REVIEW: GET ON UP

4/5

Funk Me!

139 Minutes. Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Nelsan Ellis, Dan Aykroyd, Lennie James, Craig Robinson, Jill Scott, Aloe Blacc, Viola Davis & Octavia Spencer. Director: Tate Taylor.

Get the funk up on this! They say this is a mans world, but right now it would be nothing, NOTHING without a Chadwick Boseman. After knocking it out the park, playing Brooklyn Dodgers legend and first professional, African-American baseball player Jackie Robinson in '42' this kid has made history. Now he's standing next to the likes of Robert Downey Jnr and Chris Evans and receiving scripts from Marvel, as he's beaten out the legendary likes of Denzel Washington to play the 'Black Panther' in his own movie and the highly anticipated Iron Man and Steve Rodgers face off in 'Captain America-Civil War'. The talented Anthony Mackie and his Falcon better watch out! There's a new soaring talent, swooping into town. Academy Award acclaimed Jamie Foxx be warned too. The impressionist star of 'Ali', 'Ray' and 'Redemption' may be rumoured to play everyone from Martin Luther King Jnr to Mike Tyson, but there's a new heavy hitter, biopic king in the ring ready to make that Oscar speech. He should have made the Academy home-run, purely off the one scene where he shows "the guts not to fight back" and breaks down along with a bat in a tunnel after hearing the worst racial abuse you've seen since '12 Years A Slave'. Still maybe its his time on the stage now with a biopic that walks the line with the Johnny Cash and Ray Charles ones, besting them all, even Clint Eastwood's 'Jersey Boys' this year. Papas got a brand new bag...and boy you're going to love it.

Chadwick Boseman is James Brown. No, really! Brown...James Brown! You see Brown, not the actor Boseman. Talking to the camera like 'The Wolf Of Wall Street', from the hair sprayed, legendary fade to the footwork of a funk genius. All the way to those screaming splits. Its a shame too, because you should really see just how great an actor this kid himself really is, if you weren't so distracted by how Jamie in 'Ray' uncanny it really is. Dynamite, superbad this performance is explosive. The walk, the talk, the dancing, the singing. It's all down like it was in this boys nature. He performs on stage in concert with this guys portrayal so well they may even give this guy an album deal like Terrence Howard's 'Hustle & Flow'. At least let Matthew McConaughey give him the 2015 Oscar. What did the 'Dallas Buyers Club' star say in his speech? "I didn't see a false note anywhere". Well alright, alright, alright! In harmony with the Godfather of Soul and mastering melody of chameleonic characterization, this is the best success since James Brown changed the face and feel of music. Chadwick even struggles and ages with him, through the unforgiving years and tears perfectly for a complete performance of a complex character. Every move, mannerism is to the set-list of this stats life script. From the explosive, epic Vietnam performance in the beginning (as a matter of fact the first act musical/action opening builds like a Sam Cooke/Will Smith crescendo for Michael Mann's classic and timelessly inspiring 'Ali') to his old hobbled swagger of age and out with the old school defiance, this man Boseman is responsible for making sure nothing can kill the funk. In another great year of movies after last years Oscar party there is no performance from this year more alive than this. Brad Pitt in 'Fury'? Jake Gyllenhaal in 'Nightcrawler'? Matthew McConaughey in 'Interstellar'? Just like Michael B. Jordan sitting next to all the top actors in a Hollywood roundtable for his 'Fruitvale Station' portrayal, Chadwick claims his place. Grounding every out of this world film with this years 'Gravity'.

