My Favorite Movies

For those who have recently been high school students, Entre les Murs (The Class) is almost humurous in its familiarity. For those in education, it offers a complex picture of the problems that need to be overcome, without putting forward any simple solution. For all others, this is a rich classroom drama to remedy the simplicity of 'Dangerous Minds' and 'Freedom Writers.'

It would be quite easy to mistake this film for a documentary. Its story of classroom challenges comes straight from a teacher who has experienced this all first-hand. The performances of teachers and students alike are pitch-perfect, genuine and rich, and the 'fly-on-the-wall' style of filmmaking is perfectly appropriate for capturing the tedium of modern teaching. Essentially, the film simply charts one teacher's futile attempts to reach a class of mixed-race 14-year-olds in inner city Paris.

Francois Begaudeau, the teacher who wrote the book on which this film is based, plays Mr. Marin. His sincere attempts to educate this class ( and to reach the smarter students amongst the group) are continuously thwarted, mainly by student insolence, and those many, mind-numbing, endlessly cyclical conversations that consume classroom time and teacher attention. For most part, the film is simply a document of these struggles, though it reaches a sort of climax after tempers flare in the classroom and one student's future education is put on the line.

At times, the film does drag a little, but this only contributes to its slowly-building impact. In the end the film's effect will take audience by suprise...

Persepolis is a magnificent film!

I was able to catch the animated film version of Marjane Satrapi's memoir at this year's Brisbane International Film Festival, and I'm very impressed-- indeed!

The film is about the poignant tale of a young girl in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. The story is told through the eyes of a young and bold Marjane from age nine through to age 24 when she comes to the realization she can no longer live in her beloved homeland. It includes a period when, at age 14 her parents, worried for her safety, ship her off to school in Vienna.

In Vienna, Marjane becomes the exotic outsider, never quite fitting in, and coming of age in an alien environment proves difficult, especially when romance is involved. She returns to Iran, but years of fundamentalist rule and war with Iraq sees the country much changed, and the rapidly maturing and independent Marjane finds that she no longer fits in the country of her birth.

Although laced with humour, despite the grim circumstances often faced by people when the world changes around them at frightening speed, the film is endearing, and it contains worthy lessons, as it entertains, and opens up your heart and mind. It's a triumph!

From the earliest years of European settlement in Australia, there is evidence of Aboriginal children being taken from their families as the authorities believed it was for their own good. In the first half of the 20th century, it was official policy in most states to remove half or quarter caste Aboriginal children.

This movie is the true story of Doris Pilkington Garimara's mother Molly, who in 1931 led her two sisters on a 1,600 kilometre walk across remote Western Australia. At their tender age, they escaped the confinement of a government institution for Aboriginal children removed from their families.

Barefoot, without provisions or maps, tracked by Native police and search planes, the girls followed the rabbit-proof fence, knowing it would lead them home.

It's one of my favourites.

This is a highly realistic story of two Australian Aboriginal teen-agers, Samson and Delilah.

Filmed in Alice Springs, Warwick Thornton has drawn on personal experiences to create what is essentially a love story. Picturesque sunsets across wild plains and deserts are contrasted with the ugly reality that is true for so many indigenous communities across Australia. Through Thornton's film, the audience is brought to a sympathetic view of the problems of physical abuse, substance abuse and poverty that attack the indigenous way of life by trying to modernise it.

Adding to the film's authenticity, Thornton has developed the story using very little dialogue. Neither Samson and Delilah say one single word to each other throughout the 101 minutes of the film, and yet both Rowan Mcnamara (Samson) and Marissa Gibson (Delilah) show exceptional performances, given that they are untrained, raw talent.

Surprisingly, the story lies in its reference to the biblical tale of Samson and Delilah, connecting a loss of strength with loss of hair. Yes, this is not an easy film to watch, yet this truly memorable film is unexpectedly comical, dramatic, romantic, and most of all, hope-inspiring.

An aura of enchanting beauty, this film is as poignant and as powerful as the Maori Legend. This is the story of 12-year-old Paikea "Pai" Apirana who, although a girl, is the spiritual heir to her Ngati Porou tribe.

Yet her grandfather Koro, the local custodian of his people's centuries and-old- culture, cannot see the truth that dances magically infront of him. He can't see how blessed he is to have such an extraordinary granddaughter. He, instead bequeaths his leadership to the son of another.

Pai however, finds the strength to challenge her family and embraces a thousand years of tradition in order to fulfill her destiny--her calling for her Ngati Porou tribe--and hence, trains herself in the ways and customs of her people.

