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'.
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2003)
7.9/10
Director: Judy Irving
Starring: Mark Bittner
This terrific documentary follows the relationship between Mark Bittner, a homeless ex-busker and the once-domestic, but now wild, green and red parro... Read more
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence (2004)
7.6/10
Director: Mamoru Oshii
This highly anticipated sequel sees the return of Batou, the Section 9 cyborg cop who has almost nothing of his human self left - just a part of his b... Read more
The Woodsman (2004)
7.2/10
Director: Nicole Kassell
Starring: Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick, Eve , Mos Def, David Alan Grier, Benjamin Bratt
After twelve years in prison, Walter (Kevin Bacon) moves into a small apartment, gets a job and keeps to himself. But as a convicted sex offender his... Read more
Porco Rosso (1992)
7.8/10
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
World War I has ended, and peace reigns again. Aviators from around the world circle above the Adriatic Sea, keen to recapture the romanticism of flig... Read more
A Common Thread ( aka Brodeuses ) (2004)
7/10
Director: Eleonore Faucher
Starring: Lola Naymark, Ariane Ascaride, Marie Felix, Thomas Laroppe, Arthur Quehen, Jacki...
Luscious and powerful, this French drama follows Claire, a pregnant teen working in a supermarket who's moved out of home not wanting her parents to k... Read more
Mad Hot Ballroom (2005)
7.5/10
Director: Marilyn Agrelo
Each year the New York Public School system sponsors a dance competition for 10 and 11 year olds who have learned traditional ballroom dances like the... Read more
Sedition (2005)
Director: Russell Campbell
This fascinating documentary tells the sobering account of New Zealand's WW II conscientious objectors who fought against legislation and stuck to the... Read more
Inside Deep Throat (2004)
6.8/10
Director: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Starring: Narrated by, Dennis Hopper, Linda Lovelace, Harry Reems, Alan Dershowitz, Larry...
Documentary filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato ('The Eyes of Tammy Faye') take on the '70s cultural phenomenon that was 'Deep Throat'. Fascin... Read more
Howl's Moving Castle ( Blu-ray ) (2004)
8.2/10
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
With its otherworldly beauty and charm Miyazaki's magical tale of adventure and self-discovery is testament to his limiltiless imagination. 18-year-ol... Read more
Heaven's Gate (1980)
6.8/10
Director: Michael Cimino
Starring: Kris Kristofferson, Christopher Walken, John Hurt, Sam Waterston, Brad Dourif, I...
Michael Cimino's notorious spectacle about Wyoming's infamous Johnson County War - a conflict between immigrant settlers and the empire builders who w... Read more