November Film Releases 2014

On the cusp of a festive avalanche, November sees the year’s first Christmas film release in what is expected to be the final part of the Nativity trilogy in Dude, where’s my donkey?

Interstellar

Release Date: 7^th November

Bwaaaaaaaaarrrrrm, Christopher Nolan, bwaaaaaaaarm, the man who brought us the Dark Knight trilogy, bwaaaaaaaaarrrrrrm, returns with an epic space adventure in Interstellar. The human race, on the brink of extinction, deploys a group of select human beings on a voyage across the realm of space to discover a home for the human race. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley and others spearhead an all-star film that is expected to contend with the year’s very best. As always, Nolan’s Interstellar has a first-rate soundtrack to accompany it too. Big expectations will undoubtedly chase a film with big ideas, big names and a big budget.

The Imitation Game

Release Date: 14^th November

Mathematician, computer scientist, long distance runner, cryptanalyst and homosexual Alan Turning, who famously broke the Enigma code, is the focus of Norwegian director Morten Tyldum’s film, The Imitation Game. The Historical thriller centres on an event that has been lauded as the single greatest contribution to Allied victory against Nazi Germany but it is difficult to envisage a film based on such a complex and specialised process to be packed full of nail-biting drama. Benedict Cumberbatch is undoubtedly one of the film’s biggest attractions and it is hoped a sublime can rocket the film out of the trivial and into the phenomenal.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part One

Release Date: 21^st November

In the penultimate episode of the series, reluctant hero Katniss Everdeen leads the rebellion after shattering the games forever. Those following the series, myself included, will look forward to the next twists and turns in a surprisingly enjoyable series but there will no doubt be those in the wings ready to throw undeserved criticism at the teenage-orientated film. Mockingjay Part One has been viewed by many as the most anticipated release of the year and will attract the masses.

The Homesman

Release Date: 21st November

The Homesman centres on pioneering Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) who saves a man’s (Tommy Lee Jones, who also writes and directs) life in exchange for his services; to guide three insane women from Nebraska to Iowa. Films set in this period largely blur into another other due to their similar narratives that follow the same conventions and, although the Homesman touches on some of these, its strong female lead, undercurrent of humour and unusual scenario stand The Homesman out from the crowd and give it a real shout at offering something new. Nevetheless, The Homesman is not one of the month’s front runners.

 

 

 

 

Is Interstellar out yet!? =(

Film Review: Catwoman

Having recently seen Anne Hathaway give a stunning performance as Catwoman in the Dark Knight Rises, it got me thinking of the 2004 version, a film I remember watching as a child though I couldn’t remember why it deserved such negative reviews. Recently I’ve plunged into previous Batman films that have attracted mediocre reviews and found them surprisingly entertaining but in a different way to the more serious modern-day superhero films.  Obviously they don’t carry the same grandeur of the modern remakes but they’ve all got something to add to the franchise. To me these films were still mildly entertaining yet critics had recklessly slammed down on them with ratings as low as 3.6/10, although some of this can be explained by the director’s lack of consideration for the original comics.

Nevertheless watching Catwoman I was fully expecting a diabolical film if not one of the worst films ever created, not just because expectations were high from Hathaway but because the film achieved a measly 3.2 on IMDB, a rating system that usually holds some acclaim. I was however pleasantly surprised.

Although Anne Hathaway made a ridiculously hot Catwoman, I’m going to put it out there and say Halle Berry’s Catwoman was hotter. Without going into too many drooling details, ever since she starred in Die Another Day I’ve always viewed her as an extremely attractive actress and, let’s be honest, the costume doesn’t leave an awful lot to the imagination.

From a young age I’ve always viewed comic book character as fun and often childish. One of my favourites was Captain Underpants whose cartoons would feature corny jokes and the *wham*, *bam*, *slap* and *crash* so from a personal perspective, this is the natural form of the superhero, not the overly serious world where directors desperately try to make superpowers fit inside the boundaries of realism. This is probably one of the reasons why I’ve found films like Batman & Robin and Catwoman more satisfying to watch.

Anyway, back to the film. To be totally honest, it’s nothing remarkable, Halle Berry’s performance is below average, there were some moments that even I found too cheesy, a very questionable soundtrack and some absolutely disgusting camera work. However, in a film industry that’s littered with male superheroes, woman have most definitely drawn the short straw with only Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), The Invisible Woman (Jessica Alba) and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) springing to mind, which technically puts Catwoman at the number one spot as the best superheroine film around.

Overall Catwoman isn’t a great film but at the same time it certainly isn’t a 3.2 in my books, Halle Berry made the film watchable. Did she do a better job than Anne Hathaway? No. Would I like to see a Catwoman 2 to hopefully redeem the film and once again see Halle Berry in that beautiful outfit? Yes.

6/10