Geek of Oz

A British drug lord tries to sell off his highly profitable empire to a dynasty of Oklahoma billionaires. The Gentlemen heralds Guy Ritchie's return to his well trodden tropes of fast-talking, well-tailored British gangsters and for me it worked to great effect. Your mileage may vary on Ritchie as a director, but you can’t deny that over the years he has cranked out some real bangers. Now let me be very clear, The Gentlemen is loosely based on the model which made his other gangster films successful. And when I say loosely based, it’s probably safer to say it’s the exact same model. The only real key difference is the pacing, which is considerably slower than his usual offerings. I admired the sense of restraint on display, for me it showed Ritchie’s growth as a storyteller. The quick editing and frantic action, has been replaced with a more methodical way or wandering through the narrative. For the most part, the film centres around street-savvy journo Fletcher...

In cinemas tomorrow is the newest Aardman film, The Pirates! Band of Misfits in 3D. "In The Pirates! Band of Misfits, Hugh Grant stars in his first animated role as the luxuriantly bearded Pirate Captain – a boundlessly enthusiastic, if somewhat less-than-successful, terror of the High Seas.  With a rag-tag crew at his side (Martin Freeman, Brendan Gleeson, Russell Tovey, and Ashley Jensen), and seemingly blind to the impossible odds stacked against him, the Captain has one dream: to beat his bitter rivals Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven) and Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek) to the much coveted Pirate Of The Year Award.  It’s a quest that takes our heroes from the shores of exotic Blood Island to the foggy streets of Victorian London.  Along the way they battle a diabolical queen (Imelda Staunton) and team up with a haplessly smitten young scientist (David Tennant), but never lose sight of what a pirate loves best: adventure!" Pedigree alone should be enough to piqu...