July 30th
Pluto Nash
aka: The Adventures of Pluto Nash
US 2002. Village Roadshow/Castle Rock/NPV Entertainment. 82m(DVD version).

In 2087 the wisecracking owner of the Moon's most profitable nightclub is pursued by gangsters who want to turn it into a casino.
Hip comedy Blade Runner variation with some good cameos and occasional sight gags, but the script just isn't good enough to justify such huge expense on sets and special effects. Proportionately one of the most unsuccessful films ever made, costing hundreds of millions of dollars and barely bringing in one tenth of that at the box office.

Written by: Neil Cuthbert (and others).
Producers: Martin Bregman, Michael Bregman, Lewis A. Stroller.
Director: Ron Underwood.
Starring: Eddie Murphy, Rosario Dawson, Randy Quaid, Joe Pantoliano, Jay Mohr, Peter Boyle, Pam Grier, Luis Guzman, James Rebhorn, Burt Young, Illeana Douglas, John Cleese, Alec Baldwin (uncredited).
Photography: Oliver Wood.
Music: John Powell.
Production Design: Bill Brzeski.

July 20th

A Place in the Sun***

US 1951. Paramount. 122m. bw

A young man whose family connections help him climb the social ladder is compelled to murder his pregnant working class girlfriend after he has also fallen in love with a stunning socialite.
Beautifully visualised adaptation of Theodore Dreiser's An American Tragedy, inevitably blandly altered from the original but held together by powerful atmosphere and commanding performances. A belated tribute of sorts to Elizabeth Taylor, about whom this film seems quite a fair reflection.

Written by: Michael Wilson, Harry Brown, based on the novel by Theodore Dreiser and the play by Patrick Kearney.
Producer/Director: George Stevens.
Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Keeffe Braselle, Raymond Burr, Fred Clark, Fried Inescourt, Ian Wolfe.
Photography: William C. Mellor.
Music: Franz Waxman.

July 9th
The Tree of Life* (12A)
Rio Dalston


US 2010. Fox Searchlight/River Road/Cottonwood Pictures/Plan B Entertainment. 138m.

An executive reflects on his life within the scheme of the universe and feels sorrow with his parents after the loss of his brother many years before.
Long, absorbing and pretentious surreal drama, deeply meaningful to its director more than anybody else.

Written and Directed by: Terrence Malick.
Producers: Sarah Green, Bill Pohlad, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Grant Hill.
Starring: Brad Pitt, Jessica Chastain, Hunter McCracken, Sean Penn, Laramie Eppler, Fiona Shaw.
Photography: Emmanuel Lubezki.
Music: Alexandre Desplat, and other classical pieces.
Visual Effects: Douglas Trumbull.