A Single Man

Most films produced these days for mass audiences have lots of action, crazy effects, high drama or over the top humour. Sometimes the combo is just right (eg The Hangover, Pineapple Express) but mostly 'blockbuster' films spoon feed the audience and sometimes the result for me is much tisking and huffing and puffing due to the cliche and predictability (eg Avatar, Couples Retreat) Anyhoo, A Single Man is at the other end of the spectrum. Immaculately art directed by fashionista Tom Ford, it has elements of Man Men, The Graduate, a pinch of Wes Anderson creepyness and lots of aesthetically pleasing moments. The story is simple, played out over a single day, but alot can happen in a day and our single man experiences intense feelings, numbness, emotions, hypersensitivity, lust, memories, grief, hope and love on this big day. I was completely sucked in and relished every moment of this film. Colin Firth should have got the Big O. And Julianne Moore as always, is elegant and messy all at once - which is a great art to master (I try...) Movies like this don't come along very often so I can't recommend it highly enough. But for those of you who love blockbuster/action flicks and find 'internal' films a bore, give this one a miss. 4/5

Alice in Wonderland

I think I'll always be smitten by Tim Burton's muse - Johnny Depp - and his wonderful wife - Helena Bonham Carter. They are both so absolutely ego-free and delicious in this flick, as are the effects, costumes and Burton's treatment of the story. The only oddity was Anne Hathaway with her floating arms and unbelievable manifestation of the 'good' queen. Pity I wanted her to end up headless like many of the other victims of the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland. I would love to have Johnny over for goulash some time to just stare at him in wonderment at how he can pull off the characters he does, whilst licking up my paprika sauce. This film was delightful, simply delightful. (Paul: read Awesome) Moving even. But you gotta have a thing for the dark, quirky, slightly unnerving, kinda corny but uplifting films of Tim Burton. 3/5.

The Ultimate Wave Tahiti

If you love to surf, or are a wannabe surfer, if you dig 3D flicks or like well made docos then you'll enjoy this short flick (must see at Imax). My review will be a little skewed as I saw this just after returning from Samoan paradise and this just brought it all back. Plus, watching the Kman sway and gasp when the tubes curled towards us was thoroughly amusing, so that added to my enjoyment. Then there's the piercing blue eyes, 6 pack and elegant style of Kelly, the natural vibe and surf expertise of the family he surfs with and the intimacy this film allows with it's on-the-road-for-The-Search-with-Kelly style. There were some animated bits that were a tad superfluous and interrupted the flow at times. It's hard to imagine that this is how a surfer's life can be, but having just lived it to some extent in Samoa I can tell you, this gets you close to the feeling of the eternal Search and the rewards that come if you wait, wait, wait. See it with a surfer or go and wipe out at Bondi or Tama to get in the zone. 3.5/5