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'.
Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues (2004)
6.2/10
Starring: Hank Williams, Jr., Hank Williams, George Jones, Roy Acuff, Anita Carter
A fascinating examination of the life and music of legendary performer Hank Williams. Transforming the country music genre the way Elvis transformed r... Read more
Hell on Wheels (2004)
7.3/10
Director: Pepe Danquart, Werner Schweizer
Starring: Rolf Aldag, Andreas Kloden, Alexander Winokurow, Erik Zabel, Steve Zampieri, Lan...
This documentary celebrates the 100th anniversary of the most well-known cycle race in the world - the Tour de France. Focusing primarily on two Germ... Read more
Kung Fu Hustle (2004)
7.8/10
Director: Stephen Chow
Starring: Stephen Chow, Yuen Wah, Yuen Qiu, Leung Siu Lung, Dong Zhi Hua
Charismatic Hong Kong comedy legend Stephen Chow's ('Shaolin Soccer') frenetically paced martial arts spoof is a delirious mix of quickfire gags, surr... Read more
Steamboy (2004)
6.9/10
Director: Katsuhiro Otomo
Starring: Voices Of, Anna Paquin, Alfred Molina, Patrick Stewart
The long-awaited new film from 'Akira' director Katsuhiro Otomo does not disappoint. One of the most expensive animes ever made, this is a retro-styl... Read more
My Summer of Love (2004)
6.8/10
Director: Pawel Pawlikowski
Starring: Natalie Press, Emily Blunt, Paddy Considine
16-year-old Mona lives in a sleepy Yorkshire mining village where nothing much happens - especially now her wild older brother (Paddy Considine) has b... Read more
Undertow (2004)
6.7/10
Director: David Gordon Green
Starring: Devon Alan, Jamie Bell, Robert Longstreet, Dermot Mulroney, Josh Lucas, Kristen...
You can practically feel the humidity coming off the screen in David Gordon Green's atmospheric, Southern Gothic-flavoured thriller, evoking 'The Nigh... 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
Appleseed (2004)
7/10
Director: Shinji Aramaki
After WWIII there's only one habitable city left - Olympus - where remaining humans live an idyllic life under the watchful eye of a supercomputer and... 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
The Sea Inside (2004)
8/10
Director: Alejandro Amenabar
Starring: Javier Bardem, Belen Rueda, Lola Duenas, Celso Bugallo
Two towering figures in Spanish cinema - actor Javier Bardem and director Alejandro Amenabar - collaborated on this powerful true story. Ramon Sampedr... Read more