Weekend cinema preview

The Wrestler
Starring: Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei, Evan Rachel Wood, Mark Margolis
Director: Darren Aronofksy
A retired wrestler, off the pro-circuit, ries to get back into the big time for one final showdown with his biggest rival. Mickey Rourke won the Golden Globe for this and with the film ranked 55 in the IMDb 250, it's a must see. With Pi, Requiem For A Dream and The Fountain already under his belt, Aronofksy is proving himself to be one hell of a director. Heading for the mainstream next year with a reboot of Robocop.
IMDb rating: 8.7
My prediction: 4/5



Clubbed
Starring: Mel Raido, Shaun Parkes, Scott Williams, Maxine Peake, Ronnie Fox, Colin Salmon
Director: Neil Thompson
A factory worker down on his luck and lacking confidence gets a new lease of life when he starts working as a nightclub doorman, but gets involved with a gangland, leading to severe consequences. Sofar, so Lock, Stock but the early reviews suggest this is a cut above its geezerish predecessors and the trailer is terrific. Feature debut for its director.
IMDb rating: 8.4 (small sample)
My prediction: 4/5



Seven Pounds
Starring: Will Smith, Rosario Dawson, Woody Harrelson, Barry Pepper
Director: Ganriele Muccino
An IRS agent with a secret embarks on a journey to change the lives of seven strangers. Different to the first trailer I saw in that it concentrates on the relationship between Smith and Dawson. This is probably because the first trailer didn't really give much of a clue as to what the film was about, though that actually made it all the more compelling. Even so, I'm still intrigued.
IMDb rating: 7.6
My prediction: 4/5



A Christmas Tale
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Jean-Paul Roussillon, Anne Consigny, Mathieu Amalric, Melvil Puopaud
Director: Arnaud Desplechin
A dysfunctional family are reunited for christmas. Ah yes, 16th January, the perfect date to release a christmas film! Actually, the trailer looks OK, something of a feelgood comedy-drama.
IMDb rating: 7.5
My prediction: 3/5



Boogie
Starring: Dragos Bucur, Anamaria Marinca
Director: Radu Muntean
Following a chance encounter with an old friend, a Romanian man disillusioned with life takes a night to relive the experiences of his youth. OK looking comedy that, if anything, even Romania has seaside resorts that kind of resemble Skegness. The trailer isn't that funny, but the IMDb rating is good.
IMDb rating: 7.9
My prediction: 3/5



Hansel & Gretel
Starring: Jyeong-myeong Cheon, Sim Eun-kyung
Director: Pil-Sung Yim
South Korean take on the fairytale, with added horror. From the trailer, this looks like quite a slick, high budget offering with something of the Pushing Daisies and Pan's Labyrinth about it.
IMDb rating: 6.7
My prediction: 3/5



My Bloody Valentine 3-D
Starring: Jensen Ackles, Jaime King
Director: Patrick Lussier
10 years after 22 people are killed in a massacre, a guy returns to the small town where it happened only to find himself suspected when the killings start up again. Doesn't appear to offer anything new to the horror genre and I don't give a damn about 3-D. Director worked as editor on the Scream films, but his directorial effortsm including White Noise 2, have been somewhat wanting. Remake of a 1981 film.
IMDb rating: n/a
My prediction: 2/5



Chandni Chowk To China
Starring: Akshay Kumar, Deepika Padukone
Director: Nikhil Advani
An Indian cook is mistaken for the reincarnation of an ancient chinese warrior by the residents of an oppressed village. Looks to be a Bollywood kung-fu movie, of all things. Also looks to be quite stupid, yet not without entertainnment value. Curiously, it's being distributed by Warner Bros, so they must see some crossover value in it.
IMDb rating: n/a
My prediction: 2/5



Beverly Hills Chihuahua
Starring: Piper Perabo, Jamie Lee Curtis
Voiced by: Drew Barrymore, Andy Garcia, Cheech Marin, Edward James Olmos, Luis Guzman
A chihuahua from Beverly Hills gets lost in Mexico and tries to make her way home. The trailer is so fucking awful it made me laugh. However, the tragic truth is that this film grossed $115 million at the US box office.
IMDb rating: 2.4
My prediction: 2/5