Another week, another selection

This week’s cinema releases take the shape of a re-released comedy romp, political comedy-drama, Christmas classic and indie teen comedy, to name but a few.

First up John Landis’ archetypal college comedy National Lampoon’s Animal House is returning to the big screen, 31 years after it was originally released. Katy, Boon and Bluto return with comrades from the Delta House fraternity. If you’ve never seen it, you should do- between Animal House and Fast Times at Ridgemont High the rules for the high-school or collegiate booze and sex driven movie was written.

On Wednesday Disney re-visit Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol for the first time since 1983’s Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Jim Carey provides the voice of Scrooge in this latest 3D-animation from the world’s number one animated studio. Showing in 3D on IMAX screens across the UK, it should prove to be a visual feast easily capable of getting you geared up for the festive season… even if it is a little early yet.

The team behind the impressive indie coming of age-cum-pregnant teen flick Juno return on Wednesday with the potentially enjoyable Jennifer’s Body. A horror-comedy of the teenage sex vein, the slick movie takes a side-swipe at ridiculous horrors such as Cherry Falls by positioning Megan Fox as the Jennifer of the title, a beautiful high-school senior who all the boys want. The only thing is that Jennifer is actually a murderous creature of evil who lulls the boys to bed, offering sex but delivering more than a nasty nick or two.

On Friday we have 1 Day follows in the footsteps of Kid… and Adulthood by offering a cinematic interpretation of the UK’s urban gang scene and associated music genres- namely grime. Taking place over 24 hours the plot centres on one youth’s mission to replace funds borrowed from £500,000 of ‘suspect’ money entrusted to him when the rightful owner is sent to jail. Back on the street the half-millionaire crook is looking for a return on his investment, meaning there’s one day to get the cash back, elude the law and set things straight with various mothers of various children.

In stark contrast Bright Star has no guns, explicit lyrics or underworld crews. Jane Campion’s latest looks to tell the story of John Keats’ love affair with the girl, or more specifically ‘outspoken student of fashion’ next door. One for the period dramatists out there, it’s a story of the secret love, passion, commitment, partnership, hope and tragedy that surrounded one of Britain’s best loved literary heroes.

The film geek’s choice this week will no doubt be Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno. It’s part documentary, part drama, part reconstructed film. In short, Clouzot began production in 1964 of his L’Enfer. After three weeks it was canned, and the cans (some 185 of them) were stored away. Until, that is, Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea came along and re-worked the reels, inter-cut with documentary footage, to re-tell and alternative version of the film originally planned to deal with a husband’s descent into jealous lunacy. Patience required, but if you’ve got it then you’ll get this.

Film of the week comes in the shape of The Men Who Stare At Goats. Grant Heslov’s fictional re-imagining of political journalist Jon Ronson’s acclaimed, criminal to miss investigative book of the same name. An all star cast including George Clooney, Ewan McGregor and Jeff Bridges lead the narrative into the world of covert military experiments, psychological and psychic war-fare and regiments called things like Jedi Knights of the 3rd Earth Battalion. As scary as it is funny. Just in case the video below isn’t enough, we’ll be bringing you the heads up from a special screening and Q&A with Ronson taking place this Wednesday as the inaugural event of this year’s Leeds International Film Festival- watch this space.

Paper Heart is a strange indie-flick in the guise of one girl’s mission across the US recording interviews with people on the subject of love. Charlyne Yi plays the documentary maker, a girl who doesn’t believe in love, and then finds herself falling for a boy whilst trying to prove the validity of her theory. Part romantic comedy, part generation-specific musing and part documentary, it’s an intriguing idea that if done well should prove a sleeper success this year.

And finally… Welcome represents director Philippe Lioret’s cinematic address of the subject of immigration, asylum and border control. A 17-year-old Kurd travels to the UK to be with his girlfriend, a new migrant to these shores. On the way his is stopped in France and left unable to reach Britain’s borders. Deciding to swim across the Channel he begins to practice his swimming and is taken in by an old instructor trying to impress his estranged wife through charity. An ode to the trapped, forgotten and rejected immigrants that fall foul to Western Europe’s seemingly random border laws, it’s heart-wrenching, hopeful and ironically witty, but the real genius is in the truth and humanism on display. Unfortunately there is no English language trailer we could find, so follow the link instead...

http://www.cinefile.co.uk/newweb/