Hitchcock * * * *
Cert 12A, 98 mins
His name defines a person, a cinematic style and an era – and some of the most brilliant and influential movies ever made.
Only last August, Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958) was named as the greatest film of all in the latest once-a-decade poll of critics by The British Film Institute’s Sight & Sound magazine.
Born in 1899, Hitchcock died in LA in 1980 at the age of 80, and this biopic explores the making of Psycho some two decades earlier.
Sir Anthony Hopkins, now 75, takes the title role of the then 60-year-old.
With his Oscar-winning background as serial killer Hannibal Lecter, this is perfect territory for the Welsh star, even though he’s more famous for being able to impersonate Tommy Cooper.
Why, he’s even got the same initials: A. H.
Hitchcock reveals a few tricks of the film-making trade and Helen Mirren is terrific as wife, Alma Reville, a woman who kept pushing the director along whenever his confidence dipped.
The end result, is a surprisingly bright-and-breezy affair in which the action moves briskly and with no little humour.
“Hungry?” Alma says to her man.
“Famished,” he replies.
How’s that for economy of language in a 12A film I’d be wary of taking anyone under 14 to see without an adult who can set it all into context.
Re the idea of Psycho, Hitchcock says: “Imagine the shock value of killing off your leading lady half way through?”
“It would be a huge mistake,” says Alma. “Kill her off after 30 minutes.”
Regardless of how historically accurate the film is, there’s a lovely shot of Hitchcock literally conducting the shower scene from the other side of a theatre wall while his audience recoils in horror.
And there’s plenty of juicy references about the need for creative freedoms, trips to the censor and why Hitch really deserved to be called ‘the master of suspense’.
The cast includes Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, but she reminds us too much of Marilyn Monroe (a role thoroughly nailed by Michelle Williams in My Week With Marilyn, 2011).
Much more impressively, you’ll be hard-pressed to spot Toni Collette as long-time assistant Peggy Robertson.
Hitchcock has been directed by Sacha Gervasi, whose only previous film was the sensational rock documentary: Anvil: The Story of Anvil (2008).
If only he had more experience of directing actors, perhaps Hopkins’ performance might not have been quite so mannered – though it’s understandable, perhaps, given the Oscar-nominated make-up the pensioner was having to contend with.
Like Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln, this film has no time to reference another amazing role that Birmingham has played in creating cinema history.
Hitchcock had already linked up with city-born producer Michael Balcon when he submitted a script for Woman to Woman on spec. He was to meet Alma on the set of the film version, directed by Graham Cutts.
In 1925, Balcon then gave Hitchcock his debut directing job on The Pleasure Garden (1925).
For more details, read the brilliant 2007 biography Mr Hitchcock (Haus Books), written by the revered critic Quentin Falk... who had already penned a biography about Hopkins.
In the public’s mind, though, Pyscho (1960) will always be the most famous film from a man whose journey from Leytonstone to Los Angeles in 1937 preceded soccer superstar David Beckham’s similar odyssey by exactly 70 years.
Wreck-It Ralph * * * * *
Cert PG, 108 mins
A Sunday morning screening proved that children will love this noisy, colourful and heartfelt animation – but having also seen it with an all-adult, midweek evening audience, I know that grown-ups will, too.
It’s arguably the best Pixar-style feature from Disney that hasn’t actually been made directly by its acquired, multi-Oscar winning arm.
What it does have, though, is an executive producer credit from Toy Story creator turned studio boss John Lasseter, the company’s nearest equivalent to Walt himself.
The story is set in the world of old arcade games, with John C Reilly as Ralph, a character longing to be loved if only he wasn’t permanently being overshadowed by good guy Fix-It Felix (Jack McBrayer).
Nobody loves a bad guy and, when Ralph’s bad he’s bad, he’s very, very bad.
Will he find salvation thanks to tiny Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) who lives in a candy-coated cart racing game but whose personality is being affected by glitches?
