was a working class upstart, and the FA was run by silly old duffers who’d been there for years. It was also a time when money was starting to come in to football, and the game was changing. People might be surprised at what a dirty game football was, when they see all these players kicking hell out of each other and fist fights on the pitch. So it’s a lively tale, and quite a colourful film, full of 70s detail. There is just something very hilarious about seeing grown men in tiny shorts and 1970s tracksuits, with those dodgy 70s haircuts. Plus there’s this big larger than life character at the heart of it. Certainly, people who love football are going to lap this up. And for the rest, the story itself of the rise and fall of this larger-than-life character will still make it worthwhile. Having said that, it’s not The Queen. Or Frost / Nixon that they also did, because in those films, the stakes were much higher. So we'd describe this as a Home Win, rather than an Away Win, but still well worth seeing.

TRAITOR (12a)

It’s a thriller about terrorism – starring Don Cheadle, a brilliant actor, who in Ocean’s Eleven, and the fantastic Hotel Rwanda. And it’s also go Guy Pearce, another brilliant actor. And Don Cheadle is a Somali Muslim, who gets drawn in to a network of international terrorism, and becomes their chief bomb maker. And Guy Pearce is the FBI bloke who’s trying to track him down. But all is not what it seems, and it’s really about who’s the good guy, who’s the bad guy – and all the moral issues in between. So it’s obviously a very contemporary subject. But the reason we liked it is that it’s a thriller, so you’ve got the pursuit, the suspense. But it doesn’t fall into any of the clichés you might expect. In fact, there are some really good twists and turns and surprises along the way. But it’s not ‘showy’ in any way, it’s very straightforward and intelligent - which suits the subject matter, because it’s a very serious subject. Too often, the subject is ‘Hollywoodised’ out of proportion. But here they downplay the action, and concentrate on letting these great actors bring out how it feels to be involved in this so-called War On Terror from both sides. It gets a bit politically correct at the beginning, where Guy Pearce goes around saying things like, ‘Not all Muslims are terrorists, you know’ – which is true, but slightly heavy handed in a film like this. But once the story kicks in, it’s a good intelligent thriller – with some nice surprises along the way’.

LESBIAN VAMPIRE KILLERS (15)

Big disappointment, sadly. And like most of Britain, we love Gavin and Stacey, so we really wanted to like Matthew Horne and James Corden in this as well. But there’s very little to it, unfortunately. They play two layabouts who go off to a remote village in Norfolk. They meet up with a camper-van load of buxom Scandinavian girls – and they all get chased by lesbian vampires. But not only is there nothing funny in the premise, there’s nothing funny in the script, either. They do have a bit of chemistry on screen, and there’s maybe three or four one liners, but it’s all completely lost in this rather silly story – specially in the second half, where the story kind of takes over, and there’re not really doing anything. It’s actually as if Horne and Corden turned up in a re-make of a dodgy Hammer Horror film, and just stand around going ‘this is weird’ all the time. And the obvious comparison is with Shaun of the Dead – but Shaun of the dead was fantastic because it was zombies appearing in an everyday world, like the scene in the pub and everything. In Lesbian Vampire Killers, it’s a weird fantasy world, and Horne and Corden just aren’t strong enough to stand out in it. Of course, in Gavin and Stacey, that Horne and Corden relationship between Gavin and Smithy is only a small part of it, and a lot of the humour comes from the family around them, and Nessa. So when you transplant Horne and Corden into a different setting, they haven’t got anything to bounce off. So sorry guys, we didn’t even get why it was supposed to be funny. And surely this is a huge missed opportunity - why didn’t you spend the money on a Gavin & Stacey movie?

