Movies > Staff picks archive, 2007-2008

The dark knight .
Finally a superhero film that actually manages to live up to the hype. The Dark Knight combined an intelligent character focused plot with some superb action set pieces, and forget Jack Nicholson's supposedly legendary portrayal of the Joker because Heath Ledgers performance easily eclipses that. Scene after scene of psychotic mayhem (from all the parties) and some genuinely sombre and grim undertones make the Dark Knight well worth repeated viewing. (Craig) (Also Adrienne's pick)

There will be blood
A magnificent reflection upon greed and hubris, Daniel Day Lewis' performance is hauntingly intense and director, Paul Thomas Anderson, truly captured something miraculous on film. Easily one of the greatest films I have ever seen, it's an absolute masterpiece, from cinematography to sets, costumes to script, its perfect. (Craig) (Also Violka's pick)

Summer Heights High.
I've hadn't cringed as much watching anything since series one of the Office. Chris Lilley's peek into a suburban Australian high school was riotously funny; more so for the fact we knew it was all too true. With characters so unbelievably awful it was impossible not to love them, Summer Heights High was rude, crude and utterly hilarious. (Craig)

Saxondale. Series one.
Series one finally got a DVD release this year and Steve Coogan was back on fine form. Tommy Saxon, ex-roadie, anger management course participant and pest eradicator, bought us some home-spun and well needed street philosophies to mull over. Awkward, nauseating, and always hilarious, Coogan's performance of Tommy was easily as 'classic' as his Alan Partridge years. Roll on series two! (Craig)

Inland Empire.
Just how much you enjoy David Lynch's latest may depend on how much you liked Lynch's previous. The Dream within a Dream aspect; the strong surreal intermissions with deadpan bunny-family; the nasty bouts of violence and emotional distress, Laura Dern's desperate bug-eyed performance all link to that parallel universe he has been creating for thirty years now. One of Lynch's greatest strengths has been his eye for colour and composition (he is a painter as well) and his new transference to hand-held digital camera has seen the palette dimmed, the wide-screen beauty diminished. But, at least it shows an artist still developing, still pushing himself in his chosen field. If you stick with this throughout it's three hours-plus you may be rewarded with all the tools with which to tie everything together - maybe - and a sequence over the closing credits is as random and invigorating as any in Lynch's cannon. (Monty)

In the valley of Elah.
This low key moody pseudo-mystery from Writer/Director Paul Haggis ('Crash') is a fictionalised re-working of a real event, and sees Tommy Lee Jones give a powerful performance - that earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Actor - as buttoned-down career military vet Hank Deerfield. When Hank's son returns from Iraq, only to go missing, he attempts to find him, only to find the Army stonewalling his search. When his son's burnt & mutilated body is found, he teams up with a local single-mom cop (a relatively de-glammed Charlize Theron) & sets out to learn the truth behind his death. While 'Elah' is better, & far less pretentious than 'Crash', its themes are less 'populist'. It's vague 'mystery' subtext had it hallmarked as a genre piece, & it's 'Iraq War' theme was box office poison, meaning it never really found the audience it deserved. Theron is good in what's really a supporting role, but the movie is all Jones - his facial expressions alone conveying pages of dialogue as, through the journey to discover how his son died, he finds himself at odds with an Army & a even a 'world' that no longer reflects the values he believes in. (Mark)

Rice Rhapsody.
An excellent comedy/drama in Chinese/English. Jen lives in Singapore and has raised her 3 sons alone by working hard in her restaurant. The eldest two sons are gay and she begins to worry when the youngest shows no interest in girls. She hopes taking in a French exchange student (Sabine) will deter him from his cycling friend Batman. Meanwhile she's being romantically pursued by the restaurateur on the corner. (Kini)

Iron Man.
Many comic book adaptations have combined the worst of the comic and film industry. Iron Man manages to combine the better aspects of both. Robert Downey Jr. puts in a wonderful performance as an incurably flawed superhero, Tony Stark who finds himself battling bad guys, his rebellious board of directors and even his own conscience. A stunning film. (Rowan)

Sweet land : a love story .
Inge arrives in Minnesota in 1920 to marry a young Norwegian farmer named Olaf. Her German heritage and lack of official immigration papers makes her an object of suspicion in the small town, and she and Olaf are forbidden to marry. Undaunted, they decide to live together anyway despite strong disapproval from neighbour and church. Although the relationship is platonic at first, the couple, who were always attracted to each other, fall in love through enforced isolation and shared hard work on the farm. This film is absolutely stunning to look at, the wide blue skies and endless wheat fields of Minnesota captured in glorious technicolor again and again. Elizabeth Reaser is a true star, her character and luminescent beauty light up the screen. There are unforgettable images - her arrival with a jaunty hat and a huge portable gramophone, her colourful and beautiful clothes, her profusion of henna- red hair. This is a truly beautiful movie. It has a memorable sound track, too. (Sue)

Sweeney Todd : the demon barber of Fleet Street
'Sweeney Todd' was another well done horror. (Brigid)

Mamma mia! : the movie.
'Mamma Mia' is such a lovely light chick flick - especially for the 40+ women. (Brigid) (Also Violka's pick) (Also Wendy's pick)

Hancock.
'Hancock' is a good movie, nice and enjoyable. Will smith is good in this! (Brigid)

Tropic thunder.
'Tropic Thunder' is really funny! (Brigid)

Nim's Island.
I thought 'Nim's Island' was a good family film. (Max)

We also liked:

• Second-hand wedding
• Into the wild
• The Darjeeling Limited
• Lars and the real girl
• Be kind rewind
• Cloverfield )
• WALL-E
• Rescue Dawn
• Juno
• Once
• American gangster
• The kite runner
• Sex and the city

Lars and the real girl .
A sweet & gentle movie about a different kind of love triangle. Recently moved back home with his brother & his pregnant wife, Lars (Ryan Gosling) is a bit of a withdrawn loner who doesn't have many social skills. One day he orders an anatomically correct doll and introduces her to his brother & his wife as his girlfriend, giving her a name (Bianca) and a complex personal history and acts as if she is real. Concerned his brother & the wife take 'Bianca' for a check-up to consult with a local doctor (the always great Patricia Clarkson), who tells them that Lars is suffering from a harmless delusion, and is using the 'doll' to exorcise some personal issues - and that they should just go along with it. Dubious at first they slowly begin to play along, and soon the whole town is in on it, with 'Bianca' getting a part time job, reading to children, and volunteering at the hospital. Meanwhile Lars has begun to notice his attractive new co-worker (Kelli Garner) who clearly likes him. But who will win Lars heart in the end? The film cleverly sides steps most of the icky notions the premise implies, eschewing cheap laughs for a deft look at how people can help each other through times of emotional crises. (Mark)

The Mighty Boosh. 3
A welcome return of Vince and Howard, this time out they've moved downstairs to run the 'Nabootique' in their usual haphazard and chaotic manner. Joining them in Series 3 are regulars Naboo, Bollo and Bob Fossill, along with old characters like Tony Harrison, the debauched Kirk, the Hitcher and new fun friends such as the Crack Fox. Easily as surreal and uproarious as Series 1 and 2, Series 3 takes us on another journey through the bewilderingly narcissistic world of Vince and the hopelessly deluded world of Howard. The stranger it gets the funnier it is and Series 3 is once again packed with the odd, the weird and the outright bizarre. Highly recommended. (Craig)

The Story of my life = Mensonges et trahisons.
A funny little French film about Raphael who is a ghost writer for celebs wanting to publish their biographies. He's had a go at writing his own novel but been told it's not very good. He's a little under confident in both the writing and dating department. It doesn't have the usual French comedy twists and turns, but there's a great scene from his teenage years involving a boar. I also enjoyed the short clips of his rich friend attempting speed dating. (Kini)

Lonely hearts.
'Lonely Hearts' is the sort of solid Hollywood entertainment that slips under the radar. Set in the 1940s it tells the true story of the notorious 'Lonely Hearts' killers Martha Beck & Raymond Fernandez (played by Jared Leto & Selma Hayek) who preyed on single women, bilking them of their savings & ultimately killing them. Tracking them are two blue collar cops Elmer 'Buster' Robinson (played by John Travolta) & his partner Charles Hilderbrandt (played by James Gandolfini). Scarred by the unexplained suicide of his wife, Travolta's character becomes obsessed with linking the suicide of a beautiful young widow with a confidence scam preying on lonely people who place ads in the newspapers 'Lonely Hearts' columns; and together with his partner sets out to bring the confidence artists to justice, uncovering along the way a bloody trail of victims. Travolta is suitably anguished, and the 40's milieu is convincingly recreated, but full credit goes to Leto & especially Hayek with her chilling portrait of the cold-blooded Martha. Written & directed by Todd Robinson, the grandson of the character played by John Travolta, and the accompanying Feature has him recalling memories of his grandfather. (Mark)

Summer Heights High.
Crushingly spot-on mockumentary from Australian comedian Chris Lilley. Following on from his previous TV hit Australian of the year, Lilley has crafted something so unbelievably good it's frequently uncomfortable to even watch it. The show covers a single high school term through the eyes of three outrageous characters, Jonah; the breakdancing, semi-illiterate attention seeking bully, Mr. G; the self-obsessed and hugely untalented drama teacher and Ja'mie; the cruel and unbelievably snobbish private school exchange student. Not for the faint of heart the show is raw, possibly offensive on every single level, and utterly brilliant. Lilley has framed real life in a way that makes us laugh hysterically at the situations his characters find themselves in but also makes us cringe because we know we've been there, and quite possibly, done that. (Craig)

Bad Faith = Mauvaise foi.
Clara is Jewish and her boyfriend Ismael is Muslim. When she finds out she's pregnant their views around religion and are called into question. This is complicated further by their respective parents. This was a lovely film to watch and it does have a happy outcome for all involved. (Kini)

Iron Man.
Robert Downey Jr. probably seemed an odd choice to helm a prospective super-hero franchise, but once you've watched this it's hard to imagine anyone else in the role. Downey immediately inhabits the character of arrogant billionaire industrialist Tony Stark with vigour, casting a fresh light on what could have easily been another robotic super hero action extravaganza. A brilliant opening sequence has Downey captured by Middle-Eastern terrorists after a botched arms deal, and building the first 'Iron Man' suit to escape. The rest of the film never quite matches up to that, but it's still plenty of fun. Jeff Bridges adopts a mean haircut as the bad guy, Downey's seedy business partner, and Gwyneth Paltrow has fun as 'Pepper Potts' Downey's executive assistant. Worth a look in, even if you generally don't rate big budget comic book adaptations. (Mark)

Mamma Mia! : the movie.
Hesitant to watch this movie because the thought of seeing and hearing classic Abba songs being slaughtered by Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan had me cringing and would have tainted my hearing forever... however, a 3 hour flight to Melbourne and the only movie on show at the time got the better of me... by the end of my flight I was dancing in the aisles, and singing at the top of my voice. 'NOT'. Gosh well I certainly felt like it. This movie just takes you into the heart and soul of it... now I have to admit this is the best movie I have seen since 'Second Hand Wedding'. Another mother/daughter tear-jerker, not quite the same story line but the same happy ending (yaay). The singing and dancing were absolutely fabulous, so fabulous that I definitely have to take back what I said about Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan. I'm so sure Abba themselves would have been very happy and proud with their, and the entire casts execution and efforts of their songs. This movie is way up there with the best of the best musicals. Definitely one to see! And I highly recommend the soundtrack as well. 'Mamma Mia' here I go again... (Ethel)

Body Heat.
1981's 'Body Heat' was the directorial debut of screenwriter Lawrence Kasdan, whose previous scripts included work on 'The Empire Strikes Back' & 'Raiders of the lost ark'. William Hurt plays a sappy local Florida lawyer who falls prey to the charms of married socialite Kathleen Turner & becomes ensnared in a plan to kill her husband. Sure it's essentially a reworking of classic 1940's 'Help-me kill my-husband-baby! Film Noirs such as 'Double Indemnity' & 'The Postman always rings twice', but Kasdan does a great job updating the genre for the steamier 1980's. Hurt is great as the sap lawyer, but Turner is incendiary in her first role, as the femme-fatale pulling his strings. Some great lines ('You're not very bright, are you? I like that in a man') and a great twist ending make for a great update of the classic noir tradition. (Mark)

