Silver-celluloid

Starring: Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Paul Giamatti Director: John Lee Hancock Genre: Drama Running time: 125 minutes Certificate: PG It seems to be habit for a lot of critics to sneer at films that are given to sentimentality but, as Alfred Hitchcock pointed out, audiences should be emoting or the film is not doing its job. Saving Mr Banks can be accused of being knowingly sentimental but this is what makes it so good. The film tells the story of P L Travers (Emma Thompson), the stern, no nonsense author of Mary Poppins . Travers has been pursued by Walt Disney (Tom Hanks) for twenty years for the rights to make the movie of her book. Horrified by the idea of letting go of her creation but desperately in need of money, Travers travels to Los Angeles to discuss the rights with Disney. This film is unexpectedly funny and captivating from the start, and the time in the screening flew as the film was totally engrossing. Emma Thompson truly shines as P L Travers, a character tha...

A quick heads up: if you are in London between the 24th and 30th November, it is not too late to take in some great films at the London Feminist Film Festival. 2012 saw the first ever London Feminist Film Festival and this year looks set to follow the groundbreaking trends, with many films being premiered at the festival, along with panel discussions and even a classic or two thrown in. There are still some tickets available for the events that are taking place at Picture House in Hackney, and the awards ceremony will be held on November 30th. To take a look at the programme of events click here and for more information about the festival take a wander through this link . So, for a good film that will definitely pass the Bechdel test, why not support the festival and catch some interesting films in the process!

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth Director: Francis Lawrence Genre: Action, adventure, sci-fi Running time: 146 minutes Certificate: 12A The Hunger Games was the runaway success of 2012 making an instant icon of Jennifer Lawrence's incarnation of the already iconic character, Katniss Everdeen. The movie of the second book in The Hunger Games series has been hotly awaited, and now it has arrived, how does it measure up? In truth it is good, but not as good as the first. As with all 'second in the series' movies it suffers a little from not being a stand-alone film, and there is a lot of plot exposition that is somewhat cumbersome. However, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire is produced to the same high quality with excellent acting from the whole cast. As expected, this movie picks up where The Hunger Games finished. Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) are living in the Victors' Village dealing w...

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Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey, David Oyelowo Director: Lee Daniels Genre: Drama Running time: 132 minutes The portrayal of oppression is always a complex and difficult subject to approach with sensitivity and accuracy on film, and this has been achieved many times. However, The Butler may be trying a little too hard and is not without its problems. As entertaining as the film is, it can feel a little like a whistle-stop tour of American history as it tells the story of Cecil Gaines (Forest Whitaker), an African-American born into near slavery on a plantation who makes his way to work as a butler at The White House for several administrations. Gaines' working life spans several decades including the turbulent years of the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War. Despite some things that have been written about it, this film is genuinely moving at times. Although it is long at a running time of 132 minutes, it did not feel overlong and held the attentio...