blinkbox blog: Movie blog & reviews

As we are celebrating the best British cinema this week, it seems like a good time to pay homage to the wealth of great British stars working the movies today. Considering how small the population of Britain is compared to America, actors from the United Kingdom have managed to make a considerable dent in Hollywood. In fact, the demand for Limey actors is so high that many of our finest thesps have uprooted themselves for the sunny climes of Los Angeles, removing any possibility that they could stoop to doing a 2 week stint on Holby City in order to make rent.

For any Hollywood producers reading this (and I assume there are plenty), we’ve assembled an easy-to-follow guide to casting your next feature. We’ve covered pretty much every type of male character your screenplay is likely to have and we’ve provided a number of qualified candidates that would add that largely unfounded air of respectability that seems to follow Brits everywhere in America.

Hard Men

British Hard men are a relatively new development in Hollywood. Seeing as no American actor has managed to take on Bruce Willis’ mantle as working-class tough guy, movie producers have been forced to look across the pond for their sardonic beefcakes. Our boys better hurry up though, as we’re facing stiff competition from the Australians in the form of Russell Crowe, Sam Worthington and Chris Hemsworth.

Got the money?

Jason Statham (pictured): The Transporter, Crank, Snatch, The Expendables: The Stath is the current gold standard in British bruisers. He can fight, he can deliver one liners and when called for it, he looks great with his shirt off. Fast fact: Statham used to be a member of Britain’s national diving team.

Tom Hardy: Flavour of the month. Looking to explode after this year’s The Dark Knight Rises, he’s shown that he can put on the muscle for roles in Bronson and Warrior.  He also has the word ‘hard’ in his name, which is a nice coincidence

Ray Winstone: If you want a seasoned hard man, look no further. It doesn’t matter if he’s in a domestic drama or a $200m blockbuster, Uncle Ray will deliver the goods every time. If you cast him in your movie though, you might want to keep an eye on him: his disembodied head does have a habit of encouraging to people to gamble.

On a Budget?

Danny Dyer, Vinnie Jones, Tamer Hassan

 

Sensitive, Polite English Gents

A dying breed, the demand for over-polite Englishmen is definitely on the decline. It’s an archetype that came to prominence with Trevor Howard in Close Encounter and continued to thrive in hits like Four Weddings and Notting Hill. If you need a man whose sense of propriety and shame prevents him from getting the girl, the Sensitive, Polite English Gent is who you want.

Got the Money?

Hugh Grant (pictured): He might not have played a SPEG in over a decade, but if you can stump up enough cash, there’s a chance you could get Hugh to appear in your movie. Give his agent a call and see if he’s available. Or better still: just hack into his iPhone if that’s easier for you.

Colin Firth: He’s spent more than a few years as a second-tier Hugh Grant, playing SPEGs in any number of sub-par romantic comedies. However, the small matter of winning an Oscar for The King’s Speech has probably got him thinking twice about taking your offer to play a lonely advertising executive who falls for a stripper with a heart of gold.

On a Budget?

Tom Hiddlestone, Rafe Spall

 

 

 

 

Smouldering and Masculine Man

Women love strong brooding types, or so I’m led to believe. If your story calls for a hunky man who will make the ladies in the audience go weak at the knees, you want to go for an SMM. They can play a range of positions: from quiet neighbours who can fix your dishwasher to emotionally tortured assassins or sensitive medieval knights, these guys can play it all.

Got the money?

Gerard Butler (pictured): Ladies love Gerard Butler. Maybe it’s his six-pack or perhaps it’s his Scottish burr, but casting Butler will ensure your cinemas are packed with excitable women in their 30s and 40s. We’re talking about the Gerard Butler from 300 and Coriolanus, though. Not the imposter who starred in The Bounty Hunter, PS I Love You and Nim’s Island: that guy is box-office poison.

Clive Owen: There’s something about his quiet eyes and rumpled hair that screams ‘existential torment’.  Whether you’re making a science-fiction thriller or a contemporary drama, he’s the man who’ll bring a sexy, sleepy sadness to your project. Interesting fact: he is the only man in the world named Clive that women would still have sex with.

Idris Elba – TV’s Luther and The Wire’s Stringer Bell is one cool customer. But under that stern exterior and facade of control, Elba has the sensitive soul of a poet. Sadly, this poetry sometimes manifests itself in the form of terrible rapping.

On a Budget?

James Purefoy, Paul Bettany

 

Sneering Bad Guy

According to recent statistics from Customs and Revenue, 35% of Britain’s GDP comes from movie villains exports. Is there something about the British faces that are inherently dishonest? Perhaps the Americans still hold a grudge for all that taxation without representation business. Either way, they should be grateful, as our classically trained actors have provided the evil spine to some of the greatest movies ever.

