Alpha and Omega (in 3D)

Release date: 17 September 2010 (Canada)

Sadly Alpha and Omega is little more than a rushed effort to cash in on 3D mania that is now consuming the world of animation. Directed by Anthony Bell and Ben Gluck, it concerns the love story of two wolves from opposite sides of the pack - Alpha Kate (voice of Hayden Pannettiere) and Omega Humphrey (voice of Justin Long). When the two are whisked away to Idaho from the Rockies outside of Jasper, they unite forces - with two golf-fanatic geese - to find their way home and solve the crisis of the western and eastern wolf packs at odds over elk herds. The problem with this film is an utter sense of deja-vu: we feel we`ve seen this all before. It is not helped by average (at best) animation and so-so 3D effects (the title blocks aside). In a hyphenated word, Alpha and Omega seems an after-thought and like most after-thoughts is not worth the effort.

My rating 4 out of 10.

Rashmonon

Release date: 25 August 1950 (Japan)

This 1950 film, directed by the great Akira Kurorsawa, is the quintessential crime drama that perfects displays the art of narrating a story from many different perspectives. In medieval Japan, a woman is raped and a man murdered and the conflicting stories of the witnesses to this crime - including the victim`s via a medium - make the story. In the end, we are left to judge ourselves - as in life - and are perhaps left saying (as noted in the film`s first line) `I do not understand". But that is the film`s purpose and point. Rashmonon Introduced Japanese film to Western audiences (it won both the Golden Lion and Academy Award) and remains even today hugely influential. It is a mesmerizing masterpiece. Filmed by cinematographer Kazuo Migagawa, it starred the great Tshiro Mifune as the thief Tajomuru, Masayuki Mori as the soon-murdered samurai Kanazawa, the beautiful Machiko Kyo as his wife, Masako, Takashi Shimura as the woodcutter who happens upon the scene, and Minoru Chiaki as the priest.

Worth viewing many times over, Rashmonon gets my rating of 9 out of 10.

Saraband

Release date: 1 December 2003 (Sweden)

Written and directed by the incomparable Ingmar Bergman, Saraband is a sequel that brings closure to two characters from Bergman's early career - Marianne (Liv Ullmann ) and Johan (Erland Josephson) - from Scenes of a Marriage (1973). Marianne has returned inexplicably to the lake cottage and there becomes entangled in a power struggle between Johan, his son Henrick (Borje Ahlshedt) and his daughter, the beautiful Karin (Julia Defvenius). Saraband is classic Bergman with all that means for angles and lighting and transitions. But beyond the utter perfection of the art of this film, lies the heartwrenching truth of its message - of how we live our lives and in choosing a certain path are either blessed or cursed to live loved or embittered. Saraband is a deep film that reveals more and more at each viewing and is a fitting testament to a great director.

My rating 10 out of 10.

Zombieland

Release date: 25 September 2009 (Austin Fantastic Fest)

An irrelevant and comedic look at a post-plague America where zombie's rule the land and a tiny group of four, as yet-not-infected, people learn a new definition of family amid the rules for life in Zombieland. Directed by Ruben, this delightful - if violent - romp stars Woody Harrelson as Tallahassee; Jesse Eisenberg as Columbus and Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin as Wichita and Little Rock. While over-the-top in a Roadhouse sort of way, the development of these characters as they travel west to Los Angeles is spot-on (thanks to the writers) and the addition of Bill Murray as himself is just perfect. Living amid the undead has never been so much fun and the search for a Twinkee just adds to the weirdness. Book passage soon; no passport required.

My rating 8 out of 10.

The New World

Release date: 25 December 2005 (USA)

The New World recounts the story of Pocahontas (Q'orianka Kitcher), the 17th century native American princess of lore. Directed by Terrence Malick. You know the story well, Captain Newport (Christopher Plummer) lands on Virginia's shores in 1607 and with him is the infamous Captain Smith (Colin Farrell) who is eventually integrated into Pocahontas' tribe as being banished from Jamestown. The two become lovers and the rest they say is history. While there is no denying The New World is stunning visually and incorporates a natural vividness that is breathtaking, director Terrence Malick cannot seem to decide what he actually wants to tell us. There is not one iota of connection between Smith and Pocahontas (blame both actors) nor between Pocahontas and her second husband, John Rolfe (Christian Bale). Worse, Malick incorporates very little dialogue and opts to give us Shakespearean moments where characters prattle on to themselves - in their minds. It's a very tiresome experience and has this reviewer wishing the New World had never been discovered to save us from schlop like this.

My rating 5 out of 10.

