Movie Monkeys

A Prophet (out 07 June 10, Cert. 18)

Tahar Rahim, Niels Arestrup, Adel Bencherif, Hichem Yacoubi, directed by Jacques Audiard, 2009, cert. 18

Monkey Score: 97%

19 year old Malik El-Djebena (Tahar Rahim) arrives at the prison where he's just been sent for 6 years without friends or connections, either inside or out. He can neither read nor write, is rather naive and one of the few inmates of North African descent on the cell block. He quickly gets targeted by the Corsican gang in charge, led by boss César Luciani (Niels Arestrup), who demand a hit in exchange for protection. The Corsicans give Malik a number of "missions" as he gains the gang leader's confidence. Malik learns fast, and is a cunning strategist, working his own agenda as he gets closer to release.

A Prophet has been hyped to death since bagging the coveted Palme D'Or at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Yet for once the hype falls short of reality, as there really is no way to do justice to such a momentous film in a few words. A Prophet works on just about every level. The top-notch performances serve a first-class script, with guts. The direction is clever enough to let the on-screen talent carry the story, infusing pace and purpose without interfering with the delivery. Director Jacques Audiard expertly uses the prison setting as backdrop to Malik's coming of age. As he progresses through the ranks of the Corsican gang the prison environment helps shape him up. He's a survivor with a conscience, but a survivor first and foremost, who quickly realises that he has been given a golden opportunity to learn on the job as a career criminal. Tahar Rahim turns a stellar performance portraying's Malik's inner struggle, sheer intelligence and absolute determination - as the student realises his potential. If his first lead role in A Prophet is anything to go by, we can't wait to see what else he can do. One can only hope that Hollywood won't attempt to remake this into a cliché-ridden piece of dribble, but the temptation of such a great story may be too much to resist. A Prophet effortlessly claims its place amongst the greatest gangster films of all time. Tahar Rahim manages a career-defining performance in what is essentially his first feature lead role.

Dr Who - Series 5, volume 1 (out 07 June 10, Cert. PG)

Matt Smith, Karen Gillan, written by Stephen Moffat, BBC, 2009, cert. PG

Episodes list: The Eleventh Hour, The Beast Below, Victory of the Daleks

MonkeyScore: 78%

New Doctor Matt Smith makes an entrance in The Eleventh Hour, taking over from the hugely popular David Tennant. Along the new Doctor comes his new Girl Friday, Amy Pond (Karen Gillan), and her loving but slightly clueless fiancé Rory (Arthur Darvill.)

The arrival of a new Doctor is always a big event, and after David Tennant's 4 seasons at the helm of the Tardis it was never going to be an easy pair of shoes to fill. 28-year-old Matt Smith seems undaunted by the prospect, and manages to create a slightly oddball and irreverent Doctor which is different enough from previous incarnations to stand his own. Volume 1 of the new series, contains the exciting hour long season opener, and reconnects with the Doctor's arch-enemies, the dreaded Daleks. Exterminate! A very enjoyable start to the reign of the 11th Doctor, with the welcome addition of The Monster Diaries - a featurette prroduced by the team behind BBC3's hugely popular Doctor Who Confidential series. Will help alleviate the wait for the new weekly episodes, and plug the hole once the new season ends. A promising debut in the mother of all iconic roles from Matt Smith.

A Single Man (out 07 June 10, Cert. 12)

Colin Firth, Matthew Goode, Nicholas Hoult, Julianne Moore, directed by Tom Ford, 2009, cert. 12

MonkeyScore: 91%

Los Angeles, 1962. English professor George Falconer (Colin Firth) struggles to get through the day. Jim (Matthew Goode), his partner of 16 years , passed away suddenly in a car accident a few months prior. With him went George's appetite for life, and the grief over the death of his great love is all consuming. Best friend Charly (Julianne Moore) seems unable to help him through this. Student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult) reaches out, worried that George may try something drastic.

Beautifully shot, A Single Man is a stunning directorial debut from fashion designer Tom Ford. Best known for his turning around couture house Gucci, this first foray behind the camera reveals that Ford's natural sense of aesthetics goes hand in hand with a gift for telling a story. He not only directed but he also produced and wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Christopher Isherwood. As a director he somehow manages to strike the most delicate balance: Ford allows plenty of space for leading man Colin Firth, while giving the audience the most intimate access to George's grief. Cast as the bereaved 52-year-old English professor Firth delivers a performance that showcases his immense talent: his George is all in subtle tones, whether struggling through the day or remembering life with Jim. The script demands an outstanding ability to express emotions without relying solely on words: Colin Firth's portrayal of George hits all the right notes with a brilliance that most deservedly gained him an Oscar nomination. In many ways Tom Ford's film is reminiscent of the photographs of William Eggleston. The camera is candid, capturing an ordinary day and ordinary people without getting in the way of the emotions. It is self-effacing, allowing light to bring out an almost ethereal quality to the images. The result is frame after frame of pure cinematic delight. A Single Man is a very exciting first step into film-making by Tom Ford. The result is elegant, subtle and easy on the eye, most like his fashion creations. Colin Firth's portrayal of George is nothing short of exceptional.

