With such intelligent and poignant films on offer such as The Wind that Shakes the Barley you would think that humanity grasps the futility of war. Not.
The man without a past (FILM)
If you woke up today with no name and no memory of the childhood that shaped you, the people you hurt or even the kind of person you were, who would you choose to be? Would it be a choice? Could you start over and ‘get it right’ this time around? These are the …
films to miss
Even the trailer is shockingly bad… The success of this trilogy is not a good sign for the creative future of humanity. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q1D5goGz0SY&feature=fvhl
Fantastic Mr. Fox
George Clooney’s charm is undeniable. I went against my organic, fair trade and recycling principles to buy a darn Nespresso machine because he is the ‘Nespresso guy’. There is just no resisting him as Mr. Fox, a chicken thief gone ‘straight’ in this stop-motion animation film.
Seven Samurai, The Hurt Locker, 2 Days in Paris
There is only one advantage to having food poisoning. You are so horribly ill you can do nothing but watch movies. Yeah!
The Hurt Locker (FILM)
I rushed to the DVD shop tonight, thinking that I was too late. I had ‘2 days in Paris’ in mind. I made it and had a quick look at the ‘new release’ shelf. The Hurt Locker was out! I have been waiting for this film for months. It scores 97% on Rotten …
‘Hellboy II’ as the new ‘art film’ (Written for www.litnet.co.za)
Many moons ago, as the manager of a photographic gallery, I naively thought if I opened both of the gallery doors and put up the “Open” sign it would be obvious to the general public that they would be welcome. Still, they hovered at the entrance and asked permission to come in! They were intimidated …
Adventureland (Film)
Have to sleep now… Will write more about this very cool film tomorrow.
Into Great Silence (FILM)
Voor ek wagval en my opinie lig oor hierdie dokkie, moet ek twee dinge noem:
District 9 (FILM)
District 9 – 2009 (Written in English 31/08/2009) Given the runaway success of ‘District 9’, the film might just start a new trend worldwide – using the f-word with a distinctive Afrikaans/Benoni accent. Met die kappie op die ‘o’.
Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince (FILM)
Ten minutes into The Halfblood Prince I had the vague feeling that I had seen this movie before. And of course I had, because I had seen the previous five Harry Potter films. Still I hoped to be surprised, to be blown away.
Kristen Scott Thomas (RANTS)
Kristin Scott Thomas is fluent in French, lives in Paris, sees herself as French and has a thriving French film career. Who knew?
Coraline 3D (FILM)
I don’t do horror. Prison Break scares me. So did Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I’m a real sissy, I know. It is surprising, then, that I went to see Coraline when the mere trailer had me petrified. It just looked so damn incredible that I couldn’t miss it.
Gran Tarino (FILM)
Before calling Gran Tarino an endearing, incredibly funny and refreshingly un-schmaltzy film, I have to state up front that I am not at all objective when it comes to Clint Eastwood as a director. No, I simply love his movies – from Million Dollar Baby, Mystic River, Letters from Iwo Jima and Flags of Our …
Rachel Getting Married (FILM)
What a beautifully crafted, intelligent, complicated, perfectly cast masterpiece of a film. Yes, it deserves all of that.
Doubt (FILM)
Nah, Meryl, Philip and Amy were playing it up for the Oscars. (Sorry Meryl.) Don’t get me wrong, they’re all outstanding actors, but in this film, I felt them aiming for that little statue.
Watchmen (FILM)
Watching ‘Watchmen’ is like going on holiday. You come out of the dark cinema, step into sunny Joburg and it feels like you’ve been away for a week. ‘Watchmen’ suspends your reality and sucks you into a strangely dated, 80’s world with some awesome music.
Ghost Town (FILM)
Tori Amos once said, Everything has been said, what is important is the way you say it. Ghost Town says it with intelligence, wit and well acted performances from Ricky Gervais, Greg Kinnear and the gorgeous Téa Leoni. They all shine in this toned down, authentic film about regret, setting things right and being courageous.
Gone, baby, gone (FILM)
One line at the beginning of the movie sets the tone for this incredible film. The aunt of the missing little 3-year old is trying to convince two private detectives to take the case.
Hellboy I and II (FILM)
It is all about having fun and pretends to be nothing else but a movie about a cartoon character. Hellboy is a blood red, cigar smoking, cat loving, superhero whose destiny is to ultimately open the gates of hell and destroy the earth. But for the meanwhile he kills the baddies and grinds his horns …
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (FILM)
Slow, melancholy, haunting, beautiful, powerful.
The Jane Austen Book Club (FILM)
Maria Bello will get me into hot water. Focus, focus.
Black Snake Moan (FILM)
Imagine a blonde, skinny, big eyed nymph. Go ahead, close your eyes and imagine it. Does that in any way sound like Christina Ricci? Little Wednesday from The Addams Family? No, I hear all of you say. Go watch Black Snake Moan and forever hold your peace.
Pan’s Labyrinth (FILM)
The haunting Pans Labyrinth is definitively not for the fainthearted or those with small children. It is as cruel and dark as it is beautiful. It deserves the 100% Cream of the Crop ‘tomatometer’ rating. The story is set in post-war Spain and begins with the young Ofelia and her delicately pregnant mother being …
The Transformers (FILM)
The Transformers – 2007 (Written in English 24/07/2007) Transformers? Two hot chicks and a yellow Camaro. Nice. The movie was quite funny, the special effects awesome and the soppy element bearable. The lead guy was a wimp, but we don’t care because the lead girl was tough, flawed, beautiful and did I mention hot?
Grindhouse (FILM)
Grindhouse – 2007????? (Written in English 29/06/2007) Ah! Can someone, Nu Metro or Ster Kinekor or Sol Kersner, please buy Grindhouse and release it in South Africa some time soon! I have to see Rose McGowan sporting a machine gun for a leg after the zombies chewed off the original limb! There is no …
Driving Lessons (FILM)
‘Driving Lessons’, 2006 (Written in English 06/2007) This is an intelligent and incredibly funny film. It had me in hysterics from the moment Dame Evie appeared. The film refrains from becoming clichéd or soppy by not falling into certain potholes that I can’t mention without revealing the plot. Rupert Grint, a.k.a. Ron Weasley …
(Sympathy for) Lady Vengeance (FILM)
(Sympathy for) Lady Vengeance – 2005 (Written in English 04/06/2007) Lady Vengeance is a Japanese film with English subtitles and it stars no one I have ever heard of. As it scored 75% on Rotten Tomatoes, and we are working our way through their top 100, we decided to get it. It is not …