Weekend cinema preview

Blindness
Starring: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Maury Chaykin, Danny Glover, Gael Garcia Bernal, Sandra Oh
Director: Fernando Meirelles
A disease that causes almost instantaneous blindness spreads through a city, incapacitating 90% of the population. As the blind are hearded into quarantine, a doctor, apparently immune to the disease, pretends to be blind so as to stay with her husband. An intriguing premise, excellent leads and a quality director make this top of the list this week.
IMDb rating: 7.2
My prediction: 4/5



Body Of Lies
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Russell Crowe, Mark Strong
Director: Ridley Scott
Two CIA agents and the head of Jordanian intelligence attempt to take out a islamist terrorist group. Typically muscular action-thriller from Ridley Scott, the kind of film he seems to be able to churn out effortlessly. Looks like part Spy Game (directed by his brother, Tony) and part Black Hawk Down.
IMDb rating: 7.6
My prediction: 4/5



Choke
Starring: Sam Rockwell, Kelly Macdonald, Anjelica Huston
Director: Clark Gregg
A sex-addicted conman plays for his elderly mother's care fees by pretending to choke on food and elliciting the sympathy of those who 'save' him. Based on a novel by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. While it's clearly not in the same league as Fight Club, its progeny does mean it deserves some attention, as does the fact it stars Leslie Bibb's boyfriend, Sam Rockwell.
IMDb rating: 7.3
My prediction: 4/5



Waltz With Bashir
Voiced by: Ari Folman, Ron Ben-Yishai
A former Israeli soldier, plagued by a recurring nightmare and memory loss talks to old friends and comrades to try and piece together his experiences of the first Lebanon war in the early 1980s. Critically lauded and impressive-looking animation, my only real concern is that its politics and mine might not be on the same page.
IMDb rating: 8.1
My prediction: 4/5



Quarantine
Starring: Jennifer Carpenter, Steve Harris, Jay Hernandez
Director: John Erick Dowdle
A TV news crew find themselves trapped in a quarantined apartment building when a virus outbreak turns its residents in bloodthirsty killers. Another addition to the recovered video camera footage genre that includes The Blair Witch Project and Cloverfield. Wasn't expecting much, but the trailer makes me think it might be a mindless little chiller and the presence of Dexter's Jennifer Carpenter is as good a reason as any to give it a go.
IMDb rating: 6.3
My prediction: 3/5



'Tis Autumn: The Search For Jackie Paris
Director: Raymond De Felitta
Documentary examining the life of the late, unheralded jazz vocalist Jackie Paris. Looks like an interesting story because he disappeared for decades and was thought to be dead, but as it turned out he wasn't. However jazz isn't my favourite style of music.
IMDb rating: 7.6
My prediction: 3/5



Conversations With My Gardener
Starring: Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Pierre Darroussin
Director: Jean Becker
An artist from Paris returns to his childhood home and hires a gardener, a former schoolfriend. Couldn't find an english-subtitled trailer, so I don't really know what's going on, but it looks like an amiable enough light comedy-drama.
IMDb rating: 6.9
My prediction: 3/5



My Best Friend's Girl
Starring: Dane Cook, Kate Hudson, Alec Baldwin, Jason Biggs
Director: Howard Deutch
A guy hires his best friend to take out his ex-girlfriend on a crap date in an attempt to show her what she's missing out on. G-d, that sounded crap even as I typed it.
IMDb rating: 5.0
My prediction: 2/5



Yuvvraaj
Starring: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Anil Kapoor, Zayed Khan
Director: Subhash Ghai
This week's Bollywood release, I haven't a clue what it's about. The trailer is hopeless.
IMDb rating: n/a
My prediction: 2/5