The 50 films that I think deserve to be on IMDBs Top 250.

"Dear Lana, By the time you read this I'll be back home in Lincoln. I'm scared of what's ahead, but when I think of you I know I'll be able to go on. You were right, Memphis isn't that far off. I'll be taking that trip down the highway before too long. I'll be waiting for you. Love always and forever, Brandon."


Directed by: Kimberley Peirce
Starring: Hilary Swank, Chloe Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexon III, Alicia Goranson

Genre: Biography/Crime/Drama/Romance

Running time: 118 minutes




My review:

Based on actual events. Brandon Teena is the popular new guy in a tiny Nebraska town. He hangs out with the guys, drinking, cussing, and bumper surfing, and he charms the young women, who've never met a more sensitive and considerate young man. Life is good for Brandon, now that he's one of the guys and dating hometown beauty Lana. However, he's forgotten to mention one important detail. It's not that he's wanted in another town for GTA and other assorted crimes, but that Brandon Teena was actually born a woman named Teena Brandon. When his best friends make this discovery, Brandon's life is ripped apart.


Boys Dont Cry is a really touching and depressing film with a lot of desire, passion and yet a dramatic twist that changes a lot of the characters personalities and emotional feelings. This is the true story of the life of Brandon Teena. Follow Teena Brandon as she becomes Brandon Teena and claims a new male identity to the rural town of Falls City, Nebraska. There, Brandon successfully pulls off portraying a man unbeknownst to the women he is dating, eventually falling in love with Lana. He also befriends Lanas friends John and Tom. At first, Brandons new friends like him and treat as a buddy. But when Brandons sexual identity is revealed, the deception triggers a spiral of horrific violence that ends in homicide. This film has a plot that makes it really hard to watch but when I watched it, I thought it was really depressing and was quite hard to watch but wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. The scene that made me feel a bit sick was the rape scene. That is one of the biggest crimes in this world that sort of freaks me out along with slavery and imprisonment. It really depends on what sort of film.

This film reminds me a lot of Brokeback Mountain but with women instead of men and that the man in Boys Dont Cry is really biologically a woman. And also when Brandon meets Lana they both become best friends but then become lovers. It is a shame because when they make out with each other, Brandon kisses and touches Lana but Lana doesnt touch Brandon because she will find out that Brandon is really a woman and would find out that she is making lesbian love to him. I personally think that Teena Brandon was a lesbian until she became Brandon Teena and then was heterosexual in her disguise but really she is a lesbian.

Hilary Swank delivers one of my favourite performances of all time as Brandon Teena/Teena Brandon. It is quite weird because Hilary looks like a man with short hair but with long hair looks like a woman when she really is a woman. I was unsure about Hilarys male disguised voice for Brandon Teena. I like Hilary Swank is pretty much all of her films and this probably is one of her best but her best performance in my opinion is Maggie Fitzgerald in Million Dollar Baby. She definitely deserved her Oscar for this film. I think it is one of Hilarys earliest films. Chloe Sevigny was awesome in her Oscar nominated performance as Lana Tisdel. I dont think she was quite good enough to win though. If this film had a screenplay, direction, cinematography or sound nomination then it would have had the Best Picture nomination. This film would have been even better than it already is if this film was about Brandon Teena/Teena Brandons whole life. Without a doubt one of the best films of 1999 and definitely one of the best biography films.

You think you're telling me something? Like, what, boxing is dangerous, something like that? You don't think working triple shifts and at night on a scaffold isn't just as likely to get a man killed? What about all those guys who died last week living in cardboard shacks to save on rent money just to feed their family, 'cause guys like you have not quite figured out a way yet to make money off of watching that guy die? But in my profession - and it is my profession - I'm a little more fortunate.


Directed by: Ron Howard
Starring: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig Bierko, Paddy Considine

Genre: Biography/Drama/Sport

Running time: 140 minutes




My review:

Academy Award winners Russell Crowe and Renée Zellweger team with Oscar winning director Ron Howard to deliver one of the years most critically acclaimed motion picture triumphs! It?s the extroadinary true story of a destitute prizefighter who gets another chance at the world heavyweight title and through his heroic battle for redemption inspires the masses!


This is the most emotional sport film of all time because it tells the story of a boxer and his wife and three children who are poor and live in a weak and small house. It is emotional because Braddock and his wife struggle to pay the money for their house. I find that this film is the best boxing film since Raging Bull. It was really tense aswell with the boxing matches andwhat the fate of James Braddock was going to be whether he was going to succeed or not. I found it a really beautiful story too because it teaches people of the world what a lot of people who do for their families whether they are rich or poor. It also tells us about what family really is about.

