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Released 20th November 2009
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A film about a price-fixing conspiracy at a US agri-business giant sounds like the driest of plots in itself, but add a delusional nut job with an inner monologue of verbal diarrhoea in the shape of character Mark Whitacre, brilliantly played by a porkier and ‘uglified’ Matt Damon in 1970s attire, and the story begins to prick the interest. Throw in the illusive FBI, whom in other films comes across as ultra efficient but bungles its way through the current corporate investigation, and director Steven Soderbergh’s biopic crime comedy is on track to entertain in a deliciously deranged fashion.
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Released 20th November 2009
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Writer/director Stephen Poliakoff’s passion for all things theatrical and dark secrets hidden in families is given a cinematic setting with his first feature film, Glorious 39. Not only does the acclaimed playwright recreate some absorbing theatrics that we are used to seeing in his stage and TV work, in this chillingly original, if rather hysterical dramatisation, but he also explores another historical fascination of his: How Britain came close to doing a deal with Hitler, and staying out of the Second World War. The result is a genuinely eerie, almost Hitchockian suspense thriller, and a reasonably commendable, if indulgently lengthy big-screen debut that fuels interest in learning more about the shady goings-on of this time.
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Released 13th November 2009
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What better a day than ’superstitious Friday 13th’ to release this effects wonder to the public that sees planet-altering tragedies unleashed on a (mainly) US population. Yes, we witness the rest of the world being equally affected, with token devastation scenes in India and trouble flaring at the 2012 London Olympics (highly prophetic, given the state of public transport). But in true chest-thumping, drum-pounding, patriotic pride, and with the might of the US military in tow, our ‘world saviour’ is good ol’ Uncle Sam once again, like in Independence Day, with the charge led by one reluctant hero.
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Released 13th November 2009
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It comes as no surprise that even the human soul is for sale - and this is not a reference to any deep Faustian tale, but a lighter one, Cold Souls, from debut feature-film writer/director Sophie Barthes that emphasises consumer dominance in our lives and swings between the spectrum of human emotions, perfectly playing humour and tragedy side by side.
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In the same quirky vein as Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich - although not as gratifying as the latter, this story is still one of the curiously oddest, but sublimely eccentric offerings of this year that morphs into a kooky, sci-fi styled Eastern European thriller in the second half. It is probably one of the most difficult films to summarise, making it a stimulating gem to watch with a tailored part for its lead, Paul Giamatti.
