The Heartbreak Kid

Pretty funny comedy from the Farelly brothers mostly set in SF and a Mexican resort. Ben Stiller is the single 40 years old falling for a crazy woman, and goes on a nightmare honeymoon and falls for another girl. A bit long at almost 2 hours, it's rated R, so there are some risqués moments.

Eastern Promises

A good solid film, but still lacks something in comparison with the best Cronenberg films. I suspect the BBC screenwriter was a bit soft and Cronenberg is conscious that at his age now he has to secure some commercial success. Good performances, in particular from Viggo.

Tabu: a story of the south seas

Murnau took off to tahiti with his boat and dog and barely helped by Flaherty filmed this story based around local taboos, religious and moral, to film a great love story. it starts like a simple documentary, but becomes more moving and involving after a while. Sadly Murnau's last film.

Nosferatu a symphony of horror

The first major Murnau film, in 1922, creates a landmark for horror films, with spooky sets and lightning and a surreal looking Max Schreck as the vampire. Obviously suffers a little since the story is so well known and has been done many times since, still a very important film, superbly styled.

Funny Face

An all-star team of Donen, Hepburn, Astaire, Edith Head and Gershwin, goes to Paris with Avedon and Givenchy in this charming musical, but unfortunately with a thin script and some weak musical numbers. Avedon's work is great though.

Touchez pas la hache

A period drama from Rivette, based on Balzac La Duchesse de Langeais. Mad, complicated love story between Guillaume Depardieu and Jeanne Balibar, who are both very good.

Blade Runner: The final cut

the ultimate version, remastered, with added effects, in beautiful HD. The film still holds well despite an obvious early 80s look and feel, although the script is a bit light, but it works, probably mostly because all the effects are mechanic/organic and not digital.

Where danger lives

Mitchum is not really credible as a doctor who falls for a dame who leads him to believe that she is controlled by her old dad, who in fact turns out to be her evil husband superbly played by Claude Rain, who sadly is killed after his one scene. The couple escapes towards Mexico. the lead actress is not very pretty and quite annoying, but the character is clearly mental. Quite disappointing.

Tension

A great film noir, directed by John Berry for MGM, with Audrey Totter as the really bitchy wife who leaves her sweet husband for a big noter, the husband takes a new identity, meets Cyd Charisse and is seen as the guilty man for murder, until the happy ending.

Sawdust & Tinsel

A fairly early Bergman, about fairly disturbed relationships in a small town, with a failing circus owner who wants out and his girlfriend seduced and abused by a twisted theater actor. Fairly dark, but a bit disappointing.

Hostel

Not a surprise Tarantino is a fan, and it's very much influenced by MIike. Two yanks and an icelandic dude are lured into an hostel in Slovakia where chicks are hot, but also where some nasty business dudes are having a kick torturing and murdering people, lots of blood, quite silly but good disturbing atmosphere.

300

Leonidas battles Xerxes with 300 warriors, based on the Frank Miller graphic novel, in some kind of muddy brown world supposed to be Sparta, against lots of baddies, with music that reminds of Gladiators. Some of the scenes are actually quite gripping, but overall pretty pointless.

Transformers

Utterly preposterous script, with particularly bad and unintentionally funny dialogue, bad jokes and cheap romance. The robots are great, and the CGI is awesome, especially in HD.

Illegal

Edward G. Robinson in fantastic is this court room drama, playing a DA who goes down after convicting an innocent to the electric chair, and raises again working for the mob. It starts with a real bang.

V for vendetta

A good blockbuster, intelligent and dark, based on the great Alan Moore graphic novel on totalitarism. Looks good in HD.

The Big Steal

Filmed by Don Siegel for RKO, with Mitchum and Jane Greer chasing $ throughout Mexico. It's an odd Noir film, not fully noir, with plenty of romcom elements.