Eight Men Out - Gripping. Wonderful baseball movie with a cast to match - John Cusack, Charlie Sheen, David Strathairn, John Mahoney to name a few.

House Of Sand And Fog 9/10
House of Sand and Fog is the story of an Iranian refugee family who are in struggle for a better life in America. Amir Behrani, the head of the family, spends most of his savings to enhance his daughter's chances of a good marriage. Once she is married, he purchases a house in auction, in the hope of making a profit by selling the house for a higher price. Behrani's goal is to spend the money to build a place like the villa they had in north of Iran, and save the rest of the money for his son's education. However, Kathy, a young lady, who was the former owner of the house and lost it mistakenly charged for unpaid taxes, steps in and makes the life difficult for them. She meets a policeman and starts a relationship with him. He threatens the family with deporting them from the country if they do not leave the house. The struggles for the house lead to a tragic end................... This was an excellent film, Jennifer Connelly and Ben Kingley both give excellent performances, Highly recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0315983/



Where The Heart Is 8/10
Novalee Nation, 17 and very pregnant, has never been part of a real home. The closest thing to family for the hard-luck teen is her selfish, would-be musician boyfriend, Willy Jack, with whom she's traveling from Tennessee to California in a rust bucket that used to be a Plymouth. A bathroom stop en route, at an Oklahoma Wal-Mart, changes Novalee's life forever. For when she leaves the store, she discovers that Willy Jack and the Plymouth are gone. Only her Polaroid camera remains in the parking space. Alone and broke, Novalee surreptitiously moves into the vast store, borrowing food and supplies from its shelves. When she gives birth on the floor - and her hideaway is revealed - Novalee and her "Wal-Mart Baby" become instant celebrities. More importantly, over the next few years, Novalee finally becomes part of an unconventional, makeshift family comprised of her wonderfully eccentric new friends. Now, with the family she always wanted, Novalee is transformed from a homeless teen to a successful and strong woman. She has finally found a home in this small town where fate has dropped her............... This was a very good film, Natalie Portman gives a very good performance, well recommended

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0198021/

I saw Narnia on Thursday - It was amazing, everyone should go see this.

Pirates of the Caribbean - I really like this film

Poltergeist
Ah you can't beat a classic - those who don't know this story have not lived on Planet Earth! It tells the story of a devoting, happy family in American Suburbia - Only this idyllic district hides a disturbing secret that seems to be released when contractor come in and dig the family a swimming pool - disrupting the earth. Steven and Diane Freeling witness strange happenings but choose to ignore it until ghostly disturbances target their daughter Carolanne. They enlist the help of psychic Tangina to rid the house of it's unwanted visitors and get their girl back Yes the eighties effects are dated but this story is still solid gold.
I was always jealous of how wonderfully comitted the family were to each other and how with the strength of love behind you, you can conquer anything....and does anybody else find Craig T. Nelson sexy in this? 10/10

Miss Congeniality 2 - Blockbuster sent this to me by mistake. It's not the kind of thing that I would choose to watch. In this one Gracie is the glam public face of the FBI and has been assigned a partner who is hostile and nobody wants to work with - no prizes for guessing how that little sub-plot ends up.
It cracks along at a fair pace but it isn't very memorable. Inoffensive I suppose.

The Woodsman - A difficult film to watch and not one that you can 'enjoy' in the normal sense of the word. Kevin Bacon is superb as Walter, a man who has just been released from a lengthy prison sentance for molesting a young girl. You might not want to but you do end up sympathizing with Walter. There are some uncomfortable scenes but I do recommened you see this.

Crimson Rivers 2: Angels Of The Apocalypse - Knowing what a load of baloney the first one is I really should have known better when I decided to get this. My excuse is that I had a crush on Benoit Magimel at the time.
Chief Niemans (Jean Reno) is investigating a series of ritual murders. He is joined by Reda (Magimel). It's all to do with a guy who looks like Jesus and his disciples, some monks and a monastery. None of it makes a good deal of sense. I wouldn't bother if I were you.

Stander - Thomas Jane plays Andre Stander a South African police officer who turns Bank robber. It's set in the late seventies to the early eighties and SA is still in the grip of apartheid.
I really liked it. There's action and comedy as well as some comments on the political situation. Sometimes the accents slip but that is a minor niggle. Very entertaining.

