Avod New Releases May 09

NEW RELEASES

Bolt family

bride wars comedy

Easy virtue comedy

frost/nixon drama

1h 37m Vocal talent John Travolta, Miley Cyrus Director Byron Howard

1h 29m Starring Anne Hathaway, Kate Hudson, Candice Bergen Director Gary Winick

1h 37m Starring Colin Firth, Jessica Biel, Ben Barnes, Kristin Scott Thomas Director Stephan Elliot

2h 2m Starring Michael Sheen, Frank Langella Director Ron Howard

Outstanding children’s animation about a delightfully deluded dog. Bolt, voiced by John Travolta, is the star of a weekly TV series where he saves the day with his superhero powers. Problem is, Bolt believes it’s all real. So when he accidentally ends up on the streets of New York he thinks it’s his latest daring mission. Keeping him company are a scruffy cat and a fat hamster in a ball.

Best friends Liv and Emma have been planning their weddings since they were little girls. When they eventually get engaged, at the same time, they rush to book their dream hotel venue. But as there’s only room for one of them, the buddies turn into backstabbing bridezillas determined to scupper the other’s plans.

Jessica Biel flies the US flag in this very English comedy. She’s an American racing driver who’s less than welcome at her new husband’s family home. Her frosty mother-in-law doesn’t approve and sets out to undermine the relationship. Based on Noël Coward’s 1925 play, all the usual countryhouse farce ingredients are in place, from the wise butler to the snappy putdowns – pepped up by a soundtrack of modern pop tunes.

One of the most important media events of the 70s has been turned into an excellent film. In 1977, broadcaster and chat show host David Frost (Sheen) interviewed disgraced former president Richard Nixon (Langella). The stakes were high: Nixon wanted to clear his name, Frost wanted to make his with an interrogation that would provoke an apology from Nixon. Director Ron Howard artfully constructs a fascinating battle of wits as tense as any sports showdown.

This month’s new movies include Mickey Rourke’s brilliant comeback The Wrestler, the Oscar-winning Milk and family favourite, Hotel for Dogs

Time traveller The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

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Wedding bashers

Veiled threats Bride Wars

If you’ve ever been privy to the destruction and wideeyed madness of a bridal fair then Bride Wars will recall that same horror-filled experience. Kate Hudson stars in the comedy chick-flick as a high-powered lawyer who won’t let anything get in the way of her dream wedding. That includes her best friend, Anne Hathaway, who double-books the same reception venue in New York. Amping up the stress of what’s already one of the most traumatic days of a woman’s life, these two bridezillas are out of control and out to do damage. For anybody out there considering future nuptials it might make you think twice about tying the knot.

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Reviews by Mark Eccleston

gran torino thriller

happy-golucky comedy

hotel for dogs family

Inkheart action

Jerichow drama

last chance harvey comedy

marley and me comedy

1h 57m Starring Clint Eastwood, Bee Vang, Christopher Carley, Brian Haley Director Clint Eastwood

1h 58m Starring Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Eddie Marsan Director Mike Leigh

1h 40m Starring Emma Roberts, Lisa Kudrow, Don Cheadle Director Thor Freudenthal

1h 46m Starring Brendan Fraser, Helen Mirren, Paul Bettany Director Iain Softley

1h 28m Starring Benno Fürmann, Nina Hoss, Hilmi Sözer, André Hennicke Director Christian Petzold

1h 42m Starring Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson Director Joel Hopkins

1h 56m Starring Owen Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Viola Davis Director David Frankel

Clint Eastwood’s supposed final venture in front of the camera offers reflections of his past, great antihero roles. He’s Walt Kowalski, a cantankerous, bigoted Korean War veteran who has taken against his Asian neighbours. But when he protects their son from a local gang he becomes a local hero. As the gang plan their revenge, Walt must consider his duty to the community. A fittingly sullen and violent farewell for Eastwood fans.

Mike Leigh’s happiest film to date – a sunny slice-of-life comedy that follows the ups and downs of a primary school teacher. Not that there’s many downs. The ever-cheerful Poppy (Hawkins) never takes life too seriously. Ironically, her optimism brings out the worst in others, among them, a jealous older sister, and a creepy driving instructor (Marsan) whose dark moods become increasingly threatening. Hawkins won a Golden Globe for her performance.

Two teenage orphans find themselves in trouble with their latest foster parents when they’re caught keeping a scruffy dog. When the tearaway terrier leads them to an abandoned building they come up with a harebrained scheme… to run the place as a hotel for dogs. Youngsters should get a kick out of this amusing family confection, especially with the numerous canine inventions which include a gym, automatic feeder and doggie toilet.

