I, Robot (12A)
3 stars
Dir: Alex Proyas
''Suggested'' by the stories
of Isaac Asimov - from
which it really borrows
little more than a title,
a few character names and the famous Three Laws governing human/robot interaction - this is
sheer, unreconstructed commercial spectacle,
as may be indicated by the presence of seasoned blockbuster beefcake Will Smith in the lead. Smith plays a rebellious,
bad-tempered street
cop whose long-held
suspicions about the trustworthiness of domestic robots is vindicated
when they begin to go
crazy. Precise, punchy and visually impressive, if somewhat lacking in depth and subtlety.
13 Going On 30 (12A)
4 stars
Dir: Gary Winick
An absolutely delightful
age-swop romcom, centring on a winning performance
by Jennifer Garner.
During a spasm of birthday angst, geeky 13-year-old Jenna slams the door
on her best friend Matty, closes her eyes, and wishes she was 30. Sure enough, Jenna wakes up with an apartment, breasts, a
high-powered job and no memory of the intervening
17 years. Those of the right vintage will appreciate the precision of the 80s fashion references and the sensitive approach to middle-youth life crises, while younger viewers will respond to the film's sheer buoyancy and sense of fun.
Spartan (15)
4 stars
Dir: David Mamet
It's getting an oddly muted release, but this twisty-turny thriller demands and
merits attention. Val
Kilmer plays a US Secret Service agent assigned to investigate the apparent abduction of the president's wild-card daughter. But her disappearing act isn't all that it seems - and a straightforward kidnap drama becomes an elegant, gripping, and endlessly surprising political whodunit.
Home On The Range (U)
3 stars
Dir: Will Fin, John Sanford
Disney's last and final
flat-animated feature - before
a full conversion to CGI - is both enjoyable and visually impressive, though not
quite the triumphant last-gasp classic traditionalists might have hoped for. Three
plucky cows, voiced by Roseanne, Jennifer Tilly and Judi Dench, become bounty hunters in order to raise the money to save their condemned dairy farm.
Infernal Affairs II (15)
3 stars
Dir: Andrew Lau, Alan Mak
The riveting Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (currently being remade, as The Departed, by Martin Scorsese) gets a similarly handsome but less kinetic prequel, fashioned by the same directors and writer. Set at the time of the Hong Kong handover in 1997, the film examines the process whereby the original film's two moles took up their opposing positions - one undercover in the Triads, the other undercover in the police. The cinematography is divine, the performances intense, the editing sharp - but the replacement of original stars Tony Leung and Andy Lau by younger actors leaves a charisma gap, and the plotting is headswimmingly obtuse.
The Last Victory (PG)
2 stars
Dir: John Appel
Underwhelming documentary covering the Palio, a
race of 80 seconds' duration which thunders through the centre of Siena. Each district of the city enters a jockey; the horses are chosen by lottery. This film joins the people of Civetta, which hasn't won for 23 years, in the run-up to
the race.
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