With 'The Help' of Tate Taylor-a director no stranger to the Academy-this film and performance is a classic by any funk or film number. And by bringing some of his 'Help' stars into this music mix he has his own Lee Daniels 'The Butler' moment for a film that surely, cruelly shouldn't miss February too. After mothering Michael Jordan in 'Fruitvale Station', Octavia Spencer is on helpful hand and formidable form here as a guardian figure. Even in limited screen time she shines. Just like the always incredible Viola Davis, who as Brown's mother tormented by abuse and the alcohol she tries to wash it all down with, gives us a soulful, tortured performance. Again even with the spare change of an almost two and a half hour film she makes a play for the nomination. There's a complex cast of big names and unsung heroes here all making their notes from television to music. Even new Bernie Mac funny man Craig Robinson joins the band and shows more than his funny-side. Whilst from the 'Famous Flames' to the burn outs there is so much fire in this hot mess and mix. 'The Walking Deads' Lennie James is perfect as the opposite of that in character comes as a half-dead, neglectful father. But if the Oscar doesn't go to James Brown then it certainly should go to 'True Bloods' Nelsan Ellis as Bobby Byrd. A man and actor who defines the work 'Best Supporting' even when the lead defies. Ellis who has been making standout performances in musical biopics for years (see Jamie Foxx (again) in 'The Soloist') is two notes away from his own lead movie and spotlight moment. This picture of perfect portrayal truly has it all. Even adding the Godmother of modern day neo-soul Jill Scott to the matrimony side of the funk legend. Hey, even new soul star of the moment Aloe Blacc gets more of that dollar he's been needing. And if you need another legend, how about a real 'Blues Brother'? As Dan Aykroyd is as perfect here as the day he donned that suit, shades and hat. If that's not enough for you to rock and roll with then shine a light! Only Mick Jagger helped produce a movie about the papa that was already a Rolling Stone years before this kid would be loved by everyone, even those that hate the Beatles, whilst having magazines named after him. Still amongst all these big names and even the Godfather himself, the cover star here is Chadwick Boseman and heading towards his own trilogy this don is the man. The 'Black Panther' who changed the face of sport and music. For this man and his world it all feels so good. OWWWW! TIM DAVID HARVEY.

REVIEW: THE HUNGER GAMES-MOCKINGJAY PART 1.

3.5/5

The Hunger For More.

123 Minutes. Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright, Natalie Dormer, Sam Claflin, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland. Director: Francis Lawrence.

Full? Had enough yet? 'The Hunger Games' getting a little too greedy? Turning one book into two films and a trilogy into the new yearly 'Harry Potter' fall, blockbuster tradition, making you forget about the dawn of 'Twilight'. And lets not even talk about 'Divergent', let alone 'The Mortal Instruments'! Hey, if 'The Hobbit' can turn something that reads like a pamphlet in relation to the 'Lord Of The Rings' into a trilogy, the worlds biggest star, Jennifer Lawrence can do whatever the hell she likes and this Christmas, after 'Catching Fire' last fall this 'Mockingjay' is set to sing and beat Bilbo, ring or not. Put that on your Christmas list and keep the change you filthy animal. This is smoking hot! The fires not out yet. It rises like the end of a 'Dark Knight' trilogy and in this day and age of big threes, Jennifer Lawrence of the Academy is a two time Oscar nominee with one big win and franchise under her bow. Inbetween rewriting Suzanne Collins' playbook, J-Law has flipped the script on her own career. Going from big blockbuster hits to Oscar parties with Bradley Cooper. Hows a trilogy with Rocket the Racoon in her winning 'Silver Linings Playbook', last years nominated 'American Hustle' and this years 'Serena' for you? Now after a Summer season of scorching hot blockbusters that seems to have been dominated by Marvel their 'Guardians Of The Galaxy', Lawrence's own 'X-Men: Days Of Future Past', 'The Amazing Spider-Man 2' and 'Captain America-The Winter Soldier', these new 'Games' that begin the falls Winter, warmer blockbusters have already taken over the clunky, but money oil-rich 'Transformers: Age Of Extinction' as the highest grossing film of this year. Now that's a real monster like the 'Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes'. Smaug doesn't stand a chance against this arrow.