Boys from the blackstuff.
The first high-spirited episode of six deals with six men working on the roads; on the tar. They're good-humoured, occasionally violent, always on each others cases - men together. By the end of that episode they've all lost their jobs. Thatcher's early 80's England, a life on the dole, the breakdowns associated, ensue. It's enough to want you to chuck it all in... Yosser Hughes takes it the hardest, becomes incarcerated and attempts suicide. 'Gis us a job, I can do that, gis us a job...' he says, to no one in particular. Unforgettable, tough and finally, tender. (Monty)

Slither .
Fun gross-out splatter flick, in the great tradition of flesh eating walking dead zombie movies. Nathan Fillion ('Serenity') is the Sheriff of red-neck Wheelsy, South Carolina, forced to take charge when slug like parasites from outer-space turn Wheelsy's sole big wheel Grant Grant (Michael Rooker) into a tentacled squid like host monster, who sets out to infect the whole town. 'Slither' succeeds because it never tries to be more than it is; just some good old fashioned low brow fun. Fillion is deadpan as Sheriff Pardy, and Elizabeth Banks is good as Grant's wife, but Gregg Henry as the foul-mouthed mayor gets all the best lines. (Mark)

Street kings
Keanu Reeves tries for a change of pace here as Tom 'Phonebook' Ludlow, a shoot-first-and-ask-no-questions-later crooked cop, in a squad of crooked cops run by an even more crooked Captain (Forrest Whittaker). When he finds out his ex partner is ratting him to an Internal Affairs Officer (Hugh Laurie - think 'House' as a cop) he confronts him - only to be there when he's shot and killed. Suspecting a cover up he sets out to learn the truth. Directed by David Ayer (who wrote the scripts for 'Dark Blue' & 'Training Day') and based on a story by James Ellroy, 'Street Kings' is over the top all the way. Reeves plays Ellroy's stock character - a violent man who does the bidding of his crooked superiors, and who turns out to be smarter than they suspected. It has its good moments, but unfortunately it also has its share of bad moments, and Ellroy & Ayer mined this territory in the far better Kurt Russell helmed 'Dark Blue'. Still it's interesting enough for Ellroy fans, and Hugh Laurie is cool. (Mark)

There will be blood.
Daniel Day Lewis is riveting in his portrayal of early 20th century oil tycoon Henry Plainview. The supporting cast is perfect and with its brilliant cinematography, tension building score, and passionate soliloquies this movie is my must see! (Kim)

Out of time.
Entertaining, if somewhat derivative thriller reunites Denzel Washington with director Carl Franklin (who collaborated previously on the adaptation of Walter Mosley's period crime novel 'Devil in a blue dress'). Washington plays the Police Chief of sleepy Banyan Keys Florida. Estranged from his wife (Eva Mendes) also a cop - who has transferred to the big city's Homicide squad - he takes up with his high school sweetheart who's being abused by her seedy husband (a great turn from Lois & Clark's Dean Cain). When she needs some expensive medical treatment he 'borrows' some drug money that's being held as evidence for an upcoming trial...only to slowly find out that things aren't quite what they seem. A solid beginning sets the film up, and while it squanders it with a fairly cheesy ending, it's worth watching for the middle section alone, an exciting sequence that sees Washington running around (literally) trying to erase the evidence against him before his colleagues - and his ex-wife - discover it. Good support from Mendes and especially John Billingsley (TV's 'Enterprise') as Washington's chain smoking Medical Examiner buddy. (Mark)

Stalker.
I have recently watched the movie 'Stalker' by the Russian, Andrei Tarkovsky (the guy who did 'Solaris') and it was amazing. This is science fiction at its most haunting, thoughtful and beautiful. It's quite long but well worth hanging in there to the very end. (Ellie)

Dead reckoning ; In a lonely place ; The harder they fall.
Three Bogart movies for the price of one. 'Dead Reckoning' is a derivative, though no less entertaining, Raymond Chandler knock-off, which sees Bogart playing a G.I out to clear his dead buddy of a murder charge so he can be awarded a posthumous medal. Worth watching for the sultry Lizbeth Scott, who has possibly the sexiest voice ever. 'In a Lonely Place' is a grim classic directed by Nicholas Ray (and supposedly an allegory of his failing marriage). Bogart plays Dix Steele a Hollywood screenwriter with a volcanic temper. When he's accused of strangling a hat-check girl his new neighbour (played by Ray's wife Gloria Graheme) provides him with an alibi, but then begins to wonder if he really did it. One of Bogart's best performances his world weary persona is equally convincing in the characters romantic yearnings, as it is in his murderous rages. 'The Harder They Fall' is a solid little film about sports corruption. Bogart plays a Sports writer who becomes a press agent and sees first hand how badly used and manipulated boxers are by their unscrupulous managers. Notable for being Bogart's last picture (he was dying of cancer at the time) and for being one of the transitional pictures between the movies of the old stars like Bogart, and the new 'method' actors like Rod Steiger (who plays the crooked manager). (Mark)

There will be blood .
Daniel Day Lewis is the finest actor of our generation and 'There Will be Blood' is his finest work. His portrayal of a man, lacking in any greater social conscience, and his inevitable self-destruction is flawless. Director and screenwriter Paul Thomas Anderson has crafted a masterpiece here, massive in scope, yet intimate in every detail, the story of Daniel Plainview's assent as an oil prospector and his moral decline is magnificent. Every facet of the film, from the sets to the costumes, the cinematography to the scenery, is all so expertly handled its breathtaking. The script is rich in painful nuance and foreboding doom, yet its finest detail is perhaps its minimalism, not much is said, but what is said is interwoven with scene upon scene of such expertly constructed film it is a wonder to behold. With a sublime soundtrack from Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood this stark tale of spiritual corruption is worthy of repeated viewing. (Craig)

Terminator: the Sarah Connor chronicles. The complete first series
Sci-fi geek heaven as the Terminator Movies are re-booted for TV. Taking its cue from the films, it's surprisingly faithful to the plot and tone of the Terminator films, particularly the first two. Lena Headey is no Linda Hamilton, but after a few episodes one grows to appreciate her portrayal of Sarah Connor, and her dedication to protect her son John (a good turn by newcomer Thomas Decker). Best of all is 'Firefly's' Summer Glau as 'Cameron', a cyborg sent back from the future to help them change the fate of mankind, with her portrayal of a killer robot that's alternately sweetly droll and deadly cold. Though taking a while to find its feet the show sets up a solid platform for a series with good support form Richard T Jones, an FBI agent after Sarah Connor, and later in the season a manly looking Brian Austin Green (Beverly Hills 90210) as the brother of original Terminator character Kyle Reese. (Mark)

Tell no one.
Pretty good French thriller based on the novel 'Tell No One' by slick American crime writer Harlan Coben. Paediatrician Alexander Beck is on holiday with his wife Margot when she is killed while he is knocked unconscious. Eight years later the police find two bodies buried near the vicinity of where his wife was killed. Then Beck receives an e-mail attachment on his computer. A fuzzy picture of a woman in a crowd turning to look at the camera, with a message that says: 'Tell no one. They're watching.' Could it be his wife is still alive? Who are the 2 bodies and what do they have to do with his wife, who was presumed the victim of a notorious serial killer. Soon the police suspect Beck of killing his wife 8 years ago and he has to go on the run, while trying to figure out the mystery. Directed and co-written by Guillaume Canet 'Tell No One' got rave reviews, especially in the States where it was held up as an example of the kind of smart thriller that Hollywood doesn't make anymore. And while it's entertaining it can be a bit disconcerting, if you've read the book, to see Coben's overcooked plot play out in another language. (Mark)

Doc Martin. Complete series three.
As far as TV shows go I'm well aware that The Wire is more intelligent, that Arrested development is cleverer and Californication is infinitely more sophisticated, but I just can't deny that for all the highfaluting and insightful TV shows out there, there's just something delicious about good old, dumb old, ridiculous Doc Martin. Martin Clunes is the star as Dr Ellingham, grumpy, emotionally stunted and rude. The inhabitants of Portwenn are as quirky and cute as ever, and the will he/won't he dynamic between the Doc and Louisa the teacher is finally resolved, sort of. Not for the too cool or jaded obviously, but I heartily recommend it for anyone wanting something sweet, something satisfying and something decidedly retro. (Craig)

The tunnel.
Thoroughly gripping German made- for-TV movie based on a real life attempt to tunnel under the Berlin Wall following the partition of East & West Berlin in 1961. Famous German swimmer Harry Melchoir (Heino Ferch) has already been a political prisoner once in his life, so when the demarcation between East & West begins he wants out. Escaping to the West he is forced to leave behind his beloved sister. Once safely on the other side he hooks up with his friend Matthis (Sebastian Koch) an engineer and recent escapee forced to leave behind his wife. Together they form a group determined to free those they love, and begin to construct a 450 foot underground tunnel into East Berlin. Ferch is outstanding as Harry, a gung-ho athlete, who comes off as a German Bruce Willis man-of action. But everyone else in the cast is just as excellent, particularly Nicolette Krebitz as the feisty Fritzi. Incredibly suspenseful for its entire 167 minute length, this is highly recommended. (Mark)

The January man.
These days 'quirky' detectives are commonplace on T.V shows such as 'Bones' , 'Life', or 'Monk', and crop up in oddball movies like Ben Stiller's 'The Zero Effect' ; but in 1989 audiences had no idea what to make of this Kevin Kline movie. Was it a crime movie? A screwball comedy? A Drama? Actually it's all three at the same time...and more. Kline plays Nick Starkey a genius cop framed off the job for taking graft. A serial killer called the 'January Man' has claimed his 7th victim, a friend of the Mayor's daughter (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio) and the Mayor (Rod Steiger) decides to take drastic action, reinstating Starkey - whose brother (Harvey Keitel) is the Police Commissioner. All of which is complicated by the fact that Kline suspects that it was his own brother who framed him off the force in order to steal his girlfriend (Susan Sarandon) who is now married to Keitel. What enfolds is genuinely bizarre as Starkey; a kind of existentialist 'Beatnik-Zen' detective enlists the help of his gay painter neighbour (a very dry Alan Rickman), while fending off his old girlfriend, the Mayor's daughter, his hardnosed boss (Danny Aiello), and his brother. A screwball romantic farce disguised as a psychological thriller, it's all a bit weird, with some outrageously over the top acting. Definitely different, and not for everyone's taste. Watch it at your own peril... (Mark)

Battlestar Galactica. Razor.
This feature length episode of the new(ish) Battlestar Galatica series offers up a brief history of the Battlestar Pegasus along with snippets of Adama and various crew members' lives during the first Cylon war and beyond. Told in a mix of flashback, which run concurrently with their new mission, Razor is packed with the usual moral conundrums, dubious ethical decisions, quasi-philosophic meanderings, and once again questions the relationship between good and evil, human and machine. I know it all sounds remarkably silly, and fair point it is ridiculous stuff, but only if you haven't been following this current reworking of the Battlestar Galactica saga. For the ardent fan however, it's a wonderful stop gap before series 4 descends upon us. Razor is packed with the excellent special effects the series is acclaimed for; it has some gritty and thumping action scenes and includes the surprising return of a more 'old school' enemy. Razor is well worth watching for those who fancy some serious and intellectual sci-fi, along with, of course, the exploding robots and far too saucy crew members. (Craig)

Narrow margin.
Most remakes suck, but this one's pretty good. The original 1952 version is regarded as one of the best "B-movies' ever made and this 1990 remake by Peter Hyams does a solid job of updating the plot. Anne Archer witnesses a mob hit whilst on a blind date, but when her name is leaked she goes into hiding in remote Canada, and the stalwart District Attorney (Gene Hackman) is sent to bring her back. Escaping a murder attempt, the duo board a train heading through the remote Canadian wilderness to Vancouver. They know that more hit-men are on board waiting for them, but the hit-men don't know what Anne Archer looks like, and what follows is a sleek game of cat and mouse. Archer is classy and Hackman always elevates anything he's in. A supporting cast full of great character actors like James B Sikking and the late great J.T Walsh make for some solid entertainment. (Mark)

