The Only Son (1936)

Highly RecommendedJapanFeature FilmOriginal Title: ひとり息子Director: Ozu YasujirōWriters: Ozu Yasujirō, Arata Masao, Ikeda TadaoCinematographer: Sugimoto ShojiroComposer: Itō SenjiCast: Iida Chouko, Himori Shinichi, Hayama Masao, Tsubouchi Yoshiko, Yoshikawa Mitsuko, Ryū ChishūAn ageing woman (the outstanding Iida) goes to Tokyo to visit her only son (the doleful Himori), bringing with her great expectations, in this, Ozu’s first sound film, an exquisitely...

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Partie de Campagne (1936)

RecommendedFranceShort Feature FilmOriginal Title: Partie de campagneDirector: Jean RenoirWriters: Jean Renoir, Guy de MaupassantCinematography: Claude RenoirComposer: Joseph KosmaCast: Sylvia Bataille, Georges Saint-Saens, Jeanne Marken, André Gabriello, Jacques Borel, Paul TempsThe attractive daughter of a Parisian family, spending an idyllic day in the country, enjoys a brief romantic encounter with a moustachioed local, in Renoir’s much loved,...

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L'Atalante (1934)

RecommendedFranceFeature FilmOriginal Title: L'atalanteDirector: Jean VigoWriters: Albert Riéra, Jean Vigo, Jean GuinéeCinematographers: Jean-Paul Alphen, Louis Berger, Boris KaufmanComposer: Maurice JaubertCast: Dita Parlo, Jean Dasté, Michel Simon, Gilles Margaritis, Louis LefebvreA just-married barge skipper struggles to juggle professional with personal commitments as he takes a working honeymoon, traversing the canals of northern France with...

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Through the Olive Trees (1994)

Essential ViewingIran/FranceFeature FilmOriginal Title: زیر درختان زیتونWriter/Director: Abbas KiarostamiCinematographers: Hossein Djafarian, Farhad SabaCast: Mohamad Ali Keshavarz, Farhad Kheradmand, Zarifeh Shiva, Hossein Rezai, Tahereh LadanianKiarostami, further blurring the line between fact and fiction, directs his fictional alter ego, Keshavarz, directing his fictional alter ego, Kheradmand, on the set of And Life Goes on... (1991), in this...

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And Life Goes On... (1991)

Highly RecommendedIranFeature FilmOriginal Title: Zendegi va digar hichWriter/Director: Abbas KiarostamiCinematographer: Homayun PayvarCast: Farhad Kheradmand, Buba BayourA film-maker (Kiarostami, played by Kheradmand) returns with his son to Koker, the site of his 1987 film Where Is My Friend's House?, following a devastating earthquake in the region, in search of the two young brothers who starred in the earlier film, in this oft brilliant work,...

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Where Is My Friend's House? (1987)

Essential ViewingIranFeature FilmOriginal Title: خانه دوست کجاست؟Writer/Director: Abbas KiarostamiCinematographer: Farhad SabaComposer: Amine Allah HessineCast: Babek Ahmadpour, Ahmad Ahmadpour, Kheda Barech Defai, Rafia Difai, Akbar Mouradi, Kadiret Kaoiyen Poor, Nader GhoulamiA young boy (the remarkable Babek Ahmedpour) mistakenly takes his school chum’s exercise book home with him, and, knowing that said friend is on the brink of expulsion, goes...

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The Ghost Train (1941)

Highly RecommendedUKFeature FilmDirector: Walter FordeWriters: Marriott Edgar, Val Guest, J.O.C. Orton, Arnold RidleyCinematographer: Jack CoxComposer: Walter GoehrCast: Arthur Askey, Richard Murdoch, Kathleen Harrison, Peter Murray-Hill, Carole Lynne, Morland Graham, Betty Jardine, Stuart Latham, Herbert Lomas, Raymond Huntley, Linden Travers, D.J. WilliamsThe diminutive Askey, Liverpool’s answer to Groucho Marx, was never better than in this trouser-soilingly, stitch-poppingly funny adaptation of Arnold “Private Godfrey” Ridley’s ever popular...