DUPLICITY (12a)

It’s a glossy thriller, with Clive Owen for the Brits, and Julia Roberts for the Americans. He’s an ex-MI5 agent, she’s ex-FBI – and they have an affair and hatch a plan to go into industry, and use their skills to make a fortune. So it’s really about industrial espionage at a very high level. So it’s set in an interesting world, where these giant corporations turn over billions of dollars making everything from nappies to nail varnish, and it’s all highly competitive, so when they have new products coming up, they go to great lengths to protect their secrets. So Clive Owen and Julia Roberts hatch this plan, which is a giant hustle, basically, to trick them out of the secrets, and make millions. And it works as the premise for a film. There’s lots of ‘thing aren’t what they seem’ moments. And the idea is that they don’t quite trust each other so you never know who’s playing who, so there’s plenty of sexual tension between them. And they’re a good-looking couple, actually – Julia Roberts, you can see she’s getting on a bit, but she’s still got a real presence on screen, with her famous face like a Renaissance painting. So, it’s all very glossy, very slick, and even witty actually, because it really takes the mick out of these big corporate bosses obsessed with their secrets. And it's a much better night out than hanging out with the Lesbian Vampires.

BRONSON (18)

Charles Bronson is said to be Britain’s most violent prisoner, who’s spent 30 years in solitary confinement, because he kept beating up prison guards and everyone else he can lay his hands on. So somebody decided he'd be a good subject for a bio-pic. Which is slightly dodgy, because the only reason given for the fact that he is so violent is because he has an obsession with being famous. So, in one sense, to make a film about him is playing into his hands. And, of course, it’s all very bloody and violent and bleak. So there’s every reason NOT to recommend this film – if it wasn’t for one thing, which is the performance of the lead actor. He’s a guy called Tom Hardy, who did a wonderful TV drama called ‘Stuart: A Life Backwards’, where he was an alcoholic. So he’s just very good at playing these obsessive, compelling characters. And in Bronson, he’s really powerful, really threatening, it’s a very physical role, and he’s just superb. So overall, we have some doubts about recommending this film, because of the subject matter, and it's certainly not a date movie. The story's unpleasant, and the lead character is vile. But if you want to see a very powerful piece of acting from Tom Hardy, then it's worth it.

MARLEY AND ME (PG)

Jennifer Anniston and Owen Wilson – the world’s cutest couple - get married, and get a little puppy called Marley – who’s even cuter than they are. Ahhh. And the story’s about how this dog weaves its way through their family life. But this dog is terribly badly behaved - it chews up the furniture, jumps into people’s swimming pools, knocks the children over. And all this misbehaviour is supposed to be hilarious. We've all had the experience of going to somebody’s house, and the dog starts chewing up the furniture – and the people are going, ‘ah, isn’t he sweet, he’s just playing around’. Well, this film is for those people. If you’re a person who says, ‘why on earth don’t you get your dog under control?’, then this might not be the film for you. But we are supposed to be a nation of dog lovers, so there will probably be a huge, slobbering audience for this film. But if you’re looking for a gritty expose of the dark side of American suburban life, this isn’t it. We say, take a pooper-scooper.

WATCHMEN (18)

It’s the big new superhero story for 2009. Watchmen are a group of cult superheroes from DC comics. But they’re rather different from superheroes like Fantastic Four or X Men, and therefore the film itself is very different from anything we've seen before. For one thing, the storytelling is deliberately mixed up. It's the same director as '300', so we might expect something quite stylised. But for Watchmen, he’s thrown conventional storytelling out of the window. So there’s no villain, there’s a very loose plot thread about one of them getting murdered. But really, it’s a kind of montage of different elements - which is a bit of a problem, because in any new superhero movie, you have to tell the back-story of how they all got that way. And this comes up in a lot of flashbacks, and sometimes, flashbacks within flashbacks, which makes much of the film completely bewildering. There's a big blue man who became radioactive, and he's the only one with real superpowers. One of them is very clever – or as they say, ‘the smartest guy in the world’. There’s a kind of a Batman-type bloke, and a girl who seems to be in a lot of leather. And they wander round either beating each other up, or telling each other how they got that way. And visually, it’s all very striking, it’s really, really stunning to look at, and it can be enjoyed by just sitting back and letting the visuals wash over you. But be warned, it's two and three quarter hours long! The other thing to note is that it's an 18 certificate. The violence is very in your face, which also makes it different from films like X Men and Fantastic Four. And Watchmen does deserve some credit for not being about kids getting free toys with their Happy Meals. There's a lot of ambition in the film, visually, and in the storytelling, which also makes Watchmen a very different experience from other Superhero movies. It's a challenge, to be honest, to sit through the whole thing, but it is definitely one of those films which stays with you once you've left the cinema. And, dare we say it? It might even stand up to a second viewing, to try and work out what it's all about.

