In Cinemas This Week

The Wolfman - Horror fans will either be up-in-arms or in hog-heaven this week as this big-budget remake of the much-revered 1941 Lon Chaney Jr classic hits screens. Starring Benecio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins and Emily Blunt, directed by Joe Johnston (Jumanji, Rocketeer), adapted by Andrew Kevin Walker (Se7en) and David Self (Thirteen Days). The tale is well known: a man returns to his ancestral home only to be bitten by a wolf and cursed to roam the nights lusting for blood during a full moon in the form of a hirsute creature. This interpretation looks pretty dark and early reports have been highly positive, so I am quite excited that this could be a "re-imagining" worth waiting for.

Percy Jackson & The Lightning Thief - "Kid-ult" fantasy adventure about a young boy who discovers he is a Greek demi-god. Adapted from the 2005 novel, this looks like a rushed Harry Potter clone to me - heck, it's even directed by Chris Columbus, who directed the first two films in that multi-million-dollar franchise. Still, it's got a great line-up of cameos from some A-list stars (Pierce Brosnan, Sean Bean, Steve Coogan, Uma Thurman, etc.) as the higher echelon of Greek gods. Could be fun, but ultimately looks like a cash-in on the current trend to fantasy aimed at teens.

Valentine's Day - It's Valentine's Day on Sunday, so what could be more perfectly timed than an ensemble cast rom-com about the very day? Several intertwining stories intersect across Los Angeles on February 14th as couples find each other, fall apart and do all those things that couples do. Apparently. The cast for this is staggering - Anne Hathaway, Hector Elizando, Jessica Alba, Jennifer Garner, Kathy Bates, Patrick Dempsey, Julia Roberts, plus heaps more! Doesn't look like much to this ol' cynic, but with a cast like that how can you go wrong? Likely date movie off the highest order. But really, would you take your partner to this when you could be somewhere having these sort of romantic (mis-)adventures yourself? More likely one for the single romantics out there to have a cry into their Kleenex.

Still Bill -An intimate documentary portrait of soul music legend Bill Withers. Everybody will have heard Withers' iconic sound at some stage in their life, with his tuneful rendering of such hits as "Just The Two Of Us", "Lean On Me", and "Ain't No Sunshine". Looks at his career over the past forty years and offers an insight into his private home-life, especially his relationship with his children.

My Name Is Khan - Story of an Asperger's Syndrome Muslim who is mistaken as a terrorist by American authorities and seeks to clear his name. This has been a huge hit in its native India and has incited some political groups to boycott cinemas. Looks like powerful, stirring stuff from Bollywood, who we're used to seeing frivolous musicals and actioners. India's current biggest stars Shahurkh Kahn and Kajol star as the romantic leads in this epic.

Silent Wedding (Nunta muta) -Romanian/French co-production set during the fall of Stalinism in the 50s. Apparently quite a textured, complex character piece in a Chekhovian vein. Subject matter looks quite heavy, but this is apparently a very warm human tragi-comedy.