Amanda Astill gives her pick of the best films coming up on the big screen, and out on DVD
IN CINEMAS
The Jane Austen Book Club
A modern update of 'Steel Magnolias' but with a quirky, literary twist. Every month, seven friends meet to debate Austen classics such as 'Pride and Prejudice' and gossip about their love lives. To offset oestrogen overload, the book club allows a man to join,
in the sexy form of Hugh Dancy
– and when he falls in love, a Mr Darcy for the noughties is born. The cinematic equivalent of a group hug, the film is saved from choking on its own sugar by the characters' modern-day love
traumas that mirror those of Austen's heroines. Emily Blunt ('The Devil Wears Prada') does a brilliant turn as uptight French teacher, Prudie, who's losing her cool over a hot young student. The feel-good finale is full-on mush – but secretly you'll love it. ***
Click here to watch clips...Brick Lane
Tannishtha Chatterjee, who plays Nazneen, is all big brown eyes and coquettish flirting from behind her veil. When she storms down Brick Lane in her red sari, you know she's a driven woman, determined to get her man. Except the man she's after isn't her husband – a fat bore she was forced to marry.
Based
on Monica Ali's bestselling novel, London's Brick Lane and the Bangladeshi community zing into life in all their chaotic vibrancy. The love story between Nazneen and Karim (Christopher Simpson)
blossoms, and the seduction scene where Karim slowly unravels her sari is electric.
The book's complex politics are simplified – Karim grows a big beard, and that's about it – and the ending is pure Girl Power. But that's the point: the film gives us a peek behind the veil, and the view is very familiar. ****
Death at a Funeral
This comedy is so English it will probably make you a cup of tea in the cinema - and then apologise. Set in the 'Daily Mail' heartlands, it's what might happen if 'Midsomer Murders' got high on laughing gas.
Brothers Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen) and Robert (Rupert Graves) are determined to give their dead father a dignified send-off. But there isn't much chance of that: one of the mourners has accidentally swallowed a ketamine tablet and has taken to the roof in his birthday suit, while an American dwarf is claiming to have had a gay affair with the deceased. The result is slapstick farce. Proving that nothing is so funny as a naked man on drugs (unless he's yours), this charming tale puts family tensions under the microscope in a whimsically chaotic, winsome manner.. ***
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Elizabeth – The Golden Age
Scandalously, Cate Blanchett missed out on an Oscar for her performance in 1998's 'Elizabeth', but this film should right that wrong. While the story is familiar, focusing on Mary Stuart's alleged plots against the throne, it is simply a backdrop to the fascinating character of Elizabeth.
With
dazzling costumes (to say nothing of a sensational red hairpiece) Blanchett really brings Elizabeth
to life, and perfectly contrasts her personal and public personas. Also look out for Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), the kind of adventuring bad boy who most women, let alone a royal, could easily be forgiven for falling for. There's not a lot of historical realism, but this is a Hollywood enterprise after all – and they've done a rather slick job of retelling a 400-year-old tale. *****
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DVDS WORTH STAYING IN FOR…
Paris, Je T'Aime
A quirky look at what makes Paris so captivating, but without all the clichés. Famous directors from around the world – such as the Coen Brothers,
Gus Van Sant and Wes Craven – each create a portrait of what
the city means to them. Stars include Natalie Portman, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elijah Wood. ****
Click here to watch a trailer...Ocean's Thirteen
The third instalment of Steven Soderbergh's heist series,
starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon, is the
most accomplished yet. Cool criminals and the bright lights
of Vegas make for a glamorous adventure, as the 13 get even with a double-crossing casino owner. ***
Click here to watch a trailer...Click here to read last month's film reviews
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