Russell Crowe delivers an absolutely outstanding performance as James J. Braddock. This is one of those sorts of characters that makes Russell Crowe almost perfect for the characters he plays because he is really good at portraying quite aggressive characters and yet emotional aswell which connects his character as Braddock to Maximus Decimus Meridius in Gladiator. His emotional character in this film sort of reminds me of Crowes performance as John Nash in A Beautiful Mind. He should have had an Oscar nomination in this film. I couldnt believe he wasnt. Renée Zellweger delivers in my opinion a rather weak performance as Mae Braddock because the only things that Renée did in that film was weep and weep and weep and weep and weep throughout the whole film. I know that she is meant to act all emotional and everything but I just dont think that she really showed it that much really. Paul Giamatti delivers an absolutely outstanding performance as Joe Gould. His performance was the best from the whole film. He was a typical boxing trainer who really supported Braddock to earn what he needed. These sorts of characters are absolutely brilliant for a supporting character because they support the leading male/female to make the film really good. His character reminds me of Mickey Goldmill in Rocky apart from that I think that Gould is a more powerful and serious character to watch. Giamatti deserved his Oscar nomination. The winner should have been Jake Gyllenhaal in Brokeback Mountain.

The direction was awesome from Ron Howard. He has done a lot of awesome films that are all very hearfelt and emotion like obviously this, A Beautiful Mind (which also starred Crowe), How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Apollo 13 and Splash. He directed this really well but not as good direction as Martin Scorsese in Raging Bull. But Howard adapted a boxing film that re-lives the past boxing spirit so to speak and makes it so realistic when it was in the 1930s too. The scripts was really good too but have listened to better sport scripts.

This film is very similar to Rocky because Braddocks character is like Rockys character because they are both poor men who want a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. The only differences are that Braddock was a family man and Rocky wasnt. Also, Braddock was the only real person between the two. This film was different compared to Ron Howards previous films because this is the first sports film he has ever done and has been his most emotional and touching film since A Beautiful Mind.

The chemistry between Jim Braddock and his wife Mae was obviously very heartfelt and was very touching too because of their decisions were about earning money situations and fights and stuff like that. But because of Renée Zellewegers bad performance I couldnt quite feel the extremelt strong chemistry between Mae and Jim (that is as far as the characers are concerned) but I could probably feel the chemistry between the real life people through the characters. I loved the chemistry between Jim and Joe because I could feel the extremely important, powerful and serious performances from both Russell Crowe and Paul Giamatti. They both looked like a typical boxer and trainer partnership.

I think the main twist was between when in my opinion Braddock broke his nose for the first and that delayed things for his family and his career as a boxer.

This film was violent which makes the make-up in this film ever so realistic. Also, I thought it just looked so realistic with the hard punches, broken noses, broken jaws etc. There wasnt really any sex references at all apart from a few kisses and hugs from Jim and Mae. I dont think there was any bad language involved either.

This film had good sound but I have heard better sound from a boxing film. I thought the same thing with the cinematography and the art direction too. I thought the make-up was amazing on not just the boxing fights but on all of the characters throughout the whole film.

This film was a nominee of three Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor (Paul Giamatti) but lost to George Clooney in Syriana, Best Editing but lost to Crash and Best Make-Up but lost to The Chronicles Of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe. It was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards: Best Actor (Drama) for Russell Crowe who lost to Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote and Best Supporting Actor for Paul Giamatti but lost to George Clooney in Syriana. It should have had an Academy Award nomination for Best Leading Actor for Russell Crowe. This is Russell Crowes third best performance of all time after A Beautiful Mind and Gladiator.

Paul Giamattis best performance and a very disappointing Renée Zellweger performance. This film achieved for me as the best boxing film since Raging Bull and is one of the best and most loved films of 2005.

You see, before he came down here, it never snowed. And afterwards, it did. If he weren't up there now... I don't think it would be snowing. Sometimes you can still catch me dancing in it.


Directed by: Tim Burton
Starring: Johnny Depp, Winona Ryder, Dianne Wiest, Alan Arkin, Vincent Price

Genre: Comedy/Drama/Fantasy/Romance

Running time: 105 minutes




My review:

An uncommonly gentle young man, who happens to have scissors for hands, falls in love with a beautiful teenage girl.