Filmed quite naturally in and around the seaside village of Whangara, Whale Rider captures the very essence of the clash between traditional values and the modern world without ever using a heavy hand. Keisha Castle-Hughes as Pai is mesmerizing. Rawiri Paratene as Koro seems to personify the film's entire conflict in his weathered face.

One of the most touching scene is when tears stream down Pai cheeks as she chokes trying to get all the words out correctly of the ancient Maori songs to impress her grandfather, as well as her songs of encouragement to the whales. She was so sure that he would be there, that he would come, but he hasn't...

This is a brilliant film through and through.

A very heartwarming story. The struggles of Israelites from Egyptians 'retold' in a similar fashion with the Jews during World War 11. The parallelism is almost the same, and the only diference is TIME.

Casablanca is an old-fashioned, black-and-white film which even today, viewers are deeply moved and touched by the scenes. It's a film about the solidarity within a chaotic struggle for political power, not the thriving modern metropolis but an exotic hotbed of spies, black marketeers, refugees and Gestapo men where "everybody goes to Rick's."

Casablanca can be enjoyed apolitically and as a nolstalgic love story.

Many fans of Casablanca love the film's deceptively simple dialogue, and the flick's score, by Max Steiner, has become a trademark, especially the piano solo "As Time Goes By" performed by Dooley.

Presiding over Rick's Cafe Americain is Humphrey Bogart, who makes a difficult sacrifice, giving up the chance to be with the woman (Ingrid Bergman) he loves. Her sudden reappearance at Rick's tests the tortured Rick's loyalty to the limit. Their melancholic looks and gestures grip viewers more than those in any other movie of the time, making it easy to admire this classic masterpiece for its amorous, heroic, and poetic elements alone.

One of the most famous tag lines in this movie:
Rick: "Louie, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

Viewers today may not realize that Bogart was the second choice for this film, after Ronald Reagan, to play Rick

Directed by Michael Curtiz and produced in the US in 1942 by Hal Wallis, Casablanca is the ultimate cult movie.

Al Pacino is the best! With a mixture of Italian and American culture, and the dark side of it, is put together in one film.Exceptional story plot. It's a film for adults combined with sharp, intelligent and witty acting and dialogues. There is so much to this film!

Laughing in the face of adversity is the best way to triumph over it.

At least this is what the film Life Is Beautiful is trying to connect and perhaps wants its viewers in awe as well as ponder upon. It is a funny and touching film that works best if one doesn't take it too seriously.

The first part of the film is blithe and playful, a fine showcase for the star and director's unstoppable verve. Of course, one of the themes of the film is the desire to protect the innocent from the horrors of life at any cost, to show them that life is beautiful.

The film's attempts to do this in such an extreme situation is admirable, yet the compromises of the reality of the situation is apparently inevitable. How could you justify reality in the face of adversity?

This is an unpretentious and likable film that plays with history both seriously and mischievously...

This movie is so inspirational, so compelling, yet quite sad too. It is one of the triumph of human spirit that may sound a bit cliche, yet I have tremendous respect for Christopher McCandless' (Hirsch) passion to realize man's call to the wild.

He asked for solitude and he found it. He could not bear a selfish and superficial society. His famous quote: Happiness is only real if shared--so poetic and very endearing, and touched so many people along the way. He has shared his happiness by accepting full responsibility for himself and didn't blame anyone for his misfortune.

It's unfortunate that sometimes the cost of enlightenment is death. I hope he's at peace. So sad that a life so promising is gone.

Love, friendship, teaching, learning, driving, flamenco--this is how I sum up Mike Leigh's latest film, Happy Go Lucky.

Poppy (Sally Hawkins) is a 30-year-old London primary school teacher whose cheerful demeanour enables her to deal with whatever life throws at her. She lives with her best friend and fellow primary school teacher Zoe (Alexic Zegerman), whose wry calmness makes her an excellent foil to Poppy's over-the-top enthusiasm. Inasmuch as the two best friends have opposng views at times, they are perfect for each other and love being around each other.

After her bike is stolen, Poppy decides to take driving lessons so she can get around town a little easier. This is where we meet Scott (Eddie Marsan) the uptight driving instructor who is the complete antithesis of Poppy. Scott's strict approach to teaching and his somewhat unstable views on things cause a complete personality clash between the two characters. Poppy always stays true to her genuinely endearing personality and is an eternal optimist no matter what she is faced with. Her happiness is unconditional.

