Combining auteur filmmaking Terence Malick with powerhouse performers Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett and Natalie Portman should, in theory, have resulted in cinematic fireworks. Instead, Knight of Cups is a damp squib, its arresting visuals an artistic smokescreen for a barely-there narrative that is unoriginal, insipid and downright alarming in its treatment of women.
Frieda Pinto
Slumdog Millionaire (DVD)
If I were a rich man…
That Danny Boyle’s Slumdog Millionaire swept the board at this year’s Academy Awards – winning eight statues including Best Film and Best Director – can come as absolutely no surprise to anyone what has watched it. For his is a masterpiece, the perfect mix of comedy and drama, love story and thriller to make it enjoyable, thought-provoking and endlessly watchable.