AN EDUCATION (12A)
CAREY MULLIGAN positions herself as a serious Oscar contender with a mesmerising portrayal of a conflicted schoolgirl in Swinging Sixties London.
Based on a memoir by journalist Lynn Barber, An Education is a rites of passage story blessed with a touching and humorous script by Nick Hornby. Director Lone Scherfig beautifully evokes an era of mini-skirts, bouffant hair and childish innocence.
Rating: 4/5
9 (12A)
EXPANDED from his 11-minute, Oscar-nominated 2005 short film, Shane Acker’s 9 is a computer-animated odyssey set on a post-apocalyptic Earth devoid of humans.
The protagonists are a race of tiny, man-made sack people, voiced by Hollywood stars including Elijah Wood, Christopher Plummer and Jennifer Connelly, who seek to sow the seeds of a new humanity. Sadly, it is a triumph of dark, steampunk-styled visuals over plot and substance.
Rating: 3/5
FANTASTIC MR FOX (PG)
WES ANDERSON brings his offbeat and distinctly adult sensibilities to bear on Roald Dahl’s classic creation, Fantastic Mr Fox.
Anderson imprints his personality so indelibly on the script, co-written by Noah Baumbach, that it’s hard to see children enjoying the film. Unlike his previous films, Anderson chooses stop-motion animation as his medium here and it works.
Visually, the months of painstaking effort have been worthwhile, including fast-paced action sequences of the wily vulpine sneaking around farmyards in search of a tasty treat.
Featuring the voices of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray and Brian Cox.
Rating: 4/5
CIRQUE DU FREAK: THE VAMPIRE’S ASSISTANT (12A)
THIS spooky fantasy, based on the popular series of books by Darren Shan, is a largely bloodless, family-friendly yarn designed to set the scene for future films.
High-achieving teenager Darren and his best friend Steve visit a freak show in the dead of night. When Steve is injured from a spider bite, Darren agrees to become a member of the undead in exchange for saving his buddy’s life, and the friends are drawn into a 200-year-old vampire war.
3/5