The film is a funny, feel-good and real film that looks deeply into the character's development. It has a beautiful message that is important for us humans to know. It may seem easier to be gruff and pessimistic, but it is so much better to be positive and just get on with life. The end result is a film with memorble characters, great performances and a take-home mesage we could all benefit from.

This is a life-affirming bittersweet comedy that will win over even the most cynical heart.

This is La Streisand's show from opening to end credits. If you love Barbara, you'll love this flick, especially when she sings 'Papa, Can You Hear Me?' with full emotive expression. This film is her long-cherished adaptation of Isaac Basheviis Singer's short story, 'Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy.' As well as directing and starring, she produced, and she is the only person who gets to sing, despite the presence of renowned musical star Patinkin.

Yentl (Streisand) is a young woman who wants nothing more than to study the Talmud, something forbidden to women. When her father dies, she cuts off her hair and convinces a Jewish school that she is a man so she can satisfy her hunger for knowledge. Things get complicated, however, when she becomes close to fellow student Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), eventually falling in love with him, although she can not reveal her true self as she would then be expelled. Avigdor is in love with Hadass (Amy Irving), but religious law forbids him from marrying her.

Granted, this flick is not everyone's cup of tea, and many of my Flixster friends have avoided to watch it. Yet, looking at the other side of a coin, this story of a woman who yearns to study, who lives in a culture that says study is only for men then disguises herself as a man in order to get that education is a story of a strong woman who breaks the gender roles of her time, and a tangled love story. What was typically the male role has been blurred and practically obliterated as well as captures the essence of the Jewish woman's eternal struggle. It describes a woman's search for freedom and her discovery not only of love but of herself. My dear Barbra captures the character beautifully, the songs and the expression in her eyes and voice displaying clearly the feelings of a woman struggling for knowledge and love but torn between her desire to learn and the tradition of her religion.

As expected, the music and songs in Yentl received four Academy Award nominations, including two Best Songs. While David Watkin's photography is evocatively poetic, the film's pacing is overly reverential. Still, Streisand's voice very much remains her trademark.

romantic comedy--sweet and the taste lingers.

Clarck Gable and Vivien Leigh in their pre and post civil war romantic drama. The costume, the background, the actors, and the director himself,--everything in one and perfect place. Of course, it's my grandparents' era and I love it too.

Documentary, history and monumental epic rolled into one.

The film takes us into the life of Pu YI, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty. As a three-year-old he ascends the throne as "Emperor for 10,000," eventhough his empire is unstable and crumbling beyond the palace walls.

Oscar-winning director Bernardo Bertolucci's film was produced at great expense, as he employed a huge cast of extras, and was made entirely on location in China.

It's an exotic and fascinating film that would overwhelms Westeners: eunuchs populate the palace, concubines offer themselves, food tasters control the emperor's nutrition, and doctors study his stool. Individual characters are carefully hidden behind faces covered in stereotypical make up. Pu Yi also remains a stranger, even when he dances the Charleston or climbs into bed with two women at the same time.

Taking him to Manchukuo, where Japanese set up a puppet regime in an effort to oppose communism, Pu Yi becomes a toy in the hand of the new powers, and, ultimately, their victim. He ends up in a Communist re-education camp for ten years, from which he gains an early release, and returns to Beijing as a gardener.

The film is a story without a happy ending. Exploring the evolution of a human subject by depicting the transformation from "a dragon to a butterfly" syndrome, Bertolucci has explored a more intimate world of personal relationships affected by the conflicting worlds of different cultures.

At the end of his life, Pu Yi reduced to a broken man in Mao uniform. Although tragic, one cannot help but feel that somehow he is responsible for his own fate.

Want to be a war correspondent in the future? Then see this one for a bit of orientation experience.

What is good for the goose is good for the gander.

In the atmosphere of post-World War 2, the social structure was slowly changing in the US regarding male dominance in the workplace and at home. This battle-of-the-sexes comedy film has been an inspiration for countless other films and television series about combative but sexually combustible couples.

When sweet,ditsy blonde Doris Attinger is charged with the attempted murder of her two-timing husband, proto-feminist lawyer amanda "Pinkie" Bonner (Hepburn) agrees to defend her. But Amanda's husband, Adam "Pinky" Bonner (Tracy), is the prosecuting attorney, and their courtroom rivalry quickly extends into the bedroom. Thus, in court we have not only the case in question, but also the roles of husband and wife under examination. The case unexpectedly turns into a battle of the sexes in which the married lawyers attempt to outdo each other using sharp-tounged and trenchant phrases in dialogues that are brilliantly crafted.

