True Grit, 2010. Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. Starring Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin, Hailee Steinfeld, Barry Pepper and Domhnall Gleeson. SYNOPSIS: When her father is murdered by a farm hand, a young girl hires a retired U.S. Marshal to track down the killer and the duo are soon joined in the […]

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, 2011. Directed by Rob Marshall. Starring Johnny Depp, Penélope Cruz, Ian McShane, Geoffrey Rush, Kevin McNally, Richard Griffiths, Stephen Graham, Judi Dench, Greg Ellis, Damian O’Hare, Gemma Ward, Roger Allam and Keith Richards. SYNOPSIS: Captain Jack Sparrow embarks on an adventure to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. […]

Buried, 2010. Directed by Rodrigo Cortés. Starring Ryan Reynolds. SYNOPSIS: An American contractor working in Iraq finds himself buried alive inside a coffin. Being buried alive is up there with drowning and burning to death on the commonly accepted list of the worst ways to snuff it. Cinema has a long history of exploring and […]

Winter’s Bone, 2010. Directed by Debra Granik. Starring Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Lauren Sweetser, Garret Dillahunt, Dale Dickey and Shelley Waggener. SYNOPSIS: A teenage girl embarks on a mission to find her father in the stark and hostile landscape of the Ozark Woods, Missouri. Isn’t it helpful when reviews compare a new film to something […]

Another Year, 2010. Directed by Mike Leigh. Starring Jim Broadbent, Lesley Manville, Ruth Sheen, Peter Wright, Oliver Maltman and Imelda Staunton. SYNOPSIS: A happily married couple are surrounded over the course of a year by friends, family and colleagues each with varying degrees of unhappiness. Prior to watching Another Year I was not in awe […]

The Island of Dr. Moreau, 1996. Directed by John Frankenheimer. Starring David Thewlis, Fairuza Balk, Ron Perlman, Marlon Brando, Val Kilmer, Temuera Morrison and William Hootkins. SYNOPSIS: On a remote island a visionary doctor combines animal DNA with that of humans, upsetting the balance of nature. Dante described nine circles of hell. Various Chinese beliefs […]

DJ Haza reflects on the highs and lows of 2010 with more “Frustrated Ramblings Of An Aspiring Filmmaker”… As the final days of 2010 pass me by I’ve decided to reminisce and rant about the films that have flickered through my brown eyes over the last 12 months. Some have quite rightly amazed me. Others […]

TT3D: Closer to the Edge, 2011. Directed by Richard De Aragues. Narrated by Jared Leto. SYNOPSIS: A documentary about the Isle of Man’s famed TT motorcycle race. For those that are unfamiliar with the Isle of Man and its world famous TT races let me assure you it’s thrilling, frightening and very dangerous. The small […]

Holy Rollers, 2010. Directed by Kevin Asch. Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Bartha, Ari Graynor, Jason Fuchs, Q-Tip and Danny A. Abeckaser. SYNOPSIS: A young Hasidic Jew from an Orthadox Brooklyn community finds himself exposed to the exciting and gritty worlds of the Manhattan and Amsterdam nightlife when he starts working for an Israeli gangster and […]

Memento, 2000. Directed by Christopher Nolan. Starring Guy Pearce, Carrie-Anne Moss and Joe Pantoliano. SYNOPSIS: A man suffering from short term memory loss hunts for the murderer of his wife. Ideally I like to write my reviews shortly after I’ve watched a film, as I’m doing now. First impressions are important right? I think recording […]