Good Night and Good Luck - Adam N

This film, directed by George Clooney, is completely in B&W and set during the Cold War, a period when America was paranoid about the spread of Communism and everyone smoked cigarettes.

It's a political film about the use of fear for political gain and how mass media is used to perpetuate it.

I guess nothing much has changed, which is why they made the film.

All up, an enjoyable and enlightening film... I had no idea that cigarette smoking was so prolific back then.

8/10

Walk the Line - Sean M

Walk the Line is the latest offering in the rather crowded genre of music biopics. This particular one deals with Johnny Cash. It has all the standard hallmarks of its predecessors; the rise out of poverty, the breakthrough, the struggle with success and personal demons, the redemption. Essentially this is a love story, between Johnny and his wife to be June Carter, on the road together, married to other people but desperately wanting to be together.

The performances are excellent. Both lead actors apparently sang all their own songs, and both Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon are extremely convincing. Cash's dependence on pain killers is handled a little heavily, and at times you wish they would just get on with it, but the film's heart is in the right place and ultimately its an enjoyable experience.

7/10

March of the Penguins - Gemma S.

Sooooooo cute! At the heart of one of the coldest places on earth, this documentary (movie) shows the struggle of the Emperor penguins to find a mate, produce an egg, protect it from the freezing cold and raise a little penguin before returning to the sea. They have to march back and forth to the sea to get food and the males starve for months during the height of winter (typical self-sacrifice really!). This is a really well made documentary with lots of funny bits. Well worth seeing.

Rating: 9/10

Caterpillar Wish - Gemma S.

Australian movie about a young girl in a small town who is obsessed with finding her father. Enjoyable & well made (great acting) but not extremely exciting. Wait for DVD.

Rating: 5/10

Water - Gemma S.

This is the third movie in a series by Deepa Mehta, about the life of Indian women. The movie is set in colonial India in the late 1930's and tells the story of a seven year old "woman" Chuyia whose husband has died. She must live the rest of her life in an ashram for Hindu widows, unable to marry again, and considered an outcast by society. Other central characters are Kalyani, another widow who has become a prostitute to help the ashram survive, and Narayan a follower of Gandhi who believes widows should have more rights. This movie will make you laugh and cry (mainly the latter) and is beautifully done. Very enjoyable but definitely more of a chick flick that one for the guys !!

Rating: 7/10

V for Vendetta - Sean M.

V for Vendetta is unabashedly a political film, it wears its colors on its sleeve. Set in a future which seems scarily close to reality, its about a masked crusader rallying against a government which, seizing on a crisis, has implemented totalitarian rule. Based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore, who also wrote the graphic novels that From Hell and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were based on, this is by far the best adaptation of his work. Australian James McTeague, who worked as assistant director to the Wachowski brothers on the Matrix sequels, was asked by the Wachowskis to direct this film for their production company.

Hugo Weaving shines in a difficult role, given that his character wears a mask throughout the entire film which is never removed. Natalie Portman, as Evey, gives us insights into the reality of life in this distopian world. John Hurt is creepy as the Big Brother figure of Chancellor Sutler.

This is a film which warns us against complacency when it comes to monitoring those who govern, and the insidious creep of legislation which curtails our individual freedoms.

Four stars out of five for me.