Episode 8: I'm Not There, I Am Legend and Paranoid Park

Hello and welcome to a post-festive slice of cinematic goodness as I take a look at the Boxing Day releases vying for your post-Christmas pound. On today's show, Todd Haynes introduces us to the many faces of Bob Dylan, Will Smith is the last man alive and Gus Van Sant gets down with the skate-kids.

The last time director Todd Haynes tackled a real-life musical icon as the subject for a film was back in 1987, when he documented the tragic life of Karen Carpenter through Barbie dolls in the notorious, little-seen Superstar. His latest film is I'm Not There, a less controversial but no less unusual study of some croaky-voiced folk singer called Bob Dylan.

The novelty here is that instead of presenting a straight biopic with one actor, Haynes has no fewer than six people playing Dylan in the various stages of his life. There's Christian Bale hanging out in Greenwich village, Heath Ledger as the folk superstar with woman troubles and Richard Gere as a hairy, ageing recluse. And most notably we've got Cate Blanchett as the rebellious rock 'n' roller, who took the music world by storm by picking up an electric guitar.

Haynes isn’t that interested in giving us the straight facts of Dylan's life, and I'm Not There will appeal more to music buffs and Dylan fans than casual filmgoers. However, this freewheeling, inventive film succeeds in capturing the spirit and mystery of this iconic figure. And thankfully, less impressive episodes from Dylan's life, like working with Michael Bolton or filming those recent lingerie ads, are nowhere to be seen.

Boxing Day sees a number of releases worth escaping from the kids and the washing-up to check out. The week's big blockbuster is I Am Legend, the third adaptation of Richard Matheson's classic novel about a man who has survived a virus that has wiped out the entire population of the world. Played by Will Smith, our hero spends his days wandering the empty streets of New York and talking to his dog, and the nights hiding from flesh-crazed zombies.

I Am Legend combines some fast-paced, action sequences with more dramatic material as Will attempts the loneliness and guilt from making him totally bonkers. It's the latter stuff that works better, as the film relies a bit too much on ropey CGI and dodgy looking zombies, but Smith delivers a tremendous performance.

Constantine director Francis Lawrence is no Spielberg when it comes to this sort of stuff, but given Michael Bay was at one stage attached to the project, we should be grateful for what we get. But really, how terrifying is the prospect of a world free of Paris Hilton, X Factor or James Blunt?

Those craving a slice of proper arthouse cinema after sitting through whatever mainstream dreck ITV is showing on Christmas Day need look no further than Gus Van Sant's latest movie Paranoid Park. Having hit commercial pay dirt with Good Will Hunting back in 1997, Van Sant has since made a series of increasingly experimental, audience-dividing dramas.

Elephant got him plenty of acclaim, but Gerry and the Kirk Cobain-inspired Last Days left cinemas quicker than Lindsey Lohan at an AA meeting. Paranoid Park takes place in the world of skateboarding and features a bunch of mumbling teenagers recruited through the pages of MySpace.

As in Elephant, Van Sant presents this teenage world in a disorientating, subjective style. He uses leading cinematographer Christopher Doyle to produce some beautiful handheld images and the sound design also contributes to the feeling of adolescent dislocation. There is a vague plot that centres around the death of a security guard and our young hero's involvement in that, but despite some moments of shocking dramatic power, Van Sant is no longer interested in tight narrative cinema. It'll mainly appeal to people who haven't been on a skateboard since 1982, but it is still one of Van Sant's strongest movies.

Oscar season is not far off, and so all those award-friendly movies that the studios hope will scoop them some shiny statues start to make an appearance. The Kite Runner is such a film – an adaptation of a best-selling novel that's screaming for award recognition. However, unlike last year's excruciatingly worthy Babel, this tale of friendship, betrayal and redemption actually has the dramatic goods as well.

This is a story that spans three decades, as an Afghan writer, now living a privileged life in the US, returns to his homeland to right a wrong from his past and rebuild the relationship with a childhood friend. Alongside this, director Mark Forster explores the troubled history of Afghanistan across the decades, and the terrible toll the political turmoil has had on its people.

The screenplay is by David Benioff – who also wrote that subtle, sensitive drama Troy – and it has been Hollywoodised enough that it might irritate devotees of the book. But it's still a powerful tale, and unlike Forster's last Oscar-winner, Monster's Ball, we're spared the sight of Billy Bob Thornton's grinding buttocks.

Finally, it is of course the school holidays at the moment so parents will inevitably be dragged along this week to watch something a bit more kid-friendly. And this year, that might well mean Balls of Fury, a ping pong comedy that certainly won't up be up for many Oscars this year.

Balls of Fury mixes the sports slapstick of Dodgeball with a plot suspiciously similar to that of Enter the Dragon, as an ex-ping pong champ is recruited by the FBI to enter a table tennis contest and bring down a crime boss. The main thing to know about this film is that it's from the creators of the Reno 911! franchise, so sophisticated humour is off the menu.

In fact, humour of any kind only makes a fleeting appearance, but it's worth sticking around for Christopher Walken's turn as a gay Asian supervillain and an almost surreal number of Def Leppard references. And for better or worse, 12 year olds will love it.

That's it for the last show of the year. Join us next week when we'll be back with a special preview of what's heading your way in 2008. Until then, Happy New Year.