Bullseye! Lawrence hits the mark again and overcomes all the horrendous internet hatred (and people try to make big news out of why she won't log on to Twitter...you surprised?) that she had to cruelly suffer through via trolls and predators to stand above it all like her character does against the capital. And what character too! Even if her rebellion tries to manipulate her like a perfectly poised pawn in this political and sociological game of chess, her own inner resistance is anything but futile. Now as she fights tears, rage, bow and arrow, she torches everything she touches like her new Hawkeye arrow accessories. Legolas may have had us all like cupid last year but even he's going to clench up at this amazing, incendiary archery. Even after last years sequel and 'Hustle' that followed her 'Silver Linings' and original you would have thought the hottest actor of the moment and the legend of her already defining legacy had already had her best year. But with this, the dark drama 'Serena' and of course her scene stealing Mystique in this years 'X-Men' that was truly first class she truly makes a mainstream movie metamorphism into something none of us expected. Bringing even more emotion and acting acclaim to this episode of 'The Hunger Games' than her other Oscar worthy and worldly hits this Mockingjay truly spreads her wings. And forget whistling in allegiance because she sings on this note too. So much so that her song from this movie is already ready to hit the iTunes charts. Next they'll be screaming for an actor album like Scarlett Johannson, just like new sensation Lorde (the Jennifer Lawrence of the pop world) and her song of 'Hunger'. Lawrence of the directing Francis variety again catches his star (and no relation) on screen perfectly for a man who took the reigns of the sequel and shows its in safe, chariots of flames hands for the next two. Forget Keys, Katniss is the girl on fire.

Law isn't the only order to these 'Games' however. There's enough character here to split the next film into more easter eggs than a Sunday and Monday in late April can handle. Josh Hutcherson is back and extending his acting range again. Where even out of the games, he faces even harder challenges like his fellow opponent and love interest. It's clear this young actor is hungry for more. As is brother of 'Thor', Liam Hemsworth who has more on his acting plate with this one. Just like in the books this is where his character comes alive off the pages. And how about Katniss' significant 'other' support without the romance? Lenny Kravitz's Cinna may sadly be gone and no longer rocking with this one, but we can thank Jennifer Lawrence's muse like inspiration for his super 'Strut' album of September. Woody Harrellson is still here however, no longer holding the bar at 'Cheers' but playing it perfectly straight and sober. And even without all that dolled up make-up Elizabeth Banks shows us what she's really like and what she's really made of...and it's a prettier light than any picture of Max Factor could make-up. Stanley Tucci is also as dressed down as his character could possibly be for some stripped-down, on-screen, intimate interviews. This is no longer the show, it's the postgames analysis. Then of course there's the dearly departed, late, great Phillip Seymour Hoffman who comes in to his own in this one and it's so great to see the tragic genius having what looks like great fun here. You can't tell if it's his character or the actor constantly trying to suppress that smirk and that's the point. Add a grey-haired, 'Game Of Thrones'/'Lord Of The Rings' looking hybrid Julianne Moore to the resistance mix (and yes she's still age defying pretty even going grey) and more 'Thrones' and Hemsworth co-stars like Natalie Dormer of 'Captain America-The First Avenger' and 'Rush' fame then you have one stellar cast. All headed off by young and old greats alike, like the charming Sam Claflin and Donald Sutherland who as a master of acting with this character makes us all hate him. Now that's the mark of an actor to love. Just like the always perfectly peculiar Jeffrey Wright. Bond's Felix is now almost the Q to Katniss 007. This today however is the by the book franchise that ignites everything in its path, even if coloured in dense and charcoal pallets, for a torn texture of bombs dropping to more horror than a halloween movie and "Peacekeepers" patrolling more like 'Tron' like Stormtroopers. To kill a 'Mockingjay' you will have to bring more than fire. Like a magician hiding his ace in the hole hand until his final trick, you'll be glad this film was cut in half with a highly strung, sharp point. Ladies and gentlemen, chins up, smiles on! Let the final quarter of the games begin! TIM DAVID HARVEY.

FOCUS FUTURE FEATURE-Chadwick Boseman

Our new 'Focus Future Features' begins with a look at Chadwick Boseman.

This Mans World.