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Sunrise (1927)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: F.W. MurnauWriters: Carl Mayer, H.H. Caldwell, Katherine Hilliker, Hermann SudermannCinematographers: Charles Rosher, Karl StrussCast: George O'Brien, Janet Gaynor, Margaret LivingstonMurnau’s much lauded film bares more than a passing resemblance to Zola’s The Beast Within (1890), but it’s a comparison that does it no favours, and while Sunrise contains sequences of breathtaking beauty and poignancy, it lacks...

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David Holzman's Diary (1967)

Highly RecommendedUSAFeature FilmWriter/Director: Jim McBrideCinematographer: Michael WadleighCast: L.M. Kit Carson, Eileen Dietz, Lorenzo Mans, Louise LevineMcBride’s remarkable debut, a faux documentary, chronicling a young film-maker’s misguided attempt to capture his life on film, manages to be, with its uncannily naturalistic performances and striking imagery, both a thoughtful critique and a dazzling example of Cinema Vérité. Iain.St...

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An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

Essential ViewingJapanFeature FilmOriginal Title: 秋刀魚の味Director: Ozu YasujirōWriters: Noda Kōgo, Ozu YasujirōCinematographer: Atsuta YuuharuComposer: Saitō KojunCast: Ryū Chishū, Iwashita Shima, Sada Keiji, Okada Mariko, Yoshida Teruo, Maki Noriko, Mikami Shinichirō, Nakamura Nobuo, Tōno EijirōOzu’s ominous, portentous mise en scène elegantly frames a simple story of an ageing widower who gradually comes to realise that he must, even at the risk...

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Taste of Cherry (1997)

Essential ViewingIranFeature FilmOriginal Title: طعم گيلاسWriter/Director: Abbas KiarostamiCinematographer: Homayun PayvarCast: Homayoun Ershadi, Abdolrahman Bagheri, Afshin Khorshid Bakhtiari, Safar Ali Moradi, Mir Hossein Noori, Ahmad AnsariA man determined upon suicide drives around, attempting to find someone willing to bury him after the act, in Kiarostami’s minimalist, thought provoking, and beautifully moving portrait of composed desperation....

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The Weather Man (2005)

RecommendedUSA/GermanyFeature FilmDirector: Gore VerbinskiWriter: Steve ConradCinematographer: Phedon PapamichaelComposers: James Levine, Hans ZimmerCast: Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Gemmenne De La Peña, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Rispoli, Gil BellowsCage is excellent in the title role of a television newsman whose bubbly, successful public persona hides a deeply disappointed and depressed private life, in Verbinski’s melancholically funny and beautifully observed film. Iain.St...

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Gion Festival Music (1953)

RecommendedJapanFeature FilmOriginal Title: 祇園囃子Director: Mizoguchi KenjiWriters: Kawaguchi Matsutarō, Yoda YoshikataCinematographer: Miyagawa KazuoComposer: Saitō IchirōCast: Kogure Michiyo, Wakao Ayako, Naniwa Chieko, Kawazu Seizaburō, Koshiba Kanji, Shindō EitarōMizoguchi's beautifully crafted film introduces us to a world where east & west and traditional & modern make uncomfortable bedfellows, movingly chronicling the struggles of a...

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Factotum (2005)

RecommendedNorway/USA/Sweden/France/GermanyFeature FilmDirector: Bent HamerWriters: Bent Hamer, Jim Stark, Charles BukowskiCinematographer: John Christian RosenlundComposer: Kristin AsbjørnsenCast: Matt Dillon, Lili Taylor, Marisa TomeiHamer’s melancholically hilarious adaptation of Bukowski’s cult novel, a rambling, plotless, picaresque journey to nowhere in particular, in which Dillon’s aspiring writer drinks, loses several jobs, and drinks some...

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All That Heaven Allows (1955)

Highly RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Douglas SirkWriters: Peg Fenwick, Edna Lee, Harry LeeCinematographer: Russell MettyComposer: Frank SkinnerCast: Jane Wyman, Rock Hudson, Agnes Moorehead, Conrad Nagel, Virginia Grey, Gloria Talbott, William ReynoldsSirk’s damning portrait of small town, bourgeois discriminations and hypocrisies – a sumptuous, romantic melodrama, with beautiful, pregnant mise en scène and moving performances – is tarnished...

