Fantastic music scores

An outstanding adaptation of one of my favorite books, graced with three excellent performances (Kidman gives more than just an 'uglified' performance and her accent is spot on), inventive direction and a fantastic musical score.

I know some people don't see what the fuss is about with the film, or find it too cold or calculating, but some of that is to the point, and despite the coincidences (which I didn't find contrived), I thought the film was excellent and its depiction of characters desperate to escape realistic and brilliantly portrayed. I should also add that the film improves with repeated viewings; quick glances, close-ups and silences become suddenly laced in meaning.

I only wish that author Michael Cunningham's "A Home at the end of the World" could have been equally well adapted and directed.

"Jack, I swear..."

The best film of 2005, and should have won best picture at the 2006 Oscars.

A short story that spans many years is faithfully transported to the screen, ideas and hints expanded to full scenes with the spirit of the source remaining intact.

The synopsis is pretty much common knowledge by now, but the label of "gay cowboy" movie is unhelpful as it will, unfortunately, prevent a larger proportion of an audience in seeing this film. It greatly troubles me to hear of people either boycotting this film outright because of its subject matter, or walking out of screenings, since this is a beautiful, moving and heartfelt movie. At the screening I saw, I'm glad to say the audience all seemed to appreciate the film, and I found it interesting to see that when the lights came on at the end, most of the women were crying and most of the men were sat in silence or deep in thought (or, indeed, crying themselves).

In any case, this a stunning film: the direction, the photography, the music, the writing and of course the acting; at the time of release, the film was graced with career best performances from all five key cast members - Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, and in a small but key role, Linda Cardellini as the waitress.

Required viewing for everyone who loves film.

An interesting failure this; the original was groundbreaking, scary, sparse and very very profitable - it was inevitable that a sequel was made. Joe Berlinger, who made the fantastic documentary Paradise Lost, seemed to be a very good choice. And the thing is, he still might have been... for although the film resembles an indifferent mess, it has been quite well publicised that Berlinger was ordered to re-cut, re-assemble and essentially alter the film to make it "more scary"; extra gore was also added.

What's left is a film with a couple of interesting ideas (though the "Scream" style self-parody doesn't work), and the odd scare or two. The performances are wretched, unfortunately, aside from Kim Director who plays a blasé goth very well indeed. I was very impressed by the musical score, however, so much so I actually bought it on CD.

I recommend purchasing the DVD if you were a fan of the original - the "mockumentaries" are better than the feature itself, and there's a very interesting and insightful commentary from the director.

Extraordinary. This film, using the Rotoscope ("Waking Life") technique, is funny, perceptive, scary and oddly moving. Keanu Reeves gives a rich, award-worthy performance, and the rest of the cast (Robert Downey Jr, Winona Ryder etc.) have also rarely been better. The best Phillip K. Dick adaptation I've seen.

I saw this film for the first time in an open-air screening in New York and it was an amazing, possibly life changing experience. My favourite of Stanley Kubrik's films, I couldn't tear my eyes off the screen for a single second. It's absolutely incredible to think this film was made in 1968. Some of the shots are absolutely beautiful and the surreal coda seems perfect to me.

Fabulous little indie film that concentrates on the kind of character who you usually only glimpse and then forget about in most films: in this case a Russian lover to a much older American man. The performances from Dina Korzun, Rip Torn and Darren Burrows are all Oscar worthy, and the film won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. The photography is superb too - this is well worth a look and I can't wait for Ira Sachs next film...

Julianne Moore. Phillip Seymour Hoffman. William H. Macy. Paul Thomas Anderson directing. Based around songs written & performed by Aimee Mann. Enough said - 5 Star masterpiece which everyone who loves films should see.

Exceptional, well written and directed dysfunctional family road movie. Each of the six lead actors gets their moment to shine. After all the hype I was expecting to be disappointed, but this is really superb stuff - nicely poignant without being sentimental, sometimes laugh out loud funny, and the ending (which evidentally took some getting right according to the DVD) is perfect.

EDIT: I've now seen this movie a good six or seven times, and can't honestly find fault with it, therefore I'm changing the rating to five stars.

