Latest Staff Picks
The films listed below are Alice's Latest Staff Picks, finding their way into this category generally as a result of agreement between staff that they have real merit for one reason or another. Most titles represent a safe choice for those that find choosing a film difficult or are bewildered by Alice's depth and breadth...
For personal Staff Picks, you are cordially invited to take a journey into the mind's eye of Alice's movie mavens by clicking on the 'Staff Favourites' link (stage left). Click on the Alice Guide of your choice, and take an ushered journey through the looking glass and into their personal cinematic wonderland.
The Wire: Season 1 (2002)
9.3/10
Director: Agnieszka Holland, Daniel Attias, Ernest Dickerson, Peter Medak, Brad Anderson, Tim Van Patten
Starring: Dominic West, Idris Elba, Wood Harris
From Emmy-winning David Simon, this unvarnished, highly realistic HBO series follows a single sprawling drug and murder investigation in Baltimore. To... Read more
Force Majeure (2014)
7.3/10
Director: Ruben Östlund
Starring: Clara Wettergren, Johannes Kuhnke, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Kristofer Hivju, Fanni Me...
Cannes observers were stunned that this provocative and improbably entertaining new film by Swedish director Ruben Östlund wasn't selected for competi... Read more
Brick (2005)
7.4/10
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Nora Zehetner, Lukas Haas, Noah Fleiss, Matt O'Leary, Emil...
A fresh take on the hard-boiled noir, this festival hit stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as an outsider teen-turned-stoic gumshoe after his ex-girl (Emilie... Read more
Buffalo 66 (1998)
7.5/10
Director: Vincent Gallo
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Ben Gazzara, Christina Ricci, Jan-Michael Vincent, Mickey Rourk...
Billy (Vincent Gallo) is released after five years in prison for a crime he didn't commit. Hell-bent on convincing his dysfunctional parents (Angelica... Read more
Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
8.1/10
Director: Jean-Pierre Melville
Starring: Alain Delon, Yves Montand, Francois Perier, Gian Maria Volonte, Andre Bourvil
This heist classic from Jean-Pierre Melville ("Le Samourai") features Alain Delon as a crook just out of the slammer who joins forces with suspect-on-... Read more
Women On The Verge Of A Nervous Breakdown (1988)
7.6/10
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Antonio Banderas, Carmen Maura, Julieta Serrano, Maria Barranco, Rossy de Palma
A popular actress (perennial Almodovar favourite, Carmen Maura) is driven to distraction when her lover leaves for another woman. She's certain she ca... Read more
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
6.9/10
Director: Stephen Frears
Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Roshan Seth, Saeed Jaffrey, Gordon Warnecke, Shirley Anne Fiel...
A small, brilliant film from Britain's alternative network, Channel 4, about a young Pakistani named Omar (Gordon Warnecke), who convinces his wealthy... Read more
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
8/10
Director: Gore Verbinski
Starring: Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Pryce
The popular Disney theme park attraction inspired this swashbuckling, high-seas adventure from producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The roguish yet charming Ca... Read more
Fallen Angels (1995)
7.7/10
Director: Wong Kar-wai
Starring: Leon Lai, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Michelle Reis
A hitman's "agent" is falling in love with him, while a silent ex-con breaks into stores at night, opens them up and forces people to buy merchandise... Read more
The Imposter (2012)
7.5/10
Director: Bart Layton
A documentary that uses interviews and dramatised recreations to piece together the bizarre story of a missing boy and the young man who impersonated... Read more