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Movies

Jessica Cogan tackles the tough job of previewing all the movies in the States before they reach us across the pond.

PS I Love You

Unless your other option is gauging out your eyes, skip this heinous treacle. The film gets off to a promising start with a funeral. Gerry (Gerard Butler) has died of cancer leaving wife Holly (Hilary Swank) a young widow. But, before he kicked the bucket, he wrote a series of letters to help guide his wife through her recovery process. Sort of a sweet concept, right? But the execution is downright painful. Basically, what this mourning period involves are various uncomfortable, wacky tasks that push Holly -- and probably most viewers -- out of their comfort zone. There are girls' nights out, fishing trips and other zany adventures for Holly and her annoying gal pals (Gina Gershon and Lisa Kudrow). This stuff is so cloying and corny it's difficult to stomach. Hilary Swank is a fine actor, but she's not a romantic lead, even with a dead husband. The writing is embarrassing and the film is way too long. In other words, stay away .

In Bruges

Hitmen, walking tours and Belgium -- an unlikely combo for a brilliant first film. But that's exactly what writer/director Martin McDonagh's In Bruges is. The thriller opens with two hitmen -- Ray (Colin Farrell) and Ken (Brendan Gleeson) -- arriving in Bruges to cool their heels after a job poorly executed. They're waiting for word from hotheaded boss Harry (Ralph Fiennes), and each has a different take on their exile: Ray is restless in Bruges, “a shithole”, he says. Ken, on the other hand, sees a great opportunity to take in the sights of the town. This odd couple's interactions are the heart and soul of this film -- and the dialogue is witty, colourful and peppered with the “f” word. When Harry arrives on the scene, the cursing is kicked up a notch -- and so are the chase scenes and the shootouts. And while the final scene stretches a bit too far -- in length and in suspension of disbelief -- In Bruges is a lot of fun.

Doomsday
There are no new ideas, it's true. But do we need to go back and grab all the old ideas at once? And then cram them into a couple of hours of cinema? Nah. And that's the problem with Doomsday .Years ago, a virus devastated Glasgow and the British government quarantined Scotland. Some folks snuck out, but the rest were left to fend for themselves -- and it appears there were a few survivors. Thirty years later, the same plague takes hold in London. This time, the government is determined to find a cure. Led by Caranis (David O'Hara) and Police Chief Nelson (Bob Hoskins), a team is sent to Scotland to find Dr Kane (Malcolm McDowell), who may have discovered a cure. In Scotland, the team discovers the Thunderdome. Ok, not really. But surviving Scotland is a post-apocalyptic punk rockers' haven that looks an awful lot like all things Mad Max . In fact, Mad Max is just one source of inspiration: all 80s-era horror, thriller, zombie, doomsday themes are rolled up into one in Doomsday . The result is a bloody, mohawked mess that has plenty of jolts and suspenseful fun, but not much point.

Nim's Island

I guess if I were offered a job in the South Pacific for a few months, I'd take it. So the actors in Nim's Island can be forgiven for agreeing to the film. I don't think, however, that means we need to watch it. Nim (Abigail Breslin) lives on a desert island with her marine biologist father Jack (Gerard Butler). She spends her days frolicking and reading adventure novels about Alex Rover. The author of the novels is Alexandra Rover (Jodie Foster), an agoraphobic recluse from San Francisco. Alexandra reads about Jack and emails him a question that is intercepted by Nim when her father goes missing in a storm. Alexandra is worried about Nim, so swallows her fears (and probably some Xanax) and makes her way to the island. Most of the film focuses on over-the-top gags of Alexandra trying to get comfortable in nature -- and her own skin. Foster's a great actor, but here she pitches her mania to 11. That's hard to watch for long.

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