Previous Week
Kings takes Long Island tea
It's a long way from the grimmer corners of north London to the Hamptons, but it seems the good burghers of that posh Long Island locale were still able to make sense of Tom Collins's excellent Kings, writes Donald Clarke .
Not Irish? Come into the parlour
Who hoo! Excellent! The US-Ireland Alliance, a non-profit organisation set up to foster ties between the US and the auld sod, has announced that James L Brooks, creator of The Simpsons, is to be honoured at the body's third annual pre-Oscars event, writes Donald Clarke .
Elizabeth: The Golden Age
If ever there was a film perfectly poised to spring towards a sequel it was Elizabeth. Nodding at certain visual juxtapositions in the final scenes of The Godfather, Shekhar Kapur's 1998 picture, grubbier than your typical historical epic, ended in the early years of the queen's reign with the Spanish Armada, the colonisation of America and the arrival of Shakespeare all before her, writes Donald Clarke .
In the Shadow of the Moon
One must, I suppose, reluctantly acknowledge that there is nothing formally innovative or structurally experimental in David Sington's documentary on the Apollo space programme, writes Donald Clarke .
Death at a Funeral
Some American reviewers of Frank Oz's diverting farce treated it as if it were some class of art film. It truly is astonishing the bewitching effect a few English accents and the odd rose-covered cottage can still have in the New World, writes Donald Clarke .
30 Days of Night
Horror movies long ago accustomed us to vampires snoozing away the daylight hours in their coffins while waiting for nightfall. The vampires in 30 Days of Night enjoy no such comforts, writes Michael Dwyer .
The Witnesses/Les Temoins
Structured in three chapters over changing seasons, The Witnesses opens in Paris in the summer of 1984 with the caption, "Happy Days", immediately prompting the suspicion that these won't last, writes Michael Dwyer .
Two at Play
Having absorbed the revolting news of Theo van Gogh's murder by Islamist militants in 2004, readers unfamiliar with the Dutch film-maker's work might expect Interview , Steve Buscemi's remake of a late van Gogh piece, to communicate in righteous, furious bellows, writes Donald Clarke .
The Brothers Solomon
One of the recurring themes in this year's movies has been unplanned pregnancies and the contrasting responses of the mothers-to-be, or not to be. We have had Waitress and Knocked Up , and international festival award-winners Juno and 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days are on the way, writes Michael Dwyer .
Need a lift?
As Die Hard 4.0 appears on DVD, Joe Griffin writes an appreciation of its most underrated character.
High points
Best franchise: Die Hard (1988) couldn't exist without Bruce's loyal sidekick helping him spy on the villains. Subsequent highs include the cramped shoot-out in Die Hard with a Vengeance and the terrorist-shafting moment in 4.0 .
Golden girl
Cate Blanchett is taking another bite of the royal cherry and returning to the part of England's Virgin Queen in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. The Australian actress also takes on the role of Bob Dylan in I'm Not There and an action hero in the new Indiana Jones movie. She tells Michael Dwyer how versatility is her middle name.
Long live the queen
Over 50 movies and TV series have featured Elizabeth I as a character and the list of women - and one man - who have played her is distinguished and diverse. They include some who, like Blanchett, have played her twice.
Oz you like it
Revered as the puppeteer pulling the strings on Sesame Street and the man behind cult legend Yoda, Frank Oz is also a successful grown-up film-maker. He tells Donald Clarke about his latest movie, Death at a Funeral. Ask him anything, just don't ask him what Miss Piggy makes of his latest flick
