Moviewatch: December 2009

"Traveling" has a charismatic self-help guru, played here by Aaron Eckhart, realising that he is not following his own advice after he meets a floral designer at a hotel where he's holding a seminar on dealing with grief. Also stars Jennifer Aniston.

"End Zone" with Josh Hartnett, Sam Rockwell and Kat Dennings, has a college football student finding it difficult to balance his relationship, a crush on a fellow student, and the pressures of his over-enthusiastic teacher, whilst also maintaining his skill and focus.

"Astro Boy" is set in the futuristic Metro City, where the hero is a young robot who was created by a brilliant scientist to replace his dead son. Despite having some rather brilliant powers, Astro Boy is unable to fulfill his Gepetto-like father's expectations and he embarks on a journey of self-discovery. With Nicolas Cage, Donald Sutherland, Nathan Lane, Bill Nighy, Eugene Levy and Freddie Highmore.

And "Dust" has two children unfortunately finding themselves to be the only remaining beings on Earth, in a post-apocalyptic world where all other humans have disappeared. Strangely, this doesn't actually seem to bother them too much, and they carve out a harmonious life for themselves together. That is, until another young boy turns up, and starts to ruin their well-established dynamic. Stars Catherine Steadman, Olly Alexander, Andrew Hawley.

Moviewatch grapevine

Stephen King's new novel Under the Dome has only just been published, but plans are already in place to develop it for the small screen. Steven Spielberg will executive produce, along with a few others including Mr King himself. The novel is a reworking of King's never-published "lost" work "The Cannibals", in which the small Maine town of Chester's Mill is suddenly and inexplicably cut off by an invisible forcefield that doesn't allow exit or entry. Trapped inside, the society-in-microcosm starts to unravel.

Uma Thurman has just landed a role opposite Robert Pattinson in Bel Ami. It is an adaptation of the Guy de Maupassant short story about an ambitious young Parisian journalist George Duroy (Pattinson). Thurman plays the wife of an army friend of his, Forrestier, who refuses to have an affair with him but helps him with his writing and by introducing him to politicians and giving him political gossip. When her husband dies, the pair marry - but all doesn't go smoothly. Kristin Scott Thomas is set to play his mistress, Madame Walter, the wife of his editor who becomes clingy when he tries to end the affair.

Idris Elba will star as the guardian of Asgard, he stands on the BiFrost Bridge ready to defend the city from intruders in Kenneth Branagh‘s "Thor". Elba‘s signature is just another in a string of impressive casting coups for the myth/comic film. He‘ll be joining Chris Hemsworth (as Thor), Anthony Hopkins (Odin), and Natalie Portman.

And the quote came from Orson Welles and Marlene Dietrich in "Touch of Evil".

Until next year... season's greetings!