The 50 Word Review

Starring Steve Carell as an ‘Agony Uncle’ - who dishes out tales of caution and morality - as a single parent. He falls for his brother’s girlfriend, falls foul of his siblings, and children, and realizes that he is not the perfect person, or parent that he always wrote about in his column. There’s a moral in there somewhere. Brian Murray

A complex and compelling tale of corruption and retribution. Works best in its portrayal of outsiders; George Clooney as a cast-out from the CIA machine, Jeffrey Wright as the black virtuous lawyer, the Saudi reformist Prince and the young Pakistani terrorist,  all connected and complicit in a nefaorius web. One to watch. JJ

Scorsese’s first feature film is certainly one for his fans and “genre film” enthusiasts. Though Roger Corman’s influence as the producer is obvious, you can see flashes of the genius that was going to establish Scorsese as one of the greatest through the film’s cinematography, score, editing and humor. Omid Nikfarjam

A charismatic but solitary oil tycoon uses his adopted son to charm his way to success. Underneath his professionalism, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis) is a madman and a ruthless opportunist. Day-Lewis’ execution is off the charts, it’s hard to discern if he’s evil or just a tortured soul – something a more prominent sub-plot could have shed light on. Cristina Pittelli

Semi-animated tripe with the ever-beautiful Jolie in the wrath-of-the-witch role. Apart from that, a pointless re-enactment of the classic novel; your time and money would be better spent getting the Penguin Classics’ version and reading it. Brian Murray

A sober look at the experience of first love in the late 1960s. It somewhat reminded me of the atmosphere in Mike Nichols’s Graduate, so if you liked that, you’re going to love this one which is a decent adaptation too. Beautiful soundtrack. Omid Nikfarjam

A Coen brother classic. A suitcase of cash from a Tex-Mex drug deal turns up in the hands of a fortuitous hunter. Enter some of the richest and most watchable celluloid characters in ages. Brilliant for it’s understatement, ellipsis, scorching wit and supreme dialogue. Thank God for the Coens. JJ

As good as the Coen brothers are, they’ve never before made anything as powerful and brilliant as NCFOM. Tommy Lee Jones nails the melodic Texan banter, and Javier Bardem is a revelation starring as a terrifying psychopath. This is the benchmark for 2008. William Hilderbrandt

A masterpiece. It’s not just the script, it’s how they direct the actors. How they place the camera. Gauge the colours. The irony behind each shot and dialogue. But, for six Italians watching NCFOM in English was like rabbis reading an old Aramaic version of the Thora – each one had their own interpretation. Mario Alemi

Is there a director better able to tackle the epic forces of love and sex with such artistic justice and credibility than Ang Lee? A powerful tale of vindictive love set during Japanese occupied Shanghai. Visually rich - and steamy - with two massive performances from Tony Lueng and Wei Tang - a great start to film 2008.  JJ

Lee’s latest film, in the intriguing setting of Japanese-occupied China, wields powerfully evocative cinematography. Lee’s shots are masterfully constructed, and are not wasted on the superb actors. However, these feats do not detract from the unsatisfying plot, which is unconvincing. Lacking lust for the film, I therefore advise: Caution.  Amana Khan

Superman emerges as the complete-American hero wrapped in the stars and stripes in SII. Clark Kent is on a come down from Superman the Movie - his emotions for Lois Lane get entangled with his superpowers - ‘damn you love’. Meanwhile a trio of unruly miscreants from Krypton nearly steal the show. Essential Eighties nostalgia with ’special effects’ pre-CGI.

JJ

MGM announced today plans for two new hobbit films. Die hard fans will be thrilled to know that Peter Jackson is involved, though thus far only as an executive producer. Meanwhile Tolkien purists may concerned or enthralled to hear that there are plans to make a new film bridging The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Both films are expected to be larger than life blockbusters. Here’s a link to a forum and press release (via kottke), and read about the fascinating legal battle that led to this development here.

William Hilderbrandt