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'.
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence ( Blu-ray ) (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
Brotherhood of War (2004)
8.1/10
Director: Je-Gyu Kang
Starring: Dong-kun Jang, Bin Won, Eun-joo Lee
Korea's leading filmmaker, Kang Je-gyu, wrote and directed this epic-scale drama focussed on two brothers forced into the war that tore their nation a... Read more
Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot ( Mr Hulot's Holiday ) ( Blu-ray ) (1952)
Director: Jacques Tati
Starring: Nathalie Pascaud, Michelle Rolla, Jacques Tati
Monsieur Hulot, Jacques Tatis endearing clown, takes a holiday at a seaside resort, where his presence provokes one catastrophe after another. Tatis... Read more
Overnight (2004)
7.1/10
Director: Mark Brian Smith, Tony Montana
Starring: Troy Duffy, Taylor Duffy, Mark Wahlberg, Jake Busey, Willem Dafoe, Billy Connoll...
When budding filmmaker Troy Duffy sold his screenplay, 'The Boondock Saints', to Harvey Weinstein at Miramax Films for a hefty sum, Harvey even offere... Read more
Night Watch ( Blu-ray ) (2004)
6.5/10
Director: Timur Bekmambetov
Starring: Konstantin Khabensky, Vladimir Menshov, Valeri Zolotukhin, Mariya Poroshin
In 14th Century Russia two warring factions of vampires called a delicate truce. Overshadowing this peace is an ancient prophecy, one that foretells o... Read more
Darwin's Nightmare (2004)
7.6/10
Director: Hubert Sauper
Winner of the European Film Awards' Best Documentary and nominated for an Oscar this stunning film looks at the havoc wreaked on Tanzania's people and... Read more
Heaven's Gate (Blu-ray) (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
Monster Road (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Brett Ingram
Starring: Bruce Bickford, George Bickford
The life of legendary eccentric clay animator Bruce Bickford is illuminated in this fascinating documentary. From his Cold War childhood to his work... Read more
The New Oceania (2004)
Director: Shirley Horrocks
Starring: Albert Wendt
Samoan-born Albert Wendt is a leading South Pacific novelist, poet and dramatist. Filmed by one of New Zealand's leading documentary teams, this also... Read more
Mon Oncle ( Blu-ray ) (1958)
7.9/10
Director: Jacques Tati
Starring: Adrienne Servantie, Jacques Tati, Jean-Pierre Zola
Slapstick prevails again when Jacques Tatis eccentric, old- fashioned hero, Monsieur Hulot, is set loose in Villa Arpel, the geometric, oppressively... Read more