Exhilarating adventure starring the family-friendly Brendan Fraser. He’s Mo, a book collector who has the power to bring characters on the page to life. Along with his young daughter, he heads to Europe in search of a precious novel that will reunite him with his missing wife. In hot pursuit is the dastardly Capricorn (Serkis), who needs Mo’s talents to summon up an evil demon.

Award-winning German drama that owes much to the American film noir classic, The Postman Always Rings Twice. In a small town west of Berlin, Turkish businessman Ali keeps a suspicious eye on the employees of his snack bar outlets. After he’s convicted of drink driving he hires Thomas, a former soldier, as a chauffeur and money collector. But Thomas soon becomes drawn to his employer’s beautiful and unfulfilled wife.

A rare Hollywood film that believes whirlwind romances don’t just happen to the under 30s. Dustin Hoffman is Harvey, a divorced radio jingle writer who discovers he’s not the most welcome guest at his daughter’s wedding in the UK. About to head home, he meets and falls for a lonely airport worker Kate (Thompson). It soon becomes clear that this might be a last chance for both of them.

Surprise box-office hit that should prove a treat for dog lovers. John and Jennifer Grogan (Wilson and Aniston) are a married couple who have set up home in Florida. When they buy a Labrador puppy they get more than they bargained for – Marley is an unruly bundle of energy. Eventually, though, he becomes the heart of their growing family and the inspiration for John’s newspaper column.

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Couple of tough nuts In Gran Torino, Clint Eastwood distils much of the cold charisma that made him such a star in the first place. His ex-war hero Walt Kowalski is a bitter racist who is drawn in to protecting his Asian neighbours and provides Clint with another wizened, tough-guy role – reportedly his last in acting. Despite being an amateur boxer before taking to the stage and

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screen, Liam Neeson (right) hasn’t cashed in on beefy action hero parts, until now. In Taken, also showing this month, he takes on the type of role Eastwood would have once relished: a glum, retired CIA operative called into action to rescue his abducted daughter in Paris. This is a gripping addition to the suspenseful dad-tothe rescue genre.

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New Releases

revolutionary road

the curious case of benjamin button drama

The Orphanage thriller

milk drama

PS I Love You drama

2h 8m Starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch Director Gus Van Sant

2h 6m Starring Hilary Swank, Gerard Butler, Kathy Bates Director Richard LaGravenese

1h 59m Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet Director Sam Mendes

1h 33m Starring Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Famke Janssen Director Pierre Morel

2h 46m Starring Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett Director David Fincher

1h 50m Starring Fernando Cayo, Belén Rueda Director Juan Antonio Bayona

2h 4m Starring Ralph Fiennes, Kate Winslet Director Stephen Daldry

Sean Penn picked up a well-deserved Oscar for his powerhouse performance as Harvey Milk, America’s first openly gay elected official. In the early 1970s Milk left New York for San Francisco. Enthused by new friends and the city’s liberal vibe he decided to stand as a local politician to stop the erosion of gay rights. It was a move that made him many enemies, but even more supporters who admired and were inspired by his bravery.

Two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank tries her hand at fluffier romantic fare. She’s Holly, a New Yorker in a passionate relationship with cheeky Irishman Gerry (Butler). When he dies suddenly, she’s left distraught and confused. But then she receives a series of messages, prewritten by Gerry, to help her remember the good times and look to the future.

The long-awaited reunion of Titanic shipmates Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. They’re a married couple in 1950s Connecticut who have traded in their instincts to forge an existence in Europe for family life in suburbia. It’s not long before their relationship buckles under growing resentments and constant bickering. With a taut script forged from Richard Yates’ novel and sublime performances from the leads, this is an unmissable study of a marriage in freefall.

Liam Neeson takes on the no-nonsense action-hero role, with fine results. Retiring from his demanding job as a CIA agent, Bryan (Neeson) wants to spend more time with his teenage daughter. But when she goes on a trip to Paris she’s kidnapped by human traffickers. Now Bryan must use his skills – driving, shooting and martial arts – to get her back. The bad guys don’t stand a chance.

Director David Fincher has taken a short story by F Scott Fitzgerald and crafted a long and dreamily beautiful film. Benjamin Button (Pitt) is a medical phenomenon. Born with the physical features of someone in their 80s, he gets younger as time goes by. This makes his relationship with the love of his life, a beautiful dancer (Blanchett), all the more fleeting and profound. Won Oscars for Visual Effects, Make-Up and Art Direction.

