Film Reviews

Young police officer Shane Cooper's first day on duty, after relocating to the small town of Red Hill, rapidly turns into a nightmare. News of a prison break, involving convicted murderer Jimmy Conway, sends the local law enforcement officers - led by the town's ruling presence, Old Bill - into a panic and leads to a terrifying and bloody confrontation.

Homer is an orphan who was never adopted, becoming the favorite of orphanage director Dr. Larch. Dr. Larch imparts his full medical knowledge on Homer, who becomes a skilled, albeit unlicensed, physician. But Homer yearns for a self-chosen life outside the orphanage. What will Homer learn about life and love in the cider house? What of the destiny that Dr. Larch has planned for him?

Heddy Honigmann returns to her birthplace of Lima, Peru to reacquaint herself with a place and people dear to her heart. It is about a forgotten city, a forgotten history and a forgotten people. With irony as their loved weapon for survival, they have to forget as well, in order not to give way to cynicism, hatred and grief. It is about remembering the old days when life - despite class differences, corruption and violence - was still good: waiters, bartenders and shopkeepers who are fighting a losing battle and have lost everything. It is also about the children who manage to survive by mastering the art of street life and who reveal the country in it's true colours. Just like the dogs they share the streets with, they have no good memories to forget.

A devoted young woman becomes ensnared in a web of sexuality and betrayal in Jean-Pascal Hattu’s consistently unpredictable and finely wrought character study. A vividly realistic psychosexual drama, the film’s sharp emotional honesty heralds a distinct new voice from a promising young director. Hattu soon reveals that Maite’s husband Vincent is in prison for an unspecified crime, and that she has promised to wait for him and attend to his laundry (if not his conjugal needs) during his incarceration. On one of her weekly visits, Maite meets Jean, an oddly inquisitive and boldly flirtatious prison warden, and soon the two commence a joyless affair. Seemingly smitten with Maite, Jean, in a gesture of kindness to his lover, eases up on her husband behind bars; the two become pals and even engage in some homoerotic shower talk. —Robert O’Shaughnessy

Based on the true story of Max Schmeling. A national hero in the 1930's when he became World heavyweight champion. He lost favour with the Nazi regime when he lost to a black man, Joe Louis, and is sent to the front in the hope he will be killed in battle.

An old communist returns to Greece after 32 years in the Soviet Union. However, things aren't the way he had hoped for.

Three French pals take to the road in a stolen car and discover a talking, wounded stork — who claims to have deserted the Algerian army — and help it to escape to the home of a relative in Germany.

Pat Pemberton (Hepburn) is a brilliant athlete, except when her domineering fiancé is around. The ladies golf championship is in her reach until she gets flustered by his presence at the final holes. He wants them to get married and forget the whole thing, but she cannot give up on herself that easily. She enlists the help of Mike Conovan (Tracy), a slightly shady sports promoter. Together they face mobsters, a jealous boxer (Aldo Ray), and a growing mutual attraction.

A cabdriver and a cop race to Paris to rescue a love interest and the Japanese minister of defense from kidnappers.

Frank Dux has entered the "kumite", an illegal underground martial-arts competition where serious injury and even death are not unknown. Chong Li, a particularly ruthless and vicious fighter is the favorite, but then again Dux has not fought him yet.

This remake of 1981’s Goodbye Pork Pie tracks the escapades of a trio of accidental outlaws as they travel the length of New Zealand protesting conformity and chasing lost love, with a posse of cops and a media frenzy in pursuit.

An insurance agent's greedy girlfriend with a taste for mink leads him to a life of crime.

Film by Risto Jarva.

A coming-of-age tale about an adolescent boy and his efforts to fit in amongst a varied cast of characters.

Jimmy Carr is the hardest working comedian in Britain. He has now played to over one million people on tour and sold over a million DVDs. He returns with the release of his most outrageous stand up set to date, Making People Laugh, featuring over two hours of material that’s too rude for TV. The new DVD shows Jimmy at his very best and contains over 250 jokes. Here’s a small selection: “The first guy who persuaded a blind person they needed sunglasses, he must have been a hell of a salesman.” “Liverpool is the only city in Great Britain where JD Sports, has an evening wear department.” “A great way to warm up pensioners in winter.. is cremation.” “My girlfriend recently had a phantom pregnancy. And now we have a little baby ghost.”