Good God! Who is this kid? He looks familiar, but trust me you aint seen anyone like him before. He kind of sounds like he's from Georgia, but he's Brooklyn to the bone. Not only does he act, whilst writing plays and scripts he also flips his own one to the letter. He's also pretty handy at baseball and singing. Get the funk out of here, you say right? But seriously this guy hits it out the park! And when he isn't doing all of this...well he's quite simply just saving the world as we know it.

Harrison Ford told this young man as he stepped up to the plate that he wanted him to show everybody that he had the guts to "NOT fight back"! Now the rest is history. Racial, sport, music, movie and personal history. After moonlighting on popular T.V. shows like 'E.R.' and 'Third Watch', whilst starring in football films, Chadwick Boseman had his 'Draft Day' last year with his spot in '42'. Playing legendary Brooklyn Dodgers baseball player and iconic figure in African-American history, Jackie Robinson, Boseman displayed more than just humble and honest grace and greatness in his first, full-length, first and foremost feature. One in particular scene where Boseman's Robinson takes out the vile racist abuse he's given verbally on the field, physically with a baseball bat onto a wall in the tunnel is acting at its most influential and inspired from the restrained tears and screams of rage. With this moneyball swing, he struck out at our hearts and showed us he was the man. Not just to play Robinson, but to be the new Jack actor in this Academy acting game and class.

Following that perfect performance, Chadwick worked his lips like chapstick, getting behind the microphone as he transcended the crossover entertainment industries. This new bag ready to make Papa proud showed us how to 'Get On Up' on a perfect portrayal of late, legendary soul singer James Brown. With Oscar whispering 'Best Actor', this gold standard could prove to be a better music biopic than 'Ray'. Your new character chameleon is here. Even Jamie Foxx who is set to play both Martin Luther King Jnr and Mike Tyson might want to worry. The new power player in brilliant biopics is here and his name is Boseman. From the funky style to the soulful swagger and trademark gravel drawl and signature singing voice, Bose' has Brown down from the Little Richard hair to the Elvis shoes. Just look at him ageing and reacting to letting a shotgun off. Good God indeed!

Playing off his own song sheet, you don't have to note this guy off as the future. He's right now. Now Marvel comics movie studio network of epic entertainment has picked him up. After their incredible year, headed off by 'Captain America-The Winter Soldier', the franchise known for finding new faces (see Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston) and knowing which rising stars shine brightest (like Anthony Mackie and Dane DeHaan) have made a play for your Jackie Robinson and James Brown. Joining Captain America's third outing and his 'Civil War' with Iron Man in this age after 'Ultron' will be the legendary Black Panther character of the cult comics. In a trilogy of superheroes and alongside, similar, soaring actor Anthony Mackie's Falcon, Boseman's Panther even has its claws in its own solo movie. Chadwick even beat out the legendary likes of 'The Equalizer', Denzel Washington for this role. Still to those thinking the sixty-something legend is too old anyway, perhaps they should see him play the Black Panthers father and original Panther...now that would be perfect. Purring away like the career of this young thirty-something stud, three huge films in and so much more to come. Like an acting machine, God almighty knows this big hitter is a superstar to marvel at. The pride of the panther is strong. It'll never fade to black. Feel good? TIM DAVID HARVEY.

SILVER LININGS COLUMN-Will Mr. Bond Be Expecting Waltz?

007 fans! Here's a stirred up rumour that will leave you shaken!

Remember when we talked about Channing Tatum joining 'The Hateful Eight' and wondering what a Tarantino Western would be without his old hand Christoph Waltz? Well it appears the two time, Q.T. Oscar winner will be busy with Daniel Craig instead. Waltz, who turned both 'Inglorious Basterds' and 'Django Unchained' into classics is set to sign on for 'Bond 24'. Now that's a bingo!

Bullseye! I bet Mr. Bond wasn't expecting that!

How do you go about beating a new 'Bourne', (the spy franchise that briefly took over Bond) now that Matt Damon is back as Jason? By hiring the ultimate nice guy/bad guy Waltz who surely will be playing the next James Bond villain. One who will be even better than 'No Country For Old Men's' Javier Bardem camping it up in 'Skyfall' and possibly as legendary as Jaws or 'Goldfinger'. As Bond takes a tango with 'Django's' Waltz, do we expect him to talk? No we expect Bond fans to die with excitement for this one.