YOUNG VICTORIA (PG)

We always think of Victoria as the old lady in the black dress, but this is about her young life, when she acceded to the throne aged only 18, and her romance with Prince Albert. Victoria did have a terrible childhood – her mother was a widow, who was under the control of an ambitious courtier, and they kept Victoria in this kind of guilded cage to try and control her, because she was heir to the throne. So there’s lots of juicy court politics going on. But there’s also a very charming romance with Albert, who was an impoverished German prince. And the idea is that Victoria was a little girl lost – in a sea of people who were trying to control her for their own ends, and Albert was the only one who was interested in her for herself, and wanted to support her. The film's a great counterpart to the Judi Dench film, Mrs Brown, because that’s set at the other end of her life, when Queen Victoria was inconsolable after the death of Albert. But Young Victoria makes you realise why she loved him so much and why she needed him. Emily Blunt, who was the secretary in Devil Wears Prada, is just exquisite as this young queen. And there’s also a fantastic collection of English character actors playing all the courtiers – Miranda Richardson is the wicked mother, Jim Broadbent as the old King, William. So it’s costumes, it’s court politics and intrigue, it’s all very lavish – but at the heart of it, you’ve also got this really touching romance as well. The last big film like this was The Duchess, but Young Victoria is even better, because the stakes are higher – this is Queen Victoria we’re talking about, and the success of this marriage helped Britain become the most powerful country in the world during her reign. So big recommendation, especially from Liz, who loves her costume dramas.

THE INTERNATIONAL (15)

This is a film that’s caught the press attention this week, because it’s a thriller about corrupt international banking. And Clive Owen has to go and sort out these corrupt bankers, with the help of Naomi Watts. So obviously, it’s become very topical. But actually, the idea is that this bank has started dealing in arms, in order to make it easier for countries to go to war, so that the bank can benefit from the debt that comes from fighting a war. Because they like it when people are, as the villain puts it, ‘slaves to debt’. But actually, what the film is is a fairly standard thriller. It doesn't go into things like the black economy or secret accounts - it’s actually a more straightforward chase, come ‘who-dunnit’, come detective story. Which is fine – and Clive Owen is great at all that. There’s lots of glossy locations. There’s one really good set-piece where they have a shoot-out in the Guggenheim Museum in New York. But really, as a film, it’s only OK. It doesn’t have an edge to it, like, say, the Bourn Identity. It’s just an OK thriller – that has this added satisfaction of seeing a whole lot of dodgy bankers being taken out by Clive Owen.

FRANKLYN (15)

A bit of a weird one, but at least this is a British film – horray! And it’s really four stories – three set in present day London, one set in a fantasy world of the future. So there's four different characters – one is a father looking for his son, one is a guy who’s been jilted just before his wedding. There’s an art student who’s contemplating suicide, played by Eva Green, who was the girl in Casino Royale. And the fourth one is the story set in an imaginary city, of an assassin who’s being pursued by the authorities, who’s played by Ryan Phillipe. And if it sounds a bit weird and complicated, that’s because it is. It’s one of those where you sit there and for three quarters of the film, you don’t have a clue what’s going on. But then, towards the end, all these different threads start coming together, and you go, ah! And it kind of works. For us, it's actually a plus that it's the kind of film that would never get made in Hollywood, because it’s far too complicated, and no studio executive would bother reading to the end of the script. And if you're looking for a change or something a bit weird and different, this could be good. And the scenes set in the future do look amazing. But it may not be for everyone. But if you are going to see it, be patient, it does all come together in the end.