In a bid to prove himself, Ralph goes hopping across various games in the arcade, smashing things up, breaking hearts and generally taking older viewers on a remarkably-pertinent nostalgia trip in the digital age.
Although Rich Moore directed some of the early series of The Simpsons, this is still a remarkable feature-length debut, with von Schweetz seemingly crying such real tears she will move old and young alike.
Even the short, preceding animation called Paperman is better than most of the Pixar ones, as a young man tries to attract the attention of a beautiful woman with a fleet of paper aeroplanes.
I Give It A Year * * * *
Cert 15, 97 mins
Having just seen Anna Faris and Stephen Merchant in the abominable Movie 43, I wasn’t sure I was quite ready for another encounter with either of them, never mind both.
Especially as this film has been written and directed by Dan Mazer, the producer of Sacha Baron Cohen’s adventures in Borat, Bruno and The Dictator.
But, although the BBFC’s wonderful new ‘consumer advice’ on its pre-film certificate promises ‘strong language, sex and sex references’, it’s at a comparatively much more acceptable level.
Assuming, of course, that you want to put yourself in the mind-set of wanting to see a rude, adult comedy with co-stars including Minnie Driver, Olivia Colman and Jason Flemyng.
The action begins with a marriage between high-flyer Nat (Rose Byrne / Bridesmaids) and struggling novelist Josh (Rafe Spall / Life of Pi).
As we can tell from the title, by the time 12 months are up, things might just be a whole lot different...
Which is where Josh’s ex-girlfriend Chloe (Faris) and Nat’s handsome US client Guy (Simon Baker / The Mentalist) come in.
Because of its overly-familiar wedding theme – done to death only last year with the likes The Wedding Video and A Few Best Men – there is a cloud of déjà vu hanging over I Give It A Year from the off.
But this is a bit like the twin-track Grand National rollercoaster – there are times when it fairly rattles along.
Having a double story makes all the difference at the end and, most importantly, it will leave lots of couples feeling happier than when they went in.
My biggest gripe, apart from Merchant playing himself yet again, was the sound quality during a public test screening at Odeon Broadway Plaza, which made the screen feel distant and almost mono-like.
Experience tells me this was probably a one-off so I’ve added a fourth star for genre fans accordingly.
In Brum * * *
Cert U, 56 mins
Because of the demise of the Central Library, this could be the last season of the award-winning Birmingham International Film Society (www.birmingham-film.org) unless it can find a new home outside of the doomed Library Theatre.
Possibly in the new Library of Birmingham from September if only the rates are affordable, or potentially anywhere else: the Birmingham & Midland Institute’s excellent basement theatre springs to my mind (www.bmi.org.uk).
Certainly it would be a great shame to lose the chance to see feature films from all corners of the world and homegrown stories like this one.
It’s the directorial debut of Iban González, who lets eight native Spaniards talk about their lives in Britain’s second city.
On the face of it, this is a boring movie.
The subjects never move. Their words are subtitled.
Lots of the infrequent location shots are oddly framed so that half of the picture is of a foreground pavement.
But the final scenes of people smiling into the camera are marvellous in their simplicity, suggesting González has more talent than he’s letting on.
Moreover, the thoughts of his subjects are fascinating – especially as one even lives in a house where past residents include J. R. R. Tolkien. One woman thinks that Balsall Heath is... ‘a very alternative area, with plenty of artists but a bit poor’. A male contributor says: ‘In my opinion surrounding a church (St Martin’s) with futurism (The Bullring) kills the church, but it’s a reference point to meet up with friends’.
After letting the film sink in, the subjects’ scarcely-distinguished identities blur into the following homogenised conclusions that (a) Birmingham’s variety of food is much better than in Spain; (b) people dress how they want in order to be themselves; (c) drivers are more relaxed and (d) our buses are dirty.
In Brum is showing on Wednesday 13 from 6.15pm at Birmingham’s Library Theatre (£2.50 / £2) prior to the screening of a French/Italian film called Corpo Celeste (U) about a near-teenage girl preparing for her confirmation. Library Theatre details from 0121 303 4681.
