The Friday Feeling – Movies out this Week

Happy Friday everyone! I know the weather has been a bit off recently, gale-force winds and rain are never anyone’s idea of a good time, but on the bright side there’s new movies out in the cinema and sure it never rains in there. This week is a big week as we see the release of one of the years most eagerly anticipated movies, a new one from Matt Damon, a World War II movie starring Doctor Who and Dracula, and a sure fire Oscar contender from the brothers Coen.

First up is a movie that I just can’t avoid no matter how hard I try. The Twilight Saga: New Moon is the second part of the Stephanie Meyer based franchise, which kicked off with last years Twilight. It follows on where the first left off with ordinary girl Bella happily shacked up with vampire lover Edward. When she accidentally cuts herself at a family dinner Edwards vampire clan fly into a blood-thirsty rage. This forces the the pair to separate, with Edward heading for the hills. Bella turns to her friend Jacob for solace, but it turns out is hiding a dark secret of his own. Robert Pattinson and Kirsten Stewart return to their roles as the modern-day Romeo and Juliet, having become global superstars between this movie and the last. The plot of the book and thus the movie sees them not share much screen this time around. The Golden Compass director Chris Weitz takes over the reins of the franchise for this installment and the director and script from Melissa Rosenberg play it as close to the book as possible. If your a fan (who bear the honourable distinction of being known as Twi’hards) then I’m sure that you will enjoy the second outing. If you’re not then this isn’t going to change your mind. Either way this movie is going to be a massive hit. Not my cup of tea but Culch’s Harriet reviews it here.

Our second movie out this week is The Informant!, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Matt Damon. The film is based on the true story of former ADM employee Mark Whitacre, who blew the whistle on one of the biggest corporate frauds of all time, and is based on the 2000 non-fiction book of the same name by Kurt Eichenwald. Damon plays Whitacre, a vice president of lycine production at agricultural giant ADM. When the FBI come a calling he divulges that he has been privy to some fairly shady dealings, price-fixing the price of corn products that the worlds food suppliers rely on. The FBI quickly turn him informer and hi-jinxes soon ensue. This is Damon’s fourth outing with Soderbergh and the pair seem very comfortable with each other. Former Quantam Leap and Star Trek: Enterprise star Scott Bakula is on-hand in a supporting role, alongside Heavenly Creatures star Melanie Lynskey. The latter gives a particularly fine performance in a limited role. I’ve seen this movie and liked it quite a lot. It’s not for everyone but fans of Damon and/or Soderbergh should get a kick out of it. Your can read my full review here.

Third out is A Serious Man, the latest darkly comedic drama from the Oscar winning Coen brothers. Set in 1967, the movie tells the story of Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university. Larry’s life is anything but straight-forward. His wife is leaving him for one of his friends, his unemployed brother is sleeping on his couch, his son Danny is having problems at school, and his daughter Sarah is stealing from him to pay for a nose job. While of this is going on an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry’s chances for tenure at the university, and a student is trying to bribe and sue him to get better grades. All of this leads poor Larry to start questioning his life. Tony Award-nominated American theatre actor Michael Stuhlbarg plays the role of Larry, with a cast of relative unknowns for assistance. This should not be construed as a weakness as the Coen brothers are masters of the cinematic art, having made the brilliant Fargo, The Big Lebowski, No Country for Old Men, etc. Their achievements could fill volumes and many are reporting this as their finest hour. While I’ve yet to see it myself I have been reliably informed that this is the case. This will definitely be in consideration with Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin host the 81st Oscars early next year.

Our fourth and final release this week is Glorious 39, a British period drama written and directed by Stephen Poliakoff and starring Romola Garai, Bill Nighy, Julie Christie, Jeremy Northam, Christopher Lee, David Tennant and Jenny Agutter. The movie is set at the outbreak of World War II and focuses on the Keyes family as they try to uphold their traditional way of life, in the face of massive socio-economic change. Things change and daughter Anne sees her life dramatically unravel when she stumbles upon secret recordings of the pro-appeasement movement. Poliakoff is best known for making television in Britain and is widely regarded as one of the best in the business. He certainly has a stellar cast in place for his first feature in years, including personal fave the current/outgoing Doctor Who. I haven’t seen the movie and probably won’t until it gets to DVD but Culch’s very own Niamh has and her review can be seen here.