ANVIL – THE STORY OF ANVIL (15)

This is a fantastic documentary about a heavy metal band called Anvil, who were big in the early 80s – and it kind of picks up where Spinal Tap finished, because the idea is, this band faded into obscurity, and the film is about their hilarious attempts at a comeback. Now, at this point, there is a confession - this reviewer watched the whole thing under the impression that this was a spoof – a mocumentary, like Spinal Tap itself. But 6 Music listeners have been quick to point out, it was a real band, and many of you went to see them live back in the 80s. But regardless of whether they're real or not, it is a very good film, especially if you like the world which Spinal Tap spoofed so brilliantly. It basically shows the band stuck in the analogue age, who have no idea about the digital world, so their attempt at a comeback is to go off and tour the underbelly of the East European heavy rock scene – which is very funny. But it’s also quite sad, because we do feel for these guys, drawn in by their enthusiasm, rather than by jokes as in Spinal Tap. Although they do almost have a very funny ‘hello Cleveland’ moment, and there is actually a shot of an amp being turned up to 11. Now we know it's a real band, it's a slight diappointment, because we prefer to believe it's a very clever spoof, but either way, it's worth seeing for that reason.

GRAN TORINO (15)

Clint Eastwood once said that he alternates between films – he makes one for the bank manager, and one for himself. Well, the last one was The Changeling, which did very well commercially. So now it's time for Clint's rather more self-indulgent effort, a much smaller scale film, in which he stars and directs. The story is that he’s an old widower, a veteran of the Korean War, and he’s still living in the 50s, basically – and he can’t quite come to terms with the fact that his neighbourhood has now been taken over by gangs, and his neighbours are orientals, which he doesn’t like. And it’s the story of his redemption, as he gets to know the kids of this oriental family. And being Clint, he has to turn vigilante as well, to protect them. But are quite a few problems with the film. The character he plays is not very likeable, for one thing. And it’s difficult, because there are flashes of the Clint we know from his other films, but the actual character he plays in this film uses a lot of racist language, he uses violence to solve problems, and there’s nothing to make you like him. And it’s the same with the film overall - it just never really warms up. There are a couple of funny moments, but it’s just not a big tour de force like you’d expect from Clint Eastwood. And the problem may be simply that he’s just getting old. And there’s nothing else really in the film apart from him – the rest of the cast are unknowns, and we're not sure he can carry a whole film any more. So all a bit underwhelming, sadly.

NOTORIOUS (15)

It’s a hip hop movie, about the life story of Notorious B I G – the rapper who was shot in a drive by in 1997. And the first thing you need to know is that it’s an ‘approved’ biography. His mother is a producer, and Puff Daddy is exec producer. So it’s a bit ‘sanitised’ – B.I.G. was drug dealer before he was a musician, and the scenes where he’s selling drugs, he refuses to sell drugs to a pregnant woman, which is supposed to make him a ‘good’ drug dealer. It does get quite interesting when he gets his success – and you get the women in his life. He helped Lil Kim on her way to becoming a potty mouthed rapper-ess – and she’s apparently quite upset at the film, because she doesn’t come out of it very well. And B.I.G. was married to a singer called Faith Evans, and she comes out of it much better. So all that’s quite juicy, and the two actresses who play the women in his life are fantastic. There's also the various feuds – Biggie vs Tupac, East Coast vs West Coast, all that stuff. It was a time when many rappers were working hard to create their own mythology, for largely commercial purposes. And this film is certainly about re-enforcing all that mythology, again, for commercial purposes. But there is an interesting idea which drives the film, because it’s really about his journey of learning how to be a man. Towards the end, he gets into fatherhood, and he’s not rapping about violence ‘no more’. And of course, it’s ironic, because just when he realises it’s not about money and violence, but actually about being a loving father – bang, he gets blown away. Overally, though, a bit too much of the mythology, too much about him as an icon, not really enough about him as a man. But that may work for the fans, and obviously, if you were into that music, there’s a big fat soundtrack to go with the big fat rapper. And thankfully, Puff Daddy doesn’t come on at the end ruining a perfectly good Police song.

