Film Round Up

Release date 16th November 

Director Sarah Gavron 

Starring Tannishta Chatterjee, Christopher Simpson, Harvey Virdi, Satish Kaushik  

Monica Ali’s novel, Brick Lane, joined the list of successes amongst the past few decades’ delvings into nation and culture. Continuing with dealings of the diasporic, this is a poignant story of arranged marriage, love, trepidation and other weighty issues. Young, dislocated Bangledeshi Nazneen is the character through which we get to vicariously experience the tribulations of being shipped across the world to new lands - ‘80s London - and the heartache that ensues with imposed matrimony, duly compounded by her sister’s freedom back home. If modern day’s preoccupations with identity and immigration inspire, then you’ll undoubtedly find this something of a treat. HM

Release date 19th October

Director David L Cunningham

Starring Ian McShane, Frances Conroy, Christopher Eccleston, Alexander Ludwig

When the dark is rising (we can all feel it this season), we need light - nay - a saviour. Welcome, Will Stanton - ‘ordinary’ schoolboy with gal problems who is chosen to travel through time and save the world. Will commands fire and moves objects (I’m guessing, without his hands) when his ancient warrior roots are jostled into action to fight forces of evil. Required to ‘defend the light,’ peer pressure and prom queens fast become the least of Will’s problems. This is a super-size serving of action adventure fantasy delivered with colourful aplomb, or, as some might say, with a cherry on top. HM

Release date 2nd November

Director David Slade

Starring Josh Hartnett, Melissa George, Danny Huston, Ben Foster, Mark Boone Junior

‘Tis the season for horror and vampires, or, as MJ puts it: “creatures [that] crawl in search of blood to terrorise your neighbourhood…” In Alaska’s typically isolated small town, Barrow, the residents are slung into an extended period of darkness every winter. When a group of bloodthirsty vampires pay a visit, local Sheriff Eben leads the battle for survival amid the tagline, “how can they be stopped when daylight never comes?” Indeed. I’d personally never want light to appear again if it afforded me some quality, if slightly terrorising, downtime with Mr Hartnett, but I am, after all, a bit of a girl. Savour the thrills. HM

Release date 23rd November

Director Richard Shepard

Starring Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Jesse Eisenberg, James Brolin 

Originating from Scott Anderson’s Esquire article, What I Did On My Summer Vacation, The Hunting Party debates both the seriousness and humour of war. War correspondent Simon Hunt cracks after years of coverage in the blitziest of zones, and falls off the radar. Five years later, he returns with claims of knowing the whereabouts of Bosnian war criminal, ‘The Fox’, and conducts an en masse hunt with former cameraman bud Duck and rookie reporter Benjamin. How far they go for the ultimate of exclusives, you’ll have to head to the silver screen to discover. HM

Release date 30th November

Director David Dobkin

Starring Vince Vaughn, Paul Giamatti, Miranda Richardson, Elizabeth Banks

Call me Grinch or whatever (sticks and stones), but I’m not a fan of Christmas. However, Vince Vaughn has a talent of sprucing up all sorts into the comedic, so he could push me to consider watching this. The protagonist is Nicholas Claus’s (aka Santa) reprobate older brother, Fred. The ultimate of sibling shadow dwellers, his trade is stealing the items that he repossesses; thus he winds up in trouble with the long arm but manages to avoid jail by agreeing to make good and join the family business. Despite its seasonal frivolity, it looks bigtime family fun: so I’m game. HM