The World of Suzie Wong

Release date: 10 November 1960 (New York, New York)

Richard Quine directed the film version of Richard Mason's novel (later a stage play) - the World of Suzie Wong. Premiered way back in 1960, it was a daring film for its time. The overt negative stereotyping of Asians aside, William Holden as Robert Lomax, the architect who escapes America to find his artistic soul in Hong Kong, and a so young Nancy Qwan as Suzie Wong, the prostitute who captures his eye, do a fine job as two misfits in their own worlds drawn, inexplicably, together. While Holden is too old (or Qwan too young) to make the love story really work, the film is worth a watch for its comedy; the wonderful scenes of a Hong Kong that no longer exists; and for boldly - yet compassionately - portraying an inter-racial relationship to a world ill-equipped to face it.

My rating 7 out of 10.

The Twilight Saga: New Moon

Release date: 16 November 2009 (Los Angeles, California)

Based on the wildly popular and poorly written trilogy, New Moon gives us part two of Stephanie Meyer's Twilight Saga. Directed by Chris Weitz, all the regulars return including Bella (Kirsten Stewart), deathly white Edward (Robert Pattinson) and the now-realized-I'm-a-werewolf Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner). New Moon has all the lads beefed up to heighten the sex appeal and get the legions of lovelorn lasses who pant after them all hot and bothered. Sadly in doing so, everyone forgot how to act and that for these films to work, a little action is required.

Painfully boring and interminably never-ending, this woeful effort has neither bark nor bite and is barely worth my rating of 2 out of 10.

Paranormal Activity

Release date: 14 October 2007 (Screamfest Film Festival)

This Blair Witch riff takes us into the house of Micah (Micah Sloat) and Katie (Katie Featherstone). Katie it seems is pestered by a demon that house hops with her and is, or maybe isn't, connected to a long line of families that have ended up bloodied on the five o'clock news. Ever resourceful Micah uses a video camera to film - over an interminable 23 days - the slamming of doors, appearance of footsteps, swinging of chandeliers, and general mischievousness the demon gets up to while they sleep. It's all about as horrifying as cutting your toenails. Directed and written by Oren Peli, this is a thoroughly miserable movie experience and is laugh-out-loud laughable from start to finish.

My rating 0 out of 10.

Born Into Brothels

Release date: 17 January 2004 (Sundance Film Festival)

A documentary made by Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman, Born Into Brothels takes us into Calcutta's red light district to meet the children of the prostitutes who roam its streets. Lower than the low, these children are all but invisible to Indian society and aid organizations. Deemed so low in fact, that neither government officials nor schools wish to take them on. But Zana brings photography to their lives, setting the kids up cameras, classes on how to use them and then weekly sessions to critique the photographs of the world they inhabit. The kids, of course, excel in the art and soon Zana conceives a plan to hold a photographic exhibition of their work to help fund their escape from the ghettos they inhabit. Beautiful illustrating a story we all should be aware of, Born Into Brothels shows us both the resiliency of children and the potential that lies within all, regardless of their birth.

My rating 8 out of 10.

Valmont

Release date: 17 November 1989 (USA)

Comparisons to Dangerous Liaisons are inevitable so upfront let's admit Valmont is the lesser of the two adaptations of Pierre Choderlos de Laclos' bewitching 18th century novel redone by Christopher Hampton. Directed by Milos Forman, Valmont has the same sweep as Stephen Frears' film but is more a Sunday Night at the Movie version with far less edge than the Machiavellian characters gifted us by John Malkovich and Glenn Close. That said, Colin Firth as Vicomte de Valmont is more charming and Annette Bening as the infamous Marquise de Merteuil is more rounded with less cynicism. Cecile (Fairuza Balk) is more the true virgin than Uma could ever portray and it goes without saying that Henry Thomas as Danceny is light years stronger than Keanu. Meg Tilly as Madame de Tourvel is a blight on the film and seems to be channeling Sister Agnes.

My rating 6 out of 10.

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Release date: 18 September 2009 (Canada)

Phil Lord and Chris Miller direct Judi Barrett's refreshing and ingenious 1978 children's book that sees nerdy misfit, Flint Lockwood (voice of Bill Hader) invent a machine that turns water into food. Great premise eh! In a sardine town on the edge of disaster, Mayor Shelbourne sees a tourist bonanza and using weather girl Sam Sparks (voice of Anna Faris) starts spreading the word globally. But Flint's machine goes awry and morphs into a Death Star-like monster that threatens to wipe out the planet with a rain of, you guessed it, ginormous meatballs. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs works on several levels - great characters and an honest connection to the plight of two nerds - Flint and Sam - trying to find their way in the world and a genuine story of a son trying to please his father. To boot, the animation is quirky and different than what you'll see elsewhere.

A movie well worth spending dinner with. My rating 8 out of 10.

Eye of the Beholder

Release date: 4 September 1999 (Venice Film Festival)

This is a thoroughly dreadful film based on - one can only hope, a better - novel by Marc Behm. British secret agent Stephen Wilson (Ewan McGregor) is sent to the United States to track a vicious serial killer of men, Joanna Eris (Ashley Judd). But rather than stopping the killer, poor Stephen becomes obsessed with her and thereupon travels the US for 10 years following her tracks. Yawn. One is teased halfway through the film by the appearance of Dr. Jeanne Brault (an I've-hit-the-wall Genevieve Bujold, or is the make-up artist to blame) and for bare moments we edge closer to our seats hoping sense will be made of the journey. But it's not to be. A film that bangs you over the head with the lengths some men will go when obsessed, Eye of the Beholder is nothing more than an insult to everyone involved.

My rating 2 out of 10.

Millennium Mambo (aka Qian xi man po)

Release date: 19 May 2001 (Cannes Film Festival)

Millennium Mambo is used by uber-brilliant director Hsiao-hsien Hou as a vehicle to showcase the considerable sultry talents of Qi Shu who play Vicky, a young woman living in Taipei at the turn of the new century. Vicky has endured a raucous relationship with Hao-Hao (Chun-hao Tuan) a lad lost to drugs, petty thievery and his obsessive compulsive tendencies for Vicky and her neckline. She takes solace with trips to Japan with Jun (Jun Takeuchi), a younger, kinder version of Hao-Hao and shelter in the home of a benefactor, Jack (Jack Kao). Originally conceived as a 6-hour film - something unfathomable - it is classic Hsiao-hsien Hou with long lingering shots and shots filmed askew as if a camera was set secretly into the lives of these characters. While nowhere as good as Hou`s other efforts, it does reaffirm a worldwide poll done in 1988 that he is one of the three most crucial directors to the future of film.

My rating 8 out of 10.

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.