At the Movies

by Esther McCarthy

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STARS OUT TO STARE WITH GEORGE

Also opening this weekend...

ZANY: The loveable George ClooneyTHE loveable George Clooney indulges his fondness for all things zany with the oddly-titled comedy, THE MEN WHO STARE AT GOATS (15A).

The film stars Ewan McGregor as a reporter, Bob Wilton, who runs into Lyn Cassidy (Clooney), a shady character claiming to be part of an experimental US military unit. It's called the New Earth Army - a legion of so-called Warrior Monks who have psychic powers which give them several advantages over their enemies.

They can mind read, pass through solid objects and even kill a goat just by staring at it. But the founder of the controversial unit (Jeff Bridges) has gone missing, and Cassidy is on a mission to track him down.

Intrigued by the stories, Bob decides to tag along as Lyn goes searching for his boss. But things get even stranger when they come across a secret training camp run by a renegade psychic. The movie, which is based on Jon Ronson's novel of the same name, is showing at selected cinemas.

A CHRISTMAS CAROL (PG) sees Charles Dickens' classic tale being brought back to the big screen in animated form. Directed by Robert Zemeckis and featuring his 'performance capture' animation style (as seen in The Polar Express), the movie stars Jim Carrey in several roles including Ebeneezer Scrooge.

The film tells the traditional tale of how Scrooge begins his festive season with his usual miserly contempt, showing nothing but meanness to his clerk and his nephew.

But when the ghosts of Christmas past, present and yet to come take him on an eye-opening journey and reveal a few tough truths, Scrooge must learn that he has to undo years of ill will before it's too late.

Director Jane Campion tells the story of a passionate love affair involving the poet John Keats in her latest film, BRIGHT STAR (PG).

The romantic period drama focuses on the latter years of the famous poet (played by Ben Whishaw) and his love for the woman who became his muse, Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish). Bright Star is now showing at selected cinemas.

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