Got the money?

Alan Rickman (pictured): Rickman is bad guy royalty. In both Die Hard and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, he managed to steal the show from Bruce Willis and Kevin Costner – no mean feat. From his withering gaze to his distinctive nasal voice, Alan Rickman is the only man you want if you’re looking for premium evil.

Ralph Fiennes: His Hamlet was allegedly the greatest of his generation, but WHO CARES? It’s Lord Voldemort! In real life, he also has a nose and will bring his trademark disdain to whatever blockbuster you have in mind. He also appeared in Wrath of the Titans recently, so you know he’s not fussy about quality.

Ben Kingsley: Or Sir Ben Kingsley (as he insists on being called) is an enormously versatile actor capable of playing both Gandhi and Guru Tugginmypuddha. Joking aside, Kingsley is fully capable of unleashing terror, as seen by his fantastic turn in Sexy Beast. If you’re looking for maximum intensity, place a call to the man they call ‘Sir’. “You are going to have to turn this opportunity YES!”

On a Budget?

Charles Dance, Terence Stamp, Jeremy Irons, Malcolm McDowell, Steven Berkoff. The list genuinely goes on.

 

Mentors

If there’s one thing the Brits are better at than building steam engines and constructing iron bridges, it’s playing wise father figures in Hollywood blockbusters. Whether you’re a young Jedi, a policeman, a superhero or an environmental lobbyist, you’re always going to need some old guy to remind you what you’re fighting for and how to use the force.

Got the money?

Anthony Hopkins (pictured): When he isn’t busy eating human livers with fava beans and trashy Italian wines, Sir Tony usually finds roles in which he teaches a young upstart how to do things, only to get killed at the end of the second act. Even if he does have the tendency to phone his performances in, his wonderful Welsh voice usually does a great job disguising that fact.

Gary Oldman: After over a decade of playing Sneering Bad Guys, Gary Oldman has recently toned down the histrionics that used to define his acting and transformed himself into a reliable older actor. Whether it’s playing Lieutenant Gordon in the Batman films or veteran spy George Smiley, Oldman has been bringing a quiet intelligence to his recent roles. Plus, the recent Oscar nod can’t hurt his credibility.

Michael Caine: It is nigh on impossible not to like Michael Caine. Evolving gracefully from cheeky leading man to older supporting actor, Sir Maurice Micklewhite brings humour and gravitas to every role he plays. The time when Caine would take on any role if the money was good enough has long since passed (speaking of Jaws 4: “I have not seen it. However, I have seen the house it built, and it is terrific”), but if your script looks interesting enough and your shooting location is somewhere nice and warm, you might be lucky enough to bag yourself a living legend.

Others: Albert Finney, Sean Connery

On a Budget?

John Rhys Davies

 

Milquetoast Leads

Hey Luke Wilson! You’re not the only star capable of making audiences sleepy! Over here in Britain, we have plenty of technically proficient, charismatically deficient actors as well!

“Are you in the market for lead actor with a household name and not much more? Well sir, if you care to step into our showroom…”

Got the money?

Ewan McGregor (pictured): Fantastic in Trainspotting, McGregor mainly works in America these days, having mastered a middle-of-road stateside accent that marks him out as a generic nice guy. He’s obviously a talented actor but sadly, most of his characters are terminally boring. If you need someone to star in a fish-slightly-out-of-water movie, consider Ewan McGregor. He is definitely an actor.

Jude Law: Is he a famous actor? Yes. Has he ever starred in a movie that done boffo box-office? With the exception of Sherlock Holmes: no. Law doesn’t quite project enough charisma on screen to make any of his characters compelling – his greatest performances have usually come when called upon to play venal, unlikeable characters (The Talented Mr Ripley, Gattaca).  But if you’re desperate for a star, Jude Law could be the handsome actor that will lend credibility to your project (before it inevitably crashes and burns in its opening weekend).

Robert Pattinson: He’s the star of a huge movie franchises: surely Robert Pattinson is a safe bet for my movie! Wrong. As proven by the flop that was Water for Elephants, girls aren’t crazy-mad for R-Patz, it’s actually Edward Cullen (the moody vampire he plays in Twilight) that they really have a crush on. As it turns out, modern teenage girls can distinguish between fact and fiction and will not slavishly follow the career of any particular actor. Even if that actor has a great head of hair.

Others: Daniel Radcliffe, James McAvoy

On a Budget?