Under Suspicion.
This low key and relatively unknown film packs a real punch. Freeman plays a Puerto Rican Police Captain investigating the rape and murder of two young children, and Hackman is a prominent lawyer who becomes his prime suspect. As the two face-off in an interrogation room and the cagy Hackman's alibis are peeled away one by one, Freeman becomes convinced he's the perpetrator of the crimes. But is he really? Slow moving but intense, it's really a master's class in acting as two great actors square off. Good support comes from Monica Bellucci as Hackman's icy trophy wife, and Thomas Jane as a thuggish cop. Well worth checking out. (Mark)

On a clear day.
Really liked this one. A guy recently made redundant decides to swim the English Channel. He does this with a top-notch support crew made up of his mates from his former job and the local fish & chip shop owner. It's mostly up-beat although it has serious themes around the death of one son and a rather tenuous relationship with the other. His wife (the wonderful Brenda Blethyn) is oblivious to his plans until well into the film (mind you she hasn't told him that she is learning to drive a bus either!). (Kini)

Into the wild .
Sean Penn's first movie as director was about two brothers on very different paths; one towards a family, a job as a sheriff, the other towards the opposite, against everything his parents had been and all his brother had become. 'Into the Wild' is concerned with the things we do when we try to outrun the ghosts of our family but Penn seems to have grown up, become less bitter. Where 'Indian Runner' was angry and sought refuge in alcohol and violence, 'Into the Wild' sees another less volatile, more enlightened solution. Drop out. Start again. Embrace rather than destroy. Christopher McCandles drives his wreck of a Datsun away from all he knows and invigorated and inspired by Jack London, Henry David Thoreau, Rousseau - nature's greatest advocates - explores the backwoods of America. The movie is full of that freedom; the camera swirls in impressionistic motion, a golden writing, that of the actual notebook of MccAndles is handwritten on screen, the photography is sun-dappled, gorgeous, even translucent. You feel the hand print of Arthur Penn, Dennis Hopper, Terrence Malick, those avant-garde innovators of the sixties and the seventies. In an article Robin Penn Wright once said - and I paraphrase- ' that Sean would leave the house for a week, or sometimes longer, just like that, pack his bags and leave...' It's no wonder that this film works so well on so many levels. The subject is obviously one dear to his heart. A question for Mrs Penn, though. Does Sean still leave the house in the middle of the night? (Monty)

The mist
Good-guy illustrator (Thomas Jane) travels into town after a storm to stock up at the local supermarket, while at the same time a strange fog rolls into town. It's just another day in Maine...until someone rushes into the supermarket claiming something 'in the mist' attacked his friend! It can all only mean one thing... YES it's another Stephen King adaptation... Adapted from a King novella and directed by Frank Darabont (who also adapted 'The Shawshank Redemption' & 'The Green Mile') 'The Mist' goes in for 'psychological' horror rather than big scares, as a group of ordinary citizens trapped in a supermarket gradually fracture into two forces, one led by the practical Jane, the other by a Religious nut (Marcia Gay Harden). Sure there's a fair amount of B-acting & bad lines, but as King adaptations go 'The Mist' is actually pretty good. And the shock ending really is (for a change) quite shocking... (Mark)

Next.
When it comes to adapting the work of prolific Sc-Fi author Philip K Dick, there are two types of movies that Hollywood makes. The first kind are relatively faithful to the source material ('A Scanner Darkly', 'Blade Runner', Gary Sinise's 'Impostor'). The second kind ('Total Recall', 'Paycheck', 'Minority Report') attempt to graft action movies onto Dick's stories - with varying degrees of success. 'Next', ostensibly based on the short story 'The Golden Man', unfortunately falls more into the second category. Nicolas Cage plays a Las Vegas magician who can see into his own future - but only for 2 minutes, a trick he uses in his second rate magic act, as well as during a little gambling...Until he starts having visions of meeting a girl (Jessica Biel) that extend far beyond any he's had so far. Meanwhile FBI agent Julianne Moore wants to recruit him to help the FBI stop an imminent terrorist bomb-threat. Ultimately 'Next', directed by Lee Tamahori, feels like 3 movies grafted together, and while you can see a really good movie in there somewhere, it never quite comes together. Nevertheless entertaining enough for a Friday night time waster. (Mark)

Dexter. The second season.
Dexter Morgan is a forensic blood splatter analyst for the Miami Police Department. He's also a serial killer...but he lives by the code of his foster father Harry & only kills 'very bad people'. Based on the novels by Jeff Lindsay, this Showtime series is alternately disturbing & hilarious. Dexter is an 'anti-hero' for the post-ironic generation, played with a deft subtly & maniacal enthusiasm by 'Six Feet Under's' Michael C Hall, but the show's real thrust lies in it's wicked satire of inter-personal relationships. Dexter in his droll monologues, cheerfully describes himself as having no real feelings for any other person, yet he has to mimic real human interactions in his relationship with his potty-mouthed sister, his needy girlfriend ('Angel's' Julie Benz), his work friends & bosses; all to hide his true nature & calling, which make for some of the best scenes in the show. Season 2 begins when Dexter's body-dumping site is discovered, soon he's being dubbed 'The Bay Harbour Butcher' by the media, an FBI task-force descends, and he finds himself in the tricky situation of being embroiled in the search to capture himself...but that's only the beginning. Season 2 got a bit of a mixed reception in the States, as it sees the show drift further from the source novels, but it's a testament to the show that it's not afraid to do the unexpected, as season 2 delights in shooting down all the expectations that Season 1 set up. (Mark)

The Wire. The complete third season.
When 'The Soprano's' ended critics lined up to hail it as the greatest TV show ever made, but that honour really belongs with 'The Wire'. While 'The Sopranos' became the 'Seinfeld' of crime shows i.e. a show about literally nothing, 'The Wire' on the other hand was definitely about something. Unfortunately it was a something that most Americans (especially the TV Emmy committee) didn't want to know acknowledge: the failed war on drugs, the plight of inner city life & schooling for poor African Americans, the cynicism and failure of the political system at almost every level, the county's betrayal of its working class, etc etc. Yet despite struggling ratings and renewal issues, 'The Wire' kept on for 5 seasons delivering the densest, most complex, and resonant show to ever grace television. Season 3 follows on directly from Season 1 with the Wire crew focusing on bringing down Stringer Bell, who now controls the Barksdale drug empire. Other plotlines follow white Councilman Tommy Carcetti as he decides to run for Mayor in a city that's 60% black; Dennis 'Cutty' Wise, a drug enforcer released from a long prison stretch who tries to go straight; and Police Major 'Bunny' Colvin who institutes an ambitious attempt to clean up his 'corners' before he retires. A show so rich in detail and reality, it almost seems like a documentary at times. Season 3 also boasts episodes written by heavyweight US crime writers Richard Price, George Pelecanos, & Dennis Lehane. Highly recommended. (Mark)

Vantage point.
Not bad thriller in the style of 'Rashomon'. The President is in Spain for a counter terrorist summit, when he's assassinated. The movie then plays out the same 15 minutes from the perspective of 8 different people, including Secret Service agents (Dennis Quaid & Matthew Fox), a tourist (Forest Whittaker), TV producer (Sigourney Weaver). Fairly lightweight but bolstered by a solid cast it's diverting enough if you're in the right mood. (Mark)

The 4400. The fourth season.
4400 missing people are suddenly returned to the world, unaltered since the day they disappeared. They all seem to have new and extra-ordinary powers, and it soon becomes apparent they have been 'sent back' by forces in the 'future' to alter the destiny of mankind. The government responds by creating a special agency (NTAC) to oversee & monitor the 'returnees'. 'The 4400' was never really a great show, but it was always a good show. Not a big budget A-grade Sci-Fi piece, but not B-grade either, it trod a path somewhere in between. It knew what its audience liked and it was always solid. Sure some of the themes, even some entire episodes, seemed lifted from other, better, Sci-Fi shows or Movies, but it always had enough original ideas to hold ones interest. The 4th season was the last, though, as it was cancelled in the States, but nevertheless the show manages to pull together all the threads from the previous season. 4400 leader Jordan Collier (Billy Campbell) has distributed the Promicin shots to everyone who wants them, creating more new 4400's for the NTAC agents to cope with. But people from the 'future' are not happy with the way things have turned out, leading to one of the shows best episodes, the sly 'The Marked', and the rest of the Season plays out the ensuing twists to a relatively satisfying ending that leaves most things resolved. (Mark)

Californication. The first season.
David Duchovny makes an outrageous, and somewhat controversial, return to TV as burned out L.A writer Hank Moody. After his brooding novel (called 'God hates us all') becomes a cheesy rom-com (called 'That crazy little think called love') he drowns himself in booze, sarcasm & self loathing, loosing his should-have-been-wife (Natascha McElhone) & daughter in the process. Faced with ongoing writers block, he tries to get his life back on track, reconnect with his precocious guitar wielding daughter, and win back the woman he loves from the stuffy new guy she's about to marry. All of which is made more complicated by the fact he 'accidentally' slept with the guys 16 year old daughter, and works for his magazine trying to 'blog' his way back to writing. Hank's his own worst enemy but the character is written so well, and Duchovny has a great sense for comedy that you're always on his side no matter how outrageous it gets, as at the heart it's really a love story about two people destined to be together. Crass and totally outrageous, you wonder how some of these scenes made it onto TV, but it's all hilarious funny. Evan Handler also gives a great turn as Hank's frustrated agent. (Mark)

The Wire. The complete fourth season.
'The Wire' changes up for its 4th season. McNulty (Dominic West) is no longer the central character amongst the show's ensemble cast; relegated now to a street cop he's become a contented family man. Stepping into the 'lead' role is Roland 'Prez' Pryzbylewski (Jim True-Frost). Following the events of Season 3, 'Prez' is no longer a cop, and instead has become a Math teacher at a West Baltimore school. The show focuses on four 8th grade boys in his class, as they struggle with the pressure and temptations of inner-city life - as 'Prez' in turn struggles to cope in his new role. Other plotlines see the Wire team dismantled after 'following' the Barksdale drug money up the chain to prominent politicians; Freamon & Greggs transfer to homicide where Freamon becomes obsessed with finding the missing bodies that new drug kingpin Marlo Stansfield has left in his wake; Councilman Tommy Carcetti's run for Mayor enters its last stages; and Stick-up man Omar gets framed by Marlo for a murder he didn't commit, and sets outs to exact revenge. Created by ex Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon (also responsible for the gritty 90's show 'Homicide: Life on the streets' which was based on his non-fiction book) & ex-Baltimore PD Detective & teacher Ed Burns, 'The Wire' has a sprawling plot that requires a high degree of concentration & attention. But at the end of the day 'The Wire' diverges from other TV Shows simply because it's like no other show, more a 'visual novel' than anything else, with a level of realism & social commentary that is doubtful any television show will ever achieve again. Highly recommended. (Mark)

Juno.
Indie - or pseudo-indie - movies such as 'Juno' or 'Little Miss sunshine' create their own worlds, often complete with their own 'language', which can sometimes means you have to suspend a degree of disbelief to engage with the characters. Juno is the story of sarcastic 16 year old teen who becomes pregnant and decides to give up her baby for adoption - finally deciding on a childless uber-yuppie couple to be the parents. Ellen Page is great as the caustic Juno, and the supporting cast are solid, with Michael Cera as the baby's father, & Jason Bateman & Jennifer Garner as the prospective parents, and the dialogue is clever and funny. It's just not that clever or that funny, and while there are good lines & good moments at the end of the day it's really pretty lightweight for something that actually won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Still if watch it without expecting it to live up to all the hype it attained you'll probably enjoy it more. (Mark)

Rome. The complete first season.
Rome is a detailed - albeit shocking - introduction to the vicious intrigue and drama of Roman life at the end of the republic (around 50 B.C.). Rome's cast of characters includes a complex web of soldiers, politicians, generals, thieves, matriarchs and struggling adolescents. While every person you meet clearly believes themselves to be a good person (more or less), the story is driven by characters that frequently go beyond ancient Rome's permissive standards. Considering that the city is subject to endemic violence and regularly witnesses assassination, defamation and overt political manipulation, such characters seem eye-poppingly heartless. Yet despite the casual brutality displayed by nearly all the characters in Rome, the series displays many complex, intriguing and likeable personalities. While being well-funded, the series focuses on the personal trials of its characters rather than indulging in panoramic gluttony. The result is a historical drama that will have you hankering for the second instalment. (Rowan)

