Unconvincing

Long-term readers know the drill: it's London Film Festival time, so posts become intermittent for a couple of weeks and, when they do appear, they're normally about some crappy film that no-one else wants to see.

First up: Conviction.

"Starring" Hilary Swank, this is like Erin Brockovich but with all the things that made that film good leached out of it.

Conviction has a bunch of utterly unsympathetic characters shouting at each other, while Hilary Swank does her famous impression of a wooden hatstand. Even Sam Rockwell, usually a fine actor, can't make any of this old poo stand up.

Erin Brockovich had Albert Finney as the wise old lawyer; Conviction has, er, Peter Gallagher, hot from his gig on The OC.

Set in Massachusetts, Minnie Driver (for it was she) gave us her best accent which just reminded me of Good Will Hunting -- and is it just me or does Hilary Swank look exactly like a female(ish), emaciated version of Matt Damon?

The London Film Festival is not off to a good start.