Sleepless Town (Fuyajo) - Takeshi Kaneshiro plays a mixed-race gangster who lives in the melting pot of Kabukicho. You can sell him anything but children's organs. I won't try and explain the plot because I will just confuse you. It's very complicated and there are many twists and turns. People are double-crossed and triple-crossed all over the place. If you can keep up then it's a pretty good film and worth a watch.

The Notebook - Not my usual kind of thing. The story follows Noah and Allie, two young lovers just before the outbreak of WW2. Their relationship has to overcome many obstacles. Very well made and it pulls you in.
I'm not really into romantic films but this was lovely. Not too soppy or sickly sweet. I even squeezed out a few tears at the end. Recommended.

Shot Through The Heart - Linus Roache and Vincent Perez play two friends on opposing sides of the war in Sarajevo. One ends up in the military training the snipers who terrorise the city and the other is a doctor turned militia man who tries to protect the people. This film depicts how easy it is for your life to fall apart and your relationships be destroyed. The film looks very realistic and the acting is good. It's not the best film I've seen about the Balkan wars but it's still worth a watch.

Creep - Franka Potente plays Kate. She gets locked in the Underground at night and horrid things start happening. I had high hopes for this one but ended up very disappointed. It was boring and the character of Kate was so unlikable you just didn't give a sh*t whether she lived or died. The only redeeming feature was the cute dog. Waste of time.

Shiri - A North Korean military outfit plans a terrorist attack at a North vs South football game, an intrepid cop duo have to try and foil that attack. A pretty solid action thriller with some good set pieces and a decent twist.

Dear Frankie - A mother (Emily Mortimer) writes letters to her son supposedly from his father. When the ship this fictional father sails on is due to dock in their home town she has to find someone to stand in.
It took a while for the film to get going and while it was a worthy story it didn't do anything for me. I felt like I should have been moved but I wasn't. It's not a bad film, it's just not for me.

Cry Freedom 9/10
based on actual events, about the friendship between two men struggling against apartheid in South Africa in the 1970s. Donald Woods is a white liberal journalist in South Africa who begins to follow the activities of Stephen Biko, a courageous and outspoken black anti-apartheid activist. Woods and his wife Wendy get to know Biko, and they become friends, until Biko is brutally murdered at the hands of government troops in 1977 for his activities against the country's repression of the black majority population. Donald is shocked and appalled by Biko's murder and determined that the truth about Biko will become known to the world; eventually, Donald and Wendy Woods and their children must leave South Africa (and nearly everything they have) as they spread the word about Biko's life and death to ensure that he did not die in vain................... This ws an excellent film with very good performances from Kevin Kline and Denzel Washington, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0092804/



Raining Stones 8/10
This Ken Loach film tells the story of a man devoted to his family and his religion. Proud, though poor, Bob wants his little girl to have a beautiful (and costly) brand-new dress for her First Communion. His stubbornness and determination get him into trouble as he turns to more and more questionable measures, in his desperation to raise the needed money. This tragic flaw leads him to risk all that he loves and values, his beloved family, indeed even his immortal soul and salvation, in blind pursuit of that goal................ This was a very good film, well recommended

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107920/

I saw the Narnia movie last night. It was very entertaining.

cronicles of narnia

Car Wash: Great

The Sisterhood Of The Traveling Pants 8/10
This tale of lifelong friendship uses a pair of magical jeans as a metaphor for the moral support and shared happiness which forms the glue between four teenage girls. The quartet purchase the pants while shopping together before going separate ways for summer vacation. Shy, self-conscious Lena takes the jeans to Greece where she is visiting her grandparents. They hardly seem lucky when she falls into the sea while wearing the pants and almost drowns, only to be rescued by a local fisherman. Before recognizing that the pants helped her find love, Lena sends them along to rebellious Tibby with the hope that the jeans will prove luckier for her. Tibby has stayed home in Bethesda, Maryland for the summer to make a documentary film. With a nagging job at a superstore, Tibby finds humanity and sensitivity while the jeans are in her possession. Next the pants travel to Carmen, a talented writer living with her father for the summer. The jeans make her face the anger she feels toward him for leaving her and her mother, and help her find forgiveness. Finally, the jeans end up at soccer camp in Mexico with Bridget, a athletic wild child dealing with the loss of her mother. Through the jeans, Bridget discovers that ignoring the truth doesn't make it disappear................ This was a very good film, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0403508/



