Tweet Sophie Scholl – Marc Rothemund True heroism, like martyrdom, must be imposed by fate, not sought. This is a profound moral principle that exercised Joseph Conrad in Lord Jim. Again, Robert Bolt’s Sir Thomas More in A Man For All Seasons does everything he can to avoid his looming martyrdom – except sacrifice his […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Drama, Europe/World cinema, General, Marc Rothemund, Philosophical, Political, War | No Comments »

Tweet Happy Feet – George Miller Cosmically kitsch. And a pure delight. This absurd, irresistible mixture of genres, movies, performers and most of all, great foot-tapping music, like any good cocktail, delivers a terrific punch, even if at times it is a tad too sweet. It’s farcical, surreal, witty exuberance will make you laugh out […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Animation, Comedy, General, George Miller, Hollywood, Humorous, Musical, Oscar Winner | No Comments »

Tweet Down In The Valley – David Jacobson Don’t miss this elusive, allusive film if it hits a screen near you. See it before it becomes a cult movie. Profoundly American, it resonates with the contradictions of a culture whose real roots have been severed and is therefore struggling to live out its own mythology […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Action, David Jacobson, Drama, General, Hollywood, Philosophical, Western | No Comments »

Tweet The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema – Sophie Fiennes Great film. Dumb title. This is a tour de force of intellectual passion and sheer irrepressible enthusiasm displayed by Slavoj Žižek’s, Slovenian psychoanalyst, sociologist and philosopher. Žižek applies his psychoanalytic concepts to the interpretation of cinema as a serious and cathartic art form. His obvious love […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Documentary, Europe/World cinema, General, Philosophical, Sophie Fiennes | No Comments »

Tweet The Incredibles – Brad Bird Beg or borrow a couple of kids from friends and treat yourself to this movie: or just sneak in on your own and treat yourself. Wall to wall animation on TV and some of the so-called animated blockbusters has for me made the genre very tired and predictable in […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Action, Animation, Brad Bird, Comedy, Fantasy, General, Humorous | No Comments »

Tweet The Home At The End Of The World – Michael Mayer This is an impressive little film that received a shamefully limited release. With a screenplay by Michael Cunningham (The Hours) of his first novel, director Mayer has fashioned a tender, grown up film about complex relationships. It is about belonging without ownership; ownership […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Comedy, Drama, General, Hollywood, Michael Mayer, Romance | No Comments »

Tweet The Hero – Zhang Yimou It is rare that one can recommend a film simply because of its stunning visual style. The cinematography (Christopher Doyle), editing and especially vibrant colour throughout create a movie that, irrespective of anything else, is always fascinating to watch. I have not seen a film before where a different […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Action, Drama, Europe/World cinema, General, Humorous, Philosophical, Political, Romance, War, Zhang Yimou | No Comments »

Tweet Million Dollar Baby – Clint Eastwood Don’t be put off. This superb film is not light, trite or funny as it’s silly title suggests. Rope Burns, its working title, would have been fine. More importantly: boxing is its context, not its subject. Even if you hate boxing, you can still enjoy this movie. And […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Action, Clint Eastwood, Drama, General, Hollywood, Uncategorized | No Comments »

Tweet The Hidden Blade – Director Yoji Yamada Words can die. And the concepts they represent can die with them. Not overnight. Almost always it is of a long terminal disease characterised by neglect and misuse. Does it matter? Often not, but sometimes an important element in the way we think about ourselves and our […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Action, Drama, Europe/World cinema, General, Philosophical, Political, Romance, Yoji Yamada | No Comments »

Tweet The Woodsman – Nicole Kassell The Woodsman looks as if it may suffer the same fate as a number of good recent films with difficult topics – very limited distribution. It will be shameful if this fine, beautifully judged, thought-provoking film does not reach the wide audience it deserves. So this is a heads […]

Filed under: 4 stars, Drama, General, Hollywood, Nicole Kassell, Philosophical | No Comments »