Hugh Dancy, Orlando Bloom, Dougray Scott

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Harry Brown

Sixty years after he moved out of his pre-fab in the Elephant and Castle, Michael Caine returns home to South London. An elderly veteran of the Royal Marines, Harry Brown lives on a council estate that’s constantly terrorised by gangs. When his friend dies protecting his home, Harry decides to take the law into his own hands and starts cleaning up the streets, Death Wish-style. Caine puts in another great performance, distracting from the rather conservative leanings of the story. Unlike Attack the Block, another film that featured council estate youths, Harry Brown often feels like it demonises urban kids, making no attempt to empathise with them in any way. Ignoring the politics, the enjoyment of seeing Caine add to his list of iconic roles with this elderly bad-ass makes Harry Brown worth a butcher’s.

 

Control

Ian Curtis formed Joy Division in 1976, developing a unique punk-influenced style, translating that voice into two critically acclaimed albums and releasing a number of singles that still remain popular to this day. Four years later, Curtis ended his own life after a bout of depression brought on by his struggle with epilepsy. Director Anton Corbijn began his career as a rock photographer, making his name with iconic images of music acts that included Joy Division themselves. Reproducing the look of those photos, he shoots Control in black and white, lending a dismal beauty to the streets of Macclesfield and the dingy clubs of 70s Manchester. Newcomer Sam Riley is good as Curtis, really nailing his onstage persona. Samantha Morton plays his wife in a heartbreaking performance that makes us wonder why there are so few movies starring Samantha Morton. While functioning as the story of a conflicted artist, Control is also a great rock movie, complete with great music and funny touches (in particular Toby Kebbell’s fast-talking manager).

 

Children of Men

Perhaps one of the greatest science fiction thrillers of all time, Children of Men hardly gets the recognition it deserves. Set in a future Britain where every woman in the world is infertile and no child has been born for over two decades, Clive Owen plays a low-level civil servant who finds himself entrusted with transporting a young refugee woman with an important secret. The real joy of this film comes from its wonderfully vivid depiction of a truly broken Britain: the rich and privileged hole themselves up in art galleries and suicide pills are available as an off-the-shelf product (“Quietus: You decide when”). Director Alfonso Cuaron (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban) deploys lengthy steadi-cam shots to great effect, creating a style that is part-documentary, part-bravura Hollywood filmmaking.

Clive Owen really hits his stride in this film as a tired, disillusioned anti-hero. As mentioned earlier, this is a terrific movie: there are so many scenes that will remain with you long after the credits have rolled. If you haven’t seen Children of Men before, ignore all the other recommendations and WATCH THIS ONE first.

 

An Education

Based on the memoirs of journalist Lynn Barber and adapted by bestselling author Nick Hornby, An Education is the coming-of-age story of Jenny (Carey Mulligan), a schoolgirl in 60s London who embarks on a whirlwind romance with a charming older man, David (Peter Sarsgaard). He introduces her to a world of books, music, art and intelligent discussion. Coming from a lower-middle class background, Jenny is seduced not only by David, but by the life he represents. Though precocious, she soon discovers the trouble with trying to grow up in a hurry.

Sensually filmed, An Education never comes close to being just another boring period film. Hornby has written a wonderfully rounded character in Jenny and the flashes of humour in his script offsets the more thematically heavy parts of the story. Carey Mulligan was Oscar-nominated for her performance and she has not looked back since, becoming one of Hollywood’s most coveted leading ladies. See where it all began! Watch this film!

 

Neds

John McGill is a good lad. Though he’s only a teenager, he’s a big lad. He does well in school, studying hard and rising to the top of his class despite having a tough home life that involves a drunken, abusive father (played by the film’s director, Peter Mullan, Scotland’s patron saint of alcoholic fury). He seems to be on his way out of the estates of Glasgow until his school breaks for the summer holidays. “Keep yourself occupied,” his teacher advises him, “boys like you can find themselves with nothing to do. Sometimes you can get yourselves into trouble.” And trouble he does get into: he makes friends with a seemingly-innocuous group of neds (they’re like chavs, but fonder of buckie) and quickly gets caught up in petty gang fights and starts to fail in class faster than you can say ‘slippery slope’. The cast of non-professional actors are really good and the (heavily-accented, curse-heavy) dialogue never comes close to sounding false. Mullan’s film is a tough, grim and often wry look at the dark side of British youth that never patronises its subject. You wouldn’t necessarily fire-up the popcorn maker or invite your mum over to watch this, but Neds is a strong movie that demands your attention.

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Warning!  Contains Spoilers!

Not all women feel that they’re born to be mothers. They’re told that once they’ve had their first child, it will all simply fall into place; they will instinctively have a connection to this being that’s been in their womb for 9 months. They will be somehow be inseparable and they will love their child by default. But is that always the case?

