60-second cinema

5 out of 10 Before I begin I would like to point out 2 things....... 1. I am a die hard fan of Sex and the City (the television series)! 2. This review contains spoilers so if you don't want to know what happens stop reading NOW! This film is a "follow-up" to the highly successful and entertaining series depicting "what happened next" ! The first 10 minutes of the film sets the story so far and introduces the characters - which I obviously acknowledge has to be done as, believe it or not, there are actually some people who never watched the series! Firstly, there is the rather predictable story of Carrie and Big's wedding - surprise, surprise he jilts her at the alter (didn't see that one coming!) In other news Samantha is struggling after moving to LA with Smith, Charlotte is sickeningly happy and expecting her second child with Harry and Miranda is devastated to discover that Steve has had an affair! The main problem that I have with this film is th...

9.5 out of 10 When a woman brings her family to live in her childhood home the last thing she expected was for her son to make some invisible friends. These friends begin to play paranormal games with the boy (Simon). These games unearth a family secret resulting in his mysterious disappearance. A dramatic turn of events follow; depicting a mother's struggle to come to terms with the loss of her child. I have to admit that initially I found the Spanish with sub-titles a little distracting but the storyline (which keeps you guessing up until the very end) was so compelling that I soon forgot about it. A good phrase to describe this film would be "less is more" as it leaves a lot to imagination (which is my personal preference for this genre). It is very well made and provoked a dramatic response from the audience in places. Impressive performances all round but most notably by the child actor, Roger Princep, who plays Simon. Overall this is a gripping, spine-chilling, t...

9 out of 10 This film is based on the real life story of Edie Sedgwick — often described as the first It Girl and Andy Warhol's muse. The "poor little rich girl" moves to 1960's New York to become a star after being inspired by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's and finds herself immersed in the debauched world of Warhol's "Factory". Most notable performances are from Guy Pearce (formerly of Mike from Neighbours fame!) as Andy Warhol and Sienna Miller whose brilliant portrayal of Edie changed my perception of her from being "one of those girls who are famous for being famous" to "serious actress" (ironic eh?) This is a dark film, there are some scenes which leave little to the imagination and the insight into Edie's childhood is chilling at times! Overall definitely worth a watch! The extras on the DVD include interviews with Edie's family and "friends" which also make interesting viewing!

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...