Rendition .
Hollywood takes a brooding and somewhat stylised peek into the secretive world of the CIA rendition program. The story concerns an Egyptian business man, spirited away by the CIA as he lands in Washington D.C, and follows the impact on his family and assorted characters as he is interrogated over his links to a terrorist organisation. Certainly a topical film and being that it is an 'issue' film, there are the obvious touches of preaching to the converted and non-converted alike. Owing no doubt a huge debt to Michael Mann the film is suitably muted, grimy and dark but it has some well rounded and fleshed out characters with excellent acting throughout. There's a whole bunch of loose ideas and themes which aren't tackled or resolved, but it's a complex issue and for a Hollywood film it's certainly a worthy first effort. Not an standout film by any means but a interesting feature nonetheless, If it perks your interest and you're after something more substantial then the excellent documentary the Road to Guantanomo would make a worthwhile comparison piece. (Craig)

Mr Brooks
Kevin Costner makes a bit of a comeback with this nasty little film. Costner is Mr. Brooks, all round great guy, husband and father, & just voted businessman of the year. However Mr. Brooks has an imaginary friend called Marshall that only he can see and talk to (a great bitchy performance from William Hurt), and Marshall is telling him that he's been good for far too long, it's time he killed someone again.Meanwhile beleaguered cop Demi Moore is in the middle of a nasty divorce with an escaped convict out to get her, so the last thing she needs is the return of the elusive 'Thumbprint Killer'. Things take a turn when Mr Brooks makes a small slip up in his last killing, and his would-be blackmailer doesn't want money, but instead wants to come along on his next 'kill'. Moore's sub-plot, & the film in general, may have a bit too much going on, but it's fun to see how it all comes together in the end. Darkly humorous and very warped, with shades of Showtimes 'Dexter'; Costner & Hurt have a ball playing with the sinister killer/genuine family-man dichotomy. Great fun. (Mark)

South Park: Imaginationland.
South Park has been entertaining and/or offending us for many years now. Any show with such a long history has had its fair share of episodes that are going to fail to deliver but Imaginationland, a three episode story put together on this DVD, is as unwholesome, hilarious and utterly shocking as any of their best episodes. Cartman discovers a leprechaun, a disturbing wager is made and mayhem ensues. It's got all your favourite fantasy characters in roles you'll likely never have imagined, or if you did, you sure didn't tell anyone about it. It's packed full of puerile, frequently disgusting and wonderfully hilarious scenes. Obviously not for the squeamish or the faint of heart, but it's a real tour de force for South Park fans signalling that hopefully there'll be plenty more for us to be appalled by in the future. (Craig)

Pump up the volume.
'Old skool' classic from back in the day sees Christian Slater playing a disaffected & lonely teenager transplanted to a new school. Unhappy he uses his short wave radio set to create the alter ego, 'Hard Harry', a fast talking pirate DJ, whose rants on the school system, the corrupt principal, and life in general earn him a cult following. Lenny Bruce/Henry Rollins like stream of consciousness rants are interspersed with some (still) cool music from the likes of the Descendants, Bad Brains, The Pixies etc, but when one of his listeners commits suicide the outraged school and community, and even the FCC, try to discover his identity to shut him down. Sure it's dated a bit since it came out, but it still portrays the cyclic problems of teen experience in a realer way than a lot of the current crop of teen oriented films and TV shows. (Mark)

The war on democracy.
Award winning journalist John Pilger's latest documentary is another in a long line of well received exposes highlighting the nexus between Western political action/inaction and human rights abuses. This time Pilger looks to American foreign policy and it's ramifications on some of the world's most marginalised peoples. He takes a particular interest in the rise of popular, or as Pilger proposes real democracy from amongst the poor and disenfranchised peoples of Latin America. Pilger's critics accuse him of blatant anti-western bias, while his supporters shout his name from the roof tops. Whatever your opinion, this film, unlike his previous works which have been furious but nonetheless fascinating features, feels somewhat less angry. Perhaps it's because Pilger has a positive tale to weave through the film, although there is plenty of horror to be found within, there is an overwhelming sense that the main theme is less about the trials and more about the possible triumphs ahead. The film has some great interviews, Hugo Chavez is as entertaining as ever and there is a particularly chilling interview with a former CIA Latin American operative. Well worth seeing; whatever your political persuasion you're sure to come out a little wiser. (Craig)

Om Shanti Om.
I'm being introduced to the world of Bollywood films at the moment. This one is worth a watch - although having an Indian friend with an in-depth understanding of famous Bollywood actors did help (there were lots of "in" jokes). But for the un-initiated there's all the usual colour and singing/dancing - including an interesting number called "The Pain of Disco". I still have no idea what that that was all about!! But it has bit of a murder-mystery theme, so it moves along at quite a good pace. (Kini)

Jumper.
Quite enjoyed the new DVD 'Jumper'. I guess it's genre is Sci-Fi and 's about a boy who discovers he has a gift of being able to teleport himself to any place within the world he wants to go. As he has an unhappy childhood he is rapt with this gift as he is able to "borrow" money from banks to survive and learn to look after himself; but it is also a very lonely existence. That's until he discovers there are other people like himself, as well as a certain few who know about the existence of 'jumpers' and have vowed to destroy them. Very exciting in parts with plenty of action and special effects. (Suzanne)

Venus.
This was an exceptionally good film and gets 5 stars on my personal DVD rating system. Both Peter O'Toole and Leslie Phillips were delightful as Maurice and Ian. These two old codgers with a great acting pedigree are both wickedly funny throughout the film. The story centres on them and their interactions with a young girl (Jessie) who comes in to help Ian with chores around the house. While he struggles to understand her, Maurice forms a unique friendship (romance?) with her. (Kini)

Assassins.
Having a disturbing penchant for bad 80's action films, I had to check this one out again. Stallone is fully in his 'Armani Action' phase ('Tango & Cash', 'The Specialist') and Richard Donner ('Lethal Weapon') helms this piece of diverting Friday night action-trash, which was actually an early writing effort of the Wachowsky Brothers ('The Matrix'). Stallone is the pretentiously named Robert Rath a burnt out hit-man (but still the best), on one final $2 million dollar payday, before he retires. However a rival up & comer (Antonio Banderas) is determined to make the hit instead & take his number 1 slot. Coming between then is a computer hacker (Julianne Moore) who becomes their next target. The plot makes no sense, and is just an excuse for a bunch of gun battles, car chases and explosions. Total rubbish really, but worth checking out for the insanely over the top performance of Banderas; which is either bad acting, method acting, bad method acting, or just sheer genious?(Mark)

Veronica Mars. The complete first season .
Kind of like 'Brick' meets 'The O.C', 'Veronica Mars' is a fun, clever update of the Nancy Drew girl-detective concept, with some surprisingly Noir-ish overtones. Veronica used to run with the 'popular' clique but after her best friend (from a powerful local family) was brutally murdered, and her Sheriff dad accused the girl's father of the crime, her life took a downward spiral. Her father was fired from his job; her mom abandoned them; she was ostracised by all her former school friends, and then drugged & date-raped at a party. Now months later she struggles to put her life back together, working for her dad who's now a local private eye, helping out fellow students in trouble, and trying to put together the conspiracy surrounding the death of her best friend. With snappy 'side-of-the-mouth' dialogue to rival Raymond Chandler, tight writing, complex characterisations, shades of 'Buffy', Twin Peaks' & 'Beverly'Hills 90210' and a great lead in Kristen Bell, it's definitely recommended. (Mark)

30 days of night
Better than you'd expect adaptation of the Steve Niles graphic novel. Niles co-writes the script, with David Slade (Hard Candy) directing, & Josh Hartnett and Melissa George (TV's 'Alias') as the two leads. Set in a remote Alaskan town Hartnett is the local Sheriff, whose estranged wife, George, is the local Fire Marshall. When the town, descending into a 30 day period of night, is overrun by a bunch of ferocious Slavic sounding vampires they have to come together to defend the towns remaining inhabitants. The film loses its way a bit at the end, but is genuinely scary at times, gory but atmospheric, the best set pieces involving the two parties stalking each other through the barren terrain. (Mark)

Michael Clayton.
Slow burning corporate 'drama' sees George Clooney turn in a top notch performance as the titular character, a 'fixer' at a prominent legal firm. When the firm's top litigator (a great unhinged performance from Tom Wilkinson) goes off his meds during the closing stages of an epic year's long lawsuit defending a crooked chemical company, alarm bells ring. Clooney is brought in to reign in his friend, who looks like he's about to do a moral-360 and tank the lawsuit. While it's not as good or strongly written as it wants to be, the film (written & directed by the 'Bourne Ultimatum's' Tony Gilroy) is still a good attempt at cutting through the layers of moral ambiguity that define corporate America and Clooney is great as a character with essentially nothing to show for his life having to make some hard choices. (Mark)

Dead of night.
The 'Dead of Night' is one of the first and best horror anthologies ever made. A collection mainly about being haunted in some way; by ghosts, spirits, friends on the golf links and even the original unhinged ventriloquist doll 'Hugo' and his owner dummy. Tortured by a feeling of overpowering deja vu, the main character makes his way, uncertainly, to a cottage in the country. One by one the other helpless guests reveal, in horrified, humorous, hammy black and white their own stories of unexplained horror!!! The influence of this seminal ghostly has been felt since in films like 'Creepshow,''3 extremes: over the edge and beyond', and in movies like 'Magic' where a young intense Anthony Hopkins struggles with a ventriloquists dummy and his own demons. The ending has been much copied and still exerts an unearthly, unforgettable power! (Monty)

Priceless.
Starring Audrey Tautou (of Amelie fame), Priceless is a super funny lightweight comedy, where Audrey Tautou and Gad Elmaleh play young sexy gold-diggers. When they try to one up each other ('look, my girlfriend bought be a 30 000 euro watch and a vespa') it is pretty hilarious. And it's French which takes away that shame one may have from watching a romantic comedy! (Carmel)

Rescue dawn.
Pretty good Werner Herzog movie about a downed jet pilot taken hostage in Laos at the beginning of the Vietnam War. Made more interesting by the fact that it's based on events from the life of pilot Dieter Dengler, which Herzog also addressed in the documentary 'Little Dieter needs to fly'. Christian Bale takes on the role of the quirky, indomitable Dengler, once again immersing himself in the character, as he is taken hostage, imprisoned, tortured, and eventually escapes his captors - only to find the struggle to survive in the Laotian jungle even more difficult. (Mark)

Point Break.
What's not to love about Point Break? Keanu plays Johnny Utah and while he might not be able to act to save himself he still learns to surf via the obligatory montage in less than 5 minutes! Patrick Swayze is the bronzed, suave and ridiculously cliched surf guru Bohdi, while Gary Busy, as agent Angelo Pappas, looks like a cocaine induced psychotic break is just around the corner. Plot, what plot! Naive and enthusiastic undercover FBI agent infiltrates some culturally specific 'crew' to search for the criminals lurking within; redundant and trite, but who cares! Keanu's there, Patrick's there, there's big waves, surf Nazis, rubber masks, shot outs and as our hero rides the waves he not only gets the girl but still manages to find his true self amongst the surfing fraternity. Dude its brilliant. I hadn't seen it for years before picking it up recently and utterly loved all over again. I'm watching it again tomorrow, and to be honest, probably the day after. (Craig)

Assault on Precinct 13.
Most remakes suck, but this one isn't too bad. Sure it lacks the tension & paranoia of the 1976 low budget John Carpenter original but it has a low- key comfortably retr0 feel to it, as it takes time to flesh out characters before cranking up the action. It also adds more of a plot than the original, replacing the 'psycho-gang' that was the villain in the Carpenter flick, with a group of crooked cops determined to kill crime boss Laurence Fishburn before he rats them out as his 'business partners'. With Fishburn transferred to a decrepit, about to be shut down police precinct, burnt out cop (Ethan Hawke) has to pull together a motley crew of cops and prisoners to survive until sunrise. All 'siege' movies succeed on the tension they generate & this hits all the right marks on the way to an entertaining, if overblown, climax. Sure you'll feel guilty watching it, just not too guilty...(Mark)

