Film: Bleak futures, smart rom-coms and seven deadly sins
Clive Owen stars in futuristic drama
Also In The News
|
Fulham's injury woes have deepened with the news captain Luis Boa Morte has been ruled out for six weeks with a fractured cheekbone. |  |
Thursday, 21, Sep 2006 05:27
With the tagline "No Children, No Future, No Hope", Children of Men is unsurprisingly a bleak, disturbing tale based on the novel by PD James. Starring Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, Sir Michael Caine and newcomer Claire-Hope Ashitey, the film is set in 2027 in a chaotic world where humans can no longer procreate. But hope emerges in the form of Kee (Ashitey), whose precious cargo holds the key to mankind's future existence.
Despite the bleak premise, it is both visually stunning and thrilling. Director Alfonso Cuaron manages to blend the sci-fi genre with a heartfelt message without losing the film's momentum.
Damian Lewis, known by British audiences for his role as the suavely evil Soames Forsythe in the Forsythe Saga, plays a man (William Keane) in his 30s desperately trying to come to terms with the loss of his daughter in Keane. But as he battles with schizophrenia the audience is left wondering whether the loss is real or imaginary.
Although there are dark undertones to the film, it ultimately probes the issues involved with a human's need to be loved and to create a family, and the end of the film provides a touching finale.
Romantic comedies have been a bit disappointing of late, but Trust the Man could end the dry spell. With Hollywood A-listers Julianne Moore and Maggie Gyllenhaal starring alongside the X File's David Duchovny with an intelligent and funny script, it may be worth not bypassing this as the usual rom-com trash.
Tom (Duchovny) and Rebecca (Moore) are in a marriage which is hitting the rocks, while his younger brother, Tobey (Billy Crudup) and his girlfriend seem to be going nowhere due to their conflicting aims for the relationship. With wit and charm Trust the Man is perfect fodder to keep both men and women happy on a Saturday night date.
But if all these films about relationships, mental illness and bleak futures sound a bit depressing, then Dirty Sanchez could be just the thing. Based on the MTV Europe series of the same name, the film follows four guys as they tour the world in an attempt to enact the seven deadly sins after being challenged to do so by the devil himself.
It's ridiculous and silly and will have you squirming in your cinema seat, but if you're looking for no more than low brow entertainment this week then it's perfect.
Other films out this week include Clerks II, Eros and Rabbit Fever - with the latter being a tongue-in-cheek documentary about the infamous vibrator.