Goodbye Dragon Inn

Release date: 29 August 2003 (Venice International Film Festival)

"Did you know this theater is haunted?" is the first sentence spoken between characters in this movie. It comes roughly 45 minutes into the film. That's either boldness or craziness on the director's part. But the director here is Malaysian-born Ming-liang Tsai and in this case, boldness is appropriate. Goodbye, Dragon Inn stars Tsai regular Kang-sheng Lee as a smoking movie-goer in a theatre on the verge of its last show. When a Japanese tourist (Kiyonobu Mitamura) takes shelter in the theatre to get out of the rain he encounters all sorts of quiet folks who busy themselves watching King Hu's 1967 martial art film "Dragon Inn"; most memorable of these is the disabled ticket taker women (Shiang-chyi Chen). This film is a warm and comedic homage to film-going of yesteryear and is full classic Tsaisms, including a fascination with water and immeasurably long shots where very little happens. While not as good as either The River or I Don't Want to Sleep Alone, the addition of real-life Chinese martial art movie heroes Tien Maio and Chun Shih as themselves was a brilliant move.

My rating 6 out of 10.

Food, Inc.

Release date: 7 September 2008 (Toronto International Film Festival)

If nothing else, Food Inc. will make you take a more sobering look at the food you purchase as you wander the supermarket aisles of any American grocery store. Robert Kenner directs this documentary look at the business that is food in America and in the process dismantles our perception of farmers and the goodness and healthfulness of the food we consume. From the small handful of multinational companies that now control what we eat and how it is created and processed, Food Inc. unwraps the disturbing truth that money - not safety, not nutrition, not ethical employment practices - lies at the heart of nearly everything we lift to our mouths. It is a wake-up call to us all to get involved, ask questions of our grocers and demand answers.

My rating 8 out of 10.

Eight Legged Freaks

Release date: 30 May 2002 (Zurich, Switzerland)

If you're afraid of spiders avoid this movie but if you're a fan of either Scarlett Johansson or the campy 1950s creature-from-the-black-lagoon genre of movie making, rent this tout suite. Directed by Kiwi Ellory Elkayem, who makes this type of tongue-in-cheek sci-fi schtick his bread and butter, it stars David Arquette as Chris McCormick, the son of a wealthy Arizona miner who returns to his hometown days after giant mutant spiders start over-running it. His love interest is single mom Samantha Parker (Kari Wuhrer), the town's sheriff. Despite the film's you-see-everything-coming approach, it works thanks to Scarlett's presence (and even here she is a presence), the endearing quality of Harry Potter look-a-like Mike Parker (Scott Terra) and a perfectly played Deputy Pete Willis (Rick Overton). Is Eight Legged Freaks a good film? Hell no! But as pure entertainment on a Sunday night, you can't beat it.

My rating 6 out of 10.

Scenes of a Sexual Nature

Release date: 3 November 2006 (UK)

This cute British film was a bit of a flash in the pan but is worth a look. Directed by Ed Blum it follows scenes of a sexual nature among seven couple lounging on Hampstead Heath in London one sunny afternoon. The stories are hit and miss but there are a couple gems worth renting the film for. In particular the story of Iris (the fabulous Eileen Aktins) and Eddie (Benjamin Withrow), widowed seniors who cross paths on a bench in the park is truly heart-warming, if far-fetched, and Noel (Tom Hardy) and Anna (Sophie Okonedo) as an over-the-top couple - one just dumped; the other very horny. Amid the stories there lurks every manor of sexual truth and innuendo. The film fails in that it is simply too British; witty yes, but too British with the couples endlessly talking about sex rather than getting it on. It is all very droll and could have been better titled 'Endless Scenes of Seven Couples Talking A Lot'.

My rating 5 out of 10.

Chungking Express (aka Chung Hing sam lam)

Release date: August 1994 (Locarno Film Festival)

Where to begin with Wong Kar Wai's mysterious masterpiece that follows two cops' adventures with love? Chungking Express is, of course, the Chinese take-out restaurant Wong Kar Wai uses as the foundation for the stories and aside from that link, there is little else that knits the film together - and brilliantly so. Watching Chungking Express is both a joy and an experience. It confounds you ... but perhaps, like love, that is its point. Bridgette Lin stars as the Woman in the Blond Wig that Cop 223 (Takeshi Kaneshiro) becomes infatuated with while Tony Leung is Cop 663 who is being systematically hounded by the fast food restaurant waitress, Faye (Faye Wong). Filmed back in 1994, Chungking Express is a film junkie's film concerned more with art than story. Mainstream it is not and like the films of John-Luc Godard - to which its style can be compared - you're going to either love it or loathe it. This reviewer falls firmly on the love side and is willing to make a stop into this eatery again and again.

