This season there are plenty of films crying out for your hard-earned cash and here in New York, I’ve managed to get a sneak peek of a few that will be winging your way.

The Constant Gardener (15)
Based on a John Le Carre novel and directed by the Oscar nominated helmer of City of God, this romantic thriller has been ecstatically received over in the US. It follows Ralph Fiennes as a UN diplomat who’s political activist wife is murdered. He vows to discover the reasons behind her death and soon uncovers a conspiracy far greater then he had ever anticipated. This really is one of the most important films released this year and is already sparking Oscar talk. It manages to be an exciting thriller, an involving romance and an intelligent political statement with two fantastic lead performances from Fiennes and Rachel Weisz as his late wife. Recommended.
Out in the UK 11 November

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (15)
Bearing the dreaded ‘Based on a True Story’ tag, this curious mix of courtroom drama and demonic horror tells the tale of a trial which sees a priest standing charge for the manslaughter of a supposedly possessed girl in his care. Agnostic high-flying lawyer Erin, played by Laura Linney, takes on his case and finds her faith being tested as she becomes targeted by mysterious forces. It’s an intriguing idea and the film plays loosely with time, using the courtroom scenes to sandwich creepy flashbacks showcasing Emily Rose’s experiences with the devil. It doesn’t fully work, especially as the film nears the end but it’s an admirably original concept with some memorable frights and a great breakout performance from Jennifer Carpenter as Emily Rose. 
Out 24 November

Flightplan (12A)
Jodie Foster follows up Panic Room with another claustrophobic high-concept thriller which has been a big box office draw in America. She stars as Kyle Pratt, a recently widowed woman who is taking her 6 year old daughter on a plane to New York. But after falling asleep onboard, Kyle’s daughter goes missing. Concern soon turns to fear and confusion, especially when the flight staff deny that her daughter ever boarded the plane. An intriguing question: How can someone vanish on a plane? Leads to an intriguing set-up but as with many high-concept thrillers, the answer is hugely unsatisfying. Rather like last year’s Julianne Moore chiller The Forgotten, the eventual reveal is ridiculous and the similarity to this year’s other superior plane thriller Red Eye only serves to show up Flightplan’s inferiority. Jodie Foster’s skills and some stylish direction are positives though and it’ll surely do well commercially when it hit’s the UK.
Coming 25 November

March of the Penguins (U)
The breakout smash of the Summer in the US, this has become the second most successful documentary of all time making over $70 million in the box office. Narrated by Morgan Freeman, it tells the story of the yearly march made by hundreds of penguins in the Antarctic who travel to their traditional breeding ground. It follows their mating process and then the extraordinary role reversal that takes place where the male penguins keep the eggs warm and the women go to feed. The men then stay at the breeding ground and go for up to 120 days without food and try to protect their unborn through the harshest of storms. This sleeper hit has an undeniable charm and will undoubtedly appeal to all ages. It really is a fascinating and surprisingly moving tale which is already a frontrunner for next year’s Documentary Oscar. It’s one of those films that people have just kinda fallen in love with. It’s not strictly for nature fans don’t worry as Morgan Freeman says at the beginning this is a story primarily about love. Oh and for the easily amused members of the audience like me there are plenty of gratuitous shots of penguins falling over.
Coming 9 December

Shopgirl (15)
Aiming for a Lost In Translation vibe is this adaptation of a novella from Steve Martin, in which he also stars as one of the two love interests who arrive into Claire Danes’ bored little life. She spends her days working on the glove counter in a Californian department store and her nights creating art. Then two men come into her life and slowly change it. There is Jason Schwartzman who plays a typically offbeat and quirky guy that she finds a little too flaky to seriously consider. The scenes between the two prove to be the funniest and most rewarding of the film. Their initial date and then the later attempt at a romantic night in are both hilarious sequences. Then she meets Steve Martin, a rich, established businessman who she begins a relationship with, one which he informs her early on is not exclusive. This relationship is far less interesting yet takes up the majority of the film. Steve Martin is horribly miscast and one gets the feeling he would never get this role if he hadn’t have written the source material. The film is a little too whimsical at times with large sweeping shots of LA, accompanied by grand music which seem incongruous with what is a relatively basic, Mills & Boon storyline. Danes is good, better than she usually is but its Schwartzman who steals the show and lifts the film when he returns in the finale.
Coming 9 December

