American Hustle

David O Russell’s period caper comedy starts well to the strains of Steely Dan’s “Dirty Work” as we watch Irv (Christian Bale) balancing an unconvincing rug over his bald patch before securing it with an elaborate comb-over and copious amounts of glue. The other main players are introduced quickly. Edith (Amy Adams) purports to be…

Nymphomaniac Parts 1 and 2

A self proclaimed autobiographical film of sorts, which Von Trier wrote after reading Proust and there is an echo of Tristram Shandy in its meandering construction. I found it thoroughly absorbing, endlessly fascinating and surprisingly funny. In essence this is a two hander involving a nerdish, otherworldly virgin and a sex obsessed, maverick outsider –…

The Book Thief

Brian Percival’s adaptation of Markus Zusak’s best selling book tells the story of Liesel (Sophie Nelisse), a 12 year  old girl adopted by Papa (Geoffrey Rush) and Mama (Samantha Morton) in Stuttgart 1938. It charts the family’s fight for survival and to retain their dignity in the face of the rise of National Socialism and…

Jeune et Jolie

The film opens with a young woman, Isabella aka. Lea (Marine Vacth) sunbathing topless on a French beach. She is framed by binoculars, under the observation of her younger brother Victor (Fantin Ravat). Director Francois Ozon seems to be indicating pretty clearly that this is a film about voyerism. Given that the very beautiful Isabella,…

Big Bad Wolves

I have a bit of a weakness for very intricately plotted thrillers, an aversion to torture porn, a love of black comedy, an eye for allegory and an appetite for contemporary political commentary. So this Israeli oddity worked well for me on four out of the five counts. The story follows the fortunes of Dror…

The Invisible Woman

Was it just me? I could see her all the way through! This tale of Charles Dickens’ not so secret love affair with Nelly Turman was a solid, well made film that looked very good, used music sparingly but to great effect and had moments which brought out the pain and collateral damage such affairs…

August: Osage County

I like a film that gives you a time and place upfront in its title. Here Meryl Streep heads a heavyweight cast in this theatrical, overheated but ultimately bleak domestic tragi-comedy, adapted from Tracy Lett’s Pulitzer Prize winning play. She plays Violet Watson a dyspepsic, doomed matriarch with a vicious tongue, suffering appropriately enough from…