A surprisingly very good sequel to the fantastic Ginger Snaps that doesn't simply re-hash the original, but instead takes a different approach, not only in terms of story but in direction, design and style. Darker, with less black humour and a few more scares, it isn't quite as successful as the original but then since its something of a departure to it, it's not necessarily fair to compare them anyway.

Emily Perkins, once again, gives a fantastic performance that really helps sell the film. The way she uses her physicality is quite brilliant - who needs special effects when you can tell the story in body language and head movements?

The film is effectively split into two parts with the first 45 minutes mostly set in a rehab clinic (with a clichéd 'abandoned wing, strictly off-limits' thrown in for good measure), whilst the second 45 minutes... nah don't want to ruin it.

Director Brett Sullivan stages the film impressively and the music score is very unusual and inventive (although I could have done without a couple of the sudden loud screeches that give the requisite 'false shocks'). The story is very good with some nice twists and a slightly 'out there' ending that works very well.

Some reviews I've read have said you don't need to have seen the first film to enjoy this but I would strongly disagree, as it helps flesh out the character of Brigitte and her motivations.

A definite must see for horror fans.

Evidence of a true genius at work, Pedro Almodóvar's Volver is a magnificent, deceptively complex film, which works on so many levels. As with All About My Mother and Bad Education, characterisation is as good as any novel you'd find by, say, Michael Cunningham. The story, which depicts three generations of women, is involving, warm, funny, poignant, and somehow both melodramatic and realistic at once. Penelope Cruz gives probably her best performance to date (she should really stick to Spanish language films; her American output always seems forced) and has several truly mesmerising scenes which I don't want to ruin here.

In fact, I'm not going to say anything else other than that you must see this life-affirming film.

"I'm not asking you to love me. I can do that enough for both of us."

Wow this is good. My lovefest for Pedro Almodóvar continues unabated - this is a fantastically written and constructed melodrama-slash-thriller. The lives of two policemen, a teenager and the women he is infatuated with are all brought together by a bullet fired in an altercation. Over the years, their paths continue to cross in a tale of lust, love, and revenge (and the pointlessness of vengeance).

Rich, warmly directed, fantastically acted across the board and incredibly satisfying, the story is very, very clever with lots of twists that are earned and enhance the plot and the emotional connectivity rather than cheapen it. Brilliant.

Exceptional, impossible to classify thriller/black comedy/supernatural film from the director of Harry, He's Here To Help; it's like a cross between Alfred Hitchcock and David Lynch and is one of the most bizarre and satisfying films I've seen in a long time.

Alain (Laurent Lucas), a designer of home security products (he's working on a "flying webcam") seems to have it all - a beautiful wife, Benedicte (Charlotte Gainsburg), a promising new home in a pretty town and a lucrative job. On the evening his boss, Richard, and his wife, Alice (Charlotte Rampling) come round for dinner, things start to get... weird. The kitchen sink blocks, and later Alice accuses Richard of sleeping with prostitutes and throws her wine at him, before trying to insult Benedicte over her 'model' marriage and what she sees as a superiority complex. That night, unable to sleep, Alain successfully unblocks the sink when he discovers a rodent (the titular lemming) in the s bend. What follows gets increasingly unnerving and surreal as Alice tries to seduce Alain before inviting herself back into his house, creeping out Benedicte and sleeping in the spare room.

Sounds odd? Well, yes it is, but there is a point to the film and although there is some ambiguity it's not Inland Empire either. There are some unexpectedly very funny moments in the film, the atmosphere is expertly built practically from the beginning, Charlotte Rampling gives a frankly terrifying performance and the sound editing and music score is terrific. I'm already in anticipation for Dominik Moll's next film.

Eight years ago, Alex's wife was murdered. Today, she e-mailed him.

The above tag-line is pretty much all you should know regarding the storyline before watching. This French film from director Guillaume Canet, and based on a pulpy thriller by US author Harlan Coben, does everything right with the genre of a thriller, and adds a few wrinkles of its own too. Much like in The Constant Gardener, despite being a thriller at its heart it's also a romance, with the protagonist slowly learning things he never knew about his wife that only deepens his love for her. As a thriller, the film works a great deal better than say, The Fugitive or The Bourne Identity, and there are some standout sequences, such as a thrilling chase across a highway, which are imbued with kinetic energy that give most US blockbusters a run for their money.

