Brilliant. Great to see Ang Lee doing a Chinese language film again and a film he says was really important to him to share the pre Cultural Revolution history of his parents before it is lost. Set in Japanese occupied Shanghai and Hong Kong this story has it all; espionage, twists, turns, love, sex, culture and war. Beautifully shot, written and directed. A great tale that takes you on quite a ride. Oh and the actors are flawless, one of those films that you forget you are watching actors from the beginning to the end.

An hysterical Japanese film based on a true story set in a poor coal mining town that turned to creating “Hawaii” in their town to save it. We follow the journey of a group of coal miners daughters struggling against the expectations of the poor rural traditional village to become Japan’s greatest Hawaiian dance troupe. The film is heart felt and some what surprising in it’s brutally honest characters who show none of the suppression of emotion and “face saving” behaviour I am accustomed to in Asian cultures.. they are over the top, emotional and VERY entertaining. Gem of a film. Laughed out loud a lot, shed a few tears and beamed with pride and wonder too.

A film that replenishes the soul! Uplifting, unpredictable and just plain fantastic. Guaranteed to please, even the blokes! Whilst I admit I cried throughout.. pretty much the whole film it was because I was either laughing so hard, feeling inspired or devastated. And for the blokes… I promise you, you will like this one too. What a GREAT way to spend a couple of hours.

This 1986 film is a classic. A cult favourite, it stars David Bowie as the eccentric villain, and Jennifer Connelly as its young heroine.

I have vivid childhood memories of The Labyrinth, it really freaked me out. I found it quite frightening when I saw it for the first time, and no wonder, for a children’s film it contains some themes that certainly are a little scary. For example, kidnapping, attempted decapitation, some very strange monsters, and of course, an evil David Bowie.

The basic plot is that teenager Sarah must navigate her way through a labyrinth which contains many interesting creatures, to reach a castle and rescue her younger brother Toby, who has been kidnapped by the goblin king (Bowie).

Bowie is at his best as the creepy and flamboyant villain who is besotted with young Sarah. His carefully coiffed blonde mane, series of outrageous and elaborate costumes, and daring eye makeup, on their own make the film well worth the watch. Although, the same couldn’t be said of the figure hugging tights he wears throughout, which prove that children’s films can be frightening for adults too.

Besides its fashions, the Labyrinth is worth seeing for its bizarre characters and use of puppetry. Legendary puppet master Jim Henson directed the film, and his creative genius is evident in every scene. Scenes such as the talking tunnel of hands, and the “fire gang” – the singing creatures who can remove their limbs, and their heads are unmistakeably Henson (this scene terrified me as a child). The wacky sense of comedy, and imagination seen in the film are Henson’s clear influence and make this (his last film before his death) a classic example of his work.

The soundtrack includes original songs by Bowie, for example “Baby Dance”, as well as some grouse synthesiser themes which are absolutely spot on for this 80s camp-fest.

Other highlights include the Escher inspired castle, the comical talking rockfaces, and a lively ostrich hat.

Overall, I think this film has very little wrong with it. The Labyrinth is a classic that captures an era – a great film to watch if you’re feeling a little nostalgic for all that was the 1980s.

Life Is Beautiful, or La Vita e Bella- directed by Roberto Benigni. Starring Roberto Benigni and Nicoletta Braschi.

This film is, quite simply a masterpiece. Why? For me, Roberto Benigni achieves the impossible. A classic piece that captures the horror of the holocaust by means of comedy, Begnini pushes the madness of the nazi regime to the point of absurdity via the manners of a clown, letting imagination and hope triumph over the terror and horror of war.

What is mere slapstick humour in itself in the first half of the film, becomes a weapon and life saver in the second half, as Guido (Roberto Benigni) uses his imagination to shield his son from the horrors of the gas chamber by distracting him with a grand illusion - a pretence in which the camp becomes the site of a game whose first prize is a brand new armoured tank. I love this film and have seen it more times than I can remember. It baffles me in its genius, its humanity, its dignity, and the power and beauty of a fertile imagination in the midst of unthinkable horror and darkness. I marvel in it’s brilliance - if you’ve never seen it, rent it today…..

“The idea suddenly occurred to me. Like Rossini once said that he received his ideas and creativity straight out of the sky. The same thing happened to me. First I hesitated because it seemed too risky. But then I couldn’t do otherwise: I had to make this film. I am in the fortunate position to be able to make the films that I like. In italy, I am a little like steven Speilberg. many warned me about this project. but an artist must be ahead of his audience and not running after them.”
Roberto Benigni, 1998

Interesting facts-
This film was Pope john Paul II’s favourite movie. It won the grand prize of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 1998, then going on to win three academy awards for Best music, best Foreign Language film, and of course, best actor…….

