Film Festivals 2003
2003 brought many filmic gems from around the world. Some highlights were Rolf De Heer's stunning 'The Tracker'; New Zealand's entry, a delicious, black holiday comedy 'Christmas'; from Brazil, the astonishing debut of Fernando Meirelles, 'City of God' and from Russia, the longest tracking shot in film history, 'Russian Ark'. From the US came the unique and captivating bio-pic 'American Splendor' and tongue-in-cheek horror 'Cabin Fever' as well as documentaries 'The Kid Stays in the Picture' featuring the infamous Robert Evans, and Noam Chomsky's 'Power and Terror'.
Secretary (2002)
7/10
Director: Steven Shainberg
Starring: James Spader, Jeremy Davies, Lesley Ann Warren, Patrick Bauchau, Maggie Gyllenha...
Fresh off a stint in a mental hospital, upbeat but repressed office worker Maggie Gyllenhaal takes a job as personal assistant to tightly-wound lawyer... Read more
Shaolin Soccer (2001)
7.3/10
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Vicki Zhao
Sing is an exceptionally skilled Shaolin kung fu devotee who's fallen on hard times when his amazing 'leg of steel' catches the eye of an equally down... Read more
Spider (2002)
6.8/10
Director: David Cronenberg
Starring: Ralph Fiennes, Miranda Richardson, Gabriel Byrne, John Neville, Bradley Hall, Ly...
Master of cerebral horror David Cronenberg directs this mind-bending psychodrama. In a London halfway house, paranoid-schizophrenic Ralph Fiennes stru... Read more
Springtime in a Small Town (2002)
7/10
Director: Tian Zhuangzhuang
Starring: Xin Baiqing, Wu Jun, Hu Jingfan
An assured return from Tian Zhuangzhuang ("The Blue Kite") with his first film for ten years. Beautifully capturing the setting of a once-grand mansio... Read more
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002)
7.8/10
Director: Paul Justman
Starring: The Funk Brothers
Long-overdue tribute to The Funk Brothers, Berry Gordy's team of superlative musicians who backed such Motown giants as Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Th... Read more
Sweet Sixteen (2002)
7.5/10
Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Michelle Abercromby, Martin Compston, Michelle Coulter, Annmarie Fulton, Tommy M...
Liam's mum is in prison and due to be released in time for his sixteenth birthday. Dreaming of the family life he never had, Liam is determined to mak... Read more
The Conversation (1974)
7.9/10
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Teri Garr, John Cazale, Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Wil...
Gene Hackman is brilliant as Harry Caul, the surveillance man who becomes the object of surveillance himself. Coppola's great achievement is evoking a... Read more
The Conversation (Blu-ray) (1974)
7.8/10
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Starring: Teri Garr, John Cazale, Harrison Ford, Gene Hackman, Frederic Forrest, Cindy Wil...
Gene Hackman is brilliant as Harry Caul, the surveillance man who becomes the object of surveillance himself. Coppola's great achievement is evoking a... Read more
The Crime of Father Amaro (2002)
Director: Carlos Carrera
Starring: Gael Garcia Bernal, Ana Claudia Talancon, Sancho Gracia
Aka "The Crime of Padre Amaro". Recently ordained a priest, 24 year-old Father Amaro (Gael Garcia Bernal) is sent to a small parish church in Los Reye... Read more
The Dancer Upstairs (2002)
7/10
Director: John Malkovich
Starring: Javier Bardem, Laura Morante, Juan Diego Botto
This taut political thriller set in Latin America marks John Malkovich's explosive directorial debut. Javier Bardem ("Before Night Falls") stars as le... Read more