Jarhead (15)
Hailed by some here in the states as the ‘Seinfeld’ of war movies - in that nothing actually happens throughout, Jarhead still boasts direction from American Beauty helmer Sam Mendes. It stars Jake Gyllenhaal as an unsure recruit shipped off to Desert Storm. Initially skeptical, he soon becomes increasingly desperate to actually involve himself in some combat. The film also stars Jamie Foxx and Peter Saarsgard as his fellow fighters. As for plot, well the film doesn’t really have one. That’s the problem when you make a war movie about a war that only really lasted for a week. Gyllenhaal tries admirably to give his confused character soul and partly succeeds but his work is in vain. It feels as if the makers have tried to patch all the pieces of their favourite war movies together and tried to come up with something subversive and fresh and there are some standout scenes. But overall this may well be the most empty film of the year. There’s literally nothing to it. Once viewed as a possible Oscar contender, this has now been relegated by most critics as a solid, if unspectacular and disappointing attempt to try something different. I can’t help but agree.
Coming 13 January 2006

Derailed (15tba)
Having read the book before I saw the film I was destined to be one of those annoying people who always compare every little thing to how it transpired in the novel. I’ll try and keep it to a minimum. It stars Clive Owen as Charles, a bored executive who despite being married to the extremely hot Melissa George, has wandering eyes. One day he misses his train and meets Lucinda, played by Jennifer Aniston, on the next one. She too is married and has a daughter but there is an unmistakable attraction. One which leads them all the way to a seedy hotel room. But before they have a chance to consummate their affair they get interrupted by Vincent Cassel who proceeds to turn their lives upside down. I can’t remember the last time a thriller required such a massive suspension of disbelief. The initial confrontation with Cassel includes a rape scene with Aniston which was toned down from the book where each of the 12 separate rapes were described in detail. It was still pretty wince-inducing though and was one of many occasions where realistically you’d kinda think they’d go to the police. Okay so they don’t wanna destroy their marriages but once the extortion starts it just gets hard to stomach. But saying all that, it didn’t really pose too much of a problem for me. I think the film was well-made enough for it not to really matter. The suspense was well-maintained throughout and there were a number of great shocks. Clive Owen is a likeable leading man and Aniston was particularly successful in completely erasing all thoughts of Rachel from your memory. There is a major twist near the end which leads to a dumb shootout but then saves itself with a clever double-bluff finale. I imagine most critics are going to tear this apart due to the holes but if you’re willing to go with it then it’s an enjoyable two hours.
Coming 3 February 2006

North Country (15)
Following in the footsteps of such films as Norma Rae and Erin Brockovich, North Country follows the true story of the first ever class action sexual harassment court case. It stars Oscar winner Charlize Theron as Josey Aimes who leaves an abusive husband and moves back to her home town. Struggling to raise her children on the wage she makes as a hairdresser she soon finds more profitable work at the mine. But in a job where men outnumber women 30 to 1, she finds it to be an unfriendly place. Constantly barraged by lewd remarks, offensive stunts and an escalating sense of danger, Josey tries to stand up for the women of the mine. Sometimes blunt, but undeniably effective North Country successfully creates a sense of rising anger in the viewer at how the women are being mistreated in their workplace. Although the film does scream out Oscarbait, it’s a little overlong and manipulative to fight it out for Best Picture. Theron, however, gives a stunningly low-key performance of a dignified women, incensed at her unfair treatment. She’ll surely grab a nomination for her sterling work. She’s also surrounded by Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek and a wonderful Richard Jenkins, best known as the late father in Six Feet Under. He helps to produce the film’s most powerful scene as he stands up for his daughter at a meeting. Flawed it may be, it still packs more emotional punch than most other social dramas.
Coming 3 February 2006

