St Albans & Harpenden Review | Film & DVD Reviews

The Woman in Black and The Muppets

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:53:43 +0000

Less is certainly more in The Woman in Black, a chilling film version of the novel by Susan Hill, which has been re-imagined as a television movie, a radio series and a hit stage play in the 30 years since its publication.

Young Adult and Carnage

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 15:09:32 +0000

Gentlemen don’t prefer blondes in Young Adult, a scabrous black comedy about a faded beauty queen who clings on to the past to avoid acknowledging the loneliness and despair that hang over her like cheap perfume.

The Descendants and The Grey

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:23:09 +0000

Good things come to those who wait and it’s been an agonising seven years since writer-director Alexander Payne ventured to the sun-dappled vineyards of the quirky Oscar-winning comedy Sideways.

J. Edgar and W.E.

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:07:23 +0000

During a turbulent and contentious period in office spanning almost 50 years, J. Edgar Hoover was instrumental in the fight against criminality in America.

War Horse and Shame

Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:56:21 +0000

The casualties of war extend far beyond the terrible loss of human life.

The Lady

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 14:22:13 +0000

Truth may be stranger than fiction but it’s seldom more entertaining, especially when projected on to a big screen at 24 frames per second.

Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:12:26 +0000

Change is good. In the previous Mission: Impossible films, leading man Tom Cruise has been put through his paces by different visionary film-makers — Brian De Palma, John Woo and JJ Abrams — with a distinctive voice and aesthetic. Brad Bird, Oscar-winning director of The Incredibles and Ratatouille, might seem an unlikely candidate to orchestrate thrills of the fourth high-octane caper but is an inspired choice.

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 11:56:24 +0000

The sleuthing is far from elementary in Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Guy Ritchie’s action-packed sequel to his 2009 reinvention of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional detective.

Puss in Boots and Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 15:28:41 +0000

Jolly green ogre Shrek and his sweetheart Princess Fiona amassed nearly $3bn at the global box office before heading into the fairytale sunset at the conclusion of yesteryear’s Shrek Ever After.

Hugo and Happy Feet II

Thu, 01 Dec 2011 07:50:00 +0000

Martin Scorsese swaps the mean streets of New York for the wintry boulevards of 1930s Paris for this Oscar-tipped first foray into family films and 3D.