BOLT (PG)

As it's half term week, we've picked out a kids film, about a dog who thinks he’s a superhero. It’s an animated film from Disney. And the background to it is quite interesting, because there was a time when Disney had been rather overtaken by another studio called Pixar, who did all those films like The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. And Pixar was doing all this clever, rather knowing animation, which was leaving the old Disney style way behind. But then a couple of years ago, Disney bought Pixar – and the two rivals came together. And Bolt is basically using all the Pixar talent, but under the Disney banner. It's certainly a sweet, charming film. Bolt is a dog who plays a dog with superhero powers in a TV show, and when he goes out into the outside world, he thinks he’s still got his super-powers. And one of his friends he picks up along the way is a little hamster who runs along in a plastic ball, which is quite jolly. But it's definitely for pre-teens, and sadly not one of those like Shrek or Toy Story where there’s another level of meaning which the adults can pick up on. So we hope that the Disney banner hasn't squeezed all those elements out of the Pixar style. But for those with kids to entertain over half term, Bolt is a straight down the line, sweet, fun kids film.

REVOLUTIONARY ROAD (15)

Another serious film, and another Kate Winslett aiming for Oscar glory. Interestingly with this one, although she won the Golden Globe for 'Revolutionary Road', she didn't get an Oscar nomination for it. She's paired off here with Leonardo Di Caprio for the first time since Titanic. But this really is a very different film from Titanic. Leo and Kate are husband and wife in the 1950s. And it’s the time when the American Dream really was coming true. They have their perfect little house, and their perfect couple of children, and he goes off on the train every day to work, while she keeps house. But of course, she’s not happy, she’s trapped in this perfect life, and she realises how hollow it all is, and things start to unravel from there. And it’s a great idea for a film – a bit like 'American Beauty' - one of those films that lifts up the stone of the American dream and looks at what’s crawling around underneath. And this idea does create some great moments. They have these neighbours whose son has been in the insane asylum, and they bring the son round to visit, and this guy starts laying in to how hollow their lives are. The idea is that the lunatic is the only one who can see sense, but those very uncomfortable moments are really funny. And it's worth noting that the actor who plays the neighbour has been nominated for an Oscar, while Kate hasn't. That's a bit of a shame, because her acting is very strong as well. The only problem was, some people will find it all a bit heavy going. Apart from those short bits with the man from the asylum, it’s all deadly serious. It has a very sad ending. There’s a lot of arguing between them. And it doesn’t quite have the style or the irony of 'American Beauty'. So it’s another one that’s based on a very serious book. The book’s even more depressing, apparently. But it’s a powerful story, all very well done – but be prepared for quite a serious film. (Not fun, like Titanic!)

VALKYIRIE (12A)

Tom Cruise is a Nazi in this film about a plot to kill Hitler – with Tom as the ringleader. It's an interesting story, but it takes a while to get used to the idea of Tom Cruise in the heart of the Nazi War Machine – and, of course, that he’s a good Nazi. But as a film, it’s all a bit Hollywood-ised. Whenever Hitler comes on, they play doom-laden Darth Vader-style music (which is strange, because Hitler’s not quite the same kind of villain as Darth Vader). There’s also a bunch of English actors, all hamming it up as either good or bad Nazis. The film does have some pace one the conspiracy kicks in – but the other problem is, we all know the plot failed. So it’s all a bit ‘so what?’ in the end. Our suggestion - if you're interested in this stuff, seek out the various documentaries or books on the subject, because they'll be far more intesting than the film.

