Commenting on the critics with Simon Columb… Ben Childs managed to see some sort of preview of Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol at the BFI Imax at Waterloo: “Judging by the quarter-full auditorium at the Waterloo IMAX this morning, studio Paramount’s most difficult mission – should they choose to accept it – will be to […]

The Skin I Live In (Spanish: La piel que habito), 2011. Directed by Pedro Almodóvar. Starring Antonio Banderas, Elena Anaya, Marisa Paredes, Jan Cornet, Roberto Álamo and Blanca Suárez. SYNOPSIS: A genius plastic surgeon, haunted by the tragedies of his past, creates a type of synthetic skin, tested on an imprisoned patient, that can withstand […]

Legendary two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks returns behind the camera for the only the second time in his distinguished feature film career. Arriving fifteen years after his directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, Larry Crowne sees Hanks take the title role – a blue-collar divorcee who finds himself laid off from his store job in […]

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die… Napoleon Dynamite, 2004. Directed by Jared Hess. Starring Jon Heder, Jon Gries, Efren Ramirez, Tina Majorino, Aaron Ruell, Diedrich Bader and Haylie Duff. Napoleon Dynamite is the story of Napoleon, a down and out loner high school kid with […]

Bill Cunningham New York, 2010. Directed by Richard Press. SYNOPSIS: A profile of the veteran New York fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. You may not have heard of the stellar documentary Bill Cunningham New York, but it has deservedly won more audience awards at film festivals than you can poke a stick at. The film is […]

In Time, 2011. Written and Directed by Andrew Niccol. Starring Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, Shyloh Oostwald, Johnny Galecki, Colin McGurk, Olivia Wilde and Cillian Murphy. SYNOPSIS: In a future where the rich can live forever, a man falsely accused of murder must try to figure out a way to bring down the system. Andrew Niccol’s […]

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die… Sexy Beast, 2001. Directed by Jonathan Glazer. Starring Ray Winstone, Ben Kingsley, Ian McShane and Amanda Redman. Sexy Beast is a British-Spanish crime film about the coming out of retirement of criminal and expert safecracker, Gal (Winstone). Enjoying his […]

D.J. Haza presents the next entry in his series of films to watch before you die… Donnie Darko, 2001. Directed by Richard Kelly. Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Drew Barrymore and Patrick Swayze. Donnie Darko is a psychological thriller that sees its main character, Donnie (Jake Gyllenhaal), trying to figure out the significance […]

Commenting on the critics with Simon Columb… Charles Saatchi wrote for The Guardian on Orson Welles and the tragic bulk of cinema that was ignored by the Oscars… “A quick glance at the history of Oscar winners and nominations throws up many outstanding films that were passed over as Oscar finalists, with more mundane products […]

Whisper of the Heart (Japan: Mimi wo sumaseba), 1995. Directed by Yoshifumi Kondô. Featuring the voice talents of Brittany Snow, David Gallagher, Ashley Tisdale, Martin Spanjers and Cary Elwes. SYNOPSIS: A young girl discovers that every book she chooses in the library has been checked out by the same boy and sets out to meet […]