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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 MARCH 2016 36 This Week IN CINEMAS TODAY St James Cavalier Valletta Tel. 21 223200 Bolshoi Ballet in Cinema – Spartacus 16:00 Embassy Cinemas Valletta Tel. 21 227436, 21 245818 Risen (12) 10:15, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:10 Kung Fu Panda 3 3D (U) 16:00, 18:20 Deadpool (15) 10:35, 13:30, 16:10, 18:30, 20:50 Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (U) 10:30, 14:00 Point Break (12) 20:50 Dirty Grandpa (18) 10:20, 14:00, 16:20, 18:35, 20:55 The Finest Hours 3D (12) 10:30, 13:30, 16:00, 18:30, 21:00 Zoolander 2 (12) 16:35, 18:50, 21:15 Eden Cinemas St Julian's Tel. 23 710400 Risen (12) 14:00, 16:15, 18:35, 21:15, 23:20 Deadpool (15) 14:05, 16:20, 18:50, 20:30, 21:10, 23:35 The Lobster (18) 20:50 Zoolander 2 (15) 14:00, 16:30, 18:40, 21:00 Point Break (12) 14:05, 16:30, 18:50, 21:10, 23:35 Dirty Grandpa (18) 14:05, 16:15, 18:30, 20:45, 23:00 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (12) 14:15, 18:00, 21:00 A Bigger Splash (15) 18:15 The Finest Hours (12) 14:30, 18:10, 20:50, 23:30 Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (U) 14:05, 16:20, 18:30 Pride and Prejudice and Zom- bies (15) 14:10, 16:30, 18:50, 21:05, 23:25 The 5th Wave (12) 14:00, 20:50 The Revenant (15) 14:30, 20:50 Do Re Mi Fa (18) 14:00, 18:00 Triple 9 (15) 14:00, 16:25, 18:50, 21:15, 23:40 Empire Cinemas Bugibba Tel. 21 581787, 21 581909 The Finest Hours (12) 10:35, 13:30, 15:50, 18:20, 21:00 (3D) Zoolander 2 (12) 10:40, 13:35, 20:55 Dad's Army (PG) 21:00 Deadpool (15) 10:30, 13:20, 15:40, 18:05 Kung Fu Panda 3 3D (U) 15:50, 18:00 Dirty Grandpa (18) 11:05, 13:35, 16:00. 18:20, 20:50 Alvin and The Chipmunks: The Road Chip (U) 13:30, 15:45, 18:00 Risen (12) 10:45, 13:30, 16:00, 18:20, 20:45 Triple 9 (15) 10:50, 13:25, 16:00, 18:30, 21:05 CENSORSHIP is a highly irra- tional beast. If anyone were to pick up a copy of David J. Skal's The Monster Show (1995) – as I have, for reasons only tangen- tially unrelated to this review – they would likely be baffled, amused and even a little bit de- pressed at how horror cinema in particular – whose ascent Skal charts in his cult-favourite tome – drew some fairly crazy reac- tions from the authorities back in the day. As Hollywood became more and more of a cultural force to be reckoned with, the censors grew more and more nervous, working in tandem with the powers-that-be and concerned 'interest groups' to suppress everything in pop culture that gave vent to any form of anxiety and discomfort. Of course, the arrival of the likes of Dracula and Franken- stein on the scene make for ob- vious targets and/or scapegoats for the 'degenerating' nature of popular culture – monsters may address a complex mix of things, but they address it all on the surface. A more insidious – but ul- timately far more damaging – form of authoritarian impo- sition came in the form of the Hollywood Blacklist: a post-war hysteria which led to a witch hunt against communist sym- pathisers within the Hollywood ranks. Dalton Trumbo – origi- nally uncredited screenwriter for the likes of Roman Holiday and Spartacus – was arguably the most obvious martyr in this unfortunate chapter of Hol- lywood history. The year 1947 finds Trumbo as a proud mem- ber of Communist Party of the USA while also lapping up the spoils of being one of the indus- try's highest-paying screenwrit- ers. Blissfully comfortable with this apparently paradoxical ide- ological stance, Trumbo openly seeks to convert his fellow Hol- lywood colleagues to the com- munist cause – but he has to go through right-wing firebrands like John Wayne (David James Elliott) first, along with the poison-pen columnist and ag- gressive patriot Hedda Hooper (Helen Mirren). When the au- thorities decide to clamp down on Trumbo and his comrades – among them screenwriters Ar- len Hird (a composite character played by comedian Louis C.K.) and Ian McLellan Hunter (Alan Tudyk) as well as actor Edward G. Robinson (Michael Stuh- lbarg) – they place their faith in the fact that a liberal majority in the Senate will keep them out of jail. But with this majority peter- ing out at a crucial stage – and with Trumbo and his associates refusing to play the game during the seatings – our protagonist does end up facing the music. Freed after ten months, Trumbo is adamant to keep fighting the good fight… but he can't work under his name. Finding sneaky ways to game the system, the so- cial segregation brought about by his public imprisonment places a toll on the Trumbo family, with his wife Cleo (Di- ane Lane) and three children also suffering the burden of the blacklist. Working off a script by John McNamara (in turn based on a non-fictional account of Trum- bo's life by Bruce Cook), direc- tor Jay Roach certainly mines a deeper vein than some of the broader comedy on his CV – among them the Austin Powers movies – but still retains a light, zippy touch. This is a comedy first and foremost, albeit one with a political bite at its edges. Breaking Bad alumnus Bryan Cranston continues his cin- ematic winning streak – his turn as the mercurial Trumbo won him an Oscar nomination earlier this year – and as is of- ten the case, it's just a pleasure to see him go at it. While there have been complaints that his communist leanings are actually more sinister than the socially egalitarian picture presented by Roach, he works thoroughly as a protagonist in what is ultimately a well-rounded crowd-pleas- er that leavens its necessary schmaltz with some inspired wit. Belly laughs are in evidence too, though, largely thanks to the always-lovable John Good- man, who here steps in to por- tray a larger-than-life caricature of B-movie studio boss Frank King, who secretly ends up hiring Trumbo and his fellow blacklistees to crank out worka- ble scripts for admittedly crappy genre pictures in record speed. Goodman excels in a climac- tic scene where a stooge for the House of Un-American Activi- ties threatens to expose his un- dercover-commie-screenwriter cottage industry. As is probably the case for most of the film's highlights, the ensuing melee probably didn't happen – or at least, it didn't happen as pre- sented. But boy, is it satisfying. By Teodor Reljic Freedom fighter in celluloid ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ TRUMBO ★ ★ ★ ★ TROMBONE ★ ★ ★ HOMEGROWN ★ ★ BEMOAN ★ GALLSTONE FILM Poison pen: Helen Mirren and Bryan Cranston play rivals in this satisfying Hollywood blacklist comedy-drama TRUMBO (12) ★ ★ ★ ★