6 CINEMA ThisWeek’sFilms


Cohen’s latest gleefulbadtaste


SACHABaron Cohen atones forthe sins of Bruno with this gleefullybad taste fish- out-of-water comedy, whichkicks sand in the eyeofpolitical correctness. We’re in aperpetual state of discomfort during The Dictator,unsure where the scriptwriters might venture next for uneasylaughs. No subject is offlimits -the September


FilmTweets


THEGUIDEdesignerAndy Howells tweeted“whatisyour favouritemovie of all time?” Here is just aflavour fromsomeof the celebswhoreplied. Hannah Berney:Dumband Dumber@HannahBerney


RhodriOwen: ...The Goonies- Have loved it for30yrs..Evenhave a framed poster (in garage-wifewon’t allowinhouse)@RhoddersOwen


Jamie Lostprophets: Weird sci- ence.@JayLostprophets


Lisa Rogers :Brassed Off. Pete Postlethwaite at genius best @MsLisaRogers


AlisonMoyet: Antonia’s Line is upthere.@AlisonMoyet


Tell us your favourite filmat www.twitter.com/argus_theguide with hashtag # filmtweets no later than next Tuesday.


●Forfurther favourite filmchoices visit http:andysretrospace.blogspot.co.uk


www. twitter. com/


Live Performances


University ofWales, Newport


Performing Arts GraduateShowcase


Fri 18 -Sat 19 May, 2pm &7.30pm


£7,reductions £5 Jeremy Hardy The stand up comedian,


broadcaster,actor and author returns to thestage in Newport!


Sat 19 May, 7.30pm £16


Join The Riverfront’semail lists and book tickets by visiting...


www.newport.gov.uk/theriverfront or calling...


Booking Line: 01633 656757 www.markethallcinema.co.uk NOW!


Till Thurs May24th “MARVEL’S AVENGERS


ASSEMBLE” (12A)


Daily7PM Open 6.30


May25th


“Men in Black3” (12A)


Adult £4.60


Child/Sen £3.15 Family(4)


£13atAll Shows Classic Re-Release


TheLifeandDeath of Colonel Blimp (12A) ✦✦✦✦✧


of the 20th centurywhenaletter fromteacher Edith Hunter (Deborah Kerr) spurshimto visit Berlin. Inadvertently, Clive becomes involved inaduel with officer Theodor Kretschmar- Schuldorff(AntonWalbrook) and the twomen become unlikely friends,both in love with Edith. She eventuallychooses Theodor and Clive goes backtohis life of strict routine and order.


AWELCOMEre-release of MichaelPowell and Emeric Pressburger’s1943 drama, chronicling the turbulent history ofamili- tarymanagainstabackdrop of conflict. Asthe SecondWorldWar rages around him, Major General CliveWynne-Candy(Roger Livesey, pictured )recalls his incredible life so far. Amonghis recollections,hethinks backtothe turn


Argus_The Guide


11 attacks,rape, sexual equality,Judaism -and Larry Charles’s film tramples mer- rilyover social taboos,hitting more tar- gets than it misses as the titular despot runs amok in the capitalist playground of NewYork City. Cohen plays Admiral General Aladeen, tyrannical ruler of the African state of Wadiya, who is hiding the real Bin Laden in one of his palace’s spare rooms. During avisit to “the Devil’s nest’’ of America to address the United Nations about his nuclear arsenal, Aladeen is usurped by his duplicitous brother Tamir (Sir Ben Kingsley) and cast adrift on the streets,without his trademark beard or anyform of identification. Zoey (Anna Faris), the tomboyish man- ager of avegan feminist non-profit co-


TheDictator (15) ✦✦✦✦✧


operative,takes pity on Aladeen, who she accepts as an immigrant. The Dictator delights and dis- turbs,careening fromrazor sharp satire toaMonty Python-esque birthing scene,shot through the dilating cervix of the expec- tant mother (Kathryn Hahn). If youjudge Charles’s film based on the number of bellylaughs,it’s a rousing success. Some gags are so


jaw-droppingly offensive.Faint hearts beware.


Hit-and-miss comedy


2DaysInNewYork (15) ✦✦✦✧✧


CULTURALstereotypes pro- vide cheapand easylaughs in Julie Delpy’s boisterous sequel to her 2007 amuse- bouche,2DaysInParis. Featuring the same charac-


ters,this culture clash comedy is sporadicallyfunny, but lacks the bonhomie of its pred- ecessor,taking potshots at pre- dictabletargets. The script, co-written by co-


star Alexia Landeau, flows backand forth in English and French, juxtaposing miscom- munications between the undernourished characters. Crucially, the relationship between Delpyand her new on-screen partner Chris Rock strains credibility because there is scant evidence that suchwildlydifferent personal- ities would ever find romance in eachother’s arms. 2Days


CHEAP LAUGHS: Julie Delpy and Chris Rock


In NewYork bids adieu to sub- tlety as the script plays up the Frenchasunhygienic,fro- mage-guzzling flirts. They smoke in lifts,wander


reprise their roles with ease, while Rock is like arabbit caught in the headlights as his character’s life is turned on its head.


around the apartment au naturelle and keeptheir hosts awake with their libidinous antics. Delpyand European co-stars


EAST meets West and kicks butt in adazzling collaboration between Welsh-born writer-director Gareth Evans and Indonesia’s most daring fight choreographers and stunt performers. Truly, Hollywood has nothing on


this blitzkriegofsevered appendages and broken bones, whichthreatens to overdose even the greediest adrenaline junkie on blood-spurting, visceral thrills. Rookie cop Rama (IkoUwais) kisses his pregnant wife farewell and heads into work. He is part of an ill-prepared


Violent bloodfest dazzles


TAKE THAT! Adramatic scene from The Raid


TheRaid (18) ✦✦✦✧✧


the good guysquicklyrealise they have stumbled into atrap. “Cut all communications and


SWAT team charged with infiltrat- ing a15-storey apartment block, whichdoubles as the headquar- ters of notorious drug lord Tama (RaySahetapy)and his sadistic henchmen Andi (Doni Alamsyah) and Mad Dog(YayanRuhian). Led by Lieutenant Wahyu (Pierre Gruno) and Sergeant Jaka (Joe Taslim), the cops have one simple and admittedlydiffi- cult objective: fight their wayto the top floor and destroy Tama’s criminal network. Gaining access to the building,


lock(the building) down. I’ll call the neighbours,’’ grins Tama, watching the cops on abank of CCTV monitors from the safety of his penthouse fortress. Over aloudspeaker,Tama offers residents of the blockaprincely sum to slaythe cops outsidetheir front doors and the drug lord watches with sadisticglee as the corridors become asea of spent bullets and discarded blades. Andi and Mad Dogare dis-


Friday, May 18, 2012 Followusontwitter @Argus_TheGuide


UNEASY LAUGHS: Sacha Baron Cohen in The Dictator


patched to slayany stragglers, vowing to shownomercy to their prey: “You don’t shoot cops,you bury them!’’ However,they underestimate Rama, whose tenacity and mastery of martial arts is equal to an army of gun-toting goons. The Raid begins at adeceptively gentle pace,but soon escalates into a90-minute orgyofcarnage and fractured limbs.


comedy


drama


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12