60-second cinema

1 out of 10 Disney treacle. Enough said. Viewed in the company of my eight year old granddaughter, who thought it was lovely.

4 out of 10 Luc ... my dear sweet Luc ... what have you done??!?!?! I realise that Paris is as proud as punch that the extrememly graceful yet powerful sport of Parkour was invented in the suburbs, but a film based on it could have been so much more. For those of you that haven't yet seen Taxi / Taxi II please form an orderly queue outside Mal's house as I live too far away and you can't borrow my copy - it's just to good, sorry. Once you have seen these, Léon and other associated works you will understand the slight discomfort I felt whilst watching this ... not film ... more concept. So Parkour - running, jumping, being really fit and challenging the 'Urban Jungle' -yeah? So Luc, how did you get on then??? The future ... in a suburb of paris ... walled in by the Police cos the locals are all a bit too naughty with their guns and drugs and stuff ... oh and they have tattoos and Barryed cars too. Also there is a nuclear bomb, and a cop who is a one man dea...

7 out of 10 I saw this at a very early age, forgot about it, and only re-discovered it after a sudden memory and a whole lot of googling to find one of its characters ( Brion James - who i could only remember looked a bit like a rat...well he does!). I almost choked on my can of Red Stripe when I saw that it was my friend (and yours) Mr Samuel Raimi directing ... and penned in cahoots with Ethan & Joel of the illustrious Brothers Coen ! Very odd film, which I still very much enjoyed due to its cost effective and inventive use of camera, sound effects and slapstick. Almost gives the feel that it was part of their final year project, only better, with the characters ranging from the questionably selected to the almighty chin himself - Bruce Cambell . I would suggest seeing this if you can, as it forms an intersection of many entertainment industry folks at a very early time in their careers (including Antonio Fargas ... though I will have to check this). In order to see this hid...

10 out of 10 This film is based on a book by Jean-Dominique Bauby who suffered a massive stroke rendering him "locked in", completely paralysed apart from the use of one eye and retaining all of his mental faculties. It is mainly shot from Jean- Do's perspective of the "present" interspersed with his memories of his past before his stroke and his fantasies from his internal world following it. The emotional reality of the writer's struggle in coming to terms with his condition as well as the pressure on his family and those around him results in some very moving moments within the film. The very fact that this is a true story of a man who wrote a whole book about his experience by merely blinking is a credit to the therapists that worked with him as well as a tribute to the character and determination of the man himself. All in all, this is well made and compelling film which I would watch at least another 2 times and I will definitely be reading the bo...

8 out of 10 Basing a film on the experiences of an almost completely paralysed man might sound grim, but I found it compelling. Told, remarkably, from the man's own perspective, it's an account of him coming to terms with his living nightmare, interspersed with flashbacks to his pre-stroke life. While I felt it was a very good film, its story sympathetically told, and despite some incredibly moving moments, I still felt it lacked something. Perhaps it was the almost diary-like format that gave it a bullet-pointed feel at times. Even so, some of those bullet points were every bit as touching as my personal tear-jerking benchmark ( Grave of the Fireflies ), making it a film well worth seeing. Great performances from the cast all round, too. I just thank god that Johnny Depp wasn't free to take the lead role.

9 out of 10 Film about East German Stasi before the fall of the Berlin wall. Totally captivating as the story progresses from spying to wanting to help those being spied upon. I liked it a lot and would say it’s recommended viewing. Catch it if you can.

8 out of 10 Story of 3 mates and son carrying out the last wishes of friend and father to scatter his ashes. As the four men become more lubricated, good times are recalled as well as past grievances, sadness and human failings. The good humour keeps it from being too downbeat. Thoroughly enjoyable film.

5 out of 10 Story about the brutal life of immigrants to the US, and bad feeling towards the Irish ones. It was OK, but went on for too long. Not a film to lift the spirits.

4 out of 10 This Korean film was recommended to me after I liked Cloverfield , as the two films share a number of similarities. Unfortunately, I just didn't find this one as enjoyable. Unlike Cloverfield, The Host has an understated dark comedy to go along with its monster action, but almost none of the tension. It also lacked the kind of budget required to give the same quality of special effects, so ended up looking a bit... cheap. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I never felt... terrified.

9 out of 10 My first review, good thing I found an absolute gem to kick things off with. On the surface Versus is a simple combination of blood/guts/gore/kung-fu/guns/yakuza/zombies - everything your avid Asia Extreme fan requires in a film. But look a bit closer...go on...is it really that strightforward? Or do you detect a hint of Evil Dead style self mockery? Isn't each actor a perfect fit for representing their (nameless!)japanese stereotype character? Are you being forced into the heart of each confrontation by the extremely inventive camera work? Though this film will excite some, it will also cause disgust in others, a shame as this really is a fun film which is much more accessible than say Ichi The Killer . If you do take up the challenge of Versus , make sure you give it at least half an hour for your brain to relax into. The western mind is not quite as odd as the far (out) eastern noggin and this film is what counts as a citizenship test. I passed said test so I am off...