Hepburn's combative show in court--forever an inspiration to lady lawyers-to-be matches with Tracy's frothed indignation at her tactics and principles. Highlights include brainy Amanda's cross-examinations and the spectacle of Adam tearfully getting in touch with his feminine side to get his way back into his wife's good graces.

Still crackling with wonderful performances, witty dialogue and spirited discussion of double standards and sexual stereotypes, critics still find this flick as arguably the best of Tracy-Hepburn team.

Seriously, lawyers should never marry other lawyers.

See the rise and rise of Oprah.

Their music is universal.

Be inspired, persecuted and be saved.

A classic and remarkable movie. Robert's portrayal of a dedicated journalist has been an encouragement to others in similar situations. Yes, I don't fear for my career.

An extremely powerful movie. Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are both winners.

The first female ruler of England at the age of 23--no wonder, its the golden age era.

Fight for your freedom and from the oppressor of your culture and heritage. Your own freedom and liberty are worth more than anything else.

Born into difficult circumstances--he has an IQ below 75 and shares his name with Ku-Klux-Klan founder--Forrest Gump nevertheless copes with life and achieves national fame. This is because he has been blessed with the ability to run quickly and with a good heart--not just for running but for performing many good deeds.

The flick is a lighthearted treatment of serious events in recent history, which include snapshot episodes with relentless tendency to end happily--everything seems to happen fortuitously too.

It's a good feel movie and there's no doubt about it.

Few directors would always get international audience.

And when one considers the positive public response to many of David Lean's films, it is just fair to say that only few directors have commanded such a large portion of the mass audience.

Working again with his screenwriter Robert Bolt, Lean's epic film Doctor Zhivago could be described as " a fateful series of brief encounters."

The complicated narrative is held together by a series of connecting and associative images--moon, windows, candles, cornflowers and daffodils to suggest the two women in Zhivago's life.

Doctor Zhivago (Omar Shariff) is the idealistic doctor hero swept along by the epic events of the Russian Revolution in Bolt's adaptation of Boris Pasternak's Nobel Prize-winning novel. Banned in the Soviet Union but acclaimed in the West, the novel is a about the story of love and a great documentary of the Bolshevik Revolution.

The lovers are Zhivago and the beautiful, sensual Lara (Julie Christie), for whom a brief happiness is tragically engulfed by the tide of history. There is a stunning last shot of Lara, as she disappears alone down a grey street that is dominated by a huge red poster of Stalin.

It is an image that crystallizes the theme of the individual and the state, as well as implicitly asking questions that are at the heart of Dr Zhivago--what the revolution was for, where it led, and, whom it affected.

Again, Director Lean has approached this film with his customary deliberation and meticulous preparation.

Inasmuch as some critics found the flick to be something of a disappoinment, it's a film with stunning cinematography, good script, and talented people behind it.

Based on the classic novel by Somerset Maugham, the film tells the story of an ill-suited English couple, Walter (Edward Norton), a middleclass doctor and bacteriologist, and Kitty (Naomi Watts), an upper-class woman nearing the age where staying unmarried was considered unbecoming and humiliating for her family.

Walter's work sees the couple relocate to Shanghai where Kitty falls in love with the charming English Vice-Consul, Charles Townsend (Liev Schreiber).

Set in the 1920s, the film focuses on the breakdown of a marriage due to adultery. After Kitty's infidelity Walter becomes fuelled by his hate for her, or for himself.

From the character-driven storyline we see Kitty's journey of self-discovery--a spoilt upper-class woman who breaks through her boredom and depression to become more human. Kitty realises that she doesn't really know her husband and attempts to reach out to him and repair their relationship. Due to hurt pride and a broken heart, Walter's cold and distant manner makes a reconciliation between the two a long and arduous battle, but as both eventually realise, it is a battle worth fighting for.

The Painted Veil is a brilliant movie. Set amongst the beautiful mountainous landscapes of rural China, the cinematography is breathtaking, the plot is compelling, and the acting is superb. An absolute must-see.

Will Poulter and Bill Milner are two wonderful child leads in this movie--and I wish they're mine!

Son of Rambow, with a 'w' promises to be the most believable and incredible action movie ever made! Well, that's what the two boys hope their creation will be.

Will (Milner) and Lee (Poulter) form an unlikely friendship as they strive to make a sequel to their favourite movie--First Blood--when a French exchange student gets involved, and the ensuing mayhem lands them both in trouble, hence, the production goes a little haywire.

Well, I guess, the movie has achieved it's purpose: it is a child's flick made for adults, all with added ingredients of classic English wit, and downright cheekiness.