Lionel Shriver’s We Need to Talk About Kevin was written as a series of confessional letters written from the narrator (Eva, as played by a haunted Tilda Swinton) to her estranged/ex-husband (John C Reilly) as she deals with the aftermath of their son’s massacre of his high school. Long considered to be un-filmable, director Lynn Ramsay (Morvern Callar) has instead taken an abstract approach to the story, rushing between scenes of the past and present as Eva struggles with the consequences of her son’s actions. Recalling her nightmarish experience in raising him, we see that she is not a natural mother: in an early scene, incapable of comforting her wailing baby, she pushes his pram onto a noisy street to drown out his crying. Her efforts to connect with her child look increasingly futile and as Kevin matures into a teenager (played by the very creepy Ezra Miller), he is shown as a vindictive boy who lives to torture his mother. There is no doubt that this boy we see on screen is a full blown psychopath, casually turning his father against Eva. Whether this is intended to be a literal version of the story or merely Eva’s subjective recollection is never addressed. Is she trying to justify her place in the story, absorbing the guilt or absolving herself from the blame? Can she be held responsible? Are killers born or made?

We Need to Talk About Kevin is not a film that asserts its own particular thesis on motherhood or mental health: it poses a lot of questions and like most tragedies, it cannot afford itself the luxury of a cathartic ending.

Lynn Ramsay’s film is a very bold adaptation, taking what was essentially a series of narrations and making a film that’s defined by its silences and uneasy half-conversations. She establishes a number of seemingly unconnected visual motifs, often recalling them late in the film to chilling effect. Her film is a phenomenally affecting work that left us with a sense of discomfort long after it finished. We’re not trying to discourage you from watching this, but if you’re thinking of starting a family in the immediate future, you may want to give this one a pass.

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Every review and preview about Cabin in the Woods is likely to tell you the same thing: don’t read anything about it and JUST GO SEE IT. we happen to agree with this, so we’ll try keep spoilers to a minimum and recommend you see this movie as soon as you can.

It’s a tale as old as cinema itself: a group of kids go to a remote shack in the middle of nowhere for a boisterous weekend of drinking and relaxation only to encounter a supernatural threat that picks them off one-by-one. These students are very much the kids that pop up in every horror movie: there’s the jock, the intellectual, the good girl, the naughty girl and the stoner. They are so familiar, that they could easily have emerged from the back of the mystery machine with a bag of Scooby Snacks. But the cabin, much the movie itself, is not quite what it seems: the very first scene follows the conversation of two office drones (the excellent Bradley Whitford and Richard Jenkins) who appear to be preparing for some unseen task somehow related to the unwitting holiday-makers.

Famously, this movie has been languishing on the shelf since it was shot in 2009. A victim of MGM’s bankruptcy, it’s been stuck in the same financial limbo that saw the delay of Hobbit and the next James Bond mega-hit. Thankfully, Cabin in the Woods has  seen the light of day in time to capitalise on the rise of star Chris Hemsworth (an unknown when they shot it) and the release of Whedon’s upcoming Avengers Assemble, which promises to be the biggest comic book movie to date.

By the way Cabin’s secret’s have been hyped, we’re led to believe there’s a single monumental twist upon which the entire story hangs, but in fact, it is something far better.  Co-writers Joss Whedon and Drew Goddard have created a movie that takes great pleasure in gradually revealing how the two plots tie into each other, slowly illuminating the world in which the story takes place. Though much has been said about it being a post-modern dissection of the horror genre, the real fun of Cabin comes from blending the terror of the woods and the dry, hilarious banality of The Whitford/Jenkins Plot (which, incidentally, is a great name for a prog-rock band). Whedon’s trademarks appear in full force, with great banter-y dialogue and the involvement of a shady organisation run by flawed, likable humans (see Dollhouse, Angel).

Though its peculiar approach may disappoint horror fans in search of a purely terrifying experience, it seems unlikely that anyone would take exception to being duped into seeing a movie so original, smart and unpredictable.  It might not be the scariest movie ever made, but you’re unlikely to find many horror films as joyously entertaining as Cabin in the Woods

 

From the toymakers that brought you Transformers comes Battleship, the newest blockbuster to be based on a game that has somehow survived despite the fact that it can be played with just paper and a pencil.

Battleship stars Taylor Kitsch as Lt Hopper, a reckless burnout who follows in his older brother’s footsteps and transforms himself into a reckless naval officer. His super-hot girlfriend (Mrs Andy Roddick, Brooklyn Decker) also happens to be daughter of an admiral (Liam Neeson), which certainly complicates matters when it comes to asking for permission to marry her. There’s a decent amount of groundwork laid in the first act, but needless to say, the character relationships take a back-seat once the action kicks off.