Cop land.
Anyone who dismisses Sylvester Stallone as a mumbling franchise/Action hack should do themselves a favour and check out this one. Apparently taking no money up-front for the role Stallone packed on a hefty 30 pounds to play the role of Freddie Heflin, who as a teen saves the life a local beauty, only to lose his hearing in one ear in the process. Fast forward and Freddy's heroism has gained him the 'consolation prize' local sheriff's job in the sleepy New Jersey town of Garrison, renown for being the haven of off-duty big city cops. Gradually it dawns on the amiable, good natured Freddy, that the big city cops are using his town as a base for some heavy duty murder & corruption and he's faced with the moral dilemma of confronting the 'real cops', men whom he idolises. Considering that the big city cops are played by Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel & Ray Liotta it's easy to think Stallone would be totally outclassed, but he more than holds his own amongst the heavy-weight talent, delivery a deft and subtle performance that shoes some true acting chops. A box office failure, this is truly a great movie that's now become something of an underrated classic. (Mark)

Time of the Wolf.
Time of the wolf was Michael Hanekes seventh film; by this point he had honed his sober and unrelentingly shocking approach to filmmaking to perfection. It takes mere minutes from the start of the film for the unease and apprehension familiar to his work to begin. Essentially a dystopian post-apocalyptic tale, Time of the Wolf follows a traumatized families harrowing journey to find food, shelter and safety following an unnamed catastrophe. Haneke has been quoted as saying of film that... "(it) is 24 lies per second at the service of the truth", once again, like all of Hanekes works the truth in this case seems to be that society operates on a thin veneer of civility and should that crack, well, best watch and see. Needless to say it is not a relaxing film in any sense of the word but again Haneke provides compelling, unflinching and searingly honest cinema. (Craig)

The swimmer.
'I'm swimming home. I figure out there's a river of pools all the way to my house.' Burt Lancaster says this as he looks away across the upper class valley of mansions and estates twisting beneath him. He meets figures from his past at each house. The friend's at which he'd drink cocktails, the occasional business partner, the new mansion with the 30 foot tall party house and abusive former friends, the woman he'd strung along for years... John Cheever's original short story was concerned with the disillusioned lives of the American rich and that sense is replicated here, almost perfectly. (Monty)

The Lookout.
In this low key but gripping thriller, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays an arrogant young hockey star with money, good looks, & a beautiful girlfriend... until he causes a car crash that kills his friends and leaves him permanently brain-damaged. 4 years later his life has slipped to working as a janitor in a bank, making careful notes and lists so he doesn't forget things, taking 'sequential memory' classes, and living with blind friend Lewis (a great turn by Jeff Daniels)... But then he meets some new 'friends' who begin to play on his weaknesses & seduce him in a plan to rob the bank where he works... Gordon-Levitt comes up with another great performance as Chris, subtly portraying the anger, self-loathing, & frustration inherent in the 'new' person he has now become. Compared, probably unfairly, to movies like 'Memento' "The Lookout" is more a slow-burning character study in guilt and acceptance. Recommended. (Mark)

The piano teacher
No one films apprehension quite like Michael Haneke, he is the master of framing moralities collapse and all his films have traded, to some extent, on the fact they attract controversy. However, although his notoriety as a filmmaker is well established his films have also been undeniably compelling. The Piano Teacher is one of his more infamous creations and tells the tale of Erika, a frustrated forty year old music teacher, who still lives at home with her cruel mother. Erika takes on a young student Walter and her carefully constructed world of restraint and decorum is quickly dismantled by his advances. Renowned for its confrontational look at extreme sexuality the Piano Teacher is a fantastically acted and utterly brutal film. Not a first date movie obviously, but it's a fascinating journey into the incongruent world of repression and desire. (Craig)

Foyle's war. The complete fourth & fifth seasons.
The latest offering in this excellent series, created by Michael Horowitz of 'Midsomer Murders' fame, is just as wonderful as all the others. Charismatic detective Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchin) goes about his daily work in wartime in the seaside city of Hastings. In this series he and his assistants, handsome Sergeant Milner and his quirky, attractive driver Sam(antha), address a brutal death on an American army base, the disappearance of Milner's estranged wife, the murky field of biological research and the world of weapons development. The stories are authentic - there is a wealth of historical research underlying each episode and one learns much about little known aspects of World War Two. But the real charm is the loving attention to period detail, from the costumes, manners, cars, interiors, even the moody theme music. It was with some sadness that I thought we had bidden a fond farewell to Foyle and friends - but wait - there's more! A sixth series has been produced! (Sue)

Razzle Dazzle.
Another great quirky film is "Razzle Dazzle: A journey into dance". This is a great mock documentary in the vein of "Best in Show". It focuses on two rival children's dance schools and their lead up to a big dance competition. Really it's all about the dance teachers (Mr Jonathan is fantastic) and the lunatic parents. Australian humour - and very well done. We should buy this one when it is available. (Kini)

Control.
Based on the autobiography of Deborah Curtis, Control is a condensed look at the life of her husband Ian Curtis' and his band Joy Divisions' rise from obscurity to cult fame and Ian's eventual suicide. Director Anton Corbjin, in his first feature film, transposes his renowned legacy of monochromatic photography to the realm of big screen, resulting in a film steeped in the textures and tones of a dark, drab and frustrated early 80's Britain. Corbjin and his pool of extraordinarily talented actors manage to bring some instances of real light to an otherwise inevitably grim tale. Great music and gritty humour throughout it's a must see for fans of Joy Division or those seeking a film with some real Northern soul. (Craig)

Eastern Promises.
This film looks great on paper, Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts, both at their acting prime, come together for a Russian mafia thriller set in London. Naomi Watts plays London gal of Russian descent who gets mixed up with the mafia, cue Viggo with rather good Russian accent. Naomi's character is utterly unbelievable: she is supposed to be this level headed midwife, but she makes loads of extremely stupid decisions, like giving a major piece of evidence, a diary, to the mob boss for him to translate so she can play Nancy Drew, instead of giving it to the cops. She also gives her address out to his cronies, although the mafia gang look clownishly thuggish, all leather jackets and murderous hand gestures. The mafia dudes hang out together, all of them, yet they speak English with Russian accents and throw in the odd Russian word. Only for Viggo & Naomi fans who can ignore the plot holes. (Carmel)

Vanaja.
Vanaja is the daughter of a poor fisherman, who dreams of becoming a great dancer one day. She goes to work in the house of the local landlady in hope of learning Kuchipudi dance while earning a keep. Soon her vivacious ways and spunk catch the landlady's eye, and she rises up to the ranks and eventually secures Devi's mentorship. Vanaja excels in dance, and seems to be on a steadily ascending path when Shekhar, Devi's son - handsome, muscular and rather insecure, returns from the US to run for political elections. One cannot describe this as a 'feel good' movie, dealing as it does with the vexed question of class in equality in India, but it is visually beautiful and very remarkable in being the first film by its producer, featuring a cast of untrained but very dedicated and talented locals, being shown at several international film festivals (Toronto, Berlin, Wellington) and winning several prestigious prizes. (Sue)

Bubble.
This is a rather grim, yet hauntingly memorable depiction of heartland, small town, Middle America. Filmed in West Virginia by director Soderbergh (Sex lies and videotape, Solaris) using local amateur non-actors, it tells the story of middle-aged, frumpy Martha, who works in a doll making factory by day and cares for her elderly father by night. She cares deeply for her younger co-worker Kyle, who is naive and blissfully ignorant of her feelings, but like Martha is lonely and isolated. The arrival of an attractive young single mother at the factory, who takes an instant liking to Kyle, throws the dynamics of Martha and Kyle's relationship to the wind. Martha moves from suspicion to jealousy then to the inevitable, violence. This is wonderful piece of cinema, with brilliantly convincing performances by the three main actors. Showing how bleak and mundane some lives can be the characters in Bubble evoke much empathy, particularly Martha, who started with such optimism and hope. This originally screened at the Wellington Film Festival 2007 and will be remembered long after it is viewed. (Linda)

Sweet land: a love story.
Inge arrives in Minnesota in 1920 to marry a young Norwegian farmer named Olaf. Her German heritage and lack of official immigration papers makes her an object of suspicion in the small town, and she and Olaf are forbidden to marry. Undaunted, they decide to live together anyway despite strong disapproval from neighbour and church. Although the relationship is platonic at first, the couple, who were always attracted to each other, fall in love through enforced isolation and shared hard work on the farm. This film is absolutely stunning to look at, the wide blue skies and endless wheat fields of Minnesota captured in glorious technicolor again and again. Elizabeth Reaser is a true star, her character and luminescent beauty light up the screen. There are unforgettable images - her arrival with a jaunty hat and a huge portable gramophone, her colourful and beautiful clothes, her profusion of henna- red hair. This is a truly beautiful movie. It has a memorable sound track, too. (Sue)

Live - Arj Barker.
Arj Barker maybe more well-known for his grimy role in Flight of the Concords over here, but going by the size of the crowd in this live DVD filmed in Australia he's quite the smash hit over the other side of the Tasman. Arjs' comedy is your standard observational fare. That said, he had me chuckling along quite happily at his whimsical and often refreshingly new comedy tales. He's great when he's at his most self deprecating and even able to bring the crowd round following the complete failure of a part of his routine. I'd happily watch him again, he's a great showman with a sage and worldly sense of perspective, avoid the extras on the DVD and you'll be well rewarded with a few good chuckles and some great belly laughs. (Craig)

Day Watch.
The 2nd entry in this Russian Sci-Fi trilogy based on the novels by Sergei Lukyanenko. 'Night Watch' was a huge critical international success & became the highest grossing Russian film ever, & 'Day Watch' carries on from where it left off (though it is actually an adaptation of the 2nd & 3rd parts of the first novel 'Night Watch', as opposed to its sequel 'Day Watch'). Set in modern Russia 'Night Watch' created an alternative world in which exist the 'Others' (vampires, shape-shifters, seer's etc) all of whom have chosen the light or the dark. Employing a carefully guarded truce they monitor each other via agents of the 'Night Watch' (the light) & the 'Day Watch' (the dark), waiting the prophesied time a powerful 'Other' will alter the balance forever & plunge the world into war. Anton (Russian star Konstantin Khabensky) finds himself crucial to the fulfilment of this prophecy, & 'Day Watch' continues his story as he finds himself accused of breaking the 'truce' by killing two vampires, & attempting to recover the legendary 'Chalk of fate' to undo the mistakes he made in 'Night Watch'. Convoluted, audacious, stylish, these movies are so full of creativity, energy, ideas, moral dilemmas, they run circles around the fake Matrix sequels and the childish world of Harry Potter. Also as an added bonus, if you dislike subtitles, the movies include 'dubbed' versions where everyone speaks English with cool Russian accents. (Mark)

Alistair Cooke's America
The first episode of this beautifully produced Box-set is called 'The First Impact' In it Cooke carefully strolls through early French Villa's, plays boogaloo in a properly smoking room in New Orleans, drifts with the Autumn leaves in Main, New England. It's an hour that reminded me of his years-long 'Letter from America'; as personal and varied as an essay, filled with anecdote and as sharp as a tack. The next twelve episodes proceed in a more conventional, 'BBC' documentary style. Cooke is still centre-stage. Brill-creamed, silver haired and irreplaceable. (Monty)

December boys.
Four boys get a special birthday treat when they are sent from their orphanage in the outback to the beach for a summer holiday. This one is a nice heart-warming little film about friendship and family. But I'm sorry to say I just couldn't get past seeing Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter! He was kind of stiff and awkward throughout this film and I really don't think he has what it takes to be more than be a child actor. The other boys were excellent, especially Misty who narrates the story. (Kini)

Live after death.
In 1985 I had a superb mullet and Iron Maiden ruled the world. Following on from their gargantuan 1984 metal album Powerslave, Maiden began a world tour that would last for eighteen months straight and at the end they released the now legendary live concert album and video Live After Death. Recorded over several nights at L.A's famed Long Beach Arena Live After Death is finally released onto DVD with a bonus disc of glorious extras. Live After Death has long been regarded as one of the greatest live albums of all time and this re-release showcases Iron Maiden in all their majestic glory. A crystal clear 5.1 mix and retooled visuals showcases a band honed to perfection by a monstrous world tour and absolutely blazing through a fans dream set list. The bonus disc contains part two of their ongoing History of Maiden series and contains a look back at their first tour behind what was then the iron curtain. These days Iron Maiden are touring to bigger crowds than ever and their reputation for spectacular gigs is firmly entrenched, but this DVD truly shows them in their prime. Raw, visceral, hungry and ridiculously over the top Live After Death is an undeniable Metal masterpiece with some of the most ludicrous spandex pants you're ever likely to see. Play it very very loud. (Craig)