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12 Angry Men (1957)

Highly RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Sidney LumetWriter: Reginald RoseCinematographer: Boris KaufmanComposer: Kenyon HopkinsCast: Martin Balsam, John Fiedler, Lee J. Cobb, E.G. Marshall, Jack Klugman, Edward Binns, Jack Warden, Henry Fonda, Joseph Sweeney, Ed Begley, George Voskovec, Robert WebberLiberal wet dream though the plot may be (one dissenting juror in a seemingly cut-and-dried murder case, slowly but surely breaks down the prejudices...

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3 Women (1977)

Highly RecommendedUSAFeature FilmWriter/Director: Robert AltmanCinematographer: Chuck RosherComposer: Gerald BusbyCast: Shelley Duvall, Sissy Spacek, Janice Rule, Robert FortierAltman’s most enigmatic film, the genesis of which famously came to him in a dream, is – with its nods to Buñuel, absolutely stunning performances from Duvall and Spacek, Busby’s distinctive score, and its disturbing portrait of a cold, uncaring society – one of the most memorable...

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Teeth (2007)

Cautiously RecommendedUSAFeature FilmWriter/Director: Mitchell LichtensteinCinematographer: Wolfgang HeldComposer: Robert MillerCast: Jess Weixler, John Hensley, Josh Pais, Hale Appleman, Lenny von Dohlen, Vivienne Benesch, Ashley Springer, Julia Garro, Nicole SwahnLet down somewhat by its relatively (for a light-hearted genre film) unwieldy length, Lichtenstein’s horror comedy, chronicling the rather painful sexual awakening of a young girl afflicted with vagina dentata, is, for the most part, with its wholehearted performances and hilariously...

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The Little Girl Who Lives Down the Lane (1976)

RecommendedCanada/France/USAFeature FilmDirector: Nicolas GessnerWriter: Laird KoenigCinematographer: René VerzierComposer: Christian GaubertCast: Jodie Foster, Martin Sheen, Alexis Smith, Mort Shuman, Scott JacobyFoster is excellent as a 13-year-old girl who must fend off nosy landladies, lecherous perverts, dubious clerks, and questions about the whereabouts of her poet father in Gessner’s delicious, blackly comic, and quite unique film. Iain.St...

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The Raid (1954)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Hugo FregoneseWriters: Sydney Boehm, Francis Cockrell, Herbert Ravenal SassCinematographer: Lucien BallardComposer: Roy WebbCast: Van Heflin, Anne Bancroft, Richard Boone, Lee Marvin, Tommy Rettig, Peter GravesFregonese’s fact based US Civil War film, chronicling a confederate soldier’s infiltration of a small town in Vermont as he prepares to sack it, complicated by his meeting of an attractive young widow, is, with its excellent performances and uncompromising scripting, a thrilling yet intelligent examination...

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Has Anybody Seen My Gal? (1952)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Douglas SirkWriters: Joseph Hoffman, Eleanor H. PorterCinematographer: Clifford StineComposers: Henry Mancini, Herman SteinCast: Piper Laurie, Rock Hudson, Charles Coburn, Gigi Perreau, Lynn Bari, Larry Gates, William Reynolds, Skip HomeierSirk’s subversively delightful comedy, in which the wonderful Coburn’s eccentric millionaire covertly descends upon the family of his one true love, the one that got away, examining them as potential heirs to his fortune, is a shamelessly enjoyable and wonderfully fun experience....

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Sliding Doors (1998)

Not RecommendedUK/USAFeature FilmWriter/Director: Peter HowittCinematographer: Remi AdefarasinComposer: David HirschfelderCast: Gwyneth Paltrow, John Hannah, John Lynch, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Zara Turner, Douglas McFerranComing across like a rom-comised version of Kieslowski’s Blind Chance (1981), Howitt’s rather cheesy examination of matters metaphysical, a dual narrative tale of fate, infidelity, and love, is just about worth a watch despite the usually delightful Paltrow’s annoyingly nasal turn. Iain.St...

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Who Do You Want Your Child to Be? (2009)

UKShort Television DocumentarySeries Title: Horizon (1964-)Director: Nicola StackleyCinematographers: Tim Pollard, John GoodyerPresenter: David BaddielNarrator: Josette SimonAn interesting and informative documentary in which comedian Baddiel guides us entertainingly through the world of childhood education, exploring the science behind various competing teaching theories. Iain.St...

