Movies On The PCB Radar: November 2006

November 3rd:

Nothing. Not a single damned thing. You know why? Because Borat comes out today and nothing else bothered to challenge it as it's widely expected to be a huge smash. Well I fail to see the humour in the character and I think Sacha Baron Cohen is a fucking cunt, so I'll be giving this one a wide berth.

November 10th:

Ah ha! Now this is more like it. First up we have



I am very much looking forward to this. It opened in the States this weekend (sigh, the Limeys are so behind) to strong reviews and I hope strong box office too. It's a great cast, a mightily talented director and an intriguing plot. Not overly keen on the poster though.

Next up is



Which, if the trailer is anything to go by, we can file under C for Curiosity. It looks fundamentally odd and the fact that the Arbus estate withheld the rights to all her works doesn't exactly bode well. Still. Shainberg is the man who gave us Secretary and Downey Jr is never less than interesting to watch. I used to be the hugest advocate of Nicole Kidman but now I find her too distractingly thin and brittle to watch. I can't help but think this would have been a happier match of actress and material if Samantha Morton hadn't backed out.

And then there's



Anthony Minghella is back. After the relative disappointment of Cold Mountain (though I still loved it), he has shied away from adaptations in favour of writing directly for the screen. A tale of an architect whose chance encounter with a burglar at his office causes his love life to spin off its axis, this could end up being a strong contender for my film of the year. And I could watch Juliette Binoche in anything. She's absolutely glorious. Love her.

Finally this week, there's



Which couldn't be more British if it tried. A story about a teenager adapting to life at university, it stars James McAvoy who I have loved since Bright Young Things (it floors me every time I hear him use his real accent. He's SO Scottish and there's never a trace of it in his performances unless of course it's required). It also stars Dominic Cooper, so all the History Boys groupies will be fawning over this I don't doubt. Well back off, bitches. He's mine, remember?


November 17th:

Well it seems all the films were squeezed into that week because this week sees just one major movie release. But it's a doozy.



Oh. My. God. I am officially so very fucking excited. Daniel Craig has been a controversial choice for Bond (there are websites devoted to boycotting the movie and everything) but I think he'll be top notch. Anyone who saw Layer Cake will surely think the same. He can do suave and sophisticated while being rugged and gruff. Perfect. He is also a fine actor, a higher caliber than a lot of his predecessors (please note I said "a lot" and not "all" so the Connery fans can pipe down at the back). A Bond film is always a reason for PCB to get happy and this promises to be a cut above. Joy.

November 24th:

Presumably expecting the Casino to be Royale for a little while, the final weekend in November only sees one noteworthy release. But it's another that has PCB all in a tizzy.



Yes, really. I just think it's going to be wonderful. The story of a girl in Franco era Spain retreating into her imaginary world doesn't sound that wonderful. But this is from the man who gave us The Devil's Backbone and HellBoy, so if anyone can pull it off, he can. Oh, Santa Clause 3 also opens, but like I give a shit, right?