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Men In Black 3

It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.

Bel Ami

The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.

The Dictator

A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.

The Woman In Black

Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.

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Burlesque (Film)

by Annette Basile | January 10, 2011 11:07 | Edited January 10, 2011 11:09

While campy and clichéd, this is a surprisingly enjoyable piece of escapism with Christina Aguilera delivering an impressive turn in the lead role.

Funny when it's supposed to be but not quite as sexy as it'd like to be, Burlesque is a surprisingly enjoyable piece of escapism, especially if you go in braced for something shrill, showy and coated in Hollywood factory veneer.

 

It's a well-worn tale - the one about the small-town-girl-with-big-city-dreams - with Christina Aguilera cast as Ali, the dreamer. After ditching Iowa, she stumbles across the Burlesque Lounge on LA's Sunset Boulevard, a wonderfully atmospheric, old world club run by Tess (Cher) and under threat of closure. Ali befriends bartender and future romantic interest, Jack (Cam Gigandet from Twilight and Easy A), pushes her way into a job at the club, one day reveals her impressive pipes to the shocked staff... and you know exactly what happens next.

 

But the journey is a fun one, the music's well above average and Aguilera keeps her screeching to a minimum. In her first feature film, she douses the naysayers with a natural acting style and fine singing and dancing. It's Aguilera's show, but Cher also charms (all the talk about the Botox babe's facial immobility is true - she can move her enhanced lips, she can blink, but that's it).

 

In his smallish role as a gay stage manager, Stanley Tucci (Julie And Julia, The Devil Wears Prada) is a stand-out - camping it up just enough to put a sting into his delicious lines. Peter Gallagher drifts in and out, supplying little more than his name, yet he, like the rest of the supports, is convincing.

 

Sure, the master/apprentice relationship between Cher and Aguilera's characters could have been amped up and the skimpy storyline needed frills; yet there's heart, laughs and spirit here.

 

It's not for the cynical, but the well paced, unselfconsciously camp Burlesque does what's it is designed to do. It leaves you feeling good. It takes you some place else. It entertains.