Clever and intelligently plotted without becoming convoluted or too complex, well acted by a talented and unshowy cast and with excellent camera work and music score, Tell No One is an ingenious and moving film. Oh and I would just like to add that the uses of the songs Lilac Wine (Jeff Buckley version) and With or Without You (a song I actually can't stand) are perfect (the latter is even relevant to the plot!).

The first time I saw this, I was impressed with the range and scope of the ideas, and the performances of the cast, but I found the essential 'quirkiness' too much. Either I was in the wrong mood, or was tired, or I got more out of it second time around, because watching it again - and yes, it is flawed - I discovered I just loved it to (little rectangular) pieces.

Despite what his *wretched* performance in the otherwise fair The Holiday may prove, Jude Law does have a talent for comedy and this is (in my humble opinion of course) his best role. The scene where he vomits into his hand at the thought of having to relay his tedious Shania Twain story for the nth time is hilarious and heartbreaking in equal measure. Mark Wahlberg proves his acting chops too, Jason Schwartzman gets his character just annoying/loveable enough and Naomi Watts does sterling work in the most underwritten role. Hoffman and Tomlin are of course magnificent.

An Existential Comedy is the perfect tagline for this movie and from this you could probably decide if you would enjoy it (I don't deny that I Heart Huckabees is an acquired taste) - all I know is that I've found a new favorite film that I'm looking forward to watching again. Brilliant music score from Jon Brion too.

Hell (L'Enfer as it's known in its native France) is the second film in a planned trilogy that began with the underrated Heaven directed by Tom Tykwer and starring Cate Blanchett and Giovanni Ribisi, based upon scripts by the late, great Krzsztof Kieslowksi (the Three Colours trilogy). The two films share little in common aside from their 'unclassifiableness' and their emotional power.

A difficult film to analyse, Hell, directed by Academy Award winner Danis Tanovic (No Man's Land) is overflowing with ideas concerning philosophy, psyche, and emotional detachment and yet is still accessible, unpretentious and, whilst it takes itself necessarily seriously, it is also sometimes blackly funny. There's an exceptional eye for detail that's appropriately worthy of Kieslowski himself; even the opening credits concerning the plight of a bird and the eggs she is watching is gripping and gives the first insight into some of the horror that lies ahead. Although, in all probability, as with Heaven, the title is meant to be ironic, for despite some excellently shot shocks, a pervading sense of dread and a creepily effective final scene, there is some hope to the characters' lives as the film unwinds its secrets.

Stunning cinematography, a thoughtful color scheme (each story thread seems to have its own tone), featuring a nicely dramatic music score and complimented by a trio of leading French actresses giving nuanced performances (Emmanuelle Béart, Karin Viard and Marie Gillain), Hell is very impressive.

Five stars. Totally, totally brilliant. Even though the film features three of the most photogenic, distinctive actors working in Hollywood at the moment, they all give genuine, unshowy performances. Full review soon.

Massively successful film adapted from a very complex, interior and monologue-heavy novel, Atonement is every bit as good as I'd hoped for given all the hype it has been getting.

It's entirely understandable, especially from a marketing point of view, that you see the characters of Cecilia (Keira Knightley) and Robbie (Jmaes McAvoy) on the poster, the DVD cover and throughout the theatrical trailers - it wouldn't be possible to promote the film in any other way - but the film belongs to the character of Briony, and the three actresses who portray her. Saoirse Ronan, Vanessa Redgrave and especially Romola Garai (who the Academy have somehow forgotten) give exceptional, psychologically rich performances. That's not to say that Cecilia and Robbie's cruelly separated romance doesn't grip, nor that Knightley and McAvoy's performances are anything less than astonishing, but they are really the background to Briony's journey from 13 year-old brat to desperately repentant elderly woman, the conclusion to which rings so true it's almost painful to watch.

Superbly structured, masterfully scored and beautifully lit, with a breathtaking steadicam shot at Dunkirk beach that just about avoids showing off, Joe Wright, following his BAFTA winning Pride & Prejudice has another success on his hands.

