Movie reviews – English language films showing this week at Cinema Vox

PRECIOUS

Sixteen year-old Precious is obese, illiterate, physically and mentally abused, and pregnant (again) by her father. When an incident at school finally attracts attention, Precious grabs the lifeline offered by a teaching programme for problem girls.

Gabourey Sidibe's Precious maintains an impassive attitude, making all the more affecting the flashes of emotion she exposes when pushed (Push is the title of the novel the film is based on). Mo'Nique, better known as a stand-up comic, plays a mother so monstrous she'd fit into a horror film. In smaller roles, Mariah Carey gives a strong performance as the social worker who uncovers the truth about Precious' ‘home' life, and Lenny Kravitz charms as a compassionate nurse.

Even as this is a triumph for indie filmmaking from producer-turned-director Lee Daniels (Monster's Ball), rarely has one been so relieved to have an uplifting outcome. (UK 15)

NINE

1960s Italy: once-celebrated film director Guido Contini (Daniel Day-Lewis) struggles with the script for his comeback film. Looking for inspiration, he turns to his mistress (Penelope Cruz), his wife (Marion Cotillard), his muse (Nicole Kidman), his confidante (Judi Dench) and his childhood memories to solve his crisis, with unsuccessful yet well-sung results.

Director Rob Marshall (Chicago) returns to musical with Nine (a Tony award-winning musical based on Federico Fellini's Euro classic 8 ½) with a gorgeously evoked 1960's Rome and a stellar cast: Daniel Day-Lewis can sing, dance, and speak Italian; Kate Hudson is one hell of a dancer; Penelope Cruz can move in ways you wouldn't have thought decent in a musical; Judi Dench can pull off a good tune; Fergie (the Black Eyed Peas) absolutely nails the musical's one guaranteed foot stomper, Be Italian; and Nicole Kidman can sing - but we already knew that (UK 15).

A SINGLE MAN

Based on Christopher Isherwood's 1964 novel set in LA, ex-pat college professor George Falconer (Colin Firth) is haunted by the death of Jim (Matthew Goode), his soul mate of 16 years, in a car crash. Over the course of one day, he listens to his colleagues' banter about the Cuban Missile Crisis, gets drunk with old friend Charley (Julianne Moore), and receives advances from a student — all the while fastidiously planning his own death.

A Single Man is directed by fashion designer Tom Ford, the saviour of Gucci, but whatever preconceptions a fashionista-turned-film-director might inspire (he does get 1960's Los Angeles style down-pat) Ford's directorial debut, anchored by a career-best Colin Firth performance, is a thoughtful and deeply moving film experience about a man who goes to pieces and then discovers there's beauty in life precisely because he has given up on it. (UK 12A)

SHUTTER ISLAND

1954: US Marshal Teddy Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) travels to an offshore asylum for the criminally insane to investigate the mysterious disappearance of a murderess from her cell, but he also wants to confront an imprisoned arsonist he believes was responsible for the death of his wife. Once there, Daniels comes to believe that psychologists Cawley (Ben Kingsley) and Naehring (Max von Sydow) are involved in unethical experiments. The story of criminal investigation turns in on itself as our hero suffers contradictory flashbacks and drug-induced hallucinations.

Shutter Island is the nearest thing to a horror film Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Raging Bull) has made since Cape Fear. Based on Dennis Lehane's novel, it has one of those tricky plots that keeps pulling the rug out from under the hero and with Scorsese's masterful direction, it's engaging Film Noir mystery combined with gothic melodrama. (UK 15)