Plenty of good films out this week so let’s get cracking…
The Game Plan sees Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock) play an egotistical American Football star who discovers that he has a daughter when she turns up on his doorstep. Naturally it doesn’t take much brain power to figure out if he changes his naughty ways and becomes a responsible and loving father but i
t might come as a surprise to learn that this is an enjoyable, if shallow, movie thanks largely to a very keen and willing cast.
If the kids want something a bit more substantial (or you just fancy being entertained) then The Spiderwick Chronicles will certainly meet your requirements. The story revolves around twin brothers Jared and Simon Grace who move to a dusty old house in the country with their mum and older sister. Soon the boys (both played by Freddie Highmore) find themselves in battle with a host of creatures that want to destroy the titular book. With genuine scares and nastiness this film might not be suitable for very young children but the deft script (John Sayles had a finger in this one), well crafted thrills and emotional back story should certainly more than fill the ‘family viewing’ sized hole left by Dr Who’s departure from the schedules.
Moving up the 
age bracket slightly leads us to the anime inspired Batman: Gotham Knight (also available in a double pack with Batman Begins) and the dance film Step Up 2: The Streets. The former is a bridging exercise in the run up to the release of The Dark Knight (surely the most anticipated film this summer) whilst the later is more of the same damn popular formula that made Step Up a smash hit (again a double pack is available).
Those looking for a bit of drama would be well advised to avoid trash Brit-horror The Cottage and head straight for Things We Lost In The Fire which, whilst flawed, features (far too
little) David Duchovny on top form in a supporting role that both anchors and lifts the intimate drama between Halle Berry and Benicio del Toro.
To finish with it’s good news for fans on inventive and original cinema with the release of DVD of the Week I’m Not There. Todd Haynes’ Bob D
ylan biopic is a dazzling display of both style and substance with six actors portraying the man variously described as a genius and a Judas. The film is as contradictory and unpredictable as the man himself as it flicks between eras, styles and personae. Love it or hate it (and many do, including Dylan fans) you can’t deny that Haynes has a style like no one else and we are all the better for it.
…talking of style, this week also sees the release of a box set dedicated to the work of Jean-Pierre Jeunet & Marc Caro. The set contains both Delicatessen and The City Of Lost Children plus the short film The Bunker Of The Lost Gunshots – enjoy.
