Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Based on the best-selling novels of Patrick O’Brian, and set during the Napoleonic Wars, this epic film (adapted and directed by Peter Weir) is the heart-stopping tale of “Lucky Jack” Aubrey (Russell Crowe), a Royal Navy captain given his first command of a British sailing vessel sent to battle.

He travels around the world with his friend and trusted advisor, Stephen Maturin (Paul Bettany, who played Crowe’s imaginary roommate in A Beautiful Mind), in an era when the open seas were the vast and wild setting for amazing adventures and high intrigue.

Sparked by a surprise attack from a French “super-frigate” known as the Acheron, Aubrey pits his crew against the much better armed and more ruthless privateer, and begins an awe-inspiring chase – hampered by typhoons, shipwrecks, murder and criminal insanity – from the coast of Brazil to the storm-tossed waters of Cape Horn, southwards through ice and snow, to the far side of the world.

A trio of noted Australian musicians – Iva Davies, Richard Tognetti and Christopher Gordon – composed the film’s score.

Elf

One Christmas Eve, a long time ago, a small baby at an orphanage crawls into Santa’s bag of toys, and accidentally ends up at Santa’s workshop in the North Pole.

Once there, he is raised to be an elf, but grows to be three sizes larger then everyone else. When it becomes clear to Buddy (Will Ferrell, Old School, Saturday Night Live) that he will never truly fit into the elf world, he sets off for New York City to find his real family.

But, on arrival, he finds himself as much an outsider as back in the North Pole. Despite the Christmas decorations and holiday-themed windows in the big department stores, practically everyone seems to have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas.

Through the disarmingly childlike character of Buddy, Elf depicts the triumph of innocence and joy over cynicism and fear, and gives the audience lots of laughs along the way.

Nicholas Nickleby

In this classic Charles Dickens tale, 19-year-old Nicholas Nickleby (Charlie Hunnam) is suddenly plunged into poverty when his father dies after losing his fortune. Nicholas, with his mother and sister Kate, find themselves at the mercy of their wealthy but wicked Uncle Ralph (played brilliantly by Christopher Plummer).

Nicholas is sent away to work as a teacher at Dotheboys Hall, a decrepit boarding school under the tyranny of an abusive headmaster Wackford Squeers (Jim Broadbent).

This production boasts a star-studded cast, with a cameo appearance by Dame Edna (Barry Humphries) as Mrs Crummles, the grande dame of a travelling theatre company.

The film’s co-producer Jeffrey Sharp says of this adaptation: “I felt the story was every bit as relevant to our world today as when it was written. Dickens was one of the foremost social commentators of his day… It uncovered many injustices in the way children were treated at the time. I also love Dickens’ theme of creating a family in the absence of one, which is what Nicholas does throughout his journey.”

Mystic River

A sombre murder mystery, directed by Clint Eastwood, Mystic River explores the interwoven stories of three childhood friends from the same blue-collar neighbourhood in Boston.

A shocking tragedy befalls the three boys, Jimmy (Sean Penn), Dave (Tim Robbins) and Sean (Kevin Bacon), breaking up their friendship and also shaping their future lives.

Twenty-five years later, the three find themselves thrust back together by another life-altering event – the murder of Jimmy’s 19-year-old daughter. Sean – now a cop – is assigned to the case and he and his partner (Laurence Fishburne) are charged with unravelling the seemingly senseless crime.

As the investigation tightens around these three friends, an ominous story unfolds.

“Murder mysteries are usually about solving the crime,” says Eastwood, “but in this case the story shows how, beyond the murder, all of the participants’ lives have been altered by the crime. One gets to see the impact a violent act has had, many years after the fact… They have all been traumatized by the past. All become damaged goods.”

The film is adapted from Dennis Lehane’s best-selling novel.

The Housekeeper

French cinema’s most lovable grouch, Jean-Pierre Bacri (The Taste of Others), plays a middle-aged bachelor living alone after being deserted by his wife Constance (Catherine Breillat, Romance).

Unable to keep his flat clean and tidy, he seeks a housekeeper. He hires Laura (Emilie Dequenne, Rosetta), a beautiful girl in her twenties, but soon discovers that she has never done a day’s housework in her life.

Her presence, however, adds a joyful spark to his bleak life and reawakens feelings that Jacques thought were beyond revival.

The Housekeeper (Une Femme de Ménage) is a charming romantic comedy, tinged with sadness, about a lonely man’s midlife crisis.

Brilliantly crafted by award-winning French director, Claude Berri (Jean de Florette, Lucie Aubrac), this film is sheer artistry, with unforgettable depictions of romantic Paris, the French countryside and the glorious beaches of Normandy.

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Fed up with always playing second fiddle to Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck has decided to leave Warner Bros Studios for good.

He is helped on his way by the studio’s humour-impaired vice-president of comedy, Kate Houghton (Jenna Elfman), who fires him and has him “escorted” off the premises by WB security guard/aspiring stuntman DJ Drake (Brendan Fraser).

Suddenly a sidekick without a hero, Daffy decides to ally himself with DJ, whether he likes it or not.

DJ learns that his famous movie star father Damian Drake (Timothy Dalton) – known for playing suave international spies onscreen – is actually a suave international spy in real life and has been kidnapped by the sinister boss (Steve Martin) of the Acme Corporation.

All is set for mayhem and madcap adventure as Daffy and other popular Looney Tunes characters (with some human help along the way) attempt to save the world from the clutches of the evil Acme stooges.

Special movie offer

For your chance to win one of our double-passes to Elf or Looney Tunes, put your details on the back of an envelope and send it to Movie Comp, SA Police Journal (168). Conditions apply: Limit of one competition entry per person. Each entrant must indicate clearly preferred choice of movie.