My rating 9 out of 10.

Exit Thru The Gift Shop

Release date: 24 January 2010 (Sundance Film Festival)

Infamous street/graffiti artist Bansky directs this film that starts as a documentary purported to illustrate him and morphs into the making of a new art world sensation, MBW (Mr Brainwash); the French shop keeper, Thierry Guetta. Thierry spends every waking moment video taping well, everything in his life. This hobby eventually crosses into the world of graffiti artists, thanks mainly to the fact that his cousin is the infamous artist, Invader. His nocturnal outings eventually lead him to the mysterious Bansky, who takes him on as a comrade-in-arms. When Bansky finally asks to see the documentary Guetta has been making, the dreadful result is enough to have him ask Guetta to return to Los Angeles and take up graffiti full time; thus leaving the raw footage in Bansky's hands. At this point the film turns into a film about the creation of Mr Brainwash and the uber show he constructs jumping off from where Warhol left off. Exit Through the Gift Shop is a thoroughly engaging film; a shred marketing move on Bansky's part; and a glimpse into the vacuous world of modern art and what it means to be 'an artist' in this day and age.

My rating 8 out of 10.

Eyes Wide Shut

Release date: 13 July 1999 (USA)

The wondrous Stanley Kubrick directs this exceedingly sexual tome on love and jealously and seven year itches. Tom Cruise stars as Dr. Bill Harford, a man seemingly happily married to Alice (Nicole Kidman). But when Alice admits to a near affair, Dr. Harford embarks on a fantastical odyssey over two nights that nearly derails his marriage. Kubrick does what he does so well, giving us his unique immediacy and grandeur as Dr. Harford journeys first to a deathbed then onto a costumier and finally into a mansion-cum-sex-den straight out of the mind of the Pet Shop Boys. While Cruise is his usual stoic self throughout; Kidman seems out of her depth (despite her nudity) and is just plain awful, most especially in both her drunken and sexual scenes; which is odd as she was married at the time to Tom Cruise. In a fashion Eyes Wide Shut is the story of a frosh year student trying to lose his virginity taken far, far out into inner space. Sadly Kubrick passed away prior to the film's premiere in July 1999 but it remains a gorgeous, deep and luscious examination of one man's journey back to home. Kubrick considered it his best work to date and considering his filmography that's quite a testament.

This reviewer agrees and bestows a rating of 9 out of 10.

Before Sunrise

Release date: 27 January 1995 (USA)

Starring Ethan Hawke as Jesse and Julie Deply as Celine, this 1995 Richard Linklater directed film follows two strangers who meet on a train on route to Vienna and end up spending one of those wondrous paths-less-taken nights together. Jesse is coming off a break-up with his girlfriend in Spain and is heading to Vienna to catch a flight home to America. Celine is on route to Paris but opts to jump the train and spend the evening keeping Jesse company in Vienna. What evolves is a well-written, and honest, love story as the two wander Vienna's streets taking in the culture. The film works thanks to the great acting and truth that we feel these two people have a genuine connection that grows as they learn more about each other.

Perfectly paced through to its ending on the train tracks, Before Sunrise gets my rating of 8 out of 10.

Young Adam

Release date: 16 May 2003 (Cannes Film Festival)

Beat poet Alexander Trocchi's novel gets a treatment in this David Mackenzie-directed film. The film is exceedingly introspective, taking us inside the mind of boatman Joe Taylor (Ewan McGregor) as he struggles whether or not to come clean with his knowledge of the death of his girlfriend Cathie (Emily Mortimer) while carrying on an affair with the wife (Tilda Swinton) of his employer Les (Peter Mullan). The performances in this film are both studied and fine and Mackenzie does a superb job creating an atmosphere to match. Despite this though, the film fails to engage its audience and is an example of greatness just missed.

But for giving us a glimpse of both Tilda's breasts and Ewan's penis, my rating 5 out of 10. Sex sells afterall.

Couples Retreat

Release date: 25 October 2009 (Amsterdam, Netherlands)

Director Peter Billingsley was brought in to direct the dumb screenplay by - among others - Vince Vaughn. Premise has 3 couples in varying degrees of challenge heading to Fuji (St Regis Bora Bora Resort) - okay, that's good - to partake in a couples retreat. Despite the B-star power brought into this shipwreck of a movie - with Jason Bateman at the helm - Couples Retreat is both so far fetched and so, well, bad it makes one long for abandonment on a island without access to any films again. If crudeness is your cup of tea, saddle up to the trough, you'll love it.

