FANS of the Carry On series will recall the cheap and cheerful comedy brand’s take on package holidays, when a clutch of English stereotypes headed off to Spain to find that their hotel hadn’t been finished, they didn’t like the food, life was full of problems but they somehow made the best of it.

Fast forward 40 years and the world is a much bigger place, which is why The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, while essentially going over the same ground with an all-star cast, switches the action to India.

Shakespeare In Love wallah John Madden directs long in the tooth luvvies like Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Bill Nighy and Celia Imrie, along with Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel, in what would like to be a heartwarming comedy.

It’s the film version of a hit book – Deborah Moggach’s These Foolish Things, if you don’t recognise the title – and it’s always good to see actors of a certain age getting leading roles, even if it does always seem to be the same ones.

But this is a curate’s egg of a film, good in parts but failing to convince – yes, India looks vibrant and intriguing, the big names do their stuff, but despite their best efforts it fails to convince.

> Very few stars these days can lend class to any old rubbish just be being there. Denzel Washington is one – however daft the story, he somehow brings a bit of glitz and gravitas to the set.

In Safe House he teams up with flavour of the month Ryan Reynolds and the deservedly ascendant Brendan Gleeson in an action thriller set in South Africa.

Reynolds is a rookie CIA agent in charge of a safe house who finds himself playing host to Washington’s ‘most dangerous man in the world’ – a rogue agent who has been selling secrets to the highest bidder. The bad guys soon move in to rub him out before he can tell all he knows, and the pair go on the run. Bang! Kapow! You won’t have time to think as the action unfolds, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

> The top talking point about One For The Money must be this: OMG, Katherine’s gone brunette! Hollywood’s top blonde but essentially anodyne rom com star Katherine Heigl is unlikely private eye Stephanie Plum, the heroine of a whole series of comedy thrillers so the potential for a franchise is clear. Think My Cousin Vinny with a chick instead of a chap in the lead role, and no courtrooms.

> Films with animal stars seem to be all the rage these days, but even in The Artist they don’t get the name role.

That’s not the case in Red Dog, a family movie about a stray who sneaks in and steals the heart of a hard-bitten Australian mining community.

Again there’s a book behind this, written by Captain Corelli’s Mandolin author Louis De Bernieres, but it’s billed as a true story filled with earthy Oz humour, romance and tears. It has all the ingredients required to make it a sleeper hit, expect it to still be picking up punters long after the Marigold Hotel has shut its doors.

]]> 1.3531712 Thu, 23 Feb 2012 06:40:46 +0000 http://www.buckinghamtoday.co.uk/geoff_cox_s_guide_to_new_dvds_1_3531711

TOM Hardy certainly has a commanding screen presence, as witnessed by his remarkable turn as Luton-born jailbird Charles Bronson.

And his performance is as powerful as one of his knockout punches in WARRIOR (12: Lionsgate), a rousing mix of sports and family drama.

The film makes an impact from its very first scene, with Tommy Conlon (Hardy) cutting a dark and brooding figure, simmering with pent-up anger, as he sits drunk on his estranged father’s doorstep.

It soon becomes evident that his alcoholic dad (Nick Nolte, deservedly nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar) split the family, leading the young Conlon brothers to take very different paths.

The elder, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), throws in a promising career as a fighter to become a high school teacher, while Tommy joins the marines.

There’s bitterness and resentment on all sides and reconciliation seems impossible until the siblings enter a mixed martial arts tournament.

The pace of the story is faultless, with snatches of family history never undermining the action, and it’s all brought to a head in an emotional finale that rivals Rocky.

> Rowan Atkinson is back as the spy oblivious to his own incompetence in lively comedy sequel JOHNNY ENGLISH REBORN (PG: Universal).

The bumbling secret agent retires to a Tibetan monastery in disgrace after a mission goes wrong, but he’s lured out of retirement by his former bosses at MI7 to hunt down an international group of assassins plotting to kill the Chinese premier.

Armed with the most high-tech gadgets the world of espionage has to offer, English sets off across the globe to bring the bad guys to book, unaware that the real threat may be closer to home.

Gillian Anderson and Dominic West as fellow MI7 operatives add to the fun with their straight-faced support, yet this is clearly Atkinson’s show from start to finish.

He’s great value as the idiot sleuth, although some of the stunts and set pieces would be better suited to the slapstick antics of Mr Bean.

> Well-crafted supernatural horror flick DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK (15: Studio Canal) makes you jump on cue and really delivers the grisly goods.