"There's more to life than a little money, you know. Don't you know that? And here ya are, and it's a beautiful day. Well, I just don't understand it. "

I've seen this over half a dozen times and still think it a masterpiece. To paraphrase John Walker, though there's some properly shocking violence, it's the humanity that you remember.

A psychopath who dubs himself Harry Houdini (Adrien Brody) kidnaps the wife of a rich businessman, strips her, and buries her alive in a coffin with about an hour's worth of air, demanding a million dollars in cash in return for which he will reveal her location. If the ransom isn't paid, or the police are involved, 'Harry' will not give up the details... the husband gets the police involved. The detective investigating, Madeline (Maura Tierney of Scotland PA, Diggers and ER fame) is now the only one who can try and solve the case. A damaged masochist with a drink problem, she'll have to think like Harry in order to find the burial site before the oxygen runs out.

Opening with a kinetic chase through a subway train, Oxygen immediately makes an impression. Its greatest asset is the well thought out characters, who so clearly have had lives before the film begins. In particular, Madeline is an absolutely fascinating protagonist and the bits of information we get build into something that makes the dénouement doubly exciting. The premise is excellently handled but this isn't a one-trick pony of a film and the sub-plots are equally well executed. Maura Tierney and Adrien Brody both give refreshing performances (a sort-of skew on the Hannibal/Clarice relationship in Silence of The Lambs) and the supporting cast (which includes Terry Kinney and Dylan Baker in a small role) is decent. The low budget is occasionally evident (a car-chase through New York City isn't exactly high-speed) but higher production values might have resulted in something more sensationalist and less imaginative. In any case, this is a solid, exciting little flick.

Review soon. After a dozen views, I still love this film unconditionally.

"I know you're out there. I can feel you now. I know that you're afraid; you're afraid of us, you're afraid of change. I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you how it's going to begin. I'm going to hang up this phone, and then I'm going to show these people what you don't want them to see. I'm going to show them a world without you, a world without rules and controls, without borders and boundaries, a world where anything is possible. Where we go from there is a choice I leave to you."

Review soon.

One of the most unique films I have ever seen, Save The Green Planet! combines science fiction, horror, thriller, comedy and camp in a hugely successful way. Difficult to summarise effectively, it's about a disturbed young man called Byung-Gu who is convinced that aliens are amongst us, and that they are the root cause of the destruction and pain in society. Certain that Earth will be destroyed in a matter of weeks unless he can find the leader of the planet Andromeda, Byung-Gu sets out to kidnap the head of a huge multi-national company, who he is sure is an extraterrestrial in disguise, and torture him for information about the leader's whereabouts.

Tonally all over the place, it's a miracle that so much of Planet not only works, but works so beautifully. The genius is that even as Byung-Gu commits horrific torture against Kang Man-shik (the 'ET in disguise'), he is still absolutely sympathetic. Not only that, our sympathies also shift to the other characters in the piece, all well round people with motivations of their own. Writer/Director Jang Jun-Hwan has a knack for juxtaposition, so that whenever there's a campily funny moment it's segued into something heart-rending or else tense as hell.

There are two especially brilliant sequences later on in this film that deftly pack in a tonne of information and exposition into five minutes of screen time, without overloading or confusing. The first shows the life so far of Byung-Gu, as violence erupts all around him and on top of him, and it becomes quickly clear how he has arrived at where he is and come to his bonkers conclusions. The second sequence wittily and movingly shows a possible history of our planet - from dinosaurs to current evolution, using stock footage of atrocities as well as material from 2001: A Space Odyssey to inspired effect.

There are a few problems which occasionally threaten to derail the film: sometimes Planet is frankly too out-there for its own good (the sequence showing the investigate detective shooting bees out the sky for instance), the lurches in tone are sometimes a little difficult to swallow and the ending isn't ambiguous enough for my liking. These are small complaints though, and over-ambitiousness is hardly a serious fault. What I will take away from this is the laughs, the thrills and the unexpected poignancy, which extends to the final credits.