Death proof/Planet Terror.
It seems a bit pointless critiquing movies that are deliberately made to be bad, but anyway...Designed as a tribute to the sleezy, crummy 'double- feature' /'Drive-in' movies that will be remembered by people of a certain advancing age, the 'Planet Terror'/'Death Proof' double-bill was a box office stiff, hence its separation into two separate films. The zombie splatter-fest of 'Planet Terror'is pretty much what you'd expect, the best bits tending to involve Rose McGowan & the machine gun attached to the stump of her leg. 'Death Proof' is better than you'd think. Sure it's full of the copious dialogue that's a Tarantino trademark, but it largely eschews the overt stylism & pretentiousness that bogged down 'Kill Bill' & 'Jackie Brown'. The plot, as it is, features a great Kurt Russell as the nasty 'Stuntman Mike', who stalks groups of young women in his 'death-proof' stunt car. But he meets his match when he goes up against NZ's own stuntwoman Zoe Bell (playing herself) & feisty driver Tracie Thoms (TV's 'Cold Case'). (Mark)

Infamous.
'In Cold Blood' was the last extended piece of literature Truman Capote wrote. It is this fact, the traumatic nature of the crimes depicted, the fact that Capote spent intimate time with the criminals and the testimony of friends that he was never the same after, that makes 'Infamous' so complex a piece psychologically and such a compelling idea. The Capote of 'Infamous' played by Toby Jones seems endlessy resourceful, a strident, hillarious fish-out-of-water. I believed this good-willed 'Capote' could nicely infiltrate a middle-class sheriffs house with in-jokey stories of Frank (Sinatra), Bogie, (Bogart) and John (Houston). The eventual descent and near-breakdown occur quickly, but aren't forced; Jones, Capote falls to pieces like he means it. (Monty)

This is England.
British filmmaker Shane Meadows latest film takes a look at middle England, bleak and grimy in the early 80's. The film follows the life of 12 year old Shaun, still in shock from his father's death, as he tentatively heads towards adolescence and finds solace and friendship with a gang of young skinheads. The acting is fantastic throughout, particularly young Shaun who soon learns, when one of the gang's openly racist members returns from prison, that growing up often comes at a price. Although ultimately it is a grim film, Meadows' use of Shaun to highlight the influence of violence and the arrival of right-wing politics is a triumph. It's impossible not to love Shaun's plucky courage and while the film grinds along with a sense of impending doom you'll be increasingly concerned about where this will leave young Shaun. It's a great film, one filled with realistic and gritty dialogue, a great deal of thought provoking and still highly relevant themes and an ending that dismisses the thought that life is full of easy answers. (Craig)

No country for old men.
While 'No Country for Old Men' is arguably Cormac McCarthy's most accessible novel, that doesn't necessarily means it follows a traditionally linear narrative, and the same can be said for the Coen Brothers movie adaptation. Nice guy Vietnam vet James Brolin stumbles across a botched drug deal in the desert, and steals a suitcase of money. Soon he's pursued by a sociopath cattle-gun wielding killer (Javier Bardem), with a weary aging Sheriff (Tommy Lee Jones) trailing behind, trying to link all the bodies together. With chunks of McCarthy's novel intact (particularly those pertaining to Jones' character) this is minimalism at its finest, beautifully shot, beautifully acted (particularly Brolin & Jones), yet depressing on almost every level. (Mark)

Capote.
Filmed in a muted afternoon pallet and grimmer by far then 'Infamous', this version of the events surrounding 'In Cold Blood' still packs a stinging wallop. Phillip Seymour Hoffman lost tens of kilograms, donned a bad haircut, method gesture and mannerisms and duly won the academy award. Chris Cooper, playing the sheriff is brilliantly difficult, cagey and out-of-his-depth. The difference in his acting and Hoffman's is marked and sometimes telling. I preferred Cooper's. Haunting when I saw it on the big screen but still good enough on the small to give one a serious case of moral regret. (Monty)

Atonement.
I have recently watched the DVD Atonement which I really enjoyed, but my old man said it was a 'bloody miserable' tale. (Pru)

Cloverfield.
I watched 'Cloverfield' the other day and it was just fantastic! The weird thing is that I can't say why without spoiling the whole thing so this is the shortest, most oblique review in history. Just see it! For reasons that I can't go into (again) I really enjoyed watching it on a laptop computer which, considering the genre of the movie, is quite bizarre. The other great thing about it was that they used an entirely unknown cast, except for one actor I recognised. See if you can spot who and in what they were in 'way back when'. (Ellie)

So Live.
UK-based Australian comedian Tim Minchin presents a 2-hour solo show of musical virtuosity and observational stand-up that highlights the clever and funny material that has made him a recent international star. (Neil)

Rice Rhapsody.
An excellent comedy/drama in Chinese/English. Jen lives in Singapore and has raised her 3 sons alone by working hard in her restaurant. The eldest two sons are gay and she begins to worry when the youngest shows no interest in girls. She hopes taking in a French exchange student (Sabine) will deter him from his cycling friend Batman. Meanwhile she's being romantically pursued by the restaurateur on the corner. (Kini)

Idiot Box.
Great little Australian film - made in the 90's, but definitely a classic. Two losers (Kev & Mick) decide to get off the dole by robbing a bank. Unfortunately they are just too stupid. Superb cast - from the drug dealer who lives at home in Mum's garage, to the two cops (with the bumper sticker "cops are tops") - every single character delivers! (Kini)

Reno 911!: Miami : The movie : Uncut
I'd never seen the television show Reno 911 before I plucked this off the shelf in a desperate search for a Friday night DVD. I have to say I was amply rewarded for my spontaneity. If you're after some unashamedly puerile giggles then you're going to love this film. Ok, I admit there's no real surprises here plot wise, as it features your standard cast of 'quirky' cop characters banding together to save the day in a hapless fashion. However, although we may have seen it all before the writing, the situations the characters find themselves in and mockumentry style is an absolute winner and it's a completely un-pc laugh riot for its entire length. (Craig)

The Mighty Boosh. 1.
Written by and starring Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding, the Mighty Boosh is an incredibly hilarious surrealist comedy. Howard Moon and Vince Noir the two main characters fill their day working as zookeepers (sort of) at the dilapidated zooniverse...actually from this point on the plot becomes near impossible to accurately describe. Imagine a show featuring mod wolves, a vertically challenged shaman, hirsute apes from hell, kangaroo boxing, electro pop, a Jazz devil and all manner of eccentric characters...I could go on, but what's the point. If you've seen it chances are you've loved it, if you haven't shame on you. It's an out of control trip through a wonderfully peopled universe of bizarre jokes and songs which shouldn't work at all but somehow do. It's brilliant. (Craig)

Wild Hogs.
Absolutely hilarious shenanigans! This movie stars a brilliant cast who drive the story along with much ease, skill and hilarity. It promises everything a great comedy can and delivers so much more. Four middle-aged men decide to take a motorcycle road trip from Cincinnati to the Pacific in order to get away from their lives which are leading them nowhere. These "Wild Hogs" tear up the road and eventually stop in New Mexico for a drink, not knowing that the bar belongs to the Del Fuegos, a mean biker gang. When the Del Fuegos steal a bike that belongs to the Wild Hogs, Woody, one of the Hogs, decides to steal the bike back. Woody cuts the fuel pipes of the bikes and provokes an accident that explodes the bar, but he does not tell the truth to his friends. When they stop in the small town of Madrid without gas, Dudley falls in love with the waitress and owner of the local bar Maggie. The Del Fuegos pursue the Hogs and trap them in the town. John Travolta, Martin Lawrence, Tim Allen, William H. Macy, Ray Liotta, Marisa Tomei and a fantastic supporting cast - that's entertainment. (Belinda)

Shoot 'em up.
This DVD falls into the category of 'Action' and believe me, you haven't seen action until you see this movie. I would say it's a cross between a Die Hard and Kill Bill. Not only does it have non-stop action from beginning to end, but also a good storyline. Beware though, not a movie for anyone who has an aversion to lots of gunfire and dead bodies! Starring Clive Owen, Paul Giamatti and Monica Bellucci. (Suzanne)

Fracture.
Twisty 'perfect crime' thriller that's a bit above the usual fare. Anthony Hopkins plays a rich inventor with a younger wife. After finding her unfaithful he calmly shoots her in the head, waits for the police to arrive. then confesses to the crime. It seems like an easy win for Prosecuting Attorney Ryan Gosling (on his way to a sweet high paying corporate gig), but his last case proves anything but easy, as it becomes clear that the manipulative Hopkins has planned everything well in advance. Hopkins is brilliant as the cunning villain and Gosling is OK, managing to generate sympathy and interest in the characters, when neither of them is particularly likeable. A quality supporting cast and a (mostly) clever script raise it above the norm, so even when it all falls apart in the 3rd act, as it never seems to be too sure just which character it's rooting for, it's still enjoyable enough. (Mark)

Damages. The complete first season.
With so few roles for 'mature' women in film these days, many are turning to TV, and ironically giving some of their best performances. The TV show 'Damages' is a case in point, as Glenn Close is nothing short of brilliant as ruthless and manipulative uber-lawyer Patty Hewes. Not so much a 'legal' drama, as say James Woods' 'Shark', but more an old school type 'thriller', 'Damages' begins with a naïve young lawyer Ellen Parsons (Rose Bryne) arrested for the murder of her fiancé, then spirals back 6 months to show how she came to be recruited by Close to help take down crooked CEO Arthur Frobisher (Ted Danson). Layered, convoluted and complex, it packs more twists into its 13 episodes than entire seasons of other shows. Close won a Golden Globe for her performance; Danson was nominated. You have to pay close attention to the myriad of plot developments, but it's worth the effort. Highly recommended. (Mark)

I'm Alan Partridge.
A friend put me onto Alan. We now have a number of "Alan" sayings and are thinking of having an Alan Partridge appreciation evening (double-breasted blazer and tie sets for everyone in attendance). He's not to everyone's taste but I just love this DVD! Alan is a failed talk show host who is desperately trying to get another series with the BBC and he spends most of his life (and radio air time) insulting people. His wife has left him, so he's living in the Linton travel tavern and is the butt of staff jokes. The receptionist, the Geordie bell boy and Alan's long-suffering PA (Lyn) spend their lives dealing with Alan's daily issues. My favourite episode is "Alan Attraction". He has secured sponsorship for a number of chocolate oranges (all with superficial damage to the boxes) and decides to give these to all the ladies in his life under 50. (Kini)

Four last songs.
This was a really subtle and gentle film - more about unravelling the characters than telling a story of any great significance. A rather eclectic bunch of characters assemble in a small un-named village in Spain. Larry wants to hold a concert in honour of the most famous person who ever lived there - but following a series of mishaps it seems this will never get off the ground. His long-lost daughter shows up, his partner accuses him of having an affair, the widow of the famous pianist takes back the piano, and a crazy Englishman tries to steal his thunder. Enjoyable and satisfying film. (Kini)

Thank you for smoking
"The film I recommended the most last year. A hilarious look at the role of the tobacco company lobbyist with some of the smartest and pithy dialogue ever put to screen. An absolute treat if you're looking for some semi-sophisticated un-pc hilarity". (Craig)

Jeff Wayne's musical version of The war of the worlds.
This gave a taste of what the live show in Auckland last year must have been like - a multi media surround sound production. Unfortunately the sound quality of the singers was patchy at times. The immortal opening lines - "Who would have believed..." were preceded by two Martians having a discussion on how they were going to conquer Earth which was a little odd. Overall though it is worth watching as it is very cleverly done although the CD version does give an eerier feeling - sometimes "less is more". (Liz)

Marie Antoinette.
I found this film rather delicious. Rather than a straight historical drama - Sofia Coppola gives us a playful, colourful and insightful look at the life of one of France's most famous women. The soundtrack is fabulous. Eighties pop music mixed with the rich costumes of 16th century France set in The Palace of Versailles somehow fits! Kirsten Dunst played the role of the young, naïve Antoinette well. (Kini)

