PICK OF THE WEEK

I'M NOT THERE (*****)

Dir: Todd Haynes
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale, Richard Gere.

With the likes of Ray! and Walk The Line Hollywood has rediscovered the classic music biopic, satisfying simplified stories that map artists' lives. Those expecting anything similar in this 'biography” of Bob Dylan are likely to be sorely bemused - Todd Haynes has torn up the map to create something unique.

It was quite obvious that things would be different from the moment Haynes announced that six separate actors would be playing Bob Dylan, including a woman and a young black boy. The general reaction was 'What the …?” But he has succeeded in making a film unlike any other, at once baffling and fascinating and one that continues to grow and become richer on second and even third viewing.

I'm Not There is a psychological portrait of Dylan, almost a companion piece to Martin Scorsese's brilliant documentary No Direction Home except that – with the final section, the Richard Gere Dylan – he moves into the aftermath of the explosive 1966 tour which was Scorsese's focus.

Each actor, none of whom plays a character called 'Bob Dylan”, represents a different side of Dylan's character, from Marcus Carl Franklin as the naïve Bob struggling to find his own voice (hence, one assumes, the use of a black actor), to Gere's troubled cowboy embodying the Dylan of Basement Tapes and his retreat into the weird world of lost Americana after the '66 tour. They're all good, with the standout obviously being Blanchett's remarkable turn as the 'electric” Dylan.

This is a wonderful jigsaw puzzle of a movie, possibly incomprehensible to those who've never heard of Dylan, but packed with astounding music, beautiful visuals and not a little humour. Bob fans will luxuriate in the constant references to famous pictures and moments but even those only lightly acquainted with Dylan may want to dip their toes into I'm Not There's delicious weirdness.

Cassandra's Dream (**)

I'm a big and long-term Woody Allen fan. I love many of his movies and even with the slight and patchier output of the past decade I have found things to enjoy in all his films. That is until Cassandra's Dream (**). The third of Woody's 'London Films” this stars Colin Farrell and Ewen McGregor as two somewhat hopeless siblings who have their money worries alleviated when rich uncle Tom Wilkinson offers them a pile of dosh. If they kill someone.

Sadly, nothing in this synopsis reveals how bad the film is. The leads' dubious London accents not withstanding, the filming style looks like an amateur film school job, the plot limps along slowly and the ending is completely botched. Worse, there isn't a single memorable line of dialogue in the whole damn thing. In fact, there's no indication that this is in any way a Woody Allen film.

.45 (***)

Purports to be a revenge thriller and it sort of is. Milla Jovovich is in an unstable relationship with her violent gun-selling partner. They share a love of guns and sex. When he crosses the abuse line she gets her own back. That's it really, but the revenge takes only a small amount of time and most of the film is actually a rather imaginative look at their relationship and that of various other low-lifes. Which is fairly entertaining, if you can stand a bit of sex and violence.

The Last Winter (**)

Eco-horror is front and centre in The Last Winter, a topical tale since it involves oil drilling in Alaska. A small crew are set up to do just that when Strange Things start occurring. Unfortunately, after a good set up, absolutely nothing much happens aside from some astonishingly bad computer effects.

I Am Omega (*)

And from the cheap direct-to-DVD bin comes I Am Omega. The Omega Man (1968) was remade as I Am Legend (2007) and now Mark Dacascos is the man alone fighting off legions of mutated extras. It's awful. Other films in this recent rip-off craze – none of which I plan to watch or review – include Transmorphers and Snakes on a Train. No prizes for guessing their respective source materials…