Edward Scissorhands is a film that has made me feel pleasure and inspiration within life. It is one of the wierdest Tim Burton films but it is weird enough for it to be real because Edward is like a really beautiful character to watch. It is a weird film with obviously fictional characteristics but with a heartbreaking meaning to the film. It is Tim Burtons most emotional film so far. It made me feel great because of the pure magic and of what Edward can actually do with himself especially when he lives all alone in a castle above a small town. It is just so magical when Edward is cutting things into shapes especially ice that turns into snow. Love the scene where he is cutting ice in the garden and while he is doing it Kim comes out and sort of relaxes in the snow. That is just like heaven. This film is an inspiration to me because it teaches me no matter what someone looks like it is more about their personality and who they really are. Despite of how romantic and dramatic this film is, this film is absolutely hilarious.

Johnny Depp delivers an absolutely awesome performance as Edward Scissorhands. His performance is a performance which is very unlike Johnny really because Johnny hasnt really portrayed any soft, loving characters before. People love Johnny in this film for many reasons but one of the main ones is because he is only in his late 20s early 30s in this film and is quite good looking. Johnnys hair, costume and make-up totally suited him. As much as I simply adored his performance in this film, I do have to say I like Johnny more as Sweeney Todd and Jack Sparrow then Edward Scissorhands. Winona Ryders performance is good as Kim. Her acting is good when she is sort of bewildered and intimidated by Edward but I dont think it is very good when she starts to fall in love with Edward. Her words were for some reason quite weak but she did cry in a few scenes which looked real. I did like her more in this than Beetlejuice. Dianne Wiest was really good in this film too. She was a really good mother to Edward even though Edward is a grown man. She could have been better but she was still good though.

Tim Burton directs this film ever so well because this is a story that he has thought of himself. It was really well filmed, written and directed by Tim Burton only from his imagination. Its like Tims very own story. I am really inspired that Tim chose to just use his head to make it instead of writing a novel of it and then making a film adaptation afterwards. As I said, it was really well written from a mans head without a novel to help. Also, it is a fantasy story which makes it quite a bit harder. For a film like this, I do honestly think that Burton deserved an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay or should have at least been close.

This is typical Tim Burton because of the bizarreness of the story and the characters but it is quite different compared to some others because it is a very emotional and both heartwarming and heartbreaking aswell which is unlike Tim Burton. I think that is one of the reasons Sweeney Todd and Edward Scissorhands are my two favourite Tim Burton films: because they are both emotional stories. All of Johnny Depps characters in Tim Burton films are all different. A soft, kind unfinished invention, a crap moviemaker, a New York police officer turned scientist, a chocolatier, an engaged man, a serial killer barber and a hyper nutty man with a lust of cups of tea. The one character that I find sort of similar compared to other characters Johnny has portrayed in Tim Burtons films is probably Victor Van Dort.

I would say that Edward Scissorhands is most similar to Beetlejuice because they are both stories that are inside Tim Burtons mind and also they are both the wierdest ones that Tim has done. It is like Tim has done films that combine two films together that are similar to each other. For example, Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands, Batman and Batman Returns, Ed Wood and Big Fish, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride, Planet Of The Apes and Mars Attacks!, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory and the upcoming Alice In Wonderland and lastly Sleepy Hollow and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. Whoever is reading this, I hope you get what I mean. If you watch them all then you will see. But Edward Scissorhands is a film that hasnt been matched compared to its weirdness since when it was released.

The chemistry between Edward and Kim is at first a shy and uncomfortable relationship because they dont know each other. Neither of them has ever seen the other like that before especially when they first meet and then after that. But she starts to fall in love with Edward because of how sweet he is and how comfortable he has made the family. Their relationship in a slight way reminds me a bit of Beast and Belles relationship in Beauty And The Beast apart from that Edward was never nasty to Kim whereas Beast was to Belle before they fell in love.

The costume design was typical Tim Burton again on Edward Scissorhands. It was really dark and then he wore casual male clothes with a white shirt and grey trousers and even those suited him. Johnnys wig for Edward was very good aswell. It looked dead real and was a style that Tim Burton used and hasnt really used that sort of hair for one of his films since then. The only hair I can think of that is sort of similar is Johnny Depps hair in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. I thought that Johnny Depps make make-up as Edward was quite similar to Jack Nicholsons Joker make-up. It was mostly the white make-up more than anything else. It looked real especially with Edwards scars across his face.