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Play for Today (1970-1984)

Abigail's Party (1977) Another Flip for Dominick (1982)Brimstone and Treacle (1976) Dinner at The Sporting Club (1978) The Elephants' Graveyard (1976) The Flipside of Dominick Hide (1980) Hard Labour (1973) Home Sweet Home (1982) The Kiss of Death (1977) Nuts in May (1976) Rumpole of the Bailey (1975) Scum (1977) Sunset across the Bay (1975) Who's Who (19...

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Blanche Fury (1948)

RecommendedUKFeature FilmDirector: Marc AllégretWriters: Audrey Erskine-Lindop, Cecil McGivern, Hugh Mills, Joseph ShearingCinematographer: Guy GreenComposer: Clifton ParkerCast: Valerie Hobson, Stewart Granger, Michael Gough, Walter Fitzgerald, Suzanne Gibbs, Maurice Denham, Sybille BinderAllégret and Green make the most of the sumptuous sets to provide us with some gorgeous images, beautifully framing the eyebrow-raisingly excellent Granger and the movingly tremendous Hobson, in this deliciously dark melodrama that lies somewhere between Kind...

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"Crocodile" Dundee (1986)

Cautiously RecommendedAustraliaFeature FilmDirector: Peter FaimanWriters: John Cornell, Paul Hogan, Ken ShadieCinematographer: Russell BoydComposer: Peter BestCast: Paul Hogan, Linda Kozlowski, John Meillon, Mark Blum, Reginald VelJohnsonA charming, funny, and romantic if occasionally rather cheesy culture clash comedy that sees Hogan’s outback dweller and Kozlowski’s New York journalist experience each other's worlds, highlighting, making, and breaking more clichés than one could ever imagine. Iain.St...

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I, Samurai (2006)

UKShort Television DocumentaryDirector: Patrick DickinsonCinematographer: Jim AshcroftPresenter: Andrew Graham-DixonArt critic Andrew Graham-Dixon travels to Japan to learn about samurai, exploring the art, religion, and culture of the former rulers of Japan in this mildly entertaining, throwaway BBC documentary. Iain.St...

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Lonesome Jim (2005)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Steve BuscemiWriter: James C. StrouseCinematographer: Phil ParmetComposer: Evan LurieCast: Casey Affleck, Liv Tyler, Mary Kay Place, Mark Boone Junior, Kevin Corrigan, Seymour CasselAffleck’s touching performance enlivens Buscemi’s slightly familiar if accomplished, blackly funny tale of a 27-year-old man who is forced to return to the family home after failing to make it on his own in New York, where he must contend with his suicidal brother, blinkeredly optimistic mother, and flippant father, whilst attempting...

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3-Iron (2004)

Cautiously RecommendedSouth KoreaFeature FilmOriginal Title: 빈집Writer/Director: Kim Ki-dukCinematographer: Jang Seong-backComposer: SlvianCast: Lee Seung-yeon, Hee Jae, Kwon Hyuk-ho, Choi Jeong-hoFor the duration of its first half, Kim’s enigmatic film, a tale of a taciturn romance, set against the backdrop of courteous breaking and entering, is whimsically entertaining, but once the young lovers are discovered and separated, the film has nowhere...

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Red Riding (2009)

RecommendedUKTelevision Mini-SeriesDirectors: Julian Jarrold, James Marsh, Anand TuckerWriters: Tony Grisoni, David PearceCinematographer: Rob Hardy, Igor Martinovic, David HiggsComposers: Adrian Johnston, Barrington PheloungCast: David Morrissey, Warren Clarke, Paddy Considine, Mark Addy, Andrew Garfield, Peter Mullan, Sean Bean, Robert Sheehan, Daniel Mays, Rebecca Hall, Gerard Kearns, Eddie Marsan, Maxine PeakeUncompromisingly written, plotted, and paced, Channel 4’s much hyped mini-series, an adaptation of David Pearce’s acclaimed series of...

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The Land Girls (1998)

Not RecommendedUK/FranceDirector: David LelandWriters: Keith Dewhurst, David Leland, Angela HuthCinematographer: Henry BrahamComposer: Brian LockCast: Catherine McCormack, Rachel Weisz, Anna Friel, Steven Mackintosh, Tom Georgeson, Maureen O'Brien, Lucy Akhurst, Paul BettanyLeland and Braham serve up some gorgeous images, and the performances are uniformly accomplished, with Friel’s feisty turn particularly eye-catching, but an episodically unconvincing screenplay and a horribly twee score ensure that this tale of the loves and losses of three...