The history of Iron Maiden. Part 1, The early days.
Absolutely wonderful documentary charting the early years of Iron Maiden when a bunch of scruffy blokes climbed into a van and inadvertently become heavy metal superstars. Packed full of crusty old geezers giving some hilariously self depreciating interviews and with some furious early concert footage. For the old(er) metal fan it's definitely a great trip back, well worth repeated watching. (Craig)

The reaping.
A thriller to get you jumping so much the cat won't sit on your lap! A well constructed story with a couple of unexpected twists at the end, the Reaping will appeal to people who like movies with religious and/or occult themes. (Belinda)

The ax = Le couperet.
I saw this film at the Paramount when it came out - and a second viewing was just as enjoyable. It's a black comedy featuring Jose Garcia as an executive who has lost his job in paper through company down-sizing. Convinced that there are only limited roles and others out there who can do the job as well as him, he sets about 'doing away with' the competition. He advertises a fake job and sorts the CV's to form a short-list of people to murder. Of course the comedy comes because he is a loving father of two and quite a mild-mannered chap. He's not much of a murderer and keeps waiting for the police to show up and arrest him. Highly recommended French Film. If you enjoy Jose Garcia in this one - check out Après Vous where he stars opposite Daniel Auteil. (Kini)

Metal : a headbanger's journey.
I while back I wrote a review for another Heavy Metal DVD Louder than Life, it was Ok, in a sort of nostalgic fashion. However, 'Metal - A Headbanger's Journey' is an altogether finer beast. Producer/Director Sam Dun is an anthropologist and long time Metal fan and his analysis of the genre, is very much structured and presented via an academic perspective. Sam sets out to examine Metal's many sub-cultures and to explore its substantial history until finally he highlights it importance as an art form in today's nebulous web of musical and cultural intertwining. The film carefully explores some of the overarching themes evident in Metal chiefly those of life, death, sex and of course religion and is filled with many illuminating and often witty interviews. The film is not only a reaffirming thrill and long sort after validation for the established Metal fan but also makes for a great introduction should anyone be slightly curious about the meaning to all that glorious noise. (Craig)

Breach.
Slow moving but fascinating account of the investigation into, and eventual capture, of America's longest serving spy. FBI agent Robert Hansen (played by Chris Cooper) sold secrets to the Russians for over 20 years, but at the same time was a devout catholic, highly respected within his community and within the Bureau itself - where at one point he was in charge of the investigation into his own spying. Obtaining information of his guilt, but unable to use it, the FBI recruits an agent-in training Eric O'Neill (played by Ryan Philippe) to ostensibly investigate Hansen's supposed sexual misconduct. Gradually the truth is revealed and Philippe is forced to gain Hansen's trust at a time when he is becoming increasingly paranoid. Focusing on the tensions of trying to access Hansen's files & car, while manoeuvring him out of the office, the relationship between Hansen and O'Neill, and the strain on O'Neill's & his marriage, the film is gripping even though you know the eventual outcome. A great supporting cast includes Laura Linney as O'Neill's lonely supervisor, but the movie truly belongs to Cooper's taut portrayal of the uptight Hansen. Recommended for something a bit different than the usual Hollywood thriller. (Mark)

Wolf Creek.
I didn't realise so many people go missing in Australia and are never found again!! Glad I watched this one with the light on - freaked me out a bit. I was thankfully able to sleep when I convinced myself that at least 2 of the outcomes had to be fictionalised. But as it was based on a true story - the fact that it 'could' have happened and that this sort of creep could still be on the loose in the outback was worrying. Very pleased I hadn't planned to backpack around Australia in the near future. (Kini)

Déjà vu.
Really liked this one - not the usual time-travel plot, but something a little different. This one had it all - action, suspense, a little romance. Denzel Washington is just fantastic. (Kini)

Best of '07

December '07

November '07

October '07

September '07

August '07

Talk to her.
This typically rich and colourful number from Spanish auteur Pedro Almodovar features two beautiful women - a dancer and a matador - trapped in comas while the men who love them deliberate in the waking world. The film is a touching meditation on the nature of devotion, punctuated by sumptuous dance and song performances that take the breath away. A transcendent film and a director at his finest. (Thomas)

Babel (the original version).
Wealthy American tourists (Brad Pitt & Cate Blanchett) hit trouble in Morocco when Blanchett is hit from a stray bullet fired by the son of a Moroccan farmer... who acquired the gun from a Japanese business man... whose daughter is struggling with the recent death of her mother as well as the trials of being a deaf mute... meanwhile with Pitt & Blanchett stuck in Morocco the nanny of the their children can't find a sitter for them so she can go to her son's wedding in Mexico, and so decides to take them with her... The latest movie from director Alejandro González (21 Grams) is a deep exploration of the disparate connections between completely different people & cultures, the unknown effect our actions have on total strangers, the difficulty of communication, and the real cultural divides within modern society. Then again it could be a beautiful filmed, yet completely empty & derivative, piece of shameless pandering to pretentious film critics. It's hard to tell. (Mark)

Slacker.
Feeling awkward about my hair loss I grabbed this off the shelf for a sentimental trip back to my more hirsute years. Slacker is essentially a 'day in the life' film, Richard Linklater's first feature release, made for just $23,000 is set in Austin in the very early 90's when slackerdom and antiestablishment eccentrics ruled supreme. Throwing away such traditional film techniques, such as a plot, Slacker meanders easily from one scene to another as we drift in and out of the lives of the wired and wonderful Austin 'alternative' set. One of the most important films from the 1990's independent film movement and the library's Criterion Collection version of Slacker comes packed with superb extras. (Craig)

Scanner Darkly.
Disregarded during his life, Philip K Dick went on to become the most influential (and the most adapted) Science Fiction writer of the last 60 years. While a lot of his books are 'Science Fiction', such a lot aren't, and A Scanner Darkly is one of those - a slightly futuristic take on the drug culture of Berkeley that was rampant in the 1970's. Adapted faithfully by Richard Linklater, Dick's semi-autobiographical story focuses on Bob Arctor (Keanu Reeves) a reluctant undercover drug agent (codenamed 'Fred') who is trying to track down the source of a new street drug called substance D, a drug that slowly separates the 2 hemispheres of the brain. But to track the source Arctor must become a user, and as his grip on reality shifts 'Fred' soon starts to have suspicions about this guy Arctor... Linklater uses the 'rotoscoping' technique of stylized animation over live actors (as he did in Waking Life and it mostly works - especially during the scenes when undercover agent Fred is in his 'scramble suit' disguise - but Linklater's fondness for random druggy dialogue undercuts the bleak paranoia and raw disintegration at the heart of Dick's book. Still 'A Scanner Darkly' represents the most faithful adaptation of a PKD novel yet, with Linklater using the material to draw parallels with the current 'War on drugs' and the rise of government surveillance. A good supporting cast includes Woody Harrelson & Robert Downey Jr. as Arctor's druggy roommates, & Winona Ryder as his girlfriend 'Donna'. (Mark)

Elvis : that's the way it is.
The first thirty minutes of this film are dynamite. Elvis talks to his disingenuous entourage and they heckle back. He appears in every new shot with a new floral butterfly collar shirt. He walks into the crowd during the mumbling of 'Love Me Tender' and lays lips on every woman in reach. During rehearsals Elvis orchestrates, arranges and dictates. The music is Elvis's, the sound is Elvis's, the dance moves are Elvis's. Elvis: That's the way it is! (Monty)

Hot fuzz.
Simon Pegg is top London cop Nicholas Angel, relegated to a small English village because he's just too good at his job (thus making everyone else look very bad). Depressed that his crime fighting life has hit a dead end & the most exciting case he'll ever work on involves a missing swan, Angel soon finds a series of mysterious 'accidents' may mean that the sleepy village of Sanford has a few nasty secrets hidden underneath its quaint exterior.. While comedy-horror spoof Shaun of the Dead got a lot of good press, it was pretty uneven as a comedy, and not particularly scary as a horror. 'Hot Fuzz' however delivers with both barrels. Perhaps it's that action movies are so much riper for spoofing, or just that the script is so much better, but writer/director Edgar Wright & writer/star Simon Pegg deliver a film that is even more outrageously funny than Bad Santa. An instant classic. (Mark)

Black cat, white cat.
A hysterically funny Romanian romp that somehow combines gangster movie, romantic farce and slapstick action flick into one non-stop extravaganza. The characters are brilliant, especially the vampiric grandpa Grga who rides a bizarre go-kart/wheelchair hybrid and has an electric bed that bucks like a barroom bronco. The plot is relentless and wonderfully inventive - a wild ride. (Thomas)

The good shepherd.
Slow moving yet quietly gripping, 'The Good Shepherd' sees Matt Damon pull of another great performance as a wary, self-contained Yale graduate who goes on to help found the modern C.I.A. Meticulous in its recreation of the time frame - from Pre World War 2 to the cold war paranoia - the movie charts the complex waters of recent history through a examination of duplicity, betrayal, & the concept of just how much one man is willing to sacrifice for his country. Angelina Jolie is underused as his long suffering wife, & the film includes some other cameos from Alec Baldwin, Joe Pesci, William Hurt & director Robert De Niro. At heart the film is a character study as opposed to a typical espionage film & is worth a look if you like something a bit different. (Mark)

Tears of the black tiger.
This is a real genre-buster - a Thai Western (or should that be Eastern?). Purists of the cowboy flick should not be alarmed; all the crucial elements are there: Dead-eye gunslingers, tormented love, broken promises, and a bloodbath at the bandits' corral. But unlike the dry, dusty towns of the Midwest, Tears... is infused with the vivid colour of the tropical east. Mixing lush, wet jungle locations with garish painted set-pieces, the film is an extraordinary visual spectacle, as well as one of the coolest cowboy movies you'll ever see. (Thomas)

July '07

Running scared.
A definite change of pace for Writer/Director Wayne Kramer (whose last effort was the low key William H Macy Vegas movie The Cooler, 'Running Scared' is a full on stylized action flick. The somewhat wooden Paul Walker gives what's probably his best performance as a low level mobster who's charged with getting rid of a gun, after it's used in a drug heist shootout against some crooked cops. Instead he hides the gun for 'insurance' against his bosses, only to have it stolen by a friend of his sons - who then uses it to shoot his abusive father. What follows is a wild ride through the night as Walker tries to track down the kid, the gun & the bullets (before they reach the police for comparison) while trying to avoid the crooked cops and his own dodgy crew. The climax is a little too over the top, but it will make you look at ice hockey in a whole new light. (Mark)

Insomnia (the original version).
This dark, psychological thriller set in the bleak northern part of Norway during the mid night sun is a Nordisk Film and Nordic Screen Productions movie. A disgraced Swedish Detective, played by Erik Skjoldbjaerg, is seconded to Norway to find a teenage girl's killer. He is a tough, menacing cop, obsessed with finding the killer, but after a fatal hitch in procedure, things start to unravel, and he rapidly spirals to the edges of insanity. Most of the action takes palace in austere inhospitable landscapes or buildings, where even the continual sunshine seems to lack colour. This bleakness and almost monochrome seems to add to the intenseness of the suspense. This is a gripping thriller with quite a surprise ending. Insomnia was remade by Christopher Nolan and starred Al Pacino and Robin Williams. I'm sure the Hollywood version would definitely lack the grittiness and rawness of this Norwegian production. (Linda)

The devil and Daniel Johnston.
Daniel Johnston wrote some of the most original music of the 1980s, a music so free of trend and so open and autobiographical that it was almost completely original. 'The Devil and Daniel Johnston' incorporates his inventive stop-motion super-8s and his confessional whispers on E-60 tapes, and recreates events leading up to his nervous breakdown and disintegration. Watch Daniel Johnston pull the key out of his father's plane and plummet to earth and survive; swipe the back of his manager's head with a lead pipe; be chased through the streets of New York by The Sonic Youth and found in New Jersey. There's enough sensational material here to get Nick Broomfield drooling, but Daniel Johnston, songwriter, is the beating heart of this movie. The last track of Johnston's ill-fated album, 'Fun', states 'But, oh, that rock'n'roll, it saved my soul, that rock'n'roll, it saved my soul,' and watching this movie may make you agree. (Monty)

