Author: James Partridge

Director: Takashi Miike Cast: Masataka Kubota, Nao Omori, Shota Sometani, Sakurako Konishi Synopsis: Set over one night in Tokyo, we follow Leo, a young boxer down on his luck as he meets his ‘first love’ Monica, a callgirl and an addict but still an innocent. Little does Leo know, Monica is unwittingly caught up in a drug-smuggling scheme, and the two are pursued through the night by a corrupt cop, a yakuza, his nemesis, and a female assassin sent by the Chinese Triads. All their fates interwine in spectacular Miike style, at his most anarchic and fun. Thoughts: A...

Director: Terrence Malick Cast: August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Maria Simon Synopsis: Based on real events, A HIDDEN LIFE is the story of an unsung hero, Franz Jägerstätter, who refused to fight for the Nazis in World War II. When the Austrian peasant farmer is faced with the threat of execution for treason, it is his unwavering faith and his love for his wife, Fani, and children that keeps his spirit alive. Thoughts: If you’re not a Terrance Malick fan, then this film will not change your mind. Personally, I love his films and for me this is one of...

Director: Pedro Almodovar Cast: Antonio Banderas, Asier Etxeandia, Leonardo Sbaraglia Synopsis: Salvador Mallo, a film director in his physical decline, experiences a series of reencounters. Some of them in the flesh, others remembered. His childhood in the 60s, when he emigrated with his parents to a village in Valencia in search of prosperity; the first desire; his first adult love in the Madrid of the 80s and the pain of the breakup while this love was still alive and intense; writing as the only therapy to forget the unforgettable; the early discovery of cinema; and the infinite void that...

Director: Corneliu Porumboiu Cast: Vlad Ivanov, Catrinel Marlon, Rodica Lazar Synopsis: Cristi, a Romanian police officer who is a whistle blower for mafia, is going to La Gomera Island to learn an ancestral whistling language. In Romania he is under police surveillance and by using this coded language he will continue to communicate with the mobsters to get Zsolt out of prison. Zsolt is the only one who knows where 30 millions of euros are hidden. Thoughts: I liked the premise… and for most of the runtime, I liked the film. But in the end, the payoff just didn’t...

Director: Ira Sachs Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Marisa Tomei, Jérémie Renier Synopsis: Frankie, a famous French actress, learns that she only has a few months to live. For one final family vacation, she gathers everyone together in Sintra, Portugal. Thoughts: I love Isabelle Huppert. I’ll watch anything with her in it. Unfortunately, I kinda wish I’d never seen FRANKIE. An incredible cast can’t save what was, for me, an utterly pointless film. It’s never a good sign when you walk out and your first thought is “Huh?!?”. Rating:...