Of course, I won't forget the performances from the children in this movie-- they are outstanding, hilarious and touching all at once. Two thumbs up for me.

There's no doubt that Robin Williams is such a versatile actor.

He's a terrific actor when he's serious, as in the case of his character in Dead Poets Society. This flick was a huge success when it was shown in the Australian cinema about two decades ago.

"Carpe Diem, lads! Seize the day! Make your lives extraordinary!" new teacher John Keating (Williams) preaches to his English lit students at Vermont's exclusive Welton Academy in the fall of 1959.

John Keating is the outgoing, insurrectionary teacher who opposes the numbing, by-rote brainwashing methods of so much institutional book-learning and encourages his kids to follow their passions, and to think for themselves.
Keating denounces the first page of the book and describes it as rubbish and commands his students to rip the introduction from the book.

Keating makes poetry attractive to these boys by presenting it as an age-old seduction technique. Naturally, the younger generation chooses to emulate their idol.

Keating:Seize the day while you're young, see that you make use of your time. Why does the poet write these lines?

One Student: Because he's in a hurry?

Keating:Because we're food for worms, lads! Because we're only going to experienced limited number of springs, summers, and falls. One day, hard as it is to believe, each and every one of us is going to stop breathing, turn cold, and die!

I guess, I could say the same:"Carpe Diem. Watch this film!"

Marcel Carne's Children of Paradise is uncommonly long (almost three hours) but an exceptional film. It is richly entertaining and intensely romantic evocation of an epoch.

The tale unfolds against a meticulously reconstructed setting of mid-19th century Paris. It tells of the doomed love between the famous mime Baptiste (Jean-Louis Barrault), and the beautiful courtesan named Garance (Arletty). Garance is loved by four men in this film, but she really only loves Baptiste. It's more of the bittersweet joy and sorrow of lovers--a classic story of love and loss.

The characters and the narrative skill are both admirable. The strength of the dialogue, the music and the majestic images created make this film a magnificent one. The costume and design reminds me of the old Moulin Rouge, with Paris as the best place to hold everything colourful and grandiose spectacularium.

It's not as great as Casablanca, but nevertheless, this film belongs in that same category.

This flick was described in 1945 as "a superlative dramatic and visual achievement of the French cinema." An ambition being realized at that time.

Richard Attenborough's film focuses on the powerful convictions of the lawyer who led the nonviolent revolt against the British in the years following Wordl War 1. The biopic is a sweeping account of the life and times of Mohandas K. Gandhi, the saintly, pacifist father of modern India.

The film opens at the funeral of Gandhi, followed by his life in chronological backflashes, focusing on the passive resistance that became the trademark of his struggle for independence from Britain.

The three-plus-hour epic is indeed faithful to the historical records of Gandhi's achievements and his revolutionary adherence to nonviolence as a powerful political weapon. At the same time, Attenborough almost avoids the heart of the man, choosing to beatify Gandhi instead. In this movie, Gandhi is the Mahatma--the "Great Soul"--but never Gandhi the Man.

At the center of the film is Ben Kingsley's riveting performance as Gandi. Kingsley is an Anglo-Indian, born Krishna Banji in 1944 in England. The film took him to India for the first time, yet he ensured that he gave his performance an extra dimension by immersing himself in Gandhi's way of life, like sitting cross-legged on a mat, following his diet and practising yoga.

The flick was created before the era of computer-generated images, yet the film's brilliantly directed and photographed, movingly told, and convincingly performed by an exceptional cast.

Shot mostly on location in India, it features thousand of real extras with lavish details. With Gandi, Attenborough proved that epics on the scale of Ben Hur were still possible in the eighties, and that historical epics would always have a place in cinema.

In the film, however, Gandhi's assassination seems to come out of the blue--we're not told that there was a bombing attempt on his life just a few weeks earlier.

Reading between the lines, it's apparent that Gandi's religious openness wasn't anything that most Hindus or Muslims were interested in sharing. Not even his devotion to the cause of India's "untouchables."

Gandhi became a hero to the people of India not because of his elevated spirituality or his enlightened pacifism. They loved him because he took no notice from the British by defying their Anglo-Saxons' rules, and the Indian population bought into his nonviolence program because it worked!

The sad reality is that on the same day that Britain granted India independence, the country was split in two. Jinnah's dream of a Muslim state, Pakistan, was fulfilled.

Attenborough, who'd struggled to make this biopic film for 20 years, sought to resurrect the man for a modern generation. The resulting film won nine Oscars, including Bes Picture, Best Director and Best Actor.