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The Spirit of St. Louis (1957)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Billy WilderWriters: Billy Wilder, Wendell Mayes, Charles A. LindberghCinematographers: Robert Burks, J. Peverell Marley, Thomas TutwilerCast: James Stewart, Murray Hamilton, Patricia Smith, Bartlett Robinson, Marc Connelly, Arthur Space, Charles WattsStewart is excellent if far too old for the difficult role of Charles Lindbergh, the first man to fly non-stop across the Atlantic ocean, in Wilder’s by turns thrilling,...

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C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)

RecommendedCanadaFeature FilmDirector: Jean-Marc ValléeWriters: François Boulay, Jean-Marc ValléeCinematographer: Pierre MignotCast: Marc-André Grondin, Michel Côté, Danielle Proulx, Émile Vallée, Pierre-Luc Brillant, Maxime Tremblay, Alex Gravel, Natasha Thompson, Johanne Lebrun, Mariloup WolfeFilm-maker Vallée takes us on a breathlessly paced, witty, and touching journey through the troubled childhood and teenage years of a French Canadian boy struggling to come to terms with his sexuality, cope with familial relationships, and deal with his...

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The Departed (2006)

RecommendedUSA/Hong KongFeature FilmDirector: Martin ScorseseWriters: William Monahan, Alan Mak, Felix ChongCinematographer: Michael BallhausComposer: Howard ShoreCast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, Jack Nicholson, Mark Wahlberg, Martin Sheen, Ray Winstone, Vera Farmiga, Anthony Anderson, Alec BaldwinScorsese’s muscular remake of the excellent Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs (2002), chronicling the progress of two young South Boston men leading...

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Conversations with Other Women (2005)

Highly RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Hans CanosaWriter: Gabrielle ZevinCinematographer: Steve YedlinComposers: Jeff Eden Fair, Starr ParodiCast: Helena Bonham Carter, Aaron Eckhart, Nora Zehetner, Erik EidemThe dazzling use of split-screen, the brave, naturalistic performances of Bonham Carter and Eckhart, and Zevin’s surprising, insightful, and beautifully structured screenplay ensure that Canosa’s wonderful film, an unflinching examination...

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Zodiac (2007)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: David FincherWriters: James Vanderbilt, Robert GraysmithCinematographer: Harris SavidesComposer: David ShireCast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, Anthony Edwards, Robert Downey Jr., Brian Cox, John Carroll Lynch, Chloë Sevigny, Candy Clark, Elias Koteas, Philip Baker HallThe fabulously assembled cast is unsurprisingly excellent in this sumptuously made film, based on the investigations of journalists and police...

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American Madness (1932)

Cautiously RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Frank CapraWriter: Robert RiskinCinematographer: Joseph WalkerCast: Walter Huston, Gavin Gordon, Pat O'Brien, Kay Johnson, Constance Cummings, Arthur Hoyt, Robert Emmett O'ConnorAmerican Madness is an only mildly entertaining if gorgeously photographed film from Capra, in which Huston’s ridiculously civic minded bank president gives us an economic lesson in depression era banking, whilst attempting to survive a run on his bank. Iain.St...

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I'm a Cyborg, But That's OK (2006)

RecommendedSouth KoreaFeature FilmOriginal Title: 싸이보그지만 괜찮아Director: Park Chan-WookWriters: Park Chan-Wook, Jeong Seo-gyeongCinematographer: Chung Chung-hoonComposer: Jo Yeong-wookCast: Lim Su-Jeong, Jeong Ji-Hun, Choi Heui-Jin, Park Jun-myeon, Ju HeuiSomething of a guilty pleasure, Park’s rather whimsical and mildly disrespectful treatment of mental illness, chronicling a tentative romance between a young woman who has stopped eating because she thinks she is a cyborg and a young man who believes that he can steel human characteristics,...

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The Chorus (1982)

Highly RecommendedIranShort FilmOriginal Title: HamsarayanDirector: Abbas KiarostamiWriters: Abbas Kiarostami, M. J. KahnamuiCinematographer: A.R. ZarindastCast: Yusef Moqaddam, Ali AsgariThe Chorus is a funny and heart-warming, allegorical short film from Kiarostami, which sees an elderly gent frequently remove his hearing-aid in order to shut out some of the less pleasant elements of the world around him, but in so doing he also almost manages...