Now, if this film was made in the 80s, the villains of the piece would naturally have been the Soviets, or perhaps militant hippies. But this being 2012, the studios can’t afford to annoy any particular country (especially one with as many potential cinema-goers as China or Russia) so naturally, our heroes are fighting to save the planet from extra-terrestrials. This feels a bit like a cop-out from the Michael Bay school of actioneering: in Transformers, the Decepticons are evil robots from space, Armageddon dealt with a killer rock from space, while in his upcoming Ninja Turtles reboot, the heroes in a half-shell will also be from outer space (no joke), but it does give director Peter Berg the chance to bury the historical hatchet by having the US military team up with the Japanese Navy (led by arthouse hero Tadanobu Asano) in order to fend off the alien invaders. All this, by the way, also takes place in PEARL HABOR — just in case you didn’t get the significance.

Peter Berg (The Kingdom, Friday Night Lights) has earned a reputation as a solid, workmanlike director and Battleship proves that he can be trusted with constructing a by-the-numbers modern blockbuster. The pretense for the action mostly makes sense and the aliens are interesting and don’t feel like the product of effects designers who have thrown everything at the wall to see what sticks. For a movie of this budget and pedigree, Battleship doesn’t suffer from the excesses of movies by Michael Bay or McG. In one central sequence however, Lt Hopper has to bomb his hidden enemy by calling grid co-ordinates. While this unconventional action sequence is reasonably tense and gives the second act a nice change of pace, it is obvious that this was studio-mandated decision to shoe-horn the board game into the film. The amount of screenwriting ju-jitsu required to fit this into the story is both logistically impressive and artistically bankrupt. Did they think that there was ever a chance that die-hard Battleship enthusiasts would cry foul for the lack of people shouting co-ordinates in this movie?

This movie marks Taylor Kitsch’s second starring role in the past month. The first, John Carter has been hailed as one of the biggest box office flops of all-time, losing Disney somewhere in the region of 200 million dollars. One can only imagine that he has a lot riding on this movie’s performance: if Battleship doesn’t reach number 1 in its first weekend, don’t be surprised to see a strikingly handsome man pick up a Starbucks job application on Monday morning.

There has been a lot of griping in this review, but there is much to be thankful for in Battleship. Kitsch (very good in TV’s Friday Night Lights) is a perfectly fine lead who can sell the sincere one-liners.  In her first acting role, recording superstar Rihanna appears third billed as a naval weapons chief. Admittedly, beyond barking orders and watching things explode, nothing much is asked of her but she is entirely decent in the part.

With all the military hardware on show, it becomes quickly obvious that the US Navy played key part in getting Battleship made. After all, movies like this and Top Gun have traditionally been very effective recruitment drivers and something like this could never get made without the support of Uncle Sam. While not overtly patriotic, Battleship makes a great effort to pay tribute to war veterans, casting Gregory Gadson –a double amputee war hero– in a key role. This reverence can either come across as very moving or unbearably saccharine. If you can suppress your cynical aversion to American sincerity and overlook the high-octane militarism, you’ll find a solid blockbuster that ticks all the boxes and makes very few mistakes.

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Footloose
This is the remake that we never knew we needed. The story of a young rebel who arrives in a town where dancing is outlawed, this 2011 version recreates the original in every way conceivable. In place of Kevin Bacon, director Craig Brewer has cast Kenny Wormald in the lead. An accomplished dancer and choreographer, Wormald is also a reasonably good screen presence, playing opposite veteran actor Dennis Quaid as the town’s influential pastor and the father the lead character’s love interest. Modern audiences will likely enjoy this new version and its toe-tapping dance sequences, but those who have seen the original may find it curious that they’ve created a near-carbon copy of a film made in 1984. The only significant change comes when our hero faces off the school bullies in a challenge of manliness: in the original, they played chicken with tractors while in the update, this is replaced with a demolition derby sequence. Footloose 2011 retains much of the charm of its predecessor, with the added bonus of more explosions.

 

American Pie
Perhaps our generation’s defining teen sex comedy, American Pie was considered raunchy at the time of its release. But in the ten years since its release, the R-rated comedies of Judd Apatow have come to dominate the movie scene; the story of Jim, Finch, Oz and the Other Guy trying to lose their virginity actually seems rather tame by comparison. Still, this doesn’t do anything to detract from the fact that American Pie remains a very funny movie. When it comes to iconic scenes, American Pie suffers from an embarrassment of riches: who could forget Eugene Levy as Jim’s over-sympathetic father, Stifler’s Mom (the original MILF) and the unfortunate incident of the pie? Time has been kind to this movie, and with American Reunion about to hit the cinemas, there’s no better time to revisit this popular modern classic.