Choosing passion over money? Or could be that love can be blind, but you owe it to yourself! This noir flim is a drama of contrast--of the luxury and love, the glitter of the city in stark contrast of the wholesomeness of the country.

Greta Garbo, described by her fans as one of the greatest female screen legends, has given her most intensely moving performance as a consumptive courtesan Marguerite Gautier in mid-19th century Paris. As a Lady, whose love of camellias symbolizes her extravagance, she falls in love with a young suitor, Armand (Robert Taylor), much to the displeasure of her former lover and protector, the Baron (Henry Daniel).
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Until Armand's father (Lionel Barrymore) visits Marguerite to persuade her to end her relationship with his son, and her illusion of happiness is shattered by the realization that she must give up Armand. "Ah...I knew I was too happy..." says Marguerite.

As a result, she tells Armand that she no longer loves him and send him away. She returns to Paris and continues her reckless life with the Baron, and before long, Marguerite's ailment resurfaces and she becomes gravely ill. Learning of her plight and the truth of why she had rejected him, Armand visits her. After gaining forgiveness from him, she dies in his arms.

Filled with romantic dialogues ("Ah...I knew I was too happy..." says Marguerite. "Perhaps it is better if I live in your heart where the world can't see me. If I am dead there will be no staying of our love."), this is really an exceptional 'soap opera' per se.

Taylor, Barrymore, Elizabeth Allan and Daniel are all most assured in their performance. But could Garbo act? The jury is still out on that one. Sometimes she is very bad, but to Garbo fanatics, questions about her acting skills are totally irrelevant. They worship her as a transcendent symbol of beauty, of the human spirit and as an embodiment of love.

If there is a single defining chick flick, it has to be a sob story. And this film, being a melodrama is not supposed to be realistic but reality heightened. Yet still, given the time it was made, Garbo's role established a benchmark for actresses portraying such ill-fated characters as queen bees ( Bette Davis, Joan Crawford, Barbara Stanwyck) of the 30's and 40's, and was a particularly rich genre for actresses and audiences past their bloom of youth.

Who hasn't heard of the (supposedly) crazy Dutchman who cut off his ear, and then shot himself in a wheat field while painting his last work?

This film spans the last seven years of Vincent Van Gogh's life (c1883-90), the period of his almost unbearably intense development as an artist. Much of it was filmed at the actual locations, as well as many of his original paintings are shown and the film faithfully recreates many of the scenes in some of his most famous works.

The performances by Douglas and Quinn (as Gaugin) and the supporting actors reflect the level of commitment of all those who were involved in the production. Gauguin, another eccentric, was far more famous at the time than Van Gogh, and his approach to art was diametrically opposed to Van Gogh's. He painted what was in his mind, not the glories of nature that absorbed Van Gogh.

Touching and tragic, this is a glorious, brilliant film that memorializes the world's greatest painter.

I thoroughly enjoyed The King's Speech, which is based on the true and fascinating story of King George V and which includes a stellar cast including Geoffrey Rush, Colin Firth, Guy Pearce and Helena Bonham Carter (to name just a few).

Granted, for some, this is a slightly unusual film as there's no special effects, it's not in 3D, there's no violence, sex or anything that would really be considered exciting or controversial. Yet it's gripping and funny and entertaining and beautifully acted. It is, in short, a compelling story that's superbly told.

This film portrays a man who in his own way brilliantly illustrates the successful use of strengths (especially as a way to overcome adversity)...it is about King George's attempts to overcome a disabling and distressing stammer (quite an occupational hazard if your "job" requires frequent public speaking!), which he ultimately triumphs by using his admirable courage and perseverance (two signature strengths).

Colin Firth's performance is exquisite; his ability to show the uncertainty and fear yet underlying resolve of the King is masterful. It is heartbreakingly good. Helena Bonham Carter is also adept as Elizabeth. She nails each of her scenes with tender facial expressions capturing the love and support she has for her husband. The film also highlights the touching social intelligence and the hope instilled by his teacher and the use of humour by many. The flick is an intelligent drama that puts flesh on the bones of historical figures.

The Company Men, written by sometime West Wing writer and director John Wells, focuses on three men's experience of the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) and the ways in which they and their families cope.

Bobby Walker (Ben Affleck) is a fast talking salesman for a large congolomerate. He has a lovely wife, a big house, a Porsche and at 37 seems set for life. Then he walks in one day and his job is gone. He is just one of the "cost saving measures" that the company is implementing. He is not a person but an expense and he has to go. He is given six months Outplacement training and severance pay.