MILK (15)

It’s Sean Penn – and it’s a biopic – of a guy called Harvey Milk. He was the first openly gay public official in America – in San Franciso in the 1970s - who was shot, assassinated, at his desk in City Hall in 1978. So what you’ve got is Sean Penn – who is such a fantastic actor, who it turns out he can do camp really well. And he just immerses himself in any character that he plays, so you don’t even know it’s Sean Penn really. But it's also about this world of San Francisco in the 70s, which was a pretty interesting place. San Francisco was a bit of a Mecca for the gay community in the 70s, in fact it was the first gay community, and the film shows how they found their voice in local politics through Harvey Milk. The storyline is basically how he works his way up to being a local counsellor – or ‘supervisor’ as they call them over there. But then he takes on the right wing forces who were using religion to try and roll back the civil rights which had been won in the 60s. There's also a bit about his private life, but the main focus is the politics of the time, lots of City Hall stuff, which is fascinating – and a truly great performance as ever from Sean Penn.

FROST NIXON (15)

An interesting release for presidential week - it’s the story of David Frost, and the interview he did in 1977 with disgraced American President Richard Nixon. And it was a very famous moment, because he got Nixon to apologise for Watergate and breaking the law while he was president. There's all the fun and games surrounding the setting up of this interview, showing Frost as a real opportunist, chancing his arm by offering Nixon a lot of money. Frost doesn’t come out of it very well, because it suggests he was completely out of his depth, up against Nixon who's this hard bitten political operator. And it took Frost days and days of interviews before he got the final confession. So there's a real sense of these two titans locking horns and going into battle in this interview. It’s based on a stage play, actually – by Peter Morgan, the guy who wrote The Queen. And it’s the same cast as the stage play, Frank Langella and Michael Sheen, who're both very confident in their characters beause they played them for months on stage. It is very talky – but the writing’s jam-packed with high drama and insights into the psychology of these two very obsessive men. And it feels important, especially this week – because it’s about a dodgy president being called to account, which doesn’t seem to happen these days. A great insight into two fascinating characters and a fascinating moment in history.

THE WRESTLER (15)

Liz is very excited about this film because of there's loads of 'hair metal' on the soundtrack, AND a theme tune by Bruce Springsteen. But most for most people - including the Golden Globes - it's the amazing performance by Micky Rourke that's getting all the attention. He plays one of those old WWF Wrestlers from the late 80, who wrestles under the title 'Randy the Ram'. In his heyday, he was a hero to millions back in the day, but 20 years later, we find him living in a trailer and working in a supermarket – but still wrestling at weekends in the very minor league. And it’s really about the tragedy of this man who’s allowed himself to be beating up his whole life, so probably a part that Micky Rourke was born to play. This is a remarkable film, really. Firstly, because of this very sad life that he leads. Although he’s got this dead end job behind the deli counter in a supermarket, he’s still addicted to going into the ring at the weekend for all the adulation. But that also means he’s addicted to the steroids that they use to build their bodies up. And that’s contrasted with the fact that he’s estranged from his daughter. He's also in love with a pole dancer, and he can’t even get a date with this pole dancer. But it’s a very thought-provoking film, because it makes you realise, there’s thousands of blokes out there who still idolise him as a macho hero, but in real life, he’s a terrible father and a failure as a lover – so it really makes you wonder about what it means to be a bloke in today's society. Is it about competitive sports and winning fights, or is it about being a good father and a good lover. His approach to life is contrasted with that of the aging pole-dancer, played by Merissa Tomai. She knows she's getting old, and when it's time to stop. But casting her as a pole-dancer - selling her body for the audience - makes you realise that Randy the Ram is also doing the same thing - he can’t stop exploiting his beaten-up old body. Micky Rourke, of course, is great at all this – cos he does look like he’s spent the last 20 years getting beaten up. And he’s a tragic hero, so don’t expect a barrel of laughs. It’s certainly not 'Rocky', there’s nothing triumphalist about it. It’s actually quite a sad film, and quite painful to watch in some places. But truly thought-provoking, and well worth it.