 

Whip It
Drew Barrymore’s directorial debut finds small-town girl Ellen Page falling into the exciting world of suburban Roller Derby. Blending 60s pinup fashion, professional wrestling and track skating, a team called The Hurl Scouts take Page into their fold despite her mother’s disapproval. The largely female cast is great, with Barrymore, Marcia Gay Harden and Kristen Wiig supporting Page’s mature, thoughtful performance. There are a lot of well-worn teen movie tropes on display (disapproving mother, complicit best friend, post high school angst) but Barrymore shows a lot of affection towards her characters and to this tightly-knit subculture, making Whip It a promising look into her future behind the camera.

 

What a Girl Wants
American teen Amanda Bynes travels to London in search for the father she’s never met. Daddy turns out to be Colin Firth: an aristocratic politician gunning for a place at Number 10. As she starts to become a part of his life, hijinks ensue as stuffy posh events are given a royal kick in the backside by the free-sprited American teen! There are plenty of gaffes that will amuse anyone who’s been to London: Hipsters apparently still use rhyming slang and Firth apparently owns an expansive country estate adjacent to Trafalgar Square, which would make him THE RICHEST MAN EVER.

Supported by a cast of great British character actors like Anna Chancellor, Jonathan Pryce and Eileen Atkins, Firth manages to sell the slightly corny script with great charm while Bynes shows a sweetness that makes you wonder why her career has since tailed off. This movie has the same culture-clash tone as King Ralph (where Las Vegas singer John Goodman becomes the British monarch) with a feel-good Cinderella story mixed in.

 

Anuvahood
Enormously broad and preposterously brash, this film by writer/director/star Adam Deacon feels like a litmus test for whether you are a card-carrying member of the British yoof. I don’t necessarily get this movie, but it’s obviously not made for me. Anuvahood presents itself as a parody of wannabe gangsters and rappers, with Deacon’s character, Kay (short for Kenneth), running into trouble with money, women and his parents (who happen to be off-the-charts caricatures of boring white people). Some of the jokes miss the mark by a mile (Kay works at a supermarket called Laimsbury), but sophistication is hardly the name of the game here. Every character is written and performed with the volume cranked up to 11: the entire cast look like they’re trying to win an award for ‘Most Acting’. Because of this, trying to empathise with any of the characters becomes a real challenge. These are obviously stylistic choices made by Deacon and his collaborators, and they undoubtedly achieve what they set out to do. Anuvahood has picked up a strong following, winning Deacon a publicly-voted award at this year’s BAFTA awards. This would suggest that Anuvahood communicates to the British youth in a way that older people can’t comprehend. Like a 12 year-old’s tree fort, this movie should come bearing the warning “No Grown-ups Allowed”.

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Unless you’ve spent the last few years stuck in a troll cave, you will have noticed that Scandinavian crime thrillers have exploded onto the international stage. With the sudden popularity of The Killing, Wallander and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo –three thrillers that have seen adaptations in their native countries as well as remakes in the English language- we can no longer dismiss Scandinavia as merely the home of flat-pack furniture, Moomintrolls and cranky, pig-hating birds. Author Jo Nesbø is Norway’s best-selling author of snow-covered crime tales, his novels have been translated into over 40 languages and have shifted over 11 million copies.

With the release of Headhunters and rumours of Martin Scorsese producing an adaptation of his 2007 book The Snowman, it would be a gross understatement to say that Nesbø is the next big thing to come out of the great blonde North: he’s already arrived. In Headhunters, we follow the double-life of Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie), a recruitment executive and part-time art thief who has managed to keep his crimes under wraps despite his suspiciously fake-sounding Anglo-Saxon name. He’s a meticulous worker whose crimes are self-justified by his self doubt, small stature and urgent need to keep his supermodel-grade trophy wife in fine furs. His complicated existence takes a sudden turn for the more complicated when he is introduced to Claes Greve (Game of Thrones‘ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), a handsome and overqualified recruitment candidate who reveals to Roger that he has a long-lost Rubens painting stashed away in his flat. Unable to turn down such a lucrative target, Brown soon realises what a terrible idea it is to steal from a wealthy ex-special forces soldier who’s kitted up with state-of-the-art tracking technology.

Once the game is afoot, the thrills come quick as Roger evades both Greve and the police. But even as the screws tighten on our tentative ‘hero’, the script remains dry and darkly funny. A tremendous amount of fun is had in creating a lead whose defining characteristic is his need to remain in control and then sending him on an adventure that goes spiraling out of control in the most undignified ways. In some way, Headhunters gets to have its cake and eat it as well: it’s tense and propulsive while remaining consistently playful.