Christoph's cunning charisma will make this next 007 a sure fire hit, knocking the living daylights out of the competition. Between 'Bourne' and 'Mission Impossible', Jeremy Renner certainly has his work cut out for him. You can currently catch the ever likable Waltz as a bad guy in the hilarious 'Horrible Bosses 2' sequel. But after all the fun and games soon this Western and World War II hunter will be given a license to kill. TIM DAVID HARVEY.

SILVER LININGS COLUMN-Jokes On Jared! Leto To Play The Joker?

Suicide! Career suicide. That's what you'll surely get when someone tries to follow up playing The Joker after the late, great Academy Award winning Heath Ledger.

Even he received his fair share of hate before the rampant Twitter age when he was originally announced to play The Joker. A Batman character that everyone thought belonged to Mr. Nicholson only. Turns out they didn't know Jack...or Heath for that matter. He changed the character, made it his own and rewrote comic-book history, legend and legacy. Still even though he'll always be the Joker-with fans wishing they saw more-one day his clown make-up will have to be donned again.

How about another 'Best Supporting Actor' for the role? Someone with 'American Psycho', Christian Bale experience. Just as people where getting used to Ben Affleck being the new Batman, its been reported that Jared Leto may be the new Joker. Why so serious? The 'Fight Club' star who only takes a hiatus off from his mega stardom 30 Seconds To Mars band every seven years to make real movies is an acclaimed actor. A man who just won the gold for a gaunt and great 'Dallas Buyers Club', while his 'Best Actor' co-star Matthew McConaughey has just collaborated with 'Dark Knight' director Christopher Nolan on his 'Interstellar' future. Leaving an actor with magic to his method about to hold all the cards.

Now how about a magic trick? After Jake Gyllenhaal's skinny on the next Oscar win with 'Nightcrawler', you would think the old 'Brokeback' buddy of Ledger whose sister Maggie was in 'The Dark Knight' alongside Heath would be perfect for the role. Still lookalike Leto may be the one to follow Ledger, especially with Ryan Gosling dropping out. Its just like Jared to take on something like this and show Hollywood what he's really made of, more than music. Coming with DC Comics' 'Justice League' of 'Batman vs Superman' and all the Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern and Aquaman assembling that will come with it to battle rival Marvel's Avengers, will be the 'Suicide Squad'. Forget Spider-Man's 'Sinister Six', this villain movie, directed by David Ayer of formidable, 'Fury' fame could be led by Jesse Eisenberg's Lex Luthor. While superstars Will Smith and Tom Hardy (wait a minute...hasn't he already played a D.C. villain?) have all signed on. If that wasn't enough, 'The Wolf Of Wall Street's' Margot Robbie has just been inked to play the Joker's girlfriend Harley Quinn, beating out supermodel Cara Delevinge.

If that isn't enough for Jared to sign on like a dog chasing cars then I don't know what is. He may have been originally lined up for Benedict Cumberbatch's 'Doctor Strange', but whatever doesn't cast him, will simply make him stranger. In honour of Heath, Leto's about to show you how he got these scars.

Meanwhile...

Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demian Bichir, Tim Roth, Michael Madsen and Bruce Dern. That ladies and gentlemen is your ‘Hateful Eight’. The new, ‘Django Unchained’, Western follow up from Quentin Tarantino that is set to blaze saddles in the wild Hollywood west when it hits town. With plenty of Q.T. and Western pedigree, from ‘Pulp Fiction’ to ‘Justified’ back in the saddle this looks set to be another classic from a dynamite, dynamic director with real true grit. A man who from ‘Jackie Brown’ to ‘Inglorious Basterds’ had owned this generations great films.