This film was nominated for one Academy Award: Best Make-Up but lost to Dick Tracy. This film was also nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor Musical Comedy (Johnny Depp) but lost to Gérard Depardieu in Green Card.This won 1 BAFTA and was nominated for 3 other nominations: It won Best Production Design. However, it was nominated for Best Costume Design but lost to Cyrano De Bergerac, Best Special Visual Effects but lost to Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Best Make Up Artist but lost to Cyrano De Bergerac.

This is my second favourite Tim Burton film after Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street. Five of Tim Burtons films are on my favourite films list. It is my third favourite Johnny Depp film after Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street and Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl. It is on the list for one of my most inspiring films. Edward Scissorhands is one of my favourite fantasy films and romantic films of all time. It is my favourite film of 1990. It is one of my top films of all time too. An unusual masterpiece from an unusual director Tim Burton which is great!! Always have loved this film and always will.

This connection between me and Voldemort... what if the reason for it is that I am becoming more like him? I just feel so angry, all the time. What if after everything that I've been through, something's gone wrong inside me? What if I'm becoming bad?


Directed by: David Yates
Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Michael Gambon, Imelda Staunton

Genre: Adventure/Drama/Family/Fantasy

Running time: 138 minutes




My review:

After returning to Hogwarts to begin his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry Potter discovers that much of the wizarding world, including the Ministry of Magic, is in denial about Lord Voldemort's return. The Order of the Phoenix, a group sworn against Voldemort, is using its vast array of wizards and witches magical abilities to combat Voldemort. Cornelius Fudge, Minister for Magic, suspects that Dumbledore is using these claims of The Dark Lord's return as a means to over-throw Fudge as Minister. In retaliation, a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher is appointed by the Ministry in order to keep an eye on Hogwarts. This new teacher, Professor Umbridge, implies strict new teachings and rules, forcing a group of students, under the tutelage of Harry, to form a club, by the name of Dumbledore's Army.


This film really thrilled me because of the action sequences and it left me clueless of what was going to happen (unless you have read the novels). This is the one Harry Potter film that starts to become a new Harry Potter who is a growing up teenager and starts to realise who he is and what his job is with Voldemort and about wanting to fight off Voldemort and stop him. This makes this film the most action packed aswell which made is more adult too. This film makes me feel good because this is the Harry Potter out of the seven films that totally changes everything and makes the Harry Potter character along with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger more adult and typical teenage people. I thought the acting was superb.

Daniel Radcliffes was superb because Daniel was more emotional and acted really desperate and extremely stressed out because he wanted everyone to believe him that Lord Voldemort has returned and it affects his relationship between Harry and Dumbledore even though Dumbledore is one of the very few people who believes him. Daniel really improves his performance as Harry. He was really bad in the first two films, he was good in 3 and 4 but amazing in this. I think his performance in this film is one of the best performances from a young actor of all time. Ron Weasley and Emma Watson are awesome once again as they are in all 5 films so far. Imelda Stauntons performance is amazing as Dolores Umbridge. Imelda makes a very dark and psychotic character in the Harry Potter franchise that nobody has ever seen before. Imelda speaks very softly for such a very psychotic character which is really quite scary. Despite of Daniels brilliant performance, I have to say that Imelda Stauntons performance is the best from the film and is the best performance from the whole franchise. I love Alan Rickman as Snape and Emma Watson as Hermione aswell. I thought that Imelda Staunton was so good, I think that she deserved a possible Golden Globe or even an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Dolores Umbridge. This film has another different director from the four previous films and for good reason too.

David Yates directs this film ever so well that makes this film a really touching emotional family fantasy film compared to the other four. Not just the script makes it emotional but also the acting and the scenes within the film too. The camera angles are really clever especially when they zoom around the news of the Daily Prophet in when there are news about Harry, Dumbledore, Umbridge, Voldemort or anyone else. This film brings a brand new level of the rest of the Harry Potter films because of the dark designs, the dark characters and dark script aswell.

Harrys relationship with Ron and Hermione are solid as always. Ron and Hermiones relationship becomes closer as they start to slowly have deep, hidden, personal feelings for each other. Harry has a rivalry and is like an arch-enemy to Umbridge because she feels like that Harry is a threat to the Ministry Of Magic but he obviously isnt because he is telling the truth about Voldemort. Harry has a deeper relationship with Sirius Black than he did in The Prisoner Of Azkaban because Harry learns about Sirius past and learns more about Sirius and James Potter (Harrys dad). Also, when Harry suffers from the nightmares and mind-games from Voldemort, Harry talks to Sirius not just as a godfather but as a friend and mentor too. When a tragedy occurs, this changes everyones lives especially Harrys life. Not going to reveal because spoiler. I dont really know what to say about how violent this film is. Harry sort of becomes possessed by Voldemort when his eyes go all white and his voice sort of distorts (picture appears on my review).