But what is it about the Nordic countries that makes them such a compelling setting for these sorts of dark mysteries and thrillers? Is it the open expanses of land and their long forbidding winters? In Britain these days, you can’t really drive more than an hour in any direction before you bump into a high street that has its own Topshop, and even if you hike into the middle of nowhere, you’re still likely to find a decent signal for your mobile. In most other first world countries, the idea of being physically lost and alone anywhere seems truly foreign. On the strength of Headhunters alone, the idea that we’re going to see much more of the Scandi-Noir genre looks to be quite an exciting prospect.

Hello young parents! If you’ve found time to read a blog on a movie website, your child is likely to be at least 3 now and your last few years have probably been spent shambling around in a sleepless daze. You probably can’t remember the last time you read a book for pleasure and you haven’t been to the cinema since you went to see It’s Complicated based on an unreliable recommendation from a colleague. Now that your child is beginning to understand English, the good news is that you can start watching movies again and pass it off as quality parenting. The bad news is that you’ll be watching exclusively kids’ film for the foreseeable future.

But whatever you do, DO NOT dive headfirst into the world of kid’s entertainment without any regard to quality: that way madness lies. You’ll find yourself in an office meeting humming the theme to iCarly while doodling pictures of Dora the Explorer on an important litigation bundle. You WILL have to watch a load of mindless TV programmes but remember that there are also plenty of quality family films that both you and your child can enjoy. The only catch is that most of these good movies are buried amidst a mountain of truly appalling kiddie movies.

Now, we could have assembled a list of family flicks that we think you’ll enjoy as adults, but here at blinkbox, we’re from the ‘teach a man to fish’ school of recommendation. We’ve put together a little guide to help you realise the sorts of movies you should be seeking out and the ones you should be avoiding.

Live Action remakes of 80s Cartoons!

If you go on to blinkbox, you’ll see that The Smurfs and Yogi Bear are both available to rent and you think you’ve stumbled on to the jackpot: perfect family fodder! However, you are deeply mistaken. These are movies featuring characters from your youth, updated for today’s kids. Usually, this kind of movie tries to appeal to both your nostalgia and your child’s weakness for fluffy things and as a result is made for neither of you. Logically, only those who have grown up on a steady diet of Smurfs cartoons can fully appreciate seeing Papa Smurf gang run amok in New York City, smurfing up Neil Patrick Harris’ love life. But on the other hand, The Smurfs movie did manage to take $421 million at the box office, so what do we know?

 

Animals Can Do Human Things too!

It’s a truth universally acknowledged that young kids go mad for animals that do human things. If there’s a movie with a surfing penguin, a Dog who stays in hotels or a Panda martial artist, the kids are going to want to see it. They simply can’t get enough of these animals! Some of these movies are actually very enjoyable: Kung Fu Panda and its sequel are solid blockbusters with a wide appeal and the Happy Feet movies are also surprisingly good. Interesting fact: George Miller, the director of Happy Feet and Happy Feet Two also made Mad Max, which I guess explains Mumbles the Penguin’s obsession with hoarding gasoline.

The best way to determine whether this kind of movie is suitable for adult viewing is to take a glance at the poster or promotional art.  In the case of animal movies, you can ALWAYS judge a book by its cover. For example, take this entry of the highly successful Air Bud series:

Will this film about a team of football-playing dogs:

a)      Provide your son with a soft introduction to the sport that will eventually dominate all his attention;

b)      Delight your daughter with its cast of *squeal* ADORABLE PUPPIES!!!

or

c)       Make you resent your child and, by extension, your spouse?

Answer: These answers are all true, which means that the only loser is you. Plan on having to ‘take one for the team’ and watch these all at some point.

Pixar/Studio Ghibli Movies

These are two studios with unimpeachable track records. With Pixar, it’s likely that you’ve already seen Ratatouille, Up and the Toy Story series. You will probably agree that the kids are going to be in safe hands with them. Funny, beautifully made and soulful, every one of their films will delight adults and children of all ages. Even Cars 2, undoubtedly Pixar’s worst film, is still a totally enjoyable romp!

Whilst everybody knows about Buzz Lightyear and Lightning McQueen, you might not be so familiar with the output of Studio Ghibli and Hayao Miyazaki, the oft-dubbed ‘Walt Disney of Japan’. With an eclectic back-catalogue dating back to the mid-eighties, Ghibli’s films each have a distinct look and identity. Whether they be the flying pig of Porco Rosso, plucky young Chihiro from Spirited Away or the lovable forest creatures in My Neighbour Totoro (above, left), Miyazaki’s film are filled with unforgettable characters and stories that will enrich anyone’s imagination, regardless of their age. Seek them out!