He is convinced he will find work shortly, so the measures that his wife Maggie (Rosemarie de Witt) suggests, like selling the Porsche and downsizing, are met with disbelief and anger. He will have a job any minute.

As the months drag on and his anger dissipates to quiet desperation, Magiie quietly implements the cost saving measures and life changes slowly to incorporate these.

Further up the company chain is Phil (Chris Cooper) who has worked his way up from the factory floor. He doesn't have any formal education and although he survives the first round of redundancies, he's gone in the second round as the company begins to consolidate its position to meet "market expectations." He recognises his disadvantages and struggles without family support.

Finally, there is the Gene (Tommy Lee Jones) who is one of the men who started the company. He watches as his partner makes decisions to get rid of good people and moves the company away from its roots in shipbuilding and into health and other 'growth sectors." He feels increasingly alienated from the company he assisted to build and finally he, too, is out the door. Obviously, his options are more extensive than his two employees, but the loss of purpose and endeavour, even for him, is obvious.

Amadeus covers the last ten years of Mozart's life, time that was spent primarily in Vienna. From 1781 until 1791, the film chronicles the composer's triumphs and failures, as viewed by Salieri, the Court Composer to Emperor Joseph II (Jeffrey Jones). Amadeus actually begins in the 1820s, with an aging Salieri, now confined in an insane asylum after attempting suicide, offering his confession to a priest. His tale forms the bulk of the movie's narrative.

As depicted in this movie, Mozart is a spoiled child in a grown man's body. Indeed, while he is a master of music, the other areas of his life are stuck in a state of arrested adolescence. Like many modern-day rock stars, he strides heedlessly through the world, expecting it to conform to him, and living far beyond his means. He also displays a streak of cruelty that is borne not of malice, but of idleness (as when he mocks Salieri, not knowing that his rival is present). He loves his wife, yet is unfaithful to her. And he is devoted to his father, and haunted by his memory when the old man dies.

The most complex character in Amadeus is Salieri. Although only a mediocre composer in his own right, he is gifted enough to recognize true genius when he discovers it, and he finds it in Mozart. To add indignity to injury, Salieri has led what most would consider to be a pious life - avoiding women, shunning drink, and devoting himself to the service of man and God - while Mozart's existence has been one of excess and debauchery. Despite that, it is Mozart's music that reveals God, not Salieri's, and he knows it. He is tortured by this, and his envy leads him to seek Mozart's fall. To that end, he toys with Mozart's mind, even going so far as to trick the dying composer into writing his own requiem mass (which Salieri plans to steal and claim as his own).

Amadeus is not intended to be a rigorously accurate depiction of the historical Mozart. The filmmakers have taken numerous liberties in the name of drama. When developing the play, Shaffer used many real and apocryphal incidents from the composer's life, but his intention was to build an involving story, not to regurgitate the known facts. In fact, there is little in the historical record to back up the assertion that Salieri's bitter jealousy led him to undermine Mozart at every opportunity.

Lovers of classical music will be enraptured by this soundtrack. Those who prefer Nine Inch Nails and Slipknot will find themselves introduced to a new dimension of music here, and won't be bored or turned off by it in the least. Amadeus is, without question, a modern classic.

Ninotchka: What have you done for mankind?
Leon: Not so much for mankind... for womankind, my record isn't quite so bleak.

Ninotchka: Let's form our own party.
Leon: Right. Lovers of the world, unite!

Ninotchka: I must have a complete report of your negotiations and a detailed expense account.
Buljanoff: No, non, Ninotchka. Don't ask for it. There's an old Turkish proverb that says: If something smells bad, why put your nose in it?
Ninotchka: And there is an old Russian saying: The cat with cream on his whiskers had better find good excuses.

Ninotchka was one of the first in which Holywood took note of the existence of Soviet Russia (then an ally of Germany). The approach was satirical: Greta Garbo (Ninotchka) was a cold, automation-like Communist, a kind of ugly duckling transformed into a swan by Melvyn Douglas (Count Leon) who used the magic of Paris to perform the trick..

It's based on the story by Melchior Lengyel, that leaves us with the message that capitalism is not so bad when compared with communism and especially when promoted by a handsome stud like Melvyn Douglas. The film gingerly criticizes the politics of the Soviet Union at a time when they were being courted to be on the side of the West against the war-mongering fascists.