Smallville. The complete fourth season.
There's something compulsively watchable about this show, other than the fact that everyone is impossibly good looking. The recasting of the Superman myth sees Clark Kent as a teenager in Smallville Kansas - which in the original comic book saga was reduced to a few pages - coping with the problems of being a teenager as well as having all these superpowers. All the elements are there - Lex Luthor the prodigal son of the rich businessman who controls Smallville (whose life he saves), the homespun farm life, the plucky girl-reporter friend, the unobtainable girlfriend (called Lana Lang), and the 'freaks' who develop strange powers (all caused by the Kryptonite meteor rocks that were part of his fall to earth). By season 4 everyone is older, the girl-reporter friend now works for 'The Dailey Planet', her cousin Lois Lane arrives having dropped out of college, Jonathan Kent (played by 'Dukes of Hazzard' star John Schneider) has died, Lex Luthor has moved from hero to anti-hero to villain as he obsesses with discovering Clark's secret, and the 'Dawson's Creek' meets 'The X-Files' aesthetic has been replaced by a convoluted and tangled set of relationships - that have just as much in common with a Southern Gothic drama, as they do with Marvel comics. Either way it's as entertaining, in its own way, as 'Alias' was and definitely more so than the incredibly tedious 'Superman Returns'. (Mark)

Twenty thirty forty.
Just watched a really good Chinese DVD called Twenty, Thirty, Forty. It tells the stories of 3 women (the stories are sort of inter-mingled but they are each a separate tale). There's a twenty year old who wants to be a rock star, a thirty year old flight attendant with two lovers and a forty year old florist who's just found out her husband has another wife and child. It's definitely a chick flick (but not the pulpy American kind). Tinged with both sadness and humour. (Kini)

Heavy metal: louder than life.
I'm not afraid to admit that I love heavy metal, but if it's one important point we can take from this documentary it's that heavy metallers do not age well. This film takes a brief peak at the development of heavy metal and a look at its current players. It includes an analysis of the why's and how's of playing metal, its rules and regulations, its social and cultural importance and why metal often remains the last bastion of disenfranchised youth. The film includes interviews with many of the leading lights and past stars of metal, many of whom are looking a tad worse for wear, or more hilariously, seem to be slightly deluded about their own status. Director Dick Carruthers has pieced together a quick snapshot of the heavy metal genre, you'll not learn anything new here and the film is by no means a comprehensive analysis but it is fun, light-hearted and, like all great music documentaries, entertaining. (Craig)

Shortbus.
John Cameron Mitchell's aim was to make a film about sex, in all its permutations, thus we have explicit gay sex, straight sex, bi sex and all manner of other styles and fetishes. Putting the sex to one side, and that is a difficult proposition chiefly because the film's popularity was in part a response to its depictions of graphic sex, the film is the tale of a gay couple looking to reinvigorate their relationship, a sex therapist who has never had an orgasm and a dominatrix searching for something more meaningful in her own life. Each character's story is filmed documentary style, so we have realistic, frank and often unnerving vignettes of their search for a greater meaning in their own lives. The film is frequently very funny and in part very tragic - with realistic dialogue and witty banter it is based around a New York club filled with wonderful and curious characters where, importantly, 'anything goes'. Apparently John Mitchell's aim was to ask us to reconsider our own lives and happiness in relation to our sexual fulfillment. Be warned the film is graphic and explicit but if you're brave of heart and not easily offended then hop on board the Shortbus. (Craig)

Hero.
Hero is a fantastic and novel depiction of Chinese history in the time of the first emperor. The story is movingly told through wonderful music, action and dance. Its beautiful cinematography is a treat both to the eyes and ears. I strongly recommend it - it's well worth seeing. (Candy)

June '07

May '07

April '07

Bones. Complete season one collection.
While C.S.I and it's sister shows seem engaged in a contest to see which show can provide the blandest and most anonymous characters on television, 'Bones' succeeds where they fail. Based on the books and life of writer Kathy Reichs, the show focuses on Jeffersonian Institution Anthropologist Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel) who is asked to work with FBI Agent Seely Booth (Angel's David Boreanaz) to help solve crimes the FBI needs assistance with. What makes the show work so well, despite the somewhat familiar premise, is the strong writing of both of the episodes themselves, as well as the characters - especially the female leads. Boreanaz is a (mostly) by the book FBI agent with a decidedly wry sense of humour (he nicknames Brennan 'Bones' in the opening episode) but it's Deschanel's deft performance of Brennan, who acts as his 'straight man', and their strong chemistry that makes the show so much fun. Her character's interesting back story (her parents disappeared when she was a teenager and were never found) and driven clinical personality that relates everything in anthropological terminology, possessing hardly any social skills and almost nil knowledge of the world around her, makes a refreshing change. Which means that while it's entertaining to watch the crimes themselves being solved, it's almost more fun to watch them bickering amongst gruesome corpses in the woods over why she doesn't get his 'Blair Witch Project jokes'. The supporting characters in the Lab (that Boreanaz refers to as 'squints') are also surprisingly well drawn, and often essential not just to the development of the plot, but to the development of the other characters. Well worth watching if you missed it initially. (Mark)

The Departed.
When 'The Departed' first came out it got some good reviews, but it also got some average reviews. Then suddenly it was ending up on the 'Best of 2006' lists of numerous critics, hauling in some Oscars, and being touted as THE greatest remake ever made. When Brad Pitt optioned the exclusive American rights to remake the Hong Kong hit 'Infernal Affairs' it was assumed he would star in it, but he only produces, while Director Martin Scorsese relocates the action from Hong Kong's Triads to Boston's Irish Mob, with a top heavy Hollywood cast. The basic story revolves around 2 recent police graduates: Leonardo DiCaprio plays a cop with a murky family history, who is hand picked by his superiors (Martin Sheen & Mark Wahlberg) to infiltrate the world of a local crime boss (Jack Nicholson); while Matt Damon plays another ambitious graduate - who in reality is a spy for Nicholson. While the film offers a different set-up, it eventually settles into an almost scene by scene remake of 'Infernal Affairs', which is part of the problem. 'Infernal Affairs' was a subtle and nuanced film that seemed to take its cues from the suspense techniques of Alfred Hitchcock, whereas 'The Departed' screams CRIME EPIC in capital letters and never let's itself forget that. Nicholson chews scenery as Mob boss Frank Costello, and while he's more restrained than usual his role still seems pieced together from all the previous headcases he's played. Damon stands out more as the ambitious, morally bereft spy; while Alec Baldwin & Wahlberg steal all the scenes they're in. However the film stands on DiCaprio's performance and he seems at a loss in a complex role that needed someone at least 10 years older and more experienced. In the end it's not a bad movie, especially if you've never seen the original, but at the end of the day it feels like a missed opportunity rather than the classic it's purported to be. (Mark)

Why we fight.
While it didn't attract as much publicity as Michael Moore's Fahrenheit 911, in many ways this is a more reasoned and balanced investigation of the same issues that Moore dealt with. Borrowing its title from a series of WW2 documentary films made by Frank Capra, it opens with President Ike Eisenhower's farewell address in 1961 in which he voiced his concerns about the rise of the military-industrial complex and its influence on government. The film chronicles how Eisenhower's concerns have come to fruition over the last few decades while also looking at the post 9/11 build-up to the Iraq war. Director Eugene Jacrecki opts to stay behind the camera to allow his subjects to speak for themselves. They range from a father who lost his son in the 9/11 attacks whose need for revenge turned to anger when he realized the intelligence used to make the case for war was flawed, to former senior CIA and Pentagon staff. A film of this scope is difficult to describe in a short space but it demands to be seen, highly recommended. (Robert)

Dear Wendy.
A quirky and offbeat movie that is well worth watching. The protagonist Dick decides to form a club of all the local losers called The Dandies. They are "pacifists with guns" and meet regularly in the old mine to study weapons and practice shooting at targets. The clubs main rule is that guns are to be respected (e.g. to be carried but not fired). Perhaps predictably it culminates in a shoot-out showdown with the local sheriffs. (Kini)

36 Quai des orfevres.
'36 Quai des orfevres' is local parlance for the Criminal Investigative Division of the Paris Police and the title of this moody French crime drama in the tradition of 'Heat'. Directed by Olivier Marchal, the story is co-written by him and Dominique Loiseau, and is based on the experiences of Loiseau, a former member of the BRI (an anti-gang squad) in the 1980's. The film opens as a gang of elusive thieves pull off another audacious armoured car robbery. Vrinks (Daniel Auteuil) the head of BRI, and Klein (Gerard Depardieu) the head of the BRB (a robbery squad) both want to bring down the gang, and when their boss lets them know that whoever does so will inherit his job, the race is on. Once friends and now bitter rivals, their backstory and falling out is hinted at but never fully explained but resolve around Vrinks wife (Valerie Golino). Vrinks is an edgy, yet still ethical cop, willing to pursue justice with an ends justifies the means appraoch, keeping his work hidden from his wife and daughter; while Klein is ruthless and embittered, interested only in the accumulation of power. When Klein botches a climatic surveillance, and causes the death of Vrink's friend, he sets in motion a series of events that lead the characters into a ruthless endgame to destroy each other. Both Auteuil and Depardieu are brilliant and the film (hailed as the best French thriller in decades) lives up to its reputation. Gritty and epic, and almost as good as Michael Mann's 'Heat'. Highly recommended. (Mark)

Memories of murder.
This Korean movie, tells the true story of a search for a serial killer in a small rural town. A body of a young girl is found in a drainpipe, she was murdered on her way to a blind date. This is the beginning of a series of similar murders, ten in all that cause fear and suspicion to rage through the town. The two bungling, investigating police detectives are joined by a smart young detective from the Seoul Metropolitan Police Bureau. This only causes the rural police to become even more inept and desperate to grasp hold of any clues, no matter how obscure. A great atmospheric movie, that is rich in suspense and darkly humorous. Well recommended. (Linda)

Hard candy.
14 year old Hayley should be in her room doing her homework. What she shouldn't be doing is meeting 32 year old photographer Jeff at a coffee shop (after a lengthy on-line 'relationship'), going back to his place, drinking Screwdrivers, and offering to pose for photographs. But soon the tables are turned and it's Hayley who's in control, and she has some questions for Jeff - the first of which being: What exactly happened to a girl named Donna? An intense, psychologically disturbing & timely indie-flick that will have you squirming in your seat for an hour and a half, but somehow compel you to keep watching until the genuinely creepy end. Not for the faint of heart. (Mark)

Young Adam.
Absolutely engaging from beginning to end. Although I would usually say that about a film with Ewan McGregor... in this movie he just seems to exude sexiness throughout the entire story. A fact that doesn't go unnoticed by any of the female characters in the movie (they all sleep with him). The story itself is part relationship drama / part suspense. When a dead girl is found floating in the river by two barge men - people wonder if it was murder, suicide, accident? The central character Joe (McGregor) seems to know more than he is letting on. Tilda Swinton gives an excellent performance as Ella. (Kini)

Leonard Cohen : I'm your man.
A wonderfully put-together tribute to Leonard Cohen, with live cover versions of the great man's songs by Jarvis Cocker, Nick Cave, Rufus and Martha Wainwright and many others, interspersed with wry and insightful comments about his music, life and philosophies by Cohen himself. The only low points in the film are the excruciating interviews (and worse, musical contributions) by Bono, who has somehow slipped under Mr. Cohen's normally-reliable taste radar. If Leonard is, as he claims, a hundred floors below Hank Williams in the Tower Of Song, then Bono is crawling around in the basement, boring even the cockroaches with his self-righteous whining. (Neil)

Mozart and the Whale.
This movie is a surprising gem. I had never heard of it and only grabbed it because of Josh Hartnett being the lead man. We sat glued to the screen, being taken through all the emotions from glad to sad, laughter and tears and were left feeling better for the experience. The two main characters are just that, slightly larger that life personalities and faced with quite a challenge in this world of "normal". Endearingly different they find sole mates in each other but as everyone knows who has been part of a couple the sailing is never smooth. I would highly recommend this to everyone; you will enjoy the journey and be very impressed with the talent of Josh and Radha's performances. (Andrea T.)

Imaginary heroes.
I wasn't sure a film that began with a suicide was going to be enjoyable viewing - but I really liked the way this film gave an in-depth profile of each character. You get three stories in one - how the dead boys mother (Sigourney Weaver) father and brother all cope in the wake of his suicide. (Kini)

The proposition.
This was the most violent and yet one of the most strangely beautiful movies I've seen. Acting was amazing, as was the music and screenplay by Nick Cave. (Ellie)