I am quite glad that there werent any sex references in this film because nobody would have suddenly expected kissing and making out and jumping into bed etc happening. It is like that this film is a start of all of that and it sort of seems likely that there will be some sex scenes in Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows. There wasnt any bad language at all in this film whereas there was piss off that Ron said in Goblet Of Fire but there wasnt any of that in this film.

This film surprisingly didnt earn any Oscar nor Golden Globe nominations at all. This film should have earned an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress (Imelda Staunton), Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Make-Up but couldnt beat Pirates Of The Caribbean: At Worlds End, The Golden Compass and Transformers to it I am afraid. This film is very grown up and very adult aswell as for children too. Mostly the adult scenes are when Harry kisses Cho under the mistletoe and that is what a teenager starts to do and then starts to do through their adulthood. This film is definitely the best Harry Potter film so far and might always be my favourite Harry Potter. It is quite weird because Order Of The Phoenix is the longest novel of all seven but the shortest film of the five films. It is one of my favourite fantasy films of all time.

I used to believe in the immutable word of the Law. That is until the night Mrs. Butterman was taken from me. You see no-one loved Sandford more than her - she was head of the Women's Institute, chair of the floral committee. When they started the Village of the Year contest, she worked around the clock. I've never seen such dedication. On the eve of the adjudicator's arrival, some travellers moved into Callaghan Park. Before you could say 'gypsy scum' we were knee-deep in dog muck, thieving kids and crusty jugglers. We lost the title. And Irene lost her mind. She drove her Datsun Cherry into Sandford Gorge. From that moment on, I swore that I would do her proud.


Directed by: Edgar Wright
Starring: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Jim Broadbent, Timothy Dalton, Paddy Considine

Genre: Action/Comedy/Crime/Mystery

Running time: 110 minutes




My review:

Top London cop, PC Nicholas Angel is good. Too good. And to stop the rest of his team looking bad, he is reassigned to the quiet town of Sandford. He is paired with Danny Butterman, who countlessly questions him on the action lifestyle. Everything seems quiet for Angel, until two actors are found decapitated. It is address to as an accident, but Angel isn't going to accept that, especially when more and more people turn up dead. Angel and Danny clash with everyone, whilst trying to uncover the truth behind the mystery of the apparent "accidents".


Hot Fuzz is without a doubt one of the funniest films that I have ever seen. Hot Fuzz is also one of the greatest British films of all time. As far as I am concerned, Hot Fuzz is a masterpiece of British comedies. Hot Fuzz is about a young cop called Nicholas Angel. He loves his job so much he just cannot switch off. He acts like its obsessive and cant stop working. Because of this, his girlfriend splits up with him. Nicholas arrests so many people per day that the Chief Inspector of London, the Inspector and Sergeant send Nicholas packing to a village called Sandford which is in Gloucestershire.

When Nicholas arrives, he meets new people with different personalities and also the entire NWA which are the bosses of almost every single shop/building in Sandford. Nicholas also meets a fat, ugly and unfit cop called Danny Butterman who is the son of Nicholas new inspector Frank Butterman. However, there are murders in the village and Nicholas gets extremely suspicious about the murders. But none of the villagers believe Nicholas because all the murders are believed to have been accidents because there has not been any recorded murder Sandford for 20 years.

Together, Nicholas and Danny work together and try and investigate all the murders and who the convicts are. It is really funny because Nicholas is healthy, fit and confident with his job but Danny is an overweight, annoying, irritating and very unconfident cop who only helps Nicholas when something extremely serious comes along which is quite funny really. Despite that, Nicholas and Danny form a friendship that becomes quite personal because Nicholas tells Danny about his uncle who was a sergeant in the Met and was a drug dealer and Nicholas also tells him how obsessed he is with the job and his splitting with his girlfriend. It is really nice of Danny to actually try and help him by watching action movies. It is like Danny is literally obsessed with films because he has like a whole room full of DVDs.

