Film Festivals 2005
Once again the wide world of cinema offers a cache of captivating films. From France the delightful 'Look at Me', Tony Gatlif's 'Exils' and horror/slasher 'The Ordeal'. 'Hotel Rwanda' and documentary 'Darwin's Nightmare' unlock some of Africa's darkest secrets while from Hong Kong came the diverse '2046' and Stephen Chow's comic tour de force 'Kung Fu Hustle'. From the US, Gregg Araki's disturbing 'Mysterious Skin', 'Birth' with Nicole Kidman and understated Southern pot-boiler 'Undertow'. Stand-out documentaries also included 'Wal-mart: The High Cost of Low Price', the incredible 'DiG!' and from North Korea a fascinating insight with 'A State of Mind'.
Life is a Miracle (2004)
7.6/10
Director: Emir Kusturica
Starring: Slavko Stimac, Vesna Trivalic, Vuk Kostic, Natasa Solak, Stribor Kusturica
In 1992, war is brewing in Bosnia, but the city fathers in the town of Golobuci are going ahead with their plans to build a railroad they hope will br... Read more
Birth (2004)
6.1/10
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Anne Heche, Arliss Howard, Lauren Bacall, Nicole Kidman, Ted Levine, Peter Storm...
A ten year widow, Anna (Nicole Kidman) is about to remarry when a mysterious boy (Cameron Bright) convincingly claims he's her late husband reincarnat... Read more
Wal-Mart: The High Cost Of Low Price (2005)
6.8/10
Director: Robert Greenwald
The shameful practices of the USA Wal-Mart corporation, and their impact on family-owned businesses and private citizens, are put under the harsh micr... Read more
Jour De Fete (1949)
7.4/10
Director: Jacques Tati
Starring: Jacques Tati, Guy Decomble, Paul Frankeur
Jacques Tati's first feature film, which introduced some of the finest mime and slapstick humour since the days of Chaplin and Keaton. Tati is the vil... Read more
The Future of Food (2005)
7.8/10
Director: Deborah Koons Garcia
This provocative, award-winning documentary offers an in-depth investigation into the disturbing truth behind the unlabelled, patented, genetically en... Read more
Exils (2004)
Director: Tony Gatlif
Starring: Romain Duris, Lubna Azabal, Leila Makhlouf
Tony Gatlif's 'Exils', is an exuberant, free-wheeling, heartfelt journey swimming like a salmon against the traditional migrant tide of the Franco-Alg... Read more
Godzilla: Final Wars (2004)
6.5/10
Director: Ryuhei Kitamura
Starring: Masahiro Matsuoka, Rei Kikukawa, Kazuki Kitamura, Don Frye, Akira Takarada
Godzilla's 50th birthday sees him travelling the globe as evil aliens have landed with evil alien thoughts. Only Godzilla and the Earth Defence Force... Read more
Rize (2004)
7.1/10
Director: David LaChapelle
Starring: Tommy 'the Clown' Johnson
In 1992 L.A. was a powderkeg of racial tension that erupted following the Rodney King trial verdict. A man named Tommy Johnson though it was time for... Read more
Banana in a Nutshell (2005)
7.1/10
Director: Roseanne Liang
First generation Chinese kiwi, Roseanne Liang began this documentary as something to keep her mind off the fact that her traditional Chinese parents w... Read more
Three Dollars (2005)
6.3/10
Director: Robert Connolly
Starring: David Wenham, Sarah Wynter, Frances O'Connor, Joanna Hunt-Prokhovnik, Nico Bille...
Sophomore effort from Aussie director Robert Connolly re-teams him with David Wenham ('The Bank') who plays Eddie, a public servant and father to six-... Read more