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Two Solutions for One Problem (1975)

Highly RecommendedIranShort FilmOriginal Title: دو راه حل برای يک مسئلهWriter/Director: Abbas KiarostamiKiarostami’s delightful, allegorical short film about friendship – presenting two alternative remedies to one problem: the first, an escalating, Laurel-and-Hardyesque series of reciprocal destruction, and the second, a rational, amicable discussion – is as beautiful and funny as it is brief and simple. Iain.St...

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A Boy and His Dog (1975)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: L.Q. JonesWriters: L.Q. Jones, Harlan EllisonCinematographer: John Arthur MorrillComposer: Tim McIntireCast: Don Johnson, Susanne Benton, Jason Robards, Tim McIntire, Alvy Moore, Helene Winston, Charles McGraw, Hal BaylorJones’s cult film - a satirical, metaphor-laden, post-apocalyptic comedy, chronicling a young Don Johnson’s attempts, with the help of his super-intelligent, telepathic dog, to find a female to do - is a camp yet intelligent and often hilarious experience that boasts one of cinema’s greatest...

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Eastern Promises (2007)

RecommendedUK/Canada/USAFeature FilmDirector: David CronenbergWriter: Steven KnightCinematographer: Peter SuschitzkyComposer: Howard ShoreCast: Naomi Watts, Viggo Mortensen, Vincent Cassel, Armin Mueller-Stahl, Sinead Cusack, Jerzy SkolimowskiAlthough the plot might not stand up to much scrutiny in terms of credibility, and there are perhaps a few too many genre clichés, Cronenberg’s London-set Russian mob film, chronicling a midwife’s attempts to...

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Black Widow (1987)

Cautiously RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Bob RafelsonWriter: Ronald BassCinematographer: Conrad L. HallComposer: Michael SmallCast: Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Sami Frey, Nicol Williamson, James HongWinger’s federal agent suspects Russell’s sexy widow of being a serial killer, and chases her to Hawaii in search of the truth, in Rafelson’s mildly entertaining if really rather silly thriller. Iain.St...

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Let the Right One In (2008)

RecommendedSwedenFeature FilmOriginal Title: Låt den rätte komma inDirector: Tomas AlfredsonWriter: John Ajvide LindqvistCinematographer: Hoyte Van HoytemaComposer: Johan SöderqvistCast: Kåre Hedebrant, Lina Leandersson, Per Ragnar, Henrik Dahl, Karin Bergquist, Ika Nord, Mikael Rahm, Karl Robert Lindgren, Anders Peedu, Paul OlofssonAlfredson’s tender, delicate, beautifully paced vampire film, chronicling a budding friendship between a young, timid,...

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The Miners' Strike (2004)

Highly RecommendedUKTelevision DocumentaryDirector: Steven CondieCinematographers: Neville Kidd, Ian Kennedy, John WarwickNarrator: Neil DudgeonA dazzling, poetically presented documentary, looking at the 1984-85 miners’ strike, concentrating on the Hatfield village colliery, mixing archive footage, reconstructions, and interviews with members from all sides of the conflict, to produce an unmissable portrait of a depressingly bloody time. Iain.St...

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Mondovino (2004)

RecommendedFrance/ArgentinaFeature DocumentaryCinematographer/Director: Jonathan NossiterA fascinating, fairly even-handed documentary, exploring the varied and opposing philosophies of the world’s various winemakers, Mondovino examines the battle between traditional and modern, big and small, and left and right, with its subject serving as a metaphor for modern society in general. Iain.St...

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Doubt (2008)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmWriter/Director: John Patrick ShanleyCinematographer: Roger DeakinsComposer: Howard ShoreCast: Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams, Viola Davis, Joseph Foster II, Mike RoukisStreep, Hoffman, Adams, and Davis are all superb in Shanley’s adaptation of his own acclaimed, pleasingly ambiguous play, chronicling a nun’s attempts to prove that a priest had been abusing a young boy, but while Shanley the writer is successful, Shanley the director may well have watched one Garry Marshall film too many - gripping,...

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The Consequences of Love (2004)

Highly RecommendedItalyFeature FilmOriginal Title: Le conseguenze dell'amoreWriter/Director: Paolo SorrentinoCinematographer: Luca BigazziComposer: Pasquale CatalanoCast: Toni Servillo, Olivia Magnani, Adriano Giannini, Antonio Ballerio, Enzo Vitagliano, Vittorio Di Prima, Nino D'Agata, Gaetano BrunoWith its playful mise en scène, lush palette of colours, gorgeous score, and cracking, subtle performances, Sorrentino’s patient, insightful crime film,...

