A touch of the Brief Encounter about this low-budget charming film that has since vanished from sight. Anne-Marie Duff captivates as usual. 7/10
Nicely told with just the right level of emotional tug. Based on the well-known (and slightly controversial) book. Another directorial success for Sean Penn. 8/10
A story about a lookalikes commune interspered with a film about nuns jumping out of a plane piloted by Werner Herzog. Undoubtedly one of the oddest films I’ve ever seen. 4/10
Early outing for Ryan Gosling in this whimsical, but ultimately very touching fantasy tale. 8/10
Bit worthy and somehow never quite grabs you like you think you ought to be grabbed. James McAvoy feels oddly miscast, and Keira Knightley is too picture perfect for the role. 6/10
Good idea and Smith is better cast than one might think. Was not expecting much from this, but found it compelling.
Well made; shame they never followed through on the trilogy. 7/10
Gripping; brutal; and a true story. Not for the faint hearted but one of the better films of its genre. 7/10
Steamy and sweltering. Firmly in the “they don’t make ’em like that any more” camp. It’s not as jaw-droppingly good as Liz Taylor and Paul Newman in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, but as Tennessee Williams’ adaptations go, it’s a damn good movie. 7/10
Dross. Even Claire Danes couldn’t salvage this. How on earth the producers got the likes of De Niro and Pfeiffer to sign on is a my$$tery. 2/10
Extremely odd documentary about a footballer who didn’t play in France’s world cup winning team. 2/10
Silly but funny animation. Loses its way in the second half but good ending just about makes up for it. 6/10
Slow to the point of catatonic; people actually walked out even though director Carlos Reygadas was in the cinema. What the Cannes jury was thinking is not clear. 1/10
Entertaining French farce; too much homage paid to Tarantino; not as clever as it wanted to be. 6/10
One of the best films I saw in 2007. Hilarious, poignant, ridiculous. A treat of a film. 9/10
Stunning cinematography; good combination of action/drama and Casey Affleck’s transition from coward to killer is excellent. 8/10
Here we go again… mad English person does crazy walk. This particular walk crosses France from La Rochelle on the west coast to Lake Geneva on the eastern border with Switzerland. It’s hard to know what to say about this book. It’s gently amusing and mildly frustrating. Fifty-something Kelly chooses not to explain the circumstances… Read More
The covers of my edition of this book are littered with accolades from impeccable sources. A cynic might notice in the acknowledgements that Nobel-nominated author Doris Lessing appears to be a family friend and wonder whether Jason Elliot merely has good literary connections. Frankly, whether he does or not, this book is still outstanding and… Read More
Edward Lear, a travel writer? Who knew? Famed for his books of nonsense poetry and accompanying doodles, Lear’s love was in fact lanscape painting and in the mid-19th century he travelled Europe and beyond in search of scenes suitable for his oils and watercolours. This collection brings together the familiar nonsense and the less familiar… Read More
What do you know about Bhutan? Probably not very much, apart perhaps from it being a Himalayan kingdom somewhere up around Nepal and Tibet. Even now Bhutan is a remote and inaccessible corner of the world. There is no British embassy or other representation – the nearest consulate is in Kolkata (Calcutta) – all visits… Read More