And then there’s Tatum…

Reports are surfacing that Tarantino is eyeing up Channing Tatum for a role in this new movie. The young star that reversed his rom-com beginnings like a Matthew McConaughey and now holds the keys to the hugely popular ’21 Jump Street’ and ’Magic Mike’ franchises is generating Oscar buzz with his new ‘Foxcatcher’ film. If that wasn’t enough he’s also wrestling with the hugely popular Marvel Gambit character. Playing his cards right for a new solo film and the forthcoming X-Men ‘Days Of Future Past’ epic follow up ‘Apocalypse’ the guy who ironically started out his young, adult life stripping now has a future looking more successful than a role in Vegas. They’re just throwing money at him.

If this man joins Quentin’s epic ensemble, he’ll further his super soaring, star stock. The charismatic talent has already shown his outlaw ways with a classic cameo in Johnny Depp’s ‘Public Enemies’ as Pretty Boy Flloyd and now the Hollywood heartthrob has a chance to show the movie world what he’s really made of. From his ‘Coach Carter’ beginnings to his latest, deeper, darker ‘Side Effects’. The scripts keep coming for the man who flipped his career one. So much so that the worlds greatest director on the form of his life is taken notice. The only question now is, ‘what’s a new Quentin Tarantino film without Christophe Waltz?

Or Tatum’s ‘White House Down’ co-star Jamie Foxx for that matter! We need a ‘Channing All Over Your Tatum’ remix.

(Thank you for reading our new #SilverLinings column feature that takes the original, working title name for our #FilmsForFridays blog)

REVIEW: INTERSTELLAR

4/5

NASA Flyers Club.

169 Minutes. Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Mackenzie Foy, Casey Affleck, John Lithgow, Topher Grace, Bill Irwin, David Gyasi, Wes Bentley & Michael Caine. Director: Christopher Nolan.

10. 'Gravity' has just been grounded! In 2014, your new 'Space Odyssey' and Houston rocket play for the Academy stars your 'Dallas Buyers Club' 'Best Actor' Matthew McConaughey. An astronaut on the classic 'The Wolf Of Wall Street' cameo and superb, small-screen 'True Detective' form of his life. Well, alright, alright, alright! 9. Armed with layers of 'Inception' inspiration, his old friend Michael Caine and a Dylan Thomas poem, British, 'Dark Knight' trilogy director Christopher Nolan doesn't go gentle into that good night as he rages and rages against the dying of the light. Filmed like it was made in the out of this movie world, changing eighties and set to the most sonically soaring, church stepped, organ offering, almost biblically epic score from the classic composer of cinema Hans Zimmer. As he tries to beat his best Batman and 'Prestige' moments in his and our fond filmographys, this is another 'Memento' to dark magic and magnificent movie making. Once the 'Warner Bros', 'Paramount' and 'Syncopy' post classifications come into identifying play you know the biggest film of the year is here. 8. With his screenwriting brother Johnathan, Nolan orbits around many issues from the time and tide of love to hate and life to death, with a running against the clock theme of the cruel but mankind nature of time. All whilst boldly and beautifully taking us more than out of this world...but out of this realm. In mesmerising for IMAX wormholes to black ones and planets and dimensions inbetween this film will do more than answer those conspiracy questions of whether we put a flag and a footprint on the moon. In this superhero age that this dynamic director helped coin with two-face realism, anything is possible in this generations Hollywood.