A stunning film that together with predecessors Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Oldboy presents a massively important, vital body of work. Some spoilers ahead.

I have to admit that I initially found Lady Vengeance to be heavy going. The stylised flourishes and the apparent coldness of the lead anti-heroine didn't hook me immediately, and it's a much more complex film than the first two parts of Chan-wook Park's vengeance trilogy. But I persevered, and am very glad I did because this is every bit the masterpiece I was hoping for. Once again, Chan-wok Park has a knack for saying so much with so little words. The human condition is laid bare and it's ugly and it's beautiful. Rarely do you get to see a film that tackles the subjects of vengeance/revenge and redemption/atonement so well and with surprising subtlety, even amid all the fancy camera techniques, graphics and bloody violence. Speaking of the violence, it's interesting to note that, as if often the case, what is not seen is what most lingers; here the most uncomfortable sequence involves the reveal (or non-reveal) of home-video footage. As the story concludes its pivotal, edge-of-the-seat act of group vengeance, it's clear that although there may be an initial catharsis for these characters, they have become shells of themselves, forever haunted or dead inside, or else deranged and trying to occupy themselves with small talk. Vengeance has not been the answer, a conclusion strengthened by the 'fade-to-white' version of the film, and the final act of seemingly self-sacrifice (tinged, as much of what has come before, with biting black humor).

Directed with vision, scripted with economy, beautifully photographed and featuring a memorable music score, this is a resounding success. All of this would be for nothing if the viewer was unable to connect (eventually) with the lead character (the alternate title is Sympathy for Lady Vengeance after all), so thankfully Yeong-ae Lee is pitch perfect as the outwardly blank but internally complicated and multifaceted Geum-ja Lee.

Just fantastic, and I wouldn't change anything; I even like the abrupt ending. Peter Sarsgaard and Patricia Clarkson are magnificent. Review soon.

"I can't open my eyes... What if I open them and you're not there?"

Ghost Voice (or just The Voice to give it the on-screen title) is the fourth in the Ghost School / Whispering Corridors series of thematically similar films, and for me is the best. Showing us events largely from the ghost's point of view, Voice benefits from having a small cast of main characters and a clear, unmuddled storyline - which given the various twists that happen is a really massive achievement. Unlike the other films in the series, there's less concentration here on the pressures of high school and greater emphasis on relationships, memory and guilt. The lesbian subtext from the previous films is also much more prominent, and there's a brilliant underlying truth here about how we never really know people as much as we think. Writer/Director Equan Choe has a clear vision and effectively builds on atmosphere and feeling rather than pandering to cheap shocks or excessive blood-letting (though there are some gruesome parts), and despite the exposition-heavy climax (which by the way, is totally heartbreaking ad doesn't cheapen what has come before), Voice remains a beautiful character-driven film. Props also to the excellent music score and thoughtful, restrained performances from the four lead actresses. This is great stuff.

Can you say underwhelmed? Ok, so maybe the genius left-field casting of Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark gave me unrealistic expectations, but frankly, this isn't good enough. The annoying thing is that Iron Man, for its first hour or so, is really rather good. Everything up to just after the point where Tony is handed photographs of his own weapons being sold 'under the table' is excellent; well-paced, wittily scripted, intriguing. The aforementioned point made me really sit up and pay attention, because I was certain that 'now things are going to get really exciting'. Unfortunately, for its concluding hour, Iron Man predictably and depressingly reverts to type, with a character 'twist' that is simultaneously obvious and ridiculous. Since when are corporate takeovers the stuff of super-villainity? The resulting smash down between two 'Iron Men' brings back vomit-worthy memories of Transformers (though Iron man is far, far better directed) making what began as different and original increasingly derivative. Through it all though, Downey Jr remains superb, charismatic, extremely watchable. Gwyneth Paltrow is good, though underused and can't seem to decide if her character is all brains or kookiness, and Jeff Bridges is completely generic and brings nothing. That the film succeeds is therefore mostly down to Downey Jr. An awesome music score helps too.

Frustatingly underwritten film with an excellent concept (sort of Dead Zone meets Medium). It ends up feeling like a very glossy TV Pilot.

"All men are created equal. No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words."

