The Road - 2009 @ London Film Festival

As far as adaptations go The Road, directed by John Hillcoat (The Proposition), is about as faithful as you can get. But then Cormac McCarthy's book is not only very visual, it also affords any screenwriter very little need to reinterpret or even introduce new elements. In Viggo Mortensen you also have perhaps the only actor working today who can portray such a range of emotion, vulnerability and heart with just his eyes, or the wrinkling of his skin.

The Road is one of the finest films of the year. Everything from the cinematography to the score, to the costume and make up design to the performances and cameos from Charlize Theron, Robert Duvall and Guy Pierce are all note perfect. Hillcoat amazingly captures the bleak, apocalyptic future, and although the film offers a slightly more hopeful comclusion this is in no way an enjoyable film; instead it is one of the most profound and deeply moving explorations of one fathers love for his son, and the extreme lengths he will go to to ensure the future and safety of his ward.

The film can, however, become a bit one note at times with just Mortenson and Smit-McPhee on screen for such a long time. Scenes begin to feel a tad repeititive and so it is when the characters encounter other survivors that the film really scales the heights of brilliance. Duvall is superb, Theron is supportive, and her scenes help add to the mystery of of just what happened to cause this apocalypse, and even the scenes where our heroes encounter less than friendly foes on the road, from a stunningly brief cameo from Michael Kenneth Williams to the cannibals who trap victims in the basement.

Hillcoat, after the success of The Proposition, is perhaps best suited to this type of fatalistic, harsh reality and he along with cinematographer Javier Aguirresarobe use real locations such as New Orleans to capture the desolution of America, and the tones and hues of the imagery help to carry you through the bleak future these characters inhabit.

Another minor criticism is Hillcoat's avoidance of some of the books darker moments. The previously mentioned scene in which we discover a cellar occupied by malnourished prisoners, the meal tickets for those that live upstairs, is neither as horrifying or as explicit as it could have been and as such some of the emotional wallop of the film is lost.

Ultimately though this is a resounding success and for those who love the book, will tick almost every box. For those that haven't though, this film is dark, bleak and for the most part unflinching in its fatalistic portrait of a post apocalyptic America. The only heart coming from the drive and determination Mortensen's father has to protect and save his son.

Up 3D - 2009

The Pixar bandwagon continues apace with the latest effort Up, directed by Pete Doctor & Bob Peterson, sshowcasing yet more improvements in animation, and an adventurous, bold decision to include a OAP as the unlikely hero, Carl. The films opening is a belter. A montage which begins with a newsreel of explorer Charles Muntz, our hero's hero, before Carl, as a child, meets the love of his life Ellie. Through a heartwrenchingly simple yet beautiful 15 minute sequence we see their entire life and love; this rivals the opening act of Wall-E for more simblime piece of filmmaking Pixar has ever managed. Then comes the adventure for Carl, partnering him with young wilderneress adventurer Russell, as the two embark on a magical, fantastic journey to South America.

When Up begins it feels like the most ambitious and potentially dangerous example of Pixar's desire to be more than just children's animated fare, and Up also serves to highlight why all Pixar's competitors fall so short. This is mature, adult filmmaking of the highest order. Visual storytelling at its best, and every frame looks as good as any film ever made. There was another film which shares similar thematic and tonal points as Up, and as I was watching the film, transfixed by the endearing characters, I couldn't quite shake Clint Eastwood's recent Gran Torino out of my head. There too an aging, grumpy man takes a young Korean under his belt and together they form an unlikely friendship. Eastwood's film, trading on his reputation, ends with a more violent moment, but Up gives you more tension, suspense and downright fun. It is, quite clearly the better picture.

And yet, for everything that is brilliant about the film, there are still some elements which niggle. Despite its attempts at adult themes, and mature storytelling the film is never completely confident about abandoning its child audience and so we have talking dogs, a bright colourful sqawking bird and some scenes of utter childishness that you are left wonder if the projectionist hasn't accidently put on a reel of Ice Age 3 by mistake, so different in tone the second act feels from the first . Yet despite this the film is always funny, sometimes uncontrollably so. The film has more heart than 1oo shreks, and the visuals are so sumptuous it's impossible not to won over by the charm and style of Up.

