Articles...
Feb 23 2008
HE'S got little chance of beating Daniel-Day Lewis to tomorrow's best actor Oscar, but don't miss fellow nominee Viggo Mortensen here. Especially as the script, about London's deadly Russian underworld, was written by Birmingham's own Steven Knight for back-on-form Canadian director David Cronenberg. The bathhouse fight sequence, featuring a stark-naked Mortensen, was one of the most astonishing cinematic highlights of 2007. Co-starring Naomi Watts, Vincent Cassel and Armin Mueller-Stahl and also available to buy for £19.99 (Blu-ray £24.99), the extras include a 'Secrets and Stories' featurette....
Feb 23 2008
BASED on producer Neil Gaiman's graphic novel, this engaging fantasy is for older children who fancy a fairy tale along the lines of The Princess Bride meets The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Powered by a Pirates of the Caribbean-style score, Casanova star Charlie Cox plays the dashing Tristan who promises the prettiest girl in the village that he'll win her heart by fetching a fallen star. The star is actually Yvaine (Claire Danes), injured in a cosmic tumble. Now what's a man to do? Meanwhile, the wicked witch Lamia (a splendid Michelle Pfeiffer) also needs the star's powers for eternal youth....
Feb 23 2008
BEST actress candidate Cate Blanchett is is on top form here - and her breadth of work elsewhere last year would make her my favoured choice for an Academy Award. Although director Shekhar Kapur seems to make up some of his own history here, Elizabeth's struggle to hold together a country split by the religious divide between Protestants and Catholics, is a still-relevant lesson in tolerance. Also available to buy for £19.99....
