12/09/2014 The Film Review

again. We will have the latest from the Tour of Britain `` Yorkshire are

county champions. Now, it is time for the Film Review.

Welcome to the film review, on BBC News. Taking us through this weeks

cinema releases, Jason Solomons. One of the last performances by the

late great Philip Seymour Hoffman, spy thriller, A Most Wanted Man.

Leaving the best until last. Stop motion animation... And emotion... ?

Easier said! The Boxtrolls. And finally, we have got the 1984 hit,

the striking miners, saved by London gay and lesbians, Pride.

Starting with the last film of Philip Seymour Hoffman, A Most

Wanted Man, disillusioned spy chief. He plays a German, played Gunter. ``

named Gunter. The spy network is feeling guilty that they allowed the

big one to slip through the net, they are recovering from Munich. It

is like Tinker tailor soldier spy, we are in the world of John the

Karen. `` John Le Carre. Definitely a downbeat spy thriller, Philip

Seymour Hoffman is terrific, he drinks too much whiskey, smokes too

much, he is... Lugubrious. He is yellow, he does not get out much,

News Covert, he spends too much time in airless rooms. He will tell us

what he is about to do. He is a wanted man, if you have knowledge of

his whereabouts, you are obliged to follow due process, under the

constitution. You mean, arresting him. Somebody is seeking to make

contact in Hamburg. We have had no briefing on this. If you were doing

your job, you would not need one. We are spies, all I'm asking for is

more time. This unit was set up to develop intelligence, resources,

inside Germany's Islamic community. That is why we are here. This

banker, do we know what it wanted from him? Not yet and if we move

against him now, the chances are that we never will. I think he knows

what he's doing, tow. Perhaps you should let him get on with it. ``

Otto. Robin Wright is fantastic in this, it is about the international

network, she has a kind of house of cards via about her. Noodle shops,

kebabs shops, the Islamic community, boxing rings. Chases through

nightclubs. `` vibe. You say it is not action packed, looking at the

Prince of this, the Daily Mail said that it was anaemic, that it lacks

energy. Is that a part of what this is about? It is about the energy of

the long game, this is spying, reminded me of the Oscar`winning

German film the lives of others, that was about the Stasi. They are

after a man named after a chess player, and it is like a game of

chess. The net is closing tightly, the cold hand of modern spy work,

spy craft, this is it for the film. Philip Seymour Hoffman is

outstanding. It is very good. He is a wonderful actor, he put sticks and

habits into... He is a man who has lived and has been lived in too

much, always tapping in a shirt, doing up his type, removing

cigarettes, fiddling about. cigarettes, fiddling about. It is a

masterful film actor 's reminds you what a great performance

it was. Robin Wright, Willem Dafoe, Rachel McAdams, all American stars,

is pretty big. The British version has Nick Frost, Simon Pegg, Sir Ben

Kingsley. It is about the underground world of The Boxtrolls,

they live in a kind of a Louth. They exist in boxes. Discarded by...

Aches, fish, bread... `` eggs. One of the characters is named slightly

soiled, because they are named after the boxes in which they were found!

A mayor has got to get rid of them. For an animation, in the world of

slick Pixar, everything is so story worked... This is all over the

place! You simply surrender to it. The stop motion is to reflect, it is

beautiful what they do, it takes hours to do this kind of thing. I

don't know why they take the time to do this, why they bother. It is a

tactile, Tim Burton sort of world, like Grimms fairy tales. Do not do

this at home, if you are watching this! Metal knives into a toaster.

Seems to have a Christmas DVD all over it. There is a movement towards

this kind of animation, almost as a corrective to the kind of slickness

of Pixar, it is from the makers of Coraline. It reminded me of

Jabberwocky, by Terry Gilliam. I liked it but had no idea what was

going on! Pride, a lot of people tipping this for success. Stellar

cast, very much an English film about the miners strike but with a

twist and based on reality. In 1985 there was a benefit concert at the

Electric ballroom in Camden, pits and pervert, it was a gay night, in

aid of the miners. At the time, many of the pop world, red wage, they

gathered together to help the striking miners back in 1984. This

is a true story. Unusual groups came together. The London homosexuals, to

help the rather butch mining community. Not always an easy fit,

but the Solidarity wins through. In the end we find Imelda Staunton

driving a big red bus. What is that? It is the new van. We

are travelling in style! What the hell is this? It is the new van,

courtesy of our gay friends in London. I'm not getting into that!

Well then you will have to stay here.

Lesbian, are you, love? That is right, we are just off to Swansea

for a massive les`off! The Financial Times has been quite critical, they

said that it was tropes and tricks... I feel rather

curmudgeonly, I did not surrender to the onslaught of cute. I think that

is because I do not been the miners strike was particularly funny, and

being gay in 1984, massive homophobia, HIV just coming out,

neither of these are laughing matters. With typical big British

film attitude, this goes for the humour, to lighten the load of the

social realism. It is like Brust off, the full Monty, Billy Elliot.

All films that I admire. But for me it did not work, it is an uneasy

fit. Some really good performances however, all of the characters get

their say. One comes out to their mother, one becomes a lesbian, one

gets to do is disco dancing. `` Brassed Off. Dominic West here,

dancing to Shame, Shame, Shame. It is not badly directed at all, it

is rather too polished actually. Matthew Warchus Is the director. I

got bored waiting for each character do have their story arc resolved. If

you like Imelda Staunton saying lesbian, waving around a big red sex

toy, that is the kind of film that is! Ill nine as well. A bylaw that

has been passed unbeknownst to most people, Bill Nighy must be in every

single British comedy! LAUGHTER Best DVD, this one sounds very

interesting. Two Days, One Night. Marion Cotillard, doing her best

role, I think, as good as her Oscar`winning role as Edith PF. As a

companion piece, this is modern Solidarity, she has got to go to all

of the different workers in her Belgian industrial town to rally

them to get their support for her to save her job. 141 and one for all.

`` Edith Piaf. `` one for one and one for all. This is dynamite by the

Dardennes brothers. I have seen this, rather surprisingly. It

followed the passage of frat films. Reminded me of animal house. Seth

Rogen and Rose Byrne have just had a baby. And Zach Efren moves in next

door. He has graduated from high school musical into a party animal!

This is a Friday night movie, and I laughed quite a lot. `` Zac Efron.

It is a guilty pleasure of mine. I do like Seth Rogen, and I quite like

Zac Efron. He has grown up and you will see his torso quite a lot! And

the wife is very good as well. Rose Byrne, always fantastic. Thank you

for taking us through your selections. You will find more film

news and reviews from across the BBC online, including all of the

previous shows. That is it for this week, thank you

very much for watching. If you have plans the weekend, good

news: It is dry, settled, for the next couple of