This is England is set in 1983 and centres upon Shaun, (Thomas Turgoose) a quick witted and smart mouthed young boy, struggling with the death of his father.

Lonely and being bullied at school, Shaun feels at odds with the universe until he is befriended by a group of older ‘skinheads’. Shaun has a new sense of belonging with his new mates, as they quickly adopt him as a member of their gang.

They are an exceptionally polite set of teenagers- ironically so, considering their aesthetic, and this is one of many points of understated humour within the film. One scene in particular stands out as an illustration of this – when Shaun’s mother is dismayed to find Shaun has had his head shaved and confronts his new friends/ amateur hairdressers. This is an entirely civil and conciliatory exchange of viewpoints and the punk attitude of rebellion and anarchy is nowhere to be seen.

However, this is not the case with Combo: an older member of the group who has recently been released from prison. He immediately incites division and promotes racial hatred and violence. The shift in tone is dramatic and for the second half of the film, there is a feeling of imminent catastrophe.

What is interesting about this film is that its characters are three dimensional and believable. Stereotypes are not bought into, this film is about real people and real drama. Stephen Graham delivers a riveting and realistic portrayal of Combo, a character who is multi faceted and complex. Young Thomas Turgoose is also definitely one to watch – his performance is flawless and he is captivating throughout.

This is England is a largely autobiographical representation of director Shane Meadow’s youth in the 80s and he has certainly captured the era, most effectively through the cinematography, which captures something of the bleak mood of the time, and also through the use of archive footage at the beginning and end of the film.
This is England is a realistic, insightful, and emotional depiction of life at a certain time in a certain place.

Meadows has skilfully blended intense drama with more light-hearted moments and intelligent humour. This is England is a well made and powerful film.

Rent it. 3.5/5

I would like to say that I think “Underdog” has been harshly judged by our star rating. I watched it last night with my nephew and thought it wasn’t that bad! If you are after a silly, non animated movie with a cute talking dog then give it a go!

Not one if you feel like being uplifted. The story of a young woman released from prison and her struggle to regain her life and daughter. Brilliant performances and quite a realistic gritty film that gives real insight into the plight of paroled parents. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Sherry with brutal honesty often portraying a woman you would rather not see but are somehow compelled to stick with.

Pixar does it again. Not quite the genius of “Monsters Inc” but a great film for adults and kids all the same. You can’t help but wonder how they get you to love the whole rat nest in the end but those rats are lovable without losing their rattiness. It is the Chinese year of the rat and I am a rat myself so maybe that has something to do with it…..

I digress. A great animated feature that ticks all the boxes.

This 2005 horror film stars Kestie Morassi, Cassandra Magrath, Nathan Phillips and also John Jarratt- who won critical acclaim and scared the bejesus out of a lot of people in this role as a true blue Aussie psychopath.

Particularly frightening was Jarratt’s appropriation of the Aussie ‘larrikin’ character and vernacular. His creepy stare and intimidating and unrestrained laughter make him a terrifying villain.

Wolf Creek follows Ben, a young Australian who meets two English girls, Kristy and Liz at a party. Together, they begin a road-trip into the outback. Being a horror film, of course their car doesn’t make it very far and they run into the seemingly helpful and friendly truck driver, Mick Taylor.

All does not turn out as planned for the young trio. This is a fairly graphic and realistic horror film, and I’d be worried about anyone who felt anything less than squeamish after this one. The suspense is built for the majority of the film, before all hell breaks lose in the horrifying last third or so.

The realism in Wolf Creek not only comes from the acting, which is top notch across the board, but also from the slow pace and because there are not many cinematic cop-outs in the film; there is an authenticity to the events and the storyline that make it believable. There are no unrealistic and opportunistic sequences, like in the slasher genre – you could imagine these events unfolding in just the way they do. The tagline: “based on true events” adds to this feeling even more.

The Australian outback had always carried negative and sinister connotations in the nation’s collective consciousness. Events such as the disappearance of Azaria Chamberlain and several high profile murder investigations including ‘the backpacker murders’ perpetrated by Ivan Milat, play on the minds of the Australian population, and make the vast and desolate landscape the perfect backdrop for a horror film.

Films such as Walkabout, Roadgames and Mad Max to name a few, have used this setting and its isolation as an important element in their narrative, and in doing so perpetuated this myth of terror associated with it – but none I’ve seen so far have done it as well as Wolf Creek.

For a first time feature by Greg McLean, this is an outstanding effort. This is an excellent film to put you off exploring the country’s interior too deeply…

3.5/5