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I'm Not There. (2007)

RecommendedUSA/GermanyFeature FilmDirector: Todd HaynesWriters: Todd Haynes, Oren MovermanCinematographer: Edward LachmanCast: Cate Blanchett, Ben Whishaw, Christian Bale, Richard Gere, Marcus Carl Franklin, Heath Ledger, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, Michelle Williams, Bruce GreenwoodHaynes’s dazzling sort-of biopic, painting a portrait of Bob Dylan by way of six different actors playing characters inspired by a number of elements of the...

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Happy-Go-Lucky (2008)

Highly RecommendedUK/USAFeature FilmWriter/Director: Mike LeighCinematographer: Dick PopeComposer: Gary YershonCast: Sally Hawkins, Alexis Zegerman, Eddie Marsan, Kate O'Flynn, Samuel RoukinClick for revi...

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Bulletproof Salesman (2008)

USAShort DocumentaryWriter/Directors: Petra Epperlein, Michael TuckerFeaturing: Fidelis CloerEpperlein and Tucker's short documentary provides a diverting, low-key portrait of German armoured-car salesman (and perhaps the most even-tempered man in the world), Fidelis Cloer, chronicling his forays, over a number of years, into occupied Iraq in search of new customers. Iain.St...

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La Antena (2007)

Highly RecommendedArgentinaFeature FilmOriginal Title: La antenaWriter/Director: Esteban SapirCinematographer: Cristian CottetComposer: Leo SujatovichCast: Rafael Ferro, Sol Moreno, Jonathan Sandor, Julieta Cardinali, Alejandro Urdapilleta, Florencia Raggi, Ricardo Merkin, Raúl HochmanA tale of love and hope versus hate and television, Sapir’s sumptuous film, an absolute treat for the eyes, the ears, and the soul, coming across like the beautiful...

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What Doesn't Kill You (2008)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: Brian GoodmanWriters: Brian Goodman, Paul T. Murray, Donnie WahlbergCinematographer: Chris NorrComposer: Alex WurmanCast: Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke, Amanda Peet, Will Lyman, Brian Goodman, Donnie Wahlberg, Eddie LynchRuffalo’s typically excellent performance is the standout amongst a number of pleasingly accomplished performances in this slightly familiar tale of the troubled lives of two young south Boston men, but despite this familiarity, its depiction of the criminal life is never less than credible, and...

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Slumdog Millionaire (2008)

RecommendedUKFeature FilmDirector: Danny BoyleWriters: Simon Beaufoy, Vikas SwarupCinematographer: Anthony Dod MantleComposer: A.R. RahmanCast: Dev Patel, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Freida Pinto, Madhur Mittal, Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, Tanay Hemant Chheda, Rubiana Ali, Tanvi Ganesh Lonkar, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, Ashutosh Lobo Gajiwala, Ankur Vikal, Mahesh ManjrekarBizarrely labelled “feel good” – how much poverty-induced misery does it take for...

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Pineapple Express (2008)

RecommendedUSAFeature FilmDirector: David Gordon GreenWriters: Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, Judd ApatowCinematographer: Tim OrrComposer: Graeme RevellCast: Seth Rogen, James Franco, Danny McBride, Kevin Corrigan, Craig Robinson, Gary Cole, Rosie Perez, Amber HeardJudd Apatow and David Gordon Green make quite the most unlikely collaborators, and the tone of the resulting film, a tale of two stoners on the run from a homicidal drug dealer, is just as odd as this surprising partnership, but certainly not in an unpleasant way, and although the film is...

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Blindness (2008)

RecommendedBrazil/Canada/JapanFeature FilmDirector: Fernando MeirellesWriters: Don McKellar, José SaramagoCinematographer: César CharloneComposer: UaktiCast: Julianne Moore, Mark Ruffalo, Alice Braga, Iseya Yusuke, Kimura Yoshino, Don McKellar, Maury Chaykin, Danny Glover, Gael García BernalA shit-smeared, metaphor-laden film from Meirelles, with excellent production values and convincing performances, Blindness chronicles a pandemic that leaves...

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