Just For Lookin' Thru

Stylish, melodramatic story about the perils of desire, with elements of noir and dark humour. Harry (superbly played by Chris Cooper) is married to Pat (Patricia Clarkson) but his contented home life with her lacks romance. He falls for young, sweet Kay (Rachel McAdams) and decides that he will have to kill his wife to spare her the pain of him leaving. Cue an element of farce. Neither scheming nor worldly, McAdams’ femme fatale is an innocent, but she is still the prize that can drive a man to commit murder in order to claim her. Pierce Brosnan plays Harry’s deceptive, predatory male friend, out to steal the girl, and he narrates the voiceover as homage to 40s and 50s suspense movies. Deftly handled by Sachs, wonderfully shot, and beautifully styled in 1949 sepia tints, beiges and greys, post-war neat and tidy corporate America is a real treat. Period detail and accessories are spot on. Quality film-making, delightful intrigue and great fun, all in one package.

If you can stomach the soft porn indulged in for the first part of this film, it becomes an interesting examination of the Western fixation with the body, youth and sex. Focussing on decaying flesh and men’s attitudes towards ageing, it also gives charming insight into male friendship. Student Consuela (Penelope Cruz) has her kit off a lot so that her professor Kepesh (Ben Kingsley) can enjoy the pleasures of her fresh flesh, so we have to endure it too. The point laboured here is that she is youthful and beautiful, and her ageing lover feels very insecure about his maturity in comparison. The age gap doesn’t bother Consuela, however. The problem is all in Kepesh’s psyche. She loves him but he keeps her at an emotional distance whilst being possessive, jealous and neurotic about not being worthy. His certainty that the affair is doomed prevents him enjoying it, and seals their fate. He does have uncomplicated sex with a woman his own age (Patricia Clarkson) and this se

Enthralling documentary about young Frenchman Philippe Petit, whose breathtaking audacity gets Enthralling documentary about young Frenchman Philippe Petit, whose breathtaking audacity gets him arrested for the ‘artistic crime of the century.’ Man on Wire has a strong theme of destiny throughout. Magician and unicyclist, the teenage Philippe sees a magazine article about the building of the twin towers of the World Trace Center in New York. At that moment his life’s purpose is clear. Everything he does is focused upon this one aim: to wire walk between the two buildings, half a mile above ground level. As bold and daring as a bank raid, the team manages to get onto the top floor of the Twin Towers, ready for the attempt. Film maker James Marsh uses archive footage, photographs, interviews, recreations and graphics to conjure up a dizzying, exhilarating film. Refreshingly dismissive of rules, Philippe has no time or patience for limits and restrictions. Driven by his pa