Twenty-two year-old Shania Edwards (Lenora Crichlow) seems like a regular girl from a London council estate, but she possesses raw talent as a sprinter that sets her apart from other girls. She qualifies for the World Championships in the 200 metres, narrowly beating her archrival Lisa Temple (Lily James).
Shania’s coach, Brian (Phil Davis) is elated and as a bonus, Shania is asked to join the relay team by coach Tommy Southern (Noel Clarke). She joins veteran sprinter and all-round live-wire Trix Warren, the charismatic Belle Newman, privileged rich kid Lisa Temple and reserves Sarah and Rachel. Carl (Bradley James), the attractive team physiotherapist, is the icing on the cake as far as Shania is concerned, and the two strike up an instant friendship.
Lisa is livid at having her sprint rival on the relay team and the two girls become even more fiercely competitive with each other. Shania soon has the wind taken out of her flirty sails when Trix and Belle warn her that staff (Carl) and athletes fraternizing is strictly off-limits and to be on her guard for Lisa who has had a crush on Carl for years!
Nothing’s ever as it appears on the surface and Lisa is secretly struggling with the immense pressure her former Olympic gold medalist father David (Rupert Graves) is putting on her.
When all the girls are at a corporate sponsorship event, unused to the glitz and glamour, Shania covers her insecurity by getting drunk and soon finds herself in a screaming match with Lisa, who she accuses of being a ‘daddy’s girl’. Embarrassed and depressed, Shania returns home to find her sister Tara and Daze her on/off boyfriend hosting a massive party. She joins in, oblivious to the consequences…
The following morning the team travel to Barcelona for a vitally important championships and Shania is badly hung-over. The first race goes very badly and then Shania misses a vital changeover in relay, causing the team to lose the race. Shania is faced with angry admonishments and she quits.
Shania returns to London to find Tara and Daze gone, and her flat trashed. With her home life in tatters, she decides she must focus entirely on her training.
Meanwhile, Lisa is sorely disappointed that her team lost, but her mother, Ellie, who is estranged from Lisa’s father, tries to convince Lisa that her father won’t reject her if she fails to become a championship athlete. Deep down, neither of them truly believes it.
During a physio session Shania confides in Carl and they end up kissing. Belle walks in at the crucial moment but promises not to tell anyone.
Belle invites Shania for a girlie night out and Shania finally emerges from her self-imposed seclusion, to rekindle her burgeoning friendships with her former teammates – even making some progress with Lisa!
Feeling renewed and stronger after the bonding session with the girls, Shania buckles down into serious training mode. She’s wants a medal.
The date for the World Championships is growing closer and the teams move into the Athlete’s Village for intensive last minute training. In the 200 metre final, neither Lisa nor Shania win medals. Lisa is particularly devastated as she sees the disapproval and disappointment on her father’s face. Shania sees Carl comforting Lisa and storms off.
Trix succumbs to injury during her race, ruining her career and forcing her off the relay team, so Lisa reluctantly agrees they should ask Shania to take Trix’s place. They miss out on a place in the heat because of a slow change-over between Lisa and Shania, who have an out and out brawl on the track following the race. However, the team in third place are disqualified and Great Britain move into the next round.
Upon David Temple’s insistence, Shania is dropped from the team for throwing the first punch at Lisa. Carl convinces Shania to stay, train, resolve the situation and fight to run in the relay. Surprisingly, Lisa agrees and after she and Shania master their changeover in training, she confronts her father and demands that Shania be put back on the team.
Shania re-joins the Fast Girls and their chance for glory arrives - the changeover is perfect and the girls run home to victory and finally triumph over adversity.
Classification 12
The Dark Knight Rises - The return of Batman
Warner Bros. Pictures’ and Legendary Pictures’ “The Dark Knight Rises” is the epic conclusion to filmmaker Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.
It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act.
But everything will change with the arrival of a cunning cat burglar with a mysterious agenda. Far more dangerous, however, is the emergence of Bane, a masked terrorist whose ruthless plans for Gotham drive Bruce out of his self-imposed exile. But even if he dons the cape and cowl again, Batman may be no match for Bane.
Leading an all-star international cast, Oscar® winner Christian Bale (“The Fighter”) again plays the dual role of Bruce Wayne/Batman. “The Dark Knight Rises” also stars Anne Hathaway, as Selina Kyle; Tom Hardy, as Bane; Oscar® winner Marion Cotillard (“La Vie en Rose”), as Miranda Tate; and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, as John Blake.
Returning to the main cast, Oscar® winner Michael Caine (“The Cider House Rules”) plays Alfred; Gary Oldman is Commissioner Gordon; and Oscar® winner Morgan Freeman (“Million Dollar Baby”) reprises the role of Lucius Fox.
The screenplay is written by Jonathan Nolan and Christopher Nolan, story by Christopher Nolan & David S. Goyer. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Christopher Nolan and Charles Roven, who previously teamed on “Batman Begins” and the record-breaking blockbuster “The Dark Knight.” The executive producers are Benjamin Melniker, Michael E. Uslan, Kevin De La Noy and Thomas Tull, with Jordan Goldberg serving as co-producer. The film is based upon characters created by Bob Kane and published by DC Comics.
Behind the scenes, “The Dark Knight Rises” reunites the director with several of his longtime collaborators, all of whom worked together on the “The Dark Knight.” The creative team includes director of photography Wally Pfister, who recently won an Oscar® for his work on Nolan’s “Inception”; production designers Nathan Crowley and Kevin Kavanaugh; editor Lee Smith; and Oscar®-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (“Topsy-Turvy”). In addition, Paul Franklin and Chris Corbould, who both won Oscars® for the effects in “Inception,” supervised the visual and special effects, respectively. The music is composed by Oscar® winner Hans Zimmer (“The Lion King”).
In helming the film, Christopher Nolan utilized IMAX® cameras even more extensively than he did on “The Dark Knight,” which had marked the first time ever that a major feature film was even partially shot with the large-format cameras.
“The Dark Knight Rises” will be presented on 70-millimeter film in 102 IMAX 15/70mm locations worldwide. Christopher Nolan stated, “Having shot almost half the picture with large-format IMAX film cameras, it is very important to me that we show ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ in the IMAX film format wherever possible. Audiences everywhere should be assured that every presentation of the film will be of the highest standard—having benefited from the clarity and depth IMAX cameras offer. However, these 102 screens will showcase the original IMAX film photography in its optimum form, and I hope anyone who has an opportunity to experience the film in these theatres will seek it out.”
Classification PG
Films are released by KRS