7. “We used to look up in the sky and wonder at our place in the stars, and now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt," states a sober and sombre McConaughey's Cooper character and in this day and quotations age its a line worthy of both the best Hollywood has to offer and the worst the world needs to learn. The easy going, mild-mannered, surfs up demeanour of McConaughey is now acting seriously towards sublime superstardom in this Oscar solar system. Brad Pitt's 'Fury' and the 'Nightcrawler' of Jake Gyllenhaal be warned. This Oscar gold is anything but a fools one. After the 'Lincoln Lawyer' likes of 'Killer Joe', 'Mud' and 'Magic Mike' brought him back to the 'A Time To Kill' and 'Amistad' amazing Academy accolades of this year, here's betting you didn't think it could get much better. Still in months time you'll be making room on your DVD shelf or Netflix account next to 'The Wolf Of Wall Street', 'Dallas Buyers Club' and 'True Detective' for this one. From a canvas Carhartt coat to a new age space suit, McConaughey engineers and pilots a perfect performance and picture. More than his distinctive drawl of soothing soundbites, this man has graduated from the Washington, Denzel school of facial expressive acting of moving mannerisms. Taking flight with his own mothership connection. 6. Matthew's not the only one touching heart strings, hairs on arms and shivers down spines though. Nolan lets the cat out of the bag again as Anne Hathaway follows proving everyone wrong like Heath Ledger in 'The Dark Knight Rises' as Selina Kyle, with another slick performance with substance. After singing her heart out for her last Oscars the leading lady shows she doesn't just need 'Les Misersbles' to cut her hair off and show real range of drama and depth. Write that one in your 'Princess Diaries' or 'How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days' guides.

5. She's not the only one still. After her 'Lawless' and 'Zero Dark Thirty' breakouts, Jessica Chastain brings a performance that is compelling as it is complex. An ever real and raw Casey Affleck and an epic, big name cast list of more family ties than you can shake a casting directors stick at brings everything and everyone together in tough tenderness, in a world on its knees in true grit, ashes to dust. How about '3rd Rock From The Sun's' John Lithgow back on planet Hollywood too? The last time we saw him apes where taking over. A grown up Topher Grace and the 'American Beauty' of Wes Bentley graduates to a whole new level. Whilst David Gyasi breaks out as the next perfectly peculiar Jeffrey Wright of this character acting game. Even clown and 'Sesame Street' voice Bill Irwin puts his vocals to an android that will have you dreaming of more than electric sheep and sarcasm at 95%. Then of course there's the legend that is Michael Caine. 4. But how about a young Mackenzie Foy rewriting Murphy's Law? This young star playing McConaughey's daughter Murph almost steals the whole show and for a film that features digital IMAX solar scapes through space and time, the best and most amazingly captivating scene in this whole epic, three hour picture is when McConaughey tells Mackenzie he's leaving her world for outer space. As McConaughey tears up, tears through and tells her, "I love you Murph...forever", if you're not thinking of your nearest and dearest kin at this moment with a heavy heart you might want to check your pulse. Especially as the emotions soar through the rising score, dust and rockets as McConaughey drives away to the counting down of launch control and the unaware running after of his heartbroken daughter. That ladies and gentleman is how you build and act transcending scene. Through all his cinematic wonders and this trek across the stars this Sci-Fi, comic book age wars through, this is Nolan's greatest human touch, straight to the earth of our emotional core. Its not just the space, time continuum. Its mankind's one. 3.2.1. We have lift of! GO! TIM DAVID HARVEY

REVIEW: NIGHTCRAWLER

4/5

Los Angeles Crimes.

117 Minutes. Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, Riz Ahmed & Bill Paxton. Director: Dan Gilroy.

Never in your 'Worlds Wildest Police Chases' could you imagine this! Even Sherriff John Bunnell has never seen anything this crazy! After seemingly been followed by stringers himself with 'Fury's' David Ayer and Michael Pena for the engrossing and evoking 'End Of Watch' as the LAPD, Jake Gyllenhaal is now tracking the sound of the blue and whites himself, in Oscar competition with his old friends. Ready for his Academy close-up, Gyllenhaal is the 'Nightcrawler'. X-Men fans rejoice at this 'First Class' performance. But don't get too excited about this marvellous movie role. This Halloween season Jake isn't painted in indigo, with yellow eyes and nails climbing up walls. But slimmed down to a gaunt, McConaughey Oscar 'Buyers Club' weight, this Hollywood heartthrob is seemingly teleporting across the Californian coast of Los Angeles neons, responding to major crimes and emergencies with his camcorder and selling his found footage to the highest news anchor bidder. Following a 'Source Code' matrix revolution of an acting future with his new meal-less method of acting this 'Nightcrawler' reaches DiCaprio hills territory, after almost unlocking the gold last year with Wolverine, Hugh Jackman for 'Prisoners'. Arguably 2013's best movie between 'The Place Beyond The Pines' and of course '12 Years A Slave'. Now in a 'Drive' classic thunderbird ride that fellow actor of type, Ryan Gosling would be jealous of and responding to a 'Collateral' of L.A. Times action, this Dan Gilroy picture takes inspirational cues from both of those Angelino classics. All whilst itself serving as a blood red, lipstick stained love letter to Los Angeles.