The Wolfman (out 07 June 10, Cert. 15)

Benicio Del Toro, Anthony Hopkins, Emily Blunt, Hugo Weaving, directed by Joe Johnston, 2010, cert. 12

MonkeyScore: 68%

Based on the 1941 horror classic, The Wolfman tells the tale of Lawrence Talbot (Benicio Del Toro) who comes back to the family dilapidated country house at the request of his brother's fiancée Gwen Conliffe (Emily Blunt.) He had not kept in touch with his father (Anthony Hopkins) since the death of his mother when he was a boy. As Talbot unveils the mystery of his brother's disappearance he discovers that the brute and insatiable beast picking out the villagers is a lot closer than he thinks.

A "re-imagining" of the 1941 Universal Pictures classic film The Wolf Man sees Benicio Del Toro struggling against the beast within and discovering a few family truths that may have been best kept quiet. This 2010 version looks great, with the creature expertly designed by multiple Oscar winner make-up artist Rick Baker (An American Werewold In London, The Grinch.) The atmosphere is very gothic, with loads of fog and a grey-blue palette that reinforces the air of mystery. The superb score from composer Danny Elfman also emphasises the Sleepy Hollow-esque feel. Unfortunately there ends the comparison: the characters and story in The Wolfman never really live up to their potential and one is found not really caring about their fate. The basics are covered as the creature transformation scenes are genuinely superb, and there is enough suspense during the full moon sequences to keep you jumping in your seat - but that is about it. There are good performances too, notably by Emily Blunt as the brother's fiancée / love interest and Hugo Weaving as the Scotland Yard inspector, but even acting heavy-weights Anthony Hopkins and Benicio Del Toro cannot make-up for the substance that isn't there. A new take on the 1941 classic with brilliant fx and a beautiful score, but not particularly exceptional otherwise.

Bad Boys (out 07 June 10, Cert. 15)

Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Tchéky Karyo, Téa Leoni, Joe Pantoliano, directed by Michael Bay, 1995 , cert. 15

MonkeyScore: 75%

Miami police officers Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) and Mike Lowery (Smith) are as tight as they are different, the family man and the swinging bachelor. Lowery asks his friend Maxine to keep an eye out for big spenders, hoping to get a lead on the crew that stole 100 million dollars worth of heroin from police headquarters. She gets killed by French drug baron Fouchet (Karyo), who unwittingly left a witness behind, Maxine's friend Julie (Leoni.) As Julie will only speak to Mike Lowery, whom she'd never met, Burnett pretends to be him to gain her confidence.

There was nothing subtle about Bad Boys in 1995, and this hasn't changed. It's silly and illogical throughout, and entertaining as hell, if you're in the mood for an old fashion, no holds barred action fest. As a Blu-Ray release there's everything you need to hit the right note: lavishly filmed action sequences, loads of explosions, a great villain, a dame to save - and more wise-cracks than you can shake a stick at from the Lawrence/Smith duo. Bad Boys exceeds expectation in all of these, providing you're not after subtlety. It may not be a "classic" but it certainly holds its own and stands the test of time - the soundtrack may be over its best before date, but other than that this Blu-Ray release doesn't expose unsightly signs of ageing. It's just one of those movies that you'll want to have handy on a shelf, for those evenings when you're in a Mike Lowery kind of mood.

Brothers (out 07 June 10, Cert. 15)

Tobey Maguire, Jake Gyllenhall, Natalie Portman, Clifton Collins Jr., Sam Shepard, directed by Jim Sheridan, 2009, cert. 15

MonkeyScore: 56%

Susanne Bier's Danish original, Brødre, gets a remake spearheaded by Irish director Jim Sheridan (My Left Foot, In The Name Of The Father) to take the harrowing tale to a wider audience. BROTHERS follows the trials and tribulations of a young man who must comfort his sister-in-law and her children when his brother disappears in Afghanistan.

Given the pedigree associated with this picture, we expected a great deal more than what was delivered. The original was a relentless emotional rollercoaster while this remake feels like a misaligned puzzle. Jake Gylenhaal pulls off a charismatic performance but we can't help to feel that Tobey 'Spiderman' Maguire is not the right man for the part. Not that he's bad, not at all, but we're not getting the chemistry between him and on-screen wife Natalie Portman. Which is an issue when the relationship is so central to the film. It's not a complete car-crash, and fans of the leads will enjoy the performances. Just be ready to wait being about two thirds in before anything of value starts happening. Brothers features a great turn from Gylenhaal, but other than that it lacks the emotional poignancy of the original it was based on.