MY BLOODY VALENTINE – IN 3D (18)

Another film with a lot of blood, but very different from 'The Wrestler'. To be honest, ‘My Bloody Valentine’ is actually a fairly standard slasher movie. There’s a serial killer with a pick-axe, there’s some attractive young people he chases around, small town sherriff – there’s even a spooky mine straight out of Scooby Doo. But the producers obviously looked at the script, and said, ‘there’s not much in here that’s different – so let’s make it in 3D’. So you have to wear special specs, and you get all the grizzly deaths in 3D, the pick axe comes out of the screen at you, various body parts fly around. It's all good fun for a silly load of nonsense. But with so many very serious movies around at this time of year, this might be an alternative, especially for horror fans. It's not as ingenious as 'Saw', not as stylish as some of the other horror films which have come out recently. But there’s plenty of blood and gore, and it’s in 3D, so it’s a bit of a laugh, and a bit of a change.

DEFIANCE (15)

A lot of people might want to go and see this film because it’s Daniel Craig. As a ‘proper actor’, he obviously likes to do films which are a bit different, in between the Bond films. And this one’s very different, and very serious. It’s set during the Second World War, in Belorussia, and when the Nazis invade, some of the Jewish inhabitants run away and hide in the forests, and Daniel is the leader of this group of Jews. And it’s about them surviving in the forests, and also they form a kind of resistance movement against the Nazis. And it’s all based on a true story, apparently. And it sounds really interesting. But sadly, as a film, it's all a bit heavy going. It's heart's certainly in the right place, but there’s too many characters running around, so nobody really shines. The setting is all very cold and dark. And the fact that it’s a true story means that it’s actually just a series of things which happen, rather than a proper story holding it all together. And Daniel Craig’s hiding behind this rather strange Russian accent he has to do. It is interesting that usually Jewish people in this type of film are always presented as victims – and this is different, because here they’re fighting back. But it’s all a bit hard work as a film.

SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (15)

A huge recommendation for the new film from Danny Boyle - the man who brought us 'Trainspotting', and 'The Beach', and '28 Days Later'. The great thing about Danny Boyle is that all his films are very different, and this one is also very different – because it’s set in India. It’s about a street kid who grows up in the slums of Mumbai. And as an adult, he goes on the Indian version of 'Who Wants to be a Millionaire?' - and wins the jackpot. But the police take him in, accusing him of cheating – because they don’t believe that a poor guy from the slums would be intelligent enough to know the answers. So the structure of the film is that it goes through the questions, and he has to tell them his life story, the idea being that each question he gets right refers back to an incident in his own life. And there’s also a story of lost love – so the big prize isn’t the cash, it’s whether he finds the girl he’s been searching for. So the film really touches all the emotional heart-strings. It has high drama, kids - with these struggling street kids growing up - there’s a bit of gangster stuff as well, and there’s the central love story. It’s like one of those big sweeping Bollywood films that really has everything – but the reason it works for Western audiences is that it’s all framed by this very familiar structure of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?' And, of course, towards the end, that show’s designed to create drama – and they really use that well in this film. And for anyone who's been to Mumbai last year, and seen first-hand the local underclass of people living on the street, it’s great so see a film which doesn’t just acknowledge that this underclass exists, but actually makes a hero out of one of these ‘slumdogs’, and makes it work as a big sweeping story. It's big, it's powerful, it.s joyous, and will undoubtedly be hailed as one of the best films of 09. So God bless Danny Boyle for taking it on and making it work.

CHE: PARTS ONE AND TWO (15)

