Friday 26 February 2010

At The Movies: w/c 26 February 2010

Friday 26 February 2010

On nationwide release across the UK this week, we have: insane people, a road trip, doctors, terrorists, an Irish love story, and quirky arms dealers...

THE CRAZIES

Horror-drama. About the inhabitants of a small Iowa town suddenly plagued by insanity and then death after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply.
Director: Breck Eisner Starring: Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Danielle Panabaker, Joe Anderson, Christie Lynn Smith & Glenn Morshower
Tomatometer: 73% (FRESH, based on 77 reviews) "Tense, nicely shot, and uncommonly intelligent, The Crazies is the rare horror remake that works."

EVERYBODY'S FINE

Drama. A widower who realized his only connection to his family was through his wife sets off on an impromptu road trip to reunite with each of his grown children.
Director: Kirk Jones Starring: Robert De Niro, Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale, Sam Rockwell, Damian Young, Lucian Maisel & James Frain
Tomatometer: 47% (ROTTEN, based on 112 reviews) "A calm, charismatic performance from Robert De Niro nearly saves the movie, but ultimately, Everybody's Fine has the look and feel of a stereotypical Christmas dramedy."

EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES

Drama. A drama centered on the efforts of John and Aileen Crowley to find a researcher who might have a cure for their two children's rare genetic disorder.
Director: Tom Vaughan Starring: Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell, Jared Harris, Sam Hall, Alan Ruck, Courtney B. Vance & Dee Wallace
Tomatometer: 28% (ROTTEN, based on 123 reviews) "Despite a timely topic and a pair of heavyweight leads, Extraordinary Measures never feels like much more than a made-for-TV tearjerker."

FROM PARIS WITH LOVE

Crime thriller. In Paris, a young employee in the office of the US Ambassador hooks up with an American spy looking to stop a terrorist attack in the city.
Director: Pierre Morel Starring: John Travolta, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Kasia Smutniak, Richard Durden & Amber Rose Revah
Tomatometer: 35% (ROTTEN, based on 136 reviews) "Thought not without its charms -- chief among them John Travolta's endearingly over-the-top performance -- From Paris with Love is too muddled and disjointed to satisfy."

LEAP YEAR

Rom-com. A woman who has a scheme to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day (an Irish tradition which occurs every time the date February 29 rolls around), faces a setback when bad weather threatens to derail her planned trip to Dublin.
Director: Anand Tucker Starring: Amy Adams, Matthew Goode, John Lithgow & Adam Scott
Tomatometer: 21% (ROTTEN, based on 112 reviews) "Amy Adams is as appealing as ever, but her charms aren't enough to keep Leap Year from succumbing to an overabundance of clichés and an unfunny script."

MICMACS

Crime-comedy. A man and his friends come up with an intricate and original plan to destroy two big weapons manufacturers.
Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet Starring: Dany Boon, Andre Dussollier, Nicolas Marie, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Yolance Moreau & Julie Ferrier
Tomatometer: 67% (FRESH, based on 12 reviews)