 

Nostalgic Classics

“They don’t make kids films like they used to.”

True, but they also don’t make cars like they used to: they’re all relatively safe and fuel efficient now. The point being: you don’t want to be one of those parents who keep harping on about how things in their childhood were loads better than they are now. The times have moved on and there’s nothing you can do about it.

But, that being said — there are a lot of awesome movies from the 80s. Family films back then were a lot odder and scarier; classics like The Goonies, Labyrinth, E.T. and Flight of the Navigator all feature kids in some seriously perilous situations, and we loved it! However, there is no assurance that the young modern viewer will love them like we did. The special effects will look dated and the fact that the characters use telephones attached to wires will baffle them. But do not underestimate a child’s ability to appreciate a strange story well told – children are often way better at making story connections than adults are. It’s a wonderful idea to revisit these classics with your son or daughter, but make sure you space them out a bit: don’t sit them down and show them all of the best movies in the same week. Whatever you do, don’t try to foist all of your pop-culture tastes on to the next generation. You will never win.

Adult Animation

It’s a schoolboy error to assume that anything animated is suitable for family viewing. Our friends from Japan have consistently proven otherwise, producing beautiful and thematically complex anime features for mature audiences (Akira, Ghost in the Shell, Millennium Actress) as well as some of the grisliest tentacle porn imaginable. Marvel and DC have recently begun producing straight-to-DVD animated superhero movies, most of which are excellent but sometimes possessing a 12A level of violence.  If you want to see Batman smash-in a gangster’s kneecap, save if for when the kids are on a sleepover, or just lock yourself in the bathroom and watch it on your iPad.

 

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Johnny English Reborn

Perhaps the most successful sequel to a film based on a credit card advert. While Johnny English Reborn is a film about a bumbling English spy (Rowan Atkinson) that spoofs the British spy genre, it’s a movie made very much with the international audience in mind. To that end, the humour is more Mr Bean than Blackadder. The main plot involving a mind control conspiracy is a complete shambles, designed to move Atkinson between situations and locations where he can mistakenly beat up on old women or accidentally destroy government property. At the age of 56, Atkinson’s ability to play slapstick is still intact. In a scene where Johnny messes about with a hydraulic chair during a meeting with the PM, the bits of physical shtick he pulls off are as good as anything he’s done before. Johnny English Reborn is very broad and not sophisticated in the least, but that makes it almost perfect for uncontroversial family viewing.

Dolphin Tale

Based on a true story, Dolphin Tale follows the growing friendship between Sawyer, a quiet young boy and the dolphin he rescues. Having lost her tail in a fisherman’s trap, Winter the Dolphin is brought to a marine hospital run by Harry Connick Jr and his family. The plot follows Sawyer’s journey as he works to help Winter, roping in the support of prosthetic specialist Morgan Freeman. The seasoned adult cast help to smooth over the saccharine plot and typically hammy performances from the child actors. Freeman’s presence, as always, add an immeasurable amount of gravitas to the movie. But in the end, it’s the feel-good story that will win over even the most stone-hearted of adults.

The Witches

Based on the story by Roald Dahl, The Witches is a film that has left an indelible mark on the psyche of every child who saw this in the 90s. Luke, a young boy, goes on holiday to Cornwall with his Norwegian grandmother. Once there, he accidentally stumbles onto a conference of witches posing as the RSPCC. Adults will enjoy the Jim Henson-created puppet effects and the bizarre humour that’s brought to life by British auteur Nicolas Roeg (Don’t Look Now, The Man Who Fell to Earth) while children will enjoy the plucky hero and the genuine scares. It can be quite an intense movie at times, but children over 8 will probably be old enough to deal with it and appreciate it. This is highly recommended family viewing!

Contagion

A sick man touches a handrail in Hong Kong; a Japanese businessman in First class coughs and puts down his plastic glass; a young boy in Minnesota wipes his nose and pushes the door at his primary school. Steven Soderbergh’s newest film features many sequences and incidents as seemingly innocent as these but when the enemy is a virus, every sniffle and wheeze is as ominous as a teenager heading out to the lake alone in a slasher pic.

Contagion makes no secret of being influenced by the recent health scares with Avian Flu and Swine Flu and makes compellingly realistic case for how we as a society would handle such a situation. The all-star cast featuring Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow, Marion Cotillard and Kate Winslet put in restrained performances that hammer home the potential reality of this threat. Contagion is a thrilling as any horror film you’re likely to see this year and will have you thinking twice about what you touch next time you’re out on the streets.

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