The 3D also feels unintrusive yet integral to the narrative. Only Coraline thus far can claim to equal Up in that the 3D never distracts or throws you out of the story. Up is the only 3D film I have seen in which by the end I had completely forgotten the film was 3D, so immersed in the story and style.

Overall, Up feels like a slight step back from Wall-E and Ratatouille but the Pixar brand of near perfect animation doesn't look like slowing down, and with the more adult themes and tones Up is both ambitious and rewarding, if it can never fully commit being purely adult. By the films exhilarating climax you'll have forgotten all the little niggles which hinder the second act and realise Up is one of the freshest, most enjoyable and brilliant films of the year.

Oh What a Lovely War - 1969

As far as war satire goes, beyond MASH and Catch 22, there is very little to choose from. So when I watched Oh What a Lovely War, Richard Attenborough's directorial debut, I was more than pleasantly surprised by not only the catchy, hilarious musical tunes, but also the poignancy and emotional wallop of a film effectively taking pot shots at the Great War. Based on the stage musical, Attenborough effectively translates Oh What a Lovely War into a film whilst managing to maintain some of the unique elements which no doubt remained from the play. The opening scene for example sees kings, queens, archdukes etc coming together from across Europe to discuss the mounting possibility of Austria invading Persia. Ending with a group photograph which serves as the assassination of the Archduke which infamously started World War One. From there we experience the fours years of war, from a tear inducing Christmas day when both sides laid down their arms to come together on no-man's land right through to the bloody, massacres of the Somme, to the hilarious introduction of the Americans.

The film brilliantly uses songs, which were sung by soldiers during the conflict, fantastically taking existing well known melodies and replacing the old lyrics with bitingly satrical new lyrics.

Attenborough's direction is ambitious, extravagant and mercurial for a debut film and this may be one of the strongest first films in cinema history. It's not easy to juggle both humour and heart, but Attenborough never once falters in his handling of scenes which from instant to instant shift from comical to depressing. The futulity as well as the farce is never lost and the film never once shies away from showing not only the horror but the absudity of war.

A classic of British cinema, and one of the most unique, engaging and original war films ever made. On par with MASH for satrical commentary on the pointlessly of war. The film is also helped by one of the greatest British casts ever assembled with John Gielgud, Laurence Olivier, Maggie Smith, Michael Redgrave, Vanessa Redgrave, Ian Holm, Susannah York, John Mills and Dirk Bogarde.

I Know Where I'm Going - 1945

Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell are renowned for classics such as The Red Shoes, A Matter of Life and Death and Black Narcissus, yet from my experience every film they make offers not only a richly engaging film with enduring characters, but also a cinematic tour de force. And I Know Where I'm Going is no different. Starring Wendy Hiller as Joan Webster, the film hits the ground running in traditional Powell & Pressburger fashion with an inventive credit sequence which introduces us to Wendy as a child up to when we meet her as an adult. It perfectly sets up her character as driven, purposeful and willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants. Which is the marriage of her and Sir Robert Bellinger, a wealthy industrialist. Her desire to wed him takes her all the way to the Hebrides, before she can reach the island her beau is renting she becomes stranded on Port Erraig by gales and poor weather. There she meets Torquil MacNeil (Roger Livesay) who threatens to scupper her plans. What the film also does so well is tell this as a fish out of water tale. For Joan, he life has always been about striving to achieve, never stopping and living for the future. What she experiences in Tobermory is a slower pace of life, legend and history, but also a group of characters she can not easily dominate, like her family and friends back in the city.

I Know Where I'm Going is a witty, lovable romantic comedy with some excellent performances, notably Wedny Hiller, who I have never seen before, but found her captivating, engaging and utterly likeable.

The film manages to capture the environment of the coastal town, and you feel the wind and chill through Erwin Hillier's superb cinematography.

I Know Where I'm Going might not have the classic status of some of Powell and Pressburger's more famous films but it is visually as stunning and performed with equally brilliance.

A must for any fan of Powell & Pressburger who have yet to see this little gem.