Colin Firth, Keira Knightley, Judi Dench, Kenneth Branagh: Stars in Shorts: Film Review 8:17 AM PDT 9/27/2012 by Frank Scheck (MY SAN ANTONIO)

Seven short movies of varying length and quality are being released theatrically by ShortsHD, the cable channel behind the annual “Oscar Nominated Short Films” presentations.

“Stars in Shorts” lives up to its title by offering the like of Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Jason Alexander, Keira Knightley, Lily Tomlin, Kenneth Branagh and Julia Stiles in films ranging from 8 to 25 minutes.

The best of the longer segments is “Steve,” a piece of Pinter light starring Firth as a passive-aggressive neighbor from hell who repeatedly turns up at the door of a bickering couple (Knightley and Tom Mison) to register a series of baseless complaints, which he tops off with an infuriated demand for tea and biscuits.


Branagh’s sinister side comes to the fore in “Prodigal,” a sci-fi tale about agents struggling for control over a girl with daunting psychic powers. This piece has the air of an old “Twilight Zone” episode.

“Friend Request Pending” is an amiable short with Dench as a mature woman comically tiptoeing her way into the world of online romance.

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Ciaran Hinds On For New Suspense thriller He's joining Eric Bana & Rebecca Hall 12 April 2012 | Written by James White | Source: Focus Features (EMPIRE)

Back in February, the first word broke about Boy A director John Crowley’s new, untitled suspense thriller, when it snagged the services of Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall in the lead roles. It still doesn’t have a final name, but the movie does at least now boast a supporting cast, with Ciaran Hinds, Riz Ahmed, Kenneth Cranham, Jim Broadbent, Anne-Marie Duff and Julia Stiles all on board.

 The script is by Eastern Promises writer Steve Knight (which gives us high hopes for its quality), and the plot finds Hall and Bana as legal eagles who also happen to be former lovers. They’ve largely steered clear of each other, but when they're paired as part of the defence team on a high-profile terrorism case, loyalties are tested and nerves are set on edge as their lives are put at risk. We’re going to guess that barrister's wigs are disturbed, but that’s entirely speculation at this point.

READ MORE:  http://www.empireonline.com/news/story.asp?NID=33641