The Weather Man (15)
Coming 3 March 2006
Hailed by many as the most melancholic and bitter studio film for years, The Weather Man was unsurprisingly not a huge box office draw here in the states. It stars Nicolas Cage as Dave Spritz, a weather man who faces constant abuse from the public. He has been the victim of countless fast food attacks and hates having to maintain his public persona outside of the television studio. His marriage has fallen apart and he has trouble connecting to either of his children. His overweight daughter seems to have an bizarre interest in hunting while his teenage son, played by About A Boy star Nicholas Hoult, has been in trouble for smoking pot. His father, played by Michael Caine, is an Pulitzer prize winning author who Dave tirelessly tries to impress without any luck. The film follows Dave’s attempts to rebuild some sort of satisfying life out of the mess he has found himself in. Don’t expect any big smily theatrics when everyone realizes ‘how much they really love each other’ etc, just a depressing yet realistic impression that things don’t always go the way we want them to. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the guy behind Pirates of the Caribbean, this is a dark comedy drama that is also matches it’s sour mood with some genuine laughs. Cage and Caine are both brilliant and I found the film to be hugely rewarding.
Coming 3 March 2006

Stay (18tbc)
The director of Monster’s Ball and Finding Neverland once again takes a brave shift in tone with his latest. A reality-bending thriller starring Ewan McGregor as a psychistrist who believes one of his patients, Ryan Gosling, is going to kill himself at the end of the week. Sounds simple enough. But this is one of those movies where strange, unexplained events occur. Such as Gosling seeing his father, played by Bob Hoskins, even though his father is dead. Visually the film is very arresting. Forster takes pleasure in putting us off balance with numerous confusing transitions and some compellingly creepy sequences. McGregor is fine as the protagonist but there is some sterling work from Gosling and also Naomi Watts as his depressive girlfriend. The film only stumbles when it comes to the derivative explanation at the end. The twist when it comes is so reminiscent of other movies and arrives with little to no clues that the whole movie kinda feels like a cheat. Although it is one of those films that the more you think about the better it appears.
Coming 3 March 2006

Junebug (15 tbc)
Having already won over audiences at Cannes, Sundance and Toronto, this low-budget indie is set to become one of the year’s real finds. It tells the story of Madeleine, a high-brow Chicago art dealer who is keen to attract an eccentric artist who lives in the country, South Carolina to be exact. So much so that she intends to visit him. Her husband George’s family who she has never met also live close so they are going to kill two birds with one stone. But his family are more dysfunctional than she could have ever expected. They are all alarmed by her posh accent and education, all but Ashley, the pregnant girlfriend of George’s quiet brother Johnny, played by OC actor Benjamin McKenzie. Her enthusiasm at the new ‘family member’ reaches surprising levels. Junebug is the independent film you really do need to track down this year. It may have a familiar plotline of a dysfunctional family but in this film you actually believe these people are a family. There’s no clichés or stereotypes. Many moments could have been played for more obvious humour or more heavy-handed pathos but the film is remarkable in it’s realism and subtlety. There are no grand apologies or lengthy speeches. The writer realises that most problems in families don’t get solved at the end of the hour and a half, many never do. Amy Adams, who plays Ashley, is one of the break-out stars of the year. Her energy is wonderfully infectious and a later breakdown scene is heartbreaking to watch. She’s already emerging as a dark horse for next year’s Oscars. Without any major stars, it’s easy for a film such as this to fall under the radar but I really do recommend you catch it. It’s one of the most incisive, funny and moving films of the year. It deserves to become the Lost In Translation/Sideways alternative hit of the year. The best independent fiilm we’re likely to see in 2005.
Coming Soon - date tbc

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