This is the time of year when all the serious films come out, in the run up to the Oscars. And the first film is actually two films in one. It’s Che – a biography of Che Guevara, the revolutionary icon of the 1960s, the man on all those t-shirts and posters. And the director Stephen Soderberg, who’s the guy who did Oceans Eleven and all those, made this film in two parts anyway, because Che Guevara first of all was part of Fidel Castro’s revolution in Cuba (which was 50 years ago this week). Then Che went off to Bolivia to try and do the same thing there. So he made this film in two parts, and then realised he’d got a four hour film. So most of the country is getting it as two separate films – Part One is out this week, about the Cuban revolution. And then Part Two comes along in a few weeks time. But obviously the question is, is it any good? Well, it’s very ‘matter of fact’, very dry. It’s basically a very straightforward telling of how Che Guevara was involved with Castro, how this band of rebels hid out in the hills and recruited people to their cause, and eventually overthrew the military dictatorship. So there’s a lot of crouching around in the jungle and shoot outs. And it’s also intercut with Che addressing the United Nations in 1965, which is what helped make him so famous. But the tone of it is all a bit like a very good reconstruction in a documentary. It’s very accurate, but not very emotional – it’s like a very good history lesson, which is interesting, but it should be taken at that level. And if you can sit through two hours of Part One, about Che in Cuba, then Part Two which is released in a few weeks is basically the same, but in Bolivia. With the main difference that he doesn’t succeed in the revolution. So Part One is the more rewarding of the two parts, but with each part standing at two hours with Spanish subtitles, it's not for the feint-hearted.

THE READER (15)

Many people are seeing this film as Kate Winseltt's Oscar bid for this year. But we think Ricky Gervais has a lot to answer for, because when Kate was on 'Extras', she said you have to play someone in the Holocaust so you can win an Oscar. And, sure enough, The Reader goes like this…. It’s set in 1950s Berlin – and a 16 year old boy starts having an affair with an older woman, who’s played by Kate. And in some fairly explicit scenes, she teaches him the pleasures of the flesh. And then she disappears. And six years later, when the boy has grown up to be a law student, he sees her in court accused of being a guard in a concentration camp. That’s the first bombshell – but we're not giving too much away, because there’s plenty more surprises. And Ralph Feinnes plays this boy when he’s grown up. So there’s two actors playing the guy, one young, one old. But poor old Kate has to be in the whole thing and wear a lot of aging make up. But really, it’s just a fantastic story. It’s one of those stories that sweeps across the decades, right up to the present day. A bit like 'Atonement' which came out last year. And when the second half of the story kicks in, about what happens to them both in later life, it really, really packs a punch. There’s a bit of a weepy element to it – but it’s the kind of film that just gives you a really good, powerful story. Well acted, but really, it’s the story that grabs you. One tiny criticism – they all have slightly dodgy German accents, which is a bit strange. But overall, fantastic. BTW, on the question of the Oscars, we're saying Kate's more likely to win for another film which is coming up in a few week’s time called 'Revolutionary Road'. Meanwhile, go and see ‘The Reader’, it's fantastic.

TWILIGHT (12a) - NOW ON RELEASE

Two words – Teen Vampires. This is the film that’s been getting a lot of buzz on the internet, there was a premier this week with a lot of screaming girls, and it’s based on a series of very successful books, so it's a much talked-about film. The story is that a teenage girl moves to a quiet town, and when she joins up at the local High School, there’s a certain Mr Gorgeous who catches her eye. She doesn’t know he’s actually a vampire – but we do, because he’s got lots of white face make up on, and he walks around in slow motion with his hair being wafted by a fan. And when their eyes meet, he smoulders a lot. But then of course, she gets to know him and finds out he’s a vampire, and there’s a kind of ‘meet the parents’ scene where she has to go and meet his vampire family. But these people call themselves ‘vegetarian vampires’, because they don’t eat humans, they only eat animals. And if this is starting to sound a bit silly, that’s because it is. But slightly more worrying, it’s really childish. It’s pitched very precisely at the young teenage girl market. And it's a slight disappointment that they seemed to think that means everything has to be really obvious and unsubtle. It’s pitched at the level of Britannia High, which isn’t very high, actually. And it’s a 12A certificate, so there’s only a tiny bit of blood and gore, and it’s not even scarey. What they do concentrate on is the sexual tension between this girl and the Mr Gorgeous Vampire. It’s all about how he can’t kiss her because he might be tempted to eat her. And you can read it on a lot of levels –the director’s a woman who’s made religious films in the past, so it may well tap in to all that American religious debate about sex before marriage. Overall, it's obvious why all this will would work for a pubescent girl audience – and it's bound to be a huge success. But there's not much in there for grown-ups, sadly.