Definitely an offering with its own style and innovation. Jim leaves his Essex home at 18 wanting to make it big in London and ends up forced to become an escort in Soho.
Not just any old escort but a member of a group called the Raconteurs
whose specialty is post-coital conversation and who all abound with artistic and cultural knowledge. Jim is trained up in the group, who tend to service older men with artistic backgrounds and before long he is also a muse. 
Then he discovers that he has a rare condition called the Stendahl Syndrome causing him to faint at the sight of beautiful authentic works of art. Others see that he can be used for this talent/illness. The film explores concepts of beauty, the depiction of beauty in art,
the youthful attractiveness of prostitutes and the like. Set in a stylistic neon-lit Soho, with quite an interesting script that starts off seeming pretentious but works, this is not a bad indie work at all and is enhanced by casting Harris Dickinson in the lead role.
Fresh from Beach Rats, he has a compelling screen presence and manages to make this flight of fancy seem altogether plausible.
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to observe life and write from there. So, he starts to use the life of the other residents as his inspiration,
recording conversations heard in the well between flats and quizzing the concierge who is a lonely woman happy to gossip.
He even befriends a fascist pensioner on the top floor who needs a chess partner. Alvaro is relentless in pursuing these goals without much remorse or understanding the effects of his manipulation. The latter part of the movie shows the unravelling of his plan and there is an epilogue which doesn’t entirely convince. So, as a film it lacks something but Javier Gutierrez
as Alvaro fits very well and Adelfa Calvo as the concierge Lola is a real find, a sort of gone to seed 50-something who still dreams of being a sexy flamenco singer.
some old Japanese philosophy
and a romance
all combined with great images and an Asian pop soundtrack. This latest from Makoto Shinkai
brought box-office and critical success to the director and is a satisfying work. It has a freshness that we don’t see so much
and some interesting philosophic and sci-fi issues to explore. Radwimps, a Japanese band complement the images with some largely inspiring music. Universal
and yet clearly Japanese at the same time, this film intrigued me as an animated movie and as a reflection of life today.
The ensuing weeks involve all sorts of inappropriate dates, a flirtation with a famous rock star,
scenes of jealousy with her friends, sessions with a matchmaker and an insight into modern Orthodox Jewish customs. Noa Koler
as Michal strikes a good balance between the crazy and the hopeful and carries this cleverly scripted comedy by Rama Burshtein.
The film drags a little in the last quarter but is otherwise an amusing insight into a different culture’s traditions and how they fit today. It is also a recognition of the enduring importance of marriage to many.
No classic but worth a look.
It is a short, smart intelligent work which looks at the sacred cows of society today: politics, academia, freedom movements, in vitro fertilization, etc. A great cast manage to lift this work even more led by Kristin Scott-Thomas
as the lead, Patricia Clarkson, superb as her cynical best friend, Timothy Spall
as her ailing husband, Cherry Jones,
Emily Mortimer, Bruno Ganz
as the aromatherapist husband of April and Cillian Murphy as a banker.
Filmed in black and white and accompanied by an excellent soundtrack of jazz and classical music, this is an unusual work for our times and a very well-produced one indeed.
Certainly, she had something apart from catchy tunes which attracted the lower classes to her music. 
Natalia Oreiro 
does a very good job in the lead role and completely dominates the film although Roly Serrano as a mafia music promoter and Javier Drolas as her manager provide two believable characters. The overall mood is somewhat dark and the film is quite slow to take off 
though once the music gets going it helps. A decent effort without lifting any roofs and of course rather sad at the end.
She summons her family to their lovely country mansion for a final weekend together, an early Christmas dinner and some nice moments. Elder daughter Heidi (excellent Paprika Steen)
is at first supportive of her mother’s decision and critical of the younger sister Sanne (Danica Curcic) who appears with Dennis (Pilou Asbaek), an immature pot-smoking boyfriend.
But Sanne has her own health issues and these and other family skeletons come out during the weekend as these and other members go for walks,
share meals and reminisce over photo albums. Some stances begin to change as time inexorably moves on. Ghita Norby as Esther is very good indeed
and August creates a sympathetic mood throughout without hiding anything. There is one hilarious scene to lighten a lot of Nordic gloom – shades of Bergman appear a couple of times as well. This is not a greatly innovative movie, but I felt it was honest and competently directed and these qualities shone above the rather morbid subject matter.
inheriting a vineyard in the Bordeaux region.
Elder brother Jean (Pio Marmai)
has been away forging a new life in Australia and leaving the work to sister Juliette (Ana Girardot)
and brother Jeremie (Francois Civil). The succession is fraught with inheritance taxes which may mean selling off part or all of the vineyard with Jeremie’s father-in-law chaffing at the bit to buy in. And the three siblings have to see if they can work together
at the level required.
Jean later reveals a son and partner (Maria Valverde) to add to the bargain. Lovely countryside but the film meanders rather too much and ends up trying our patience. Marmai grows in his role and proves the stand out here in a somewhat unfulfilled piece on a dramatic level.
Good intentions can only go so far.
What do you expect? It’s about dogs.
It goes with the territory. Lasse Hallstrom knew exactly what type of film he wanted to make and he achieves it – a feelgood exploration of four reincarnations
of a dog spirit.
Yes, you have to suspend disbelief in parts and yes it gets sentimental. But not too much. As a dog lover,
I enjoyed it a lot and identified with all the emotions behind the story. So, points for being true to its aims. Good to see Dennis Quaid,
Peggy Lipton, KJ Apa
and Britt Robertson and all the dogs involved. Enjoy!
a policeman starts to investigate it and discovers a web of corruption involving the police and his own uncle 
who is his boss, the secret services and local businessmen. A witness to the murder (a Sudanese chambermaid) 
is in danger and there is also a photographer taking blackmailing photos of the sexual acts involved.
While the context is perhaps not strictly necessary, the message that Egypt is rotten to the core with corruption
comes through loud and clear. Also rotten with nicotine as I haven’t seen so many cigarettes smoked in a film in years. The movie has a dark film noir style that fits
and Casablanca is a good substitute for Cairo. Tension and pacing are well managed and while you won’t come out of the film feeling very uplifted,
it is good to see this geographical area and the stories therein covered in a feature movie.
passionfilm 