Review: Take Shelter****

Writer-director Jeff Nichols stays close to his Southern roots again with another intensely powerful look at complex family relationships in Take Shelter, starring his Shotgun Stories lead, Michael Shannon, once more. Admittedly, Take Shelter is one of the most original familiar studies to come to the big screen in a long time, set against an idyllic landscape that focuses your full attention on the deeply troubling events unfolding. Curtis LaForche (Shannon) lives in a small Ohio town with his wife Samantha (Jessica Chastain) and six-year-old daughter Hannah (Tova Stewart), who is deaf. Money is tight, but the family is a happy one, until Curtis begins to be plagued by a series of terrifying visions of…

New trailer: Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows

Sherlock Holmes and his partner in crime, Dr. John Watson are back to solve the latest mystery to hit 221B Baker Street. After the positive praise of the 2009 box office smash, it comes to no surprise that Guy Ritchie has directed another action packed performance, loosely based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic short story: The Final Problem. The anticipated sequel sees Robert Downey, Jr. reprise his role as the charming, eccentric detective and is joined by Jude Law portraying his close companion, Dr. Watson. The latest instalment also sees the English speaking début of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s leading lady, Noomi Rapace playing a Gypsy fortune teller, Sim, and Stephen Fry…

Buried

There’s been a lot of discussion about Buried, or ‘nit-picking’ to be exact about a whole manner of alleged plot slip-ups. This actually implies that when critics can’t think of anything really wrong with a film, you’re onto a winner. Indeed no-one will dispute that 94-minutes worth of utterly gripping and terrifying drama, all shot in one location in a wooden box is nothing short of sheer brilliance. Rodrigo Cortés’ thriller is a master class in storytelling using minimal cinematic tools and relying purely on a strong script (by Chris Sparling) and even stronger acting and shooting talent. The result is a virtual real-time claustrophobic puzzle that places you in the box with its prisoner,…