6 out of 10 Juno tells the story of a hyper-confident 16 year old girl who falls pregnant, following it from first realisation to the search for adoptive parents to its final conclusion. While there are some strong indie performances here (notably Ellen Page as Juno and Jason Bateman as the adoptive dad) and characters do actually develop throughout the film, it feels like it's trying a little too hard at times. Scenes come and go that occasionally feel staccato in nature. "This is where Juno feels the pressure." "This is where Juno's step-mom shows her true colours." And so on. I think I'm being harsh here, as it's really not that bad, but it just didn't flow perfectly at times. Style-wise, it's very self-aware, mixing scrapbook elements also seen in films like Napoleon Dynamite and Eagle vs Shark with self-consciously hip music that wouldn't seem out of place in Garden State or, again, Napoleon Dynamite. And, really, it's t...

7 out of 10 I watched this in September last year, so the fact I can still remember it must count for something. In fact, it was surprisingly good. I half expected it to be a crass, pick-on-the-nerd kind of movie, but in reality it was quite sympathetic towards the eponymous anti-hero. It was also helped by having 3 comedy actors in it that I'm really warming to: Steve Carrell ; Seth Rogen ; and Paul Rudd . As for the plot, I'm sure you can guess it already. A shy man is uncovered as being a virgin by a bunch of his co-workers, who then set off on a mission to get him laid. While there are plenty of laughs to be had, they're generally quite supportive of the guy and you never once find yourself laughing at him. So, does he get down and dirty by the end of the film? Well, it wouldn't be a happy ending without it, would it? :)

9 out of 10 There’s been a lot of hype surrounding this monster-on-the-rampage film, but I’m happy to say it’s actually worth it... mostly. Set in Manhattan, the entire film is presented as a recording of events captured on a local’s video camera. As a result, it’s shaky-cam-tastic for the entire duration, something which was enough to have me feeling nauseous by the time the credits rolled. Don’t let this put you off, however, as: I’m probably just being pathetic The camera-work really helps the believability Speaking of believability, that’s one of the film’s greatest strengths. As my cinema buddy noted on the way out, it was probably the most accurate rendition of panic we’ve ever seen. It’s tense and desperate from the moment the monster makes its presence felt right up to the final seconds of the film. Seriously impressive. It does let itself down on the odd occasion - in terms of people’s abilities ...

8 out of 10 Drugs deal gone wrong, lots of dead bodies. Holds your attention well, wondering where the next bit of blood and guts will come. {Rapt attention from the (Orange) Wednesday afternoon audience, apart from the usual incontinence sufferers shuffling in and out and the odd student checking his mobile phone for texts!} The psycho chasing the money is well menacing; wouldn't like to come face to face with him on a dark night. Good film.

8 out of 10 A gentle friendship story (as opposed to love story) about an Irish busker/vacuum cleaner repair man and a Czech mum of one living in Ireland with her mother and baby daughter. Both have past relationships which seem to have gone astray, but maybe not forever... Good music; entertaining story. I liked it.

7 out of 10 Starring Julie Delpy and that freaky guy from Friends , this is one of those difficult relationship films that manages to be pretty good despite being really quite depressing. Marion (Delpy) and Jack (Goldman) are a couple, stopping off in Paris on their way back to the States from Italy. Being Marion's home-town, they inevitably meet lots of her old friends, her family... and her ex-lovers. Cue tension and stress. For the entire film. It's kind of like watching a car-crash in slow motion, albeit a car crash with a liberal dose of dark humour and no severed limbs. I've read elsewhere that it's as much an exploration of cultural differences (Marion's French-cum-American vs. Jack's true-blood Yank) as a relaionship drama, but I don't buy that. Sure, cultural differences are pointed out — quite bluntly, as the French get it right in the neck — but it's the leads' personal interactions that are more to the fore. I wouldn't recomm...

9 out of 10 Documentary-style film accompanying the Icelandic band Sigur Ros on a series of free concerts at various venues in their homeland, at the end of a world tour. I enjoyed watching this film. The music was different to what I normally listen to, sounding almost like whale noises at times; good background music to relax with. The band members all showed great enthusiasm and respect for their music; a nice bunch of youngsters. The photography showed the stark and beautiful landscape to good effect — no touristy bits of people in hot springs. The venues went from large concert halls to small village halls, and some were outdoors, everyone was welcome, young and old, and the children's faces were a delight to see. I left the cinema happy and pleased to have seen this film.