Only watchable because of the gorgeous scenery in Bora Bora gives this mistake masquerading as a movie, my rating of 3 out of 10.

Deception

Release date: 24 April 2008 (Australia)

You can tell from the very first moments of the film that accountant Jonathan McQuarry (Ewan MacGregor) is going to be had by lawyer Wyatt Bose (Hugh Jackman). This is both unfortunate; and not. Director Marcel Langenegger is not subtle so we see it all coming; ditto when our femme fatale S (Michelle Williams) arrives on scene. We know she's not quite what she seems. So sure the story is full of holes but thankfully the acting of this trio staves off complete ruin. The film's premise is, well, just silly and the segway into the sexual escapades of the rich and idle via a swingers club - "Are you free tonight?" - doesn't help. The wee twist at the end makes the going somewhat worth the journey ... but barely.

My rating 5 out of 10.

Lost in Translation

Release date: 29 July 2003 (Telluride Film Festival)

Lost in Translation was Sophia Coppola first venture as a director and screenwriter and my, what a marvelous entry to the world of film. Quiet and subtle, it follows Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) and Bob (Bill Murray) as they roam the Park Hyatt Tokyo and its New York Grill bar/restaurant in search of something they know they need but can't quite grasp: grounding. The film is deep on oh-so-many levels as both struggle with the language of their lives - the obvious struggle of fathoming Japanese and the even deeper struggle of communicating with their spouses. The comfort they discover with each other bridges these language barriers. Lost in Translation is a wonderful tome on loneliness and the importance of friendship and Sophia does an outstanding job showing North American audiences the subtlety of Zen existent in modern Tokyo.

My rating 8 out of 10.

Orphan

Release date: 21 July 2009 (Westwood, California)

Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard star as husband and wife Kate and John Coleman, who, after a miscarriage, adopt a wee Russian lass, Esther (Isabella Fuhrman) with a whole lot of baggage. Brought into their existing home with younger daughter Max (Aryana Engineer - [dreadful name]) and older son Daniel (Jimmy Bennett), Esther sets herself promptly to work sowing seeds of distrust and fear among the family, and lusting after her new papa. As the story unfolds, we learn Esther has a history of wrecking havoc and a disorder that actually makes her look younger than she actually is. Director Jaume Collet-Serra does a good building the suspense, even though we see it all coming and the inherent problem with the film is its slowness in developing Esther's back story. Farmiga is great and wee Fuhrman is amazing playing a 30-year in a 9-year-old's body. Props to Collet-Serra for giving us an unconventional non-Hollywood ending vis-a-vis papa too.

My rating 7 out of 10.

Alice in Wonderland (2010)

Release date: 5 March 2010 (Canada)

The mind of Tim Burton continues its unparalleled ability to birth fantastic worlds, in this case a retelling of Lewis Carroll's classic Alice in Wonderland. The version stars Burton regulars Johnny Depp (as the Mad Hatter), a simply brilliant Helena Bonham Carter (as the Red Queen - "I need a pig here!") and Mia Wasikowska as the now 19-year-old Alice returned to Wonderland - her memory muted - to do battle with the Jabberwocky (the voice of Christopher Lee) once again. Like all Burton films, the look is everything and the look here is mesmerizing and alone, worth the price of admission. That, and enjoying the gushing over-the-topness of Carter. While not groundbreaking or epic, Alice in Wonderland is fun, funny and fantastically fabulous.

My rating 8 out of 10.

Four Christmases

Release date: 26 November 2008 (Canada)

With a stellar cast of Hollywood hot properties, Four Christmases ought to be a runaway hit. Many reviewers however thought differently and were, in several cases, unkind. Yet, despite its flaws Four Christmases works magically well as both a cautionary Christmas tale of the bonds our families wield and the facades we build about ourselves in the quest for a perfect relationship. Hardcore never-getting-marrieders, Brad (Vince Vaughn) and Kate (Reese Witherspoon) have spent their years together outright lying to their dysfunctional families about their whereabouts at Christmas. Unwilling to face the trauma of doing the rounds, they make-up stories of overseas good-deeding in third world countries while secretly vacationing in Fiji. But this year they are caught out in the fib and must tour Kate and Brad's wonky families including Paula (Sissy Spacek) and Howard (Robert Duvall) - Brad's folks - and Kate's parents Marilyn (Mary Steenburgen) and Creighton (Jon Voight). Seth Gordan directs this hodgepodge that, despite its really bad bits (and there are plenty!), comes off revealing the complicated emotions pent up in Kate and Brad with a truism that is both well written and expertly portrayed.

There is a great moral here as all great Christmas films must have, and for that my rating 8 out of 10.