Nasty critters appear in this remake of an acclaimed 1973 American TV movie.

Sally Hurst (Bailee Madison) goes to live with her architect father (Guy Pearce) and his new girlfriend (Katie Holmes) at the 19th century Rhode Island mansion they are restoring.

Stumbling upon a hidden basement, Sally unleashes an ancient dormant force that puts everyone’s life in grave danger.

From its atmospheric Hammer horror opening to its expertly staged creature attacks, featuring imps travelling through air ducts with sharp weaponry, this superior flight of dark fantasy bears the unmistakable touch of class of writer Guillermo Del Toro and contains more than a few nods to his earlier Pan’s Labyrinth.

> Starring Timothy Spall and Honor Blackman, REUNITING THE RUBINS (PG: Kaleidoscope) is amiably amusing, but not the rollicking Jewish comedy that debut director Yoav Factor strives for.

He’s well served by the reliable Spall as retired lawyer Lenny Rubins, who postpones a well-deserved luxury cruise to reunite his bickering grown-up children for their ailing grandma (Blackman).

They may be peas from the same pod, but in Lenny’s eyes his children – a workaholic executive, an eco-warrior, a Buddhist monk and a rabbi – are not from the same planet.

His offspring are reluctant to answer the call, especially when Blackman reveals that she has bought the home in which they spent their unhappy childhood.

Preachy topics such as globalisation, human rights, religious intolerance and family ties are given an overblown airing, and a series of heart-to-hearts and medical emergencies produce little more than than a mediocre sitcom.

> BEST LAID PLANS (15: Sony), a tale of recessional Nottingham, represents a ham-fisted attempt to update John Steinbeck’s masterpiece Of Mice And Men.

Dreaming of living in a camper van, gentle giant Joseph (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) does everything wheeler-dealer protector Danny (Stephen Graham) asks of him, even if it means cage fighting to help his pal pay off his debts to a local lowlife.

But Joseph unwittingly jeopardises their safety when he becomes besotted with equally simple soul Isabel (Maxine Peake).

With Danny falling for a tart with a heart (Emma Stansfield), the film struggles to staunch the sentiment and cliche.

Contrived plotting and clumsy characterisation undermine it at every turn, although good use is made of the rundown locations and it conveys something of the struggle those on the lower rungs face to keep hold of fleeting pleasures.

Safe House

Prepare to see a lot more of director Daniel Espinosa in the next few years as his action-packed thriller Safe House, starring Ryan Reynolds and Denzel Washington, promises to please, writes guest reviewer Alison Devlin.

If you like fast car scenes, brutal fights and non-stop twists, Safe House is the film for you.

Matt Weston (Reynolds) is a normal guy. He has a girlfriend, a nine to five job and a good life. Doesn’t sound like an interesting thriller at first, but add in that he works for the CIA and that his office is a secret safe house and get ready for a film that keeps you on your toes.

One day the phone rings and Weston’s world is turned upside down when Tobin Frost (Washington) becomes his house guest. A newly captured rogue agent who has sold American intelligence all over the globe and who is currently holding one of the biggest secrets in the world, but what the CIA doesn’t know is others want his secrets, too.

Before the audience can blink, the safe house is compromised and Weston is drawn into a world of corruption and danger, followed by Frost in handcuffs.

“Rule number one – you are responsible for your house guest.”

During a recent interview Washington described his character as “the psychopath next door” and said his character, Frost, “would rather play with Matt, not kill him”.

Though Washington gives an amazing performance as usual, it is Reynolds who captivates the audience with an emotive performance throughout the film stealing the limelight from Washington. He begins the film as a boy, but ends it a man.

The film lacks a defining moment between Washington’s and Reynolds’ characters. They are both very secretive, but as their relationship develops, you expect and want them to open up more.

Unfortunately it never happens, and Espinosa makes up for that through explosions and gunfire.

So if you like to be put on the edge of your seat with your blood pumping and your heart pounding, this is a film for you.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Some fine British acting talents head up this comedy drama that rarely strays much from the Carry On Abroad template, thanks to a sugary coating that doesn’t do its talent justice.

A group of retirees head to India, believing they are going to spend time in a luxury resort.

Managed by the charming and engaging Dev Patel, it’s far from luxurious but, as you can guess, after initial disgust they let their prejudices slip away and the true India and the truth of their lives unfolds.

A nice film that is very sentimental, but thanks to its cast, including Dames Judi and Maggie, Bill Nighy and Tom Wilkinson, is always watchable.

