War Horse is a sprawling war epic that’s so old-fashioned it belongs in a museum. Not only has director Steven Spielberg painstakingly recreated the look and feel of a classical picture of this scope, imbued with a heavy dose of mid-century British formalism, he’s essentially made a carbon copy of a David Lean movie. Such a nostalgic enterprise would be welcome if it told a story worth telling, with the strong, determined characters and bold cinematic brushstrokes of a Lean picture. Spielberg’s film does nothing of the sort — it’s a stodgy, ridiculous movie with a horse that simultaneously serves as an allegory for the bond that unites all mankind and a symbol of profound, idealized purity.

Pirate Radio is a perfectly balanced comedy with a brilliant cast. Hard to believe it’s only Richard Curtis’s second film as director.

We’re back on the gravy train, headed for a freesville, baby. That’s right, FSR’s elite team of covert operatives have returned with more sweet swag to give away to our most prized readers.

Focus Features has taken over domestic distribution of Richard Curtis’ pirate radio yarn The Boat That Rocked. Universal was planning a release for August 28th, but Focus has pushed it back until sometime in November. They also appear to want to make some cuts.

The last time Richard Curtis was directing, he was delivering Love, Actually, one of my favorite films of the past 5 years. And now he’s back with a film that, quite simply, appears to rock.