I can't even begin to adequately describe how I feel about this film. Everything about Milk works so beautifully and has been brought to life with the utmost care, in times of writing, direction, performances, editing. This is one of Gus Van Sant's most 'straightforward' films but is no less effective for being simple, fluid, honest. I can't go on without talking about the final act of violence in this film, which shook me to the core. Despite my knowing how this was going to end, my mind and heart were screaming "no" and I was physically shaking. When Penn held his hand out defensively something in me happened that is near impossible for me to articulate. In the end, this in an inspiring, but angry film - a metaphorical call to arms. But where are the Harvey Milks of today? With every step taken forward for gay rights, something seems to continually happen to push back (right now, the "National Organization for Marriage" is spending obscene amounts of money on a campaign of fear). But. I still have hope.

"For those who saw the signs of hatred as our cars drove in tonight, I think that it is a good time for those who voted for the ban on gay marriage to sit and reflect, and anticipate their great shame and the shame in their grandchildren's eyes if they continue that way of support. We've got to have equal rights for everyone." - Sean Penn.

Hmmm. I don't know what to say about À l'intérieur, apart from that it didn't really succeed for me as a horror film. Though there are two very committed and really quite brilliant performances, the story is practically non-existent. The gore/SFX probably does set at a new benchmark in terms of gruesomeness. Realistic? Not so sure about that. The structure of this film quickly wore me out too: caller comes to check on pregnant protagonist, is promptly slaughtered by the psychotic woman who is terrorizing her. This happens over and over to less effect each time. The only two characters we get to 'know' in any way are the two leads, so anyone else's fate never matters. The fact that there is so much striking imagery, some excellent cinematography (love the grainy, dingy look), a fantastic music score and an actually pretty decent twist only makes the film more disappointing. This may have worked better as a short or one of those 45 minute horror anthology episodes, instead, despite a relatively short running time, it feels padded out, even if the tension stops things from ever really dragging. More focus on the script and structure - and perhaps some sort of social/moral commentary - would have made this a better film in my eyes.

This French/Canadian production is the latest in a recent trend of extreme French cinema, alongside films such as Frontière(s), Haute Tension and À l'intérieur. This is undoubtedly the most effective of them, however, with an ingenious, genre-bending plot, extraordinary twists, lots of ideas and plenty of scares to justify the blood-letting. Unlike À l'intérieur, Martyrs is making valid points, and despite its excesses I found it moving and imbued with tragedy (though it's still undeniably difficult to watch). Morjana Alaoui and Mylène Jampanoï both give exceptional performances that propel the film, and Pascal Laugier's direction is assured. Maybe I'm having some sort of short/long term memory glitch (i.e. déjà vu), but I'm sure that I've read somewhere about something similar to the concluding events in this film before, making it even more personally haunting, weirdly... resonant. The ending could be interpreted as mean-spirited or nihilistic. I prefer to think of it as existentialist. This is the stuff of nightmares, and dreams.

Tod Williams skilfully adapts a portion of John Irving's "un-filmable" novel A Widow for One Year; A Door in the Floor is a wonderful, beautifully acted and photographed film and is an exploration on grief, guilt and love that feels both unique and, most importantly, completely real. Jon Foster, who plays Eddie as a mixture of confused hormones, has this almost monotone delivery, which, like Keanu Reeves' most honest performances (My Own Private Idaho, River's Edge), draws you in and makes you very aware of the actually quite complicated feelings beneath the words being said. Kim Basinger proves once more that she can be a remarkably good actor; Marion is a broken being, unable to be close to her daughter for the feelings that just being near to her bring up. But it is Jeff Bridges who really delivers. Initially what seems like his default 'slacker' mode (Ted wanders his house either wrapped in a sheet or naked, completely unbothered by embarrassment, and makes Eddie type the same lines out over and over, with minor grammatical adjustments, in search of the perfect sentence) is revealed to be a kind of survival mechanism, for he too is grief-stricken - in a very different way, but no less damaging. The film offers no real resolution but does allow at least two characters a kind of catharsis. The final images are sure to raise questions but it isn't the answers that are important, in this fascinating and unquestionably moving film.