Two For The Money 8/10
Brandon Lang, a former college football star whose uncanny ability to predict the outcome of a game introduces him to an unexpected new career when his gridiron glory is sidelined by a crushing injury. Brandon's talent makes him a prime candidate for recruitment by Walter Abrams, the head of one of the biggest sports consulting operations in the country. Walter hires the small town ex-athlete and grooms him into a shrewd front man. Brandon soon begins to enjoy his status as a Manhattan golden boy and finds himself growing comfortable with Walter's high-rolling lifestyle. The surrogate father/surrogate son relationship fattens Walter's business and personal accounts...until Brandon's golden touch begins to falter at the same time that Walter's manipulation of his protégé crosses the line. With millions of dollars on the line, Brandon and Walter engage in a deadly game of con versus con, each one trying to maintain the upper hand while everyone in their world, including Walter's wife, Toni, are drawn into the escalating duel-where ultimately everything isn't what it appears to be............... This was a very good film, well recommended

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417217/

Howl's Moving Castle.

Fantastic. If you loved Spirited Away, you will love this also. Like Spirited Aways this is also an Acid trip.

Good Will Hunting. Like this film, not seen it for a while.

Cries And Whispers 9/10
Ingmar Bergman's acclaimed drama, which deals with the fractured relationships between three sisters, is set in a vast turn-of-the-century manor house where unidentified voices are continually whispering and mingle with a dying woman’s cries of pain. Karin and Maria have come to stay with their sister Agnes, who is suffering from cancer, during the final stretch of her illness. Attending to Agnes is her faithful maid Anna, who, in spite of her apparent social inferiority, is the only one who remains steadfast and dauntless until the very end--the two other women, plagued by guilt, loneliness, and jealousy of one another, are unable to offer assistance or even sympathy in their sister’s hour of need................. This was an excellent film, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0069467/



Persona 8/10
The Story revolves around a young nurse named Alma and her patient, a well-known actress named Elisabet Vogler. Elisabet has stopped speaking, and the attending psychiatrist treats the actress by sending her to an isolated seaside cottage under Alma's care. There the nurse, who must do all the talking for both women, becomes a little enamored of the actress. One evening Alma tells Elisabet about some exhilarating sexual experiences she once had and their unpleasant aftermath. Soon after sharing this confidence, the nurse reads a letter Elisabet has written and is shocked to learn that the actress thinks of her as an amusing study. The relationship between the women becomes tense, and they wound each other. Then Alma has a long dream in which her identity merges with that of Elisabet, but when the nurse awakes, both women have apparently come to at least temporary terms with their psychological problems............... This was a very good film, well recommended

http://imdb.com/title/tt0060827/

Hey man, go easy on Jackass-fan! He's a very good poster, well recommended.

Watched 'Arlington Rd' last night. It was pretty good. Call me slow but I didn't see the ending coming.

The Chronicals of Narnia

I'm sure he's a very decent guy/girl. I'm just curious is all.

Titanic - the ordinary version, so no alternative ending for me. I hadn't seen it in ages and I enjoyed it, even though I watched it in three sittings (didn't have three hours spare altogether). I'm really liking Leonardo DiCaprio again, he's great, I don't think I've ever seen a film that he's been bad in.

I'm more intrigued where Jackass-Fan finds the time to watch so many films. I can understand why though, tv isn't the greatest these days.

I forgot I saw Emily Rose last night. It was actually really good. I liked the court case parts as it added an extra story to the exorcism theme that I'm not usually keen on.

Inventing the Abbots. Good film. Joaquin *Qwooooar*

Saturday Night Fever. Makes me want to wear flares and platforms and dance the night away. Well ok, not that much. But I could be a disco diva.

Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Really good film.

SAW 2.

Really enjoyed the film. Very entertaining, but the first is better. Also i'm not to hot on the ending of Saw 2....its a bit.....camp.

Saw Narnia again on Thursday - brilliant

Saw King Kong last night - It was very slow in places, and was way too long. It was really funny in places but in general I wasn't that impressed.