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Blindness

The opening night film of the Cannes Festival may have failed to delight the notoriously astringent critics here, but then that was the case a year ago with Wong Kar-wai’s My Blueberry Nights, and even more so in 2006 with The Da Vinci Code. But Blindness deserves better treatment.

The third feature of Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles, who made City of God and The Constant Gardener, Blindness is adapted from the acclaimed novel by Jose Saramago. Those who have read the book – in which the world falls apart after being hit by a plague of blindness – tend to complain that Meirelles and screenwriter Don McKellar have failed to capture its raw power. I haven’t read it, which may be a factor in why I liked the film.

Priceless

Priceless, in my opinion, is just that – absolutely priceless! Audrey Tautou plays Irène, who flits around the world, with older, richer men, moving on when she finds a man wealthier. Bored and restless one night whilst her current beau sleeps, she ventures alone to the hotel bar, where she finds the be-suited bar man Jean (Gad Elmaleh) asleep on the job. She mistakenly assumes that he is a wealthy patron and turns on the charm, ending up in bed with him. When she is busted by her beau, she discovers that her new hope is a fraud. As he desperately tries to win her affection, he stumbles into the same gold-digging game…

Man on Wire

Documentaries are often thought of as TV material, so going to see one at the cinema might not be at the top of your list. But every once in a while one comes along that blows you away, and Man on Wire is certainly cooking up a storm.

This is not the first film to be made about Philippe Petit, the eccentric Frenchman who illegally and audaciously walked a tightrope between New York’s twin towers in 1974. But Man on Wire is created with the kind of realism and intensity that has you biting your nails, clenching your teeth and holding your breath in anticipation.

WALL.E - Talking to the talent behind the film

Disney/Pixar’s latest animation, WALL.E, was released in UK cinemas on 18 July and is proving to be a major hit with audiences.

Director Andrew Stanton, sound designer Ben Burtt, producer Jim Morris and actress Segourney Weaver, took time out to talk to John Miller about this cute and captivating robot movie.

Question: Jim, can we discuss the look of the film, which is clearly crucial for letting the whole audience enter into the world of WALL.E, and convincing them about its futuristic setting?

Jim Morris: We wanted WALL.E to have a ‘filmed’ look, and Andrew [Stanton] wanted to give it a heightened sense of believability so the audience felt they were watching a real movie with a cameraman shooting it.

Question:  Andrew, take us through the germ of the idea to actually having the Eureka moment, when you knew you’d hit the jackpot and made a film regarded as a masterpiece.

Andrew Stanton: Well, it was at a lunch in 1994 and we were in the middle of making Toy Story.  We said: “What if mankind left earth and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off?” The idea of something doing the same thing forever to me was like the ultimate definition in futility and I just thought it was the saddest character I have ever heard of.

WALL.E

Welcome to the wonderful world of WALL.E – the next Disney / Pixar collaboration that is set to follow in the footsteps of Toy Story, Finding Nemo and Ratatouille. This film has everything that we have come to expect from these genius animators, who incidentally, have netted staggering worldwide box office takings in excess of $4.3 billion* from their films.

Disney tales have often dealt with the dark side of human life – parental death, evil stepfamilies, the dangers of the sea. But WALL.E brings these issues bang up to date by looking at those facing the 21st century. The obesity situation; the growing isolation of individuals in society; the increasing power of brands over governments; the problems of consumerism and the effects on the planet of our throw-away mentality. All of these issues are rolled into a heart-melting love story of two robots.

UK Box Office 11-13 July

At the beginning of this summer, as industry experts surveyed the major movies scheduled for release, there was always one title that fell into the category of Unknown Quantity. The joker in the pack. Mamma Mia! may have succeeded on the London stage (and all over the world), but how many cinemagoers would line up to see a musical featuring Meryl Streep singing ABBA hits on a Greek island? As the release date drew near, the answer to that question became increasingly clear: lots.

Mamma Mia! The Movie opened at the weekend on £6.59 million, including nationwide Thursday previews plus takings from its one-week platform release at London’s Leicester Square Odeon. Stripping out the previews, the three-day figure is £5.21 million. This result is very similar to that of Sex and the City, which posted a three-day weekend of £5.12 million (plus whopping previews from Wednesday and Thursday). Sex and the City has gone on to gross nearly £26 million, and there is every chance that Mamma Mia! will match or exceed that total. Since it plays to a very broad demographic, including older cinemagoers, this kind of audience does not traditionally rush out to see films on opening weekend; it often takes its time. This all augurs well for Mamma Mia! and backers Universal.