Red Dog

Talking of sentimental, this is an Australian ‘true legend’ of a red dog who united a community in the Outback.

It’s fun and fluffy and really sugary, but the lead canine is adorable and charming. Move over Uggie from The Artist.

Described as “24 for grown-ups”, Homeland has already won a Golden Globe and critical acclaim. As the show begins in Britain on Channel 4, its main star Damian Lewis talks to Shereen Low about portraying a US marine sergeant suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and why he really wants to play Don Draper from Mad Men.

Damian Lewis has been up since 7am, but is on remarkably fine form – and has an admission to make.

“You need to know I’m in my pyjamas, clasping a coffee,” he reveals, chuckling down the phone from America, where the working day’s just starting.

The London native, best known for being in The Forsyte Saga, Band Of Brothers and Life, has made North Carolina his temporary home for the past five months to film new US TV series Homeland.

In doing so Lewis has made the ultimate sacrifice – being apart from his family, actress wife Helen McCrory and their two children, five-year-old daughter Manon and son Gulliver, four.

“North Carolina is a beautiful place and I like it here a lot. But I miss my family when they’re not here with me, although they were with me all summer,” he admits in his clipped Old Etonian accent.

“I also miss London because I love London – it is the greatest city in the world. I miss the culture, the vibrancy and bombing around on my bicycle from one place to the next.”

Homeland, the Golden Globe-winning psychological thriller, which also stars Claire Danes and fellow Brit David Harewood MBE, was created by Howard Gordon and Alex Gansa – the brains behind 24.

“The parallel with 24 is inevitable, but this is far more of a psychological, political drama. It’s something we don’t see often – plus you need a black man and a redhead on a show!” he quips.

Lewis, pictured, plays US Marine Sergeant Nicholas Brody, who has been held as a prisoner of war for eight years by Al Qaeda and presumed dead.

He is celebrated as a war hero on his return, but mentally unstable CIA agent Carrie Mathison (Danes) suspects he has been ‘turned’ into a sleeper agent and is now a threat to Homeland security.

“Ambiguity is a complex thing to play. You have to be lightning quick and nimble, there’s a mental and imaginative agility in the performance which is really fun,” says Lewis, 41.

“Inserting a bipolar disorder into the heart of a paranoid thriller is a brave move, as it conveniently allows us to judge Carrie. Is this man a danger to the United States or is she over-reacting? It’s intense. You’re going to love it!”

The series, which has been renewed for a second season, already has famous fans, with US President Barack Obama and his cohorts reported to have called in four DVD box sets.

“It’s exciting when you’ve entered the cultural zeitgeist in such a way,” says Lewis, who last worked in the US on the short-lived NBC cop drama Life.

“The Clintons are now watching it, and it’s gone right through to the top levels of the American administration. They’re all asking for box sets so they can see what their bosses are watching.”

But it could all have turned out differently as Lewis admits: “I very nearly said no to Homeland.

“My experience on Life, which I loved, was at quite a lot of personal cost, from a family point of view. That sounds a bit melodramatic - we’re all still together - but it was long hours working, with Helen sitting in the house with the kids.

“I wasn’t prepared for quite the workshop hours you work on some American TV shows, so I said to my agent I would do this only if it’s extraordinary and is on cable TV.”

The actor particularly enjoys his scenes with Romeo And Juliet actress Danes. “Danesy is whip-smart, extremely committed and focused. She plays that interactive Scrabble game, Words With Friends, endlessly.

“She has about five or six games going on with different people, and got half the crew doing it as well. It’s her way of relaxing.”

Like the audience, Lewis is kept in the dark about his character’s plotlines. “The fundamentals of my character were discussed but the details weren’t fleshed out,” he says.

“It’s fun getting surprises with the episode each week, like reading a novel. It keeps it fresh and interesting.”

The British actor - who attended the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company - did what little research he could.

“I spoke to soldiers, read a lot of literature, looked at documentary footage and tried to understand what it is like to be held as a prisoner of war.

To be authentic in its portrayal of Afghanistan prisons, Lewis had to endure routine torture scenes in which he was stripped of his clothes and subjected to gruelling punishment.

The scenes don’t affect him though, and he jokes: “It leaves me needing a beer! I don’t take my work home with me. I’m not that kind of method actor.

Lewis seems content with his lot, but there’s one person he’d gladly switch places with - Jon Hamm of Mad Men fame.

“I wish I had got the Don Draper role. I’ve got a little bit of a man crush on him!” he laughs.

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