Truly chilling Spanish horror, produced by the man behind Pan’s Labyrinth and Hellboy, Guillermo del Toro. A family sets up home in a creaky former orphanage, once the cherished childhood home of the young mother. The house slowly reveals its dark and painful secrets in an eerily atmospheric adventure that tells a tale of love, loss and guilt alongside its bumps and scares.

Another superb performance from Kate Winslet, which won her the Oscar for Best Actress. This time she’s a woman haunted by her shameful past. Set in postWWII Germany, a schoolboy embarks on a brief passionate affair with the older, enigmatic Hanna (Winslet). Many years later, their paths cross once more when he attends a highprofile trial. He gradually realises the reason for her emotional distance, and how her future is in his hands.

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Spotlight on Mickey Rourke

Director Christian Petzold was inspired not only by classic American film noir in the making of his German language film Jerichow (right) but also by that famous American skill for revealing forbidden sex and menace in what, from afar, always looks like an idyll – suburbia. The quiet life has never looked sexier.

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The Wrestler marks an astonishing comeback for once troubled star Mickey Rourke. His portrayal of a fading fighter is the role of a lifetime… and a lifetime in a role. Philip Andre Rourke Jr was born in 1952 in New York. He set his sights on a boxing career after winning his first

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Reviews by Mark Eccleston chandni chowk to china comedy

dostana comedy

oye lucky! lucky oye! comedy

1h 37m Starring Jim Carrey, Zooey Deschanel, Terence Stamp Director Peyton Reed

2h Starring Deepika Padukone, Akshay Kumar Director Nikhil Advani

2h Starring John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan Director Tarun Mansukhani

2h Starring Neetu Chandra, Abhay Deol Director Dibakar Banerjee

Carrey returns to the kind of goofy loser role that originally made him famous. He’s a shy and reclusive banker until, that is, he attends a motivational seminar and promises to answer ‘Yes!’ to everything. This change of attitude leads to wild new experiences and a whirlwind romance. Based on the book by British comedian Danny Wallace who took the same challenge for a year.

Sidhu lives a dreary existence working on a roadside food stall in Delhi. But his chance to escape may have arrived when two strangers claim him as a reincarnation of a war hero. Sidhu soon finds himself on his way to China to follow his dreams, unaware that he is just a pawn in a game.

Sameer and Kunal put their friendship to the test in this lively romcom set in Miami. The two strapping lads battle for the affections of their new landlady’s beautiful niece Neha, but unfortunately she thinks they’re gay.

Lucky Singh is a loveable thief who yearns to be considered a gentleman – only without sacrificing his reckless freedom.

the young victoria dramA

Valkyrie thriller

yes man comedy

1h 50m Starring Marisa Tomei, Mickey Rourke, Evan Rachel Wood Director Darren Aronofsky

1h 44m Starring Emily Blunt, Jim Broadbent, Paul Bettany, Rupert Friend Director Jean-Marc Vallée

2h 1m Starring Kenneth Branagh, Tom Cruise, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Eddie Izzard Director Bryan Singer

Mickey Rourke’s Oscar-nominated turn as a washedup wrestler has to be one of the great performances in cinema. Rourke, who hit rock bottom in the 90s, finds an emotional connection with his character Randy Robinson. Forced to take on brutal no-rules matches, Randy is heading for heart failure. But blossoming relationships with a stripper (Tomei) and his estranged daughter makes him wonder if it’s a risk worth taking.

The early reign of Queen Victoria and her courtship with Prince Albert makes for a romantic and handsome historical drama. In 1838, the 18-yearold Victoria (Blunt) became queen after the death of her uncle, William IV. A number of potential husbands were lined up, but it was the gentle Albert (Friend), who won her heart by supporting her through political scandal and assassination plots.

True story that goes some way to overturn cinema’s assumption that no high-ranking Nazi officers stood up against the march of fascism during WWII. Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) was a war hero whose conscience led him to organise a plot to assassinate Adolph Hitler.

The wrestler drama

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raaz 2 thriller 2h Starring Adhyayan Suman Director Mohit Suri Brooding, reclusive artist Prithvi tracks down Nandita, the woman he keeps painting from his visions. In spite of her reservations he might be the key to her staying alive.

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match at the age of 12. He was forced to wind up his amateur career in 1972 after suffering bouts of concussion. Rourke became one of the biggest stars of the 80s thanks to the erotically charged 9½ Weeks. By the end of the decade, though, his self-destructive behaviour had H

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caused the acting work to dry up. Rourke returned to the ring in 1991. Undefeated in eight fights, he suffered a number of injuries including a broken nose and rib. The actor is particularly attached to his dogs. He described his last one, a Chihuahua called Loki, as ‘the love of my life’. J

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