Also, some of the actions in this film are from some of the actions from the movie. For example, the gun scene from Point Break which starred Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze. Not only Nicholas and Danny made me laugh in this film but the two Andies made me laugh because they both hate Nicholas and they both say hilarious sarcastic comments to him that are quite offensive and are quite funny at the same time. I love the scene where Nicholas gets a phone call from a random man who lost a swan. This man says his name is Mr. Peter Ian Staker. And Nicholas says P.I.Staker? Right, pisstaker. Come on!! This is the funniest British film ever made but not the best British film though. The best British films in my opinion are A Clockwork Orange, Lawrence Of Arabia and The Bridge On The River Kwai.

This film is very bloody but nowhere near as bloody as Shaun Of The Dead was. I cant wait to see Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright do another project together but it has to star Nick Frost as well as Simon because they make an absolutely awesome partnership together and they are both extremely funny in both Hot Fuzz and Shaun Of The Dead. If you like gore and blood, then you will love this and also if you loved Shaun Of The Dead which I did then you will love this too. This film will leave you in shock because there is a twist that changes every single thing around this film. There are some spoofs aswell but are really funny ones though. Masterpiece! Comedy of 2007!!

You're barking, fucking mad. You don't know how to love. You have never, your whole life. Me, Jennifer Dodd. You're nothing but waste and disappointment! You bitter old virgin. You're lonely for a reason. They loathed you at school, all of them. I was the idiot who bothered, but only because no one told me you're a fucking vampire! So what is it, Bar? You want to roll around the floor like lovers? You want to fuck me, Barbara?


Directed by: Richard Eyre
Starring: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Andrew Simpson, Juno Temple

Genre: Drama

Running time: 92 minutes




My review:

Academy Award winners Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett give outstanding Oscar nominated performances. One as a woman cosumed by her colleagues guilty secret, the other, a victim to her own dark obsessions in this intelligent and stylish thriller. Dench mesmerises as Barbara Covett, a teacher who rules over her classroom with an iron fist, yet leads a desperate, soliatary life outside it. That is, until she meets radiant new art teacher Sheba Hart. Although at first overjoyed with her newfound kindred spirit, when Barbara discovers that Sheba is having an affair with a student, her jealousy and rage spiral out of control.


This film made me feel really quite depressed because it was obviously a depressing and very personal storyline. It is a very dark film because it mostly features about obsession, commitment and love. It is like a pedophile story too because a female teacher is having a love affair with a student. He leads her on but she cant resist him so that is where she becomes torn between the young lad and her family. It is a very emotional as well as a disturbing thriller. The acting was absolutely fantastic from the whole cast. They were all very powerful and very emotional which fitted perfectly with the character.

Judi Dench delivers a really powerful performance as Barbara Covett. Judi makes Barbara more of a lonely, bitter and selfish cow than she already is. She makes Barbara quite a destranged and fearful character too. Cate Blanchett delivers an even more powerful performance as young teacher Sheba Hart and is in my opinion, the greatest supporting actress performance of all time. She was truly torn between a young boy she couldnt resist and her family life with her husband, son and daughter. I really liked Cate and Judis partnership together in this film. The scene where Sheba discovers something drastic, that scene was really powerful from Cate and Judi which became my favourite scene of the film. I wasnt that keen on Bill Nighy in this film really but I did like Andrew Simpson as Steven Connolly because he truly did look like an irresistable young man who anyone can fall for as Sheba did.

I thought the direction was excellent from Richard Eyre but mostly was impressed with the script of the film. It was a very powerful script that the lines were said at the correct scenes at the exact right time.

This film sort of reminds me a lot of American Beauty because Lester fancied his daughters friend Angela and Sheba fancied Steven. It is like a pedophile similarity which compares to these films.

I could easily feel the chemistry and tension between Barbara and Sheba because it is like friendship at first but then becomes deeply personal. It is like a tiny rivalry despite when Barbara discovers about Shebas affair with Steven Connolly. There was obviously when Sheba first met Steven but also when Barbara becomes closer with Sheba after Sheba splits with Steven. This film was very crude and there was a lot of sex involved in this film. This film had outstanding script as I said.

It had good cinematography too. The music was very good because it was really emotional and was also because of the tense scenes that the music was involved in.
This film was nominated for four Academy Awards. It didnt win any at all. It was nominated for Best Actress (Judi Dench), Best Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett) why didn't Blanchett win?!?!?!, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Score. Should have been a close nominee for Best Picture 2006.

This film affects anybody who is torn in a relationship. This film became one of the best British films of 2006 after Casino Royale. It shows how powerful a lot of British films can be. I was only a little bit disappointed with that I didnt quite feel the love between Sheba and Steven.

Apart from that light flaw I thought this film was amazing and is one of the best films of 2006 and maybe even of all time too.