60-second cinema

4 out of 10 Decidedly average. A fairly slow-paced, directionless movie with an almost anti-climactic ending. At one point, it threatened to up the pace and get quite interesting, but what looked like a plot point turned out to be nothing more than another passing scene. Performance-wise, Christian Bale was ok, but Freddy Rodríguez was better. Both, however, were let down by the meandering story.

10 out of 10 It seems IMDB doesn’t let you rate a film as 11 out of 10. That’s a pity because this one blew me away like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Grave of the Fireflies is a Studio Ghibli animation following the tale of a 14 year old boy and his 4 year old sister, struggling to survive in war-time Japan. Heart-breaking from the start, I was so glad I chose to watch this alone. Had I had to stifle my emotions, it would have ruined the experience. As it was, I was an absolute mess by the end, tears burning my eyes and rolling down my face. In fact, I was a mess by half way, but it just kept on coming. It’s relentless. While it’s primarily the story that makes this a great movie, it’s brilliantly supported by both the artwork and the music. The characters themselves may be typically simplistic in their appearance, but the humanity in their body language is superb and the background artwork exquisite. The music, too, is perfectly pitched to support the emotions being stirred

8 out of 10 While most reviews will concentrate on the animation, I really enjoyed the story... 5 minutes after the film finished, that is. Set in a drug-infested, total-surveillance near-future, it’s one of those strange movies that can frustrate you while you’re watching it, right up until the last 5 or 10 minutes when everything falls into place. The double-bluffing plot unfolds and you finally understand. As we walked away from the Tyneside , down Pilgrim Street, Wilka and I agreed it deserved a second viewing. Good stuff. The pseudo-animated, posterised style’s not bad either. :) P.S. a quick tip: do not watch the movie trailer — it gives waaaay too much away.

9 out of 10 This is my first Studio Ghibli film and, I have to say, I was sceptical. I had the impression they were the sort of thing people claimed to like because it was chic to like Japanese stuff. Plus, Jonathan Ross gushes about them, which automatically makes me wary. ;) Having now seen it, however, I’m completely won over. ‘Totoro’ was a beautifully told, genuinely moving film, despite (obviously) being fantasy. All relationships depicted — between the two sisters, between father and daughters, mother and daughters, mother and father, all of them! — were utterly real and wonderful. I’m surprised I’m gushing so much, but it really took me aback. Had I not missed the first half hour, it might even have got top marks. Yay for FilmFour and their Ghibli season. Bring on the next one! :)

9 out of 10 Wow. This was really rather good. Surprisingly good. Knowing nothing of the film’s comic book history helped me appreciate it without the burden of expectations, but I’m sure it would’ve been a cracker anyway. Natalie Portman ’s English accent may have been a little affected at times, but, in general, the whole cast put in excellent performances. In fact, I only discovered at the closing credits who’d played the title role. I could’ve checked at any point (it was a DVD rental), but I was enjoying it so much, I didn’t want to spoil things by concentrating on the actors rather than the story. When deciding on my rating, I was wavering between 8 and 9. It was only by comparing it to another movie — Batman — that I made my choice. Yes, it was that good. Rent it now .