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At last I make the time to go and see The Kids Are All Right, a film with all sorts of praise that I somehow knew very little about. Admittedly I saw it a week ago and have somehow managed not to review it, because it’s hard for some reason.

It is well written, directed and acted. Annette Bening and Julianne Moore make a great natural couple and Josh Hutcherson and Mia Wasikowska are just as good as their well adjusted but curious children. Mark Ruffalo makes a wonderful idiot, filled with good intention but no real sense of responsibility.

The film is very funny for the most part but not afraid to pack the emotional punch as the drama starts to flow in a nice, understated way.

Somehow The Kids Are All Right felt like a very tactile experience, everything had texture and lacked too much gloss and glamour. Certainly worth a watch though it is a nice surprise to see Oscar buzz around a more low-key film.

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At last we make it to Friday and the last of these endless posts. The climax of the week brings just one film on general release, and it’s a magical juggernaut.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part I
Harry Potter skips school to find the deathly hallows, and the horcruxes. And at some point the film just ends and we have to wait for the next film to find out if it all turns out OK. Rumour has it Emma Watson can act now and isn’t so eyebrow crazy.

Broken Sun (limited release)
Set in 1944 this film about a WWI veteran features absolutely no wizards. Boo!

Chico & Rita (limited release)
One is a singer, the other a pianist and both are in Cuba in 1948. Neither are battling Voldemort. Boring!

Dream Home (limited release)
It sounds like someone kills their future neighbours to ensure the purchase of a house doesn’t fall through. Chinese and sounds like gory fun. Could do with more Cho Chang.

Fathers of Girls (limited release)
A story about the love between a father and his daughter. I’d rather watch the story of the love between an owl and it’s owner.

Peeping Tom (limited release)
The classic film about a man who films his murders has been remastered and re-released. Guaranteed to have more murder and prostitutes than Potter, but much less butterbeer.

Robinson in Ruins (limited release)
A documentary(?) following a muggle as they travel around the south of England.

Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (limited release)
It won big at Cannes but has received mixed reviews since then. Sounds a pretty painful watch and does not star Emma Watson.

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Another one! What is going on this week?

Silent Army (limited release)
“Child soldiers in Africa are at the fore in this tale of a white restaurant owner in an African town bordering a conflict zone. When his son’s African friend Abu is abducted, he sets out to find the boy, and walks right into a training camp exploiting children like Abu.” Or a Dutch film with bad review that has had about 20 minutes cut from it before being released internationally. Think I’ll pass.

When I first watched the trailer for The Highness below I couldn’t decide whether it was amazing or awful. On reflection I am going with amazing.

Watch it below for busty Deschanel, leggy Portman and Franco and McBride being generally filthy. It’s a fantasy comedy, like The Princess Bride but all dirty. I know there’s no way I won’t be watching in April.

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It’s still not Harry Potter!

Adrift (limited release)
Not about anyone who has been left behind by their boat but rather a foreign film starring Camilla Belle and Vincent Cassel about a teenage girl undergoing a sexual awakening as she discovers her fathers infidelities. Sounds arty and sexy enough for everyone.