The latest releases reviewed
I AM LEGEND
Directed by Francis Lawrence. Starring Will Smith, Alice Braga,
Charlie Tahan, Salli Richardson 15 cert
***
The third (very loose) adaptation of Richard
Matheson's post-apocalyptic fantasy - one man believes himself the
only survivor following an outbreak of vampirism - features superb
depictions of a devastated New York and a decent performance from
Will Smith. Sadly, the ending is useless. The two-disc edition
offers a digital download of the film for your iPod. How
modern.
CLOSING THE RING
Directed by Richard Attenborough. Starring Shirley MacLaine,
Christopher Plummer, Neve Campbell, Mischa Barton, Pete
Postlethwaite, Brenda Fricker, Martin McCann 15 cert
**
Widow MacLaine and ex-fighter pilot Plummer
remember tragedies from the second World War that have
reverberations in 1990s Belfast. There are some good performances
from the veterans (and from young Northerner McCann), but the
story's melodramatic turns fast become ludicrous. DC
WE OWN THE NIGHT
Directed by James Gray. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Mark
Wahlberg, Robert Duvall, Eva Mendes, Antoni Corone, Tony Musante 15
cert
**
Phoenix and Wahlberg play brothers on opposite
sides of the law, with Duvall as their father, in Gray's
disappointingly conventional thriller, which is enlivened by a few
tense, well-staged set-pieces.
YOUTH WITHOUT YOUTH
Directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Starring Tim Roth, Alexandra
Maria Lara, Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Pirici, Marcel Iures, Matt Damon
15 cert
*
Coppola's first feature in 10 years is a
cringe-inducing picture of a Romanian linguistic professor (Roth)
inexplicably rejuvenated after being struck by lightning. The film
sinks under a rambling structure, heavy-handed symbolism and
gratingly stilted dialogue.