Three bumbling Soviet emissaries, arrive in Paris on a mission to sell the valuable royal jewels confiscated from the Grand Duchess Swana during the Communist revolution. The aim is to get quick cash for the strapped Russian government to feed its hungry workers. When they botch the sale, their big boss Commissar Razinin (Bela Lugosi) sends as a special envoy, the loyal, humourless and stern Ninotchka to straighten things out. Swana, in the meantime, retains her playboy boyfriend Count Leon to retrieve the diamonds. In the process Leon starts a romance with the icy Ninotchka, converts the three comrades to be full-fledged capitalists and in the end convinces a warmed-over Ninotchka to stay with him in Paris.

The film contains many inside jokes, including a historical encounter between the great instinctive artist of the screen and the great stylist-technician of the stage-Ina Claire-as a Russian grand duchess. The sarcastic joke: the Russians don't defect for freedom but for consumer goods is one of some of the sociological banters which is a bit outdated, but a light-hearted Garbo still sparkles and shines. She did "flirt, dance, drink, howl, romance and kiss" in a non-Garbo way.

Directed by Lubitch, this light, satirical comedy has the nonchalance and sophistication that were his trademark (To Be or Not To Be, Heaven Can Wait). The subtle gestures and meanings still work effectively.

The film describes the harsh life of Taliban-era refugees living in the caves around the destroyed, 1,600-year-old Buddhist shrine of Bamiyan in Afghanistan.

THE BOY WHO PLAYS ON THE BUDDHAS OF BAMIYAN focuses on smiling eight-year-old Mir, camera-cute but pugnacious, and his family who live among the ruins of the 'Buddhas of Bamiyan', one of the tallest stone statues of the world destroyed by the Taliban in 2001. Mir's acceptance of life as it is portrayed to him quite humbling. Harsh life or not, he laughs and mocks fate. His parents, tired of their hellish existence -- 20 years of wars and poverty -- are like the other adults, doing their best to survive with a fatalistic resignation. What we glimpse in this film is the equality of human existence.

The film captures the startling contrasts between the beauty of the surroundings and ugliness of these people's poverty, but its decision to present the political and historical context mainly through the family's (sometimes uninformed) words and snippets of World Service news, while leaving footage of visits by ministers and aid agencies without comment, makes for a finally unsatisfying result. It is an incredibly poignant documentary and captivating viewing as you follow the extraordinary story of Mir and his family's struggle.

The landscape is stark, the winter is harsh, the refugees' stories are harrowing, Mir's school is crowded and ill equipped, helicopters move across the sky, and the roads carry mostly military vehicles, there's no question the situation is grim. But the personalities are engaging, while occasional intrusions by the outside world into this remote spot offer both rays of hope and bureaucratic absurdism. Two decades of upheaval may have left them calloused and battle-scarred, but their hope in the feisty, almost blissfully oblivious Mir goes a long way in explaining their unflagging willingness to survive.

Although the title is Julius Caesar, the play and the film are more concerned with Brutus and his interplay with Cassius and Antony. As Brutus, James Mason displays the brooding intelligence of a man clearly swimming in political waters far deeper than he is qualified for, either by training or temperament. Likewise Gielgud, as Cassius, is appropriately manipulative. Cassius has his own agenda and is happy to use Brutus to reach that end.

In a similar manner, Director Joseph L. Mankiewicz has filled the other roles with excellent actors who are uniformly comfortable with Shakespeare's language to the point that they can use it as a means of investing their characters with a reality that is both honest and entertaining.

As Marc Antony, Marlon Brando makes the most of his few but crucial appearances, including a stunningly intense delivery of the "I've come to bury Caesar" sequence at the turning point. Brando was an actor of immense talent and is not only comfortable with the language but more than holds his own with the classically trained actors in the cast who have far more experience with the Bard.

Brando's timing and dramatic sense are impeccable. What's more, Brando infuses Antony with a pugnacious air that seems completely appropriate to Antony both dramatically and historically. Antony's speech alone, as played by Brando, is worth the price of admission.

But most of this play belongs to the tortured, noble figure of Brutus. James Mason's fluid voice and minimalist acting style perfectly convey the humanity-and the tragedy of humanity-represented by this figure. His interplay with Gielgud throughout the play, starting with Cassius's cunning manipulation of Brutus into the conspiracy to kill Caesar and concluding with their reconciliation as Cassius faces death, is an acting school led by veterans of both stage and celluloid.

In the in the end it is Cassius who is most changed by Brutus and that because of this relationship he dies a better man than the schemer we met earlier. Indeed, if you are looking for acting at its finest you need look no further than the Mason - Brando speeches in the Forum.