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.