Aspiring cinematographers everywhere better not miss the opening credit montage whilst buying popcorn for their girlfriends. Because all the screensavers, postcards and travel guides couldn't capture the lonely look of a smog soaked Los Angeles in all its brittle beauty quite like this. In a mere cast-roll few seconds Gilroy confirms himself as a great and his direction across the rest of this City of Angels and devils picture portrait is formidably flawless and a rival to the 'Collateral', 'Drive' ruling crown. Still from the mansions on the hills to the skyline everything here is less than Jake. If you thought he was on the form of his life already since 'Love and Other Drugs' then wait until your heart beats to this performance of sinister substance. Creepily crawling around with a camera zoomed into blood and guts this is not a Halloween horror film...but it may as well be. Gyllenhaal is straight new 'American Psycho' scary, falling down like you've never seen him before. As darkly drawn out in his performance as his look, complete with a sinister streak of hair pulled back round his police scanner, pricked up ears at times he almost looks like his 'Brokeback' friend Heath Ledger's Joker. We now know who could do the honour of carrying the Batman mantle for his late, great companion. From shaking the morning mirror in the bathroom a little more crazily than we would all like to on our darkest day this is a raw reflection of inner demons setting freak-show free. A moment where alone in his apartment he laughs at the T.V. like he's watching it with someone epitomizes his loneliness and craziness. Armed with some seemingly sarcastic sayings that his character crackpot believe are as sane and straight as himself and issuing madcap manipulating threats like they where chocolate or ice cream choices, Jake has never been this horrendously horrible. Yet you can't help bit be drawn into his cruel charm and callous charisma for what is an amazingly loveable performance of the most abhorrent, unlikable man. Now that truly takes some doing...and no one does it better than Jake!

Behind the lens, Gyllenhaal isn't the only focus in this feature. Zoom into rookie partner in documenting crime Riz Ahmed and you have a new talent developing before our time at a shutter speed rate. There's also some veterans that have been on screen for decades bringing new developments to this bold broadcast. Rene Russo may have been moonlighting as mother of 'Thor' for a while now but in this L.A. noir dark world she illuminates like downtown. She hasn't looked this good in Los Angeles since she came downstairs wearing nothing but an oversized Lakers t-shirt in 'Get Shorty'. Gyllenhaal was obviously watching. Everyone's looking at Bill Paxton now too. Following his '2 Guns' hallmark bad guy rejuvenation, he's made a great, grand return. Just like in this years Tom Cruise 'Edge Of Tomorrow' where he drilled home his Sargent role with acclaimed authority. Here he ties everything together in a frayed bow as a veteran stringer. Every great cast deserves a powerful premise and this one delivers all the way to the jigsaw put together set pieces that are as full horsepower, turbo, throttle, car chase, bullet shot exciting as anything you've ever witnessed on screen, Hollywood or newsreel real. Your looking at an Oscar candidate film of the year on this report. If last years fall campaign for the Oscars was all about the inspiring struggle for survival from '12 Years' and 'Captain Phillips' to 'Gravity', this year is a dark depth and turn different. Last year was about real heroes. This year is about crazy psychos. There's even a police station exit homage to Keyser Sose that walks the walk for all you 'Usual Suspects'. From 'Gone Girl', to 'Serena' and even the 'Fury' of war, only Robert Downey Jnr's 'Judge' or an 'Interstellar' McConaughey can save us all from this brilliant bleakness. Still this years skinny on 'Best Actor' looks to belong to the weight of Gyllenhaal's performance. Come Oscar night he'll be crawling underneath everybody's skin. TIM DAVID HARVEY