ROSEMARY’S BABY
DIRECTED BY ROMAN POLANSKI
RATING 
It has an insidious uncanniness that creeps you out before the end. Mia Farrow is glass-fragile as the pregnant mother and everybody else is damnably wicked. The incidental music is superb.
A LITTLE PRINCESS
DIRECTED BY ALFONSO CUARON
RATING 
I know, everyone likes SECRET GARDEN and A LITTLE PRINCESS but certainly count me out. I remember drowsily watching an older version when I was younger. This version has some very static acting going on. And I can’t stand the lead’s voice. Whoever thought Indians could stare you out of your amnesia?
SECONDHAND LIONS
DIRECTED BY TIM MCCANLIES
RATING
Aww, Haley Joel is all grown up. Michael Caine and Robert Duvall are old fogies who take in a semi-abandoned kid only to realise he’s what they needed all along. Good Saturday afternoon sort of movie.
SKY HIGH
DIRECTED BY MIKE MITCHELL
RATING 
Tolerable, decently funny adolescent movie. What I’m curious to know is how Lynda Carter still has that damn figure!?! Yes, I’m obviously a closet Lynda Carter fangirl. Blame it on my retro WONDER WOMAN fangirl mother.
ROMAN HOLIDAY
DIRECTED BY WILLIAM WYLER
RATING 
Such a heartwarming romantic comedy with two of the most lovable actors… What can I say? It’s like watching AMELIE minus the happy ending everyone wishes for. A sigh-inducing movie.
MUNICH
DIRECTED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG
RATING 
Not exactly “gripping”. Spielberg is as always vastly overrated. Fades out by the end. Overall performances were quite alright. I thought Rush was funny.
FUNNY FACE
DIRECTED BY STANLEY DONEN
RATING
Average. Audrey Hepburn was wonderful naturally but Freddie’s almost always too wrinkly and plain weired next to her youthful sparkle.
THE CRIMSON RIVERS
DIRECTED BY MATHIEU KASSOVITZ
RATING
I didn’t know Kassovitz’s a director. Watched the English dubbed version. Awful incidental music that didn’t connect with the scenes. Disgusting anatomical dissection galore. Reno and Cassel have ok chemistry onscreen. Patchy storyline. Avoid it if possible. Kassovitz, stick to acting.
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST
DIRECTED BY GORE VERBINSKI
RATING
I am not a fan of this franchise. I loathe Bruckheimer; he reminds me of a rich patron with no artistic interest in the films he commissions. I want to smack him most of the time. All I like about this “POTC” phenomenon are the Captains Sparrow and Barbossa as well as my stiff English naval man, Norrington *smiles stupidly*. The sequel has less of these 3 lovelies. Of course I am annoyed.
THE NEW WORLD
DIRECTED BY TERRENCE MALICK
RATING
Slack poetry. I understand that Malick is the poetic director in Hollywood. However, if he wants to pass some adolescent love letters off as a serious movie, then it’s plain pathetic. Yes. Love letters, scribbles: that’s about it as far as the dialogue is concerned. Q’Orianka Kilcher is a little girl trying to be seductive. I felt the courtship scenes to be drawn and saccharine. Uh, something went wrong. Bale was ohsofine as always though.
THE USUAL SUSPECTS
DIRECTED BY BRYAN SINGER
RATING
Fun. So after watching the movie I went around saying “Keyser Soze!!” to any poor thing that came upon me. It all adds up. But it’s a delicate narrative that breaks when it’s revealed who Soze is. Should have left us guessing instead.
OCEAN’S 11
DIRECTED BY LEWIS MILESTONE
RATING 
I’m afraid I became quite sleepy before the movie rolled to an end. I thought it was rather a sad showing. I expected some jazzed up caper flick that could surpass 2001′s OCEAN’S ELEVEN.
THE WICKER MAN
DIRECTED BY ROBIN HARDY
RATING 
Very British production. Sometimes eerie but it’s also humourous. Christopher Lee is quite a sight in his May Day costume. Good heathen fun.
CHARLOTTE GRAY
DIRECTED BY GILLIAN ARMSTRONG
RATING
I like Cate. She’s one of the few regal beauties in Hollywood at the moment. However, the movie’s somewhat below expectations. Washed out. Michael Gambon seems deliberately boring while Billy Cudrup is all pretty face and not much else. Cate holds her own well not surprisingly, alas the movie can’t but sink.
HERO
DIRECTED BY ZHANG YIMOU
RATING
I appreciate the presentation of interwoven narratives in brilliant colour and billowy silks. I concede that it is not in the same league as Ang Lee’sCROUCHING TIGER which was sumptuously subtle, but it is a watchable swordfight flick. Oh, and it is rather melodramatic, but I suppose heroism is perceived in such fashion. As an aside, I must add that Maggie Cheung looked ghostly/ghastly.
KUNG FU HUSTLE
DIRECTED BY STEPHEN CHOW
RATING 
Well it’s a Stephen Chow flick. Go watch it for god’s sake; laugh till your head hurts.
V FOR VENDETTA
DIRECTED BY JAMES MCTIEGUE
RATING
I’m sure the graphic novel is infinitely complex, thought-provoking and sprawling in scope. It’s an Alan Moore classic after all. But I adore Weaving and I like the idealistic quick fix of the political machine that this film provides. It’s catered to the masses so it does shrink its message; it excites the viewer with syle and some substance. I’m alright with that.
DIVINE SECRETS OF THE YA-YA SISTERHOOD
DIRECTED BY CALLIE KHOURI
RATING
This one depressed me. There were one or two tearful moments too. I don’t think there’s anything fabulously new in its treatment of mother/daughter relationships, but it was depressing.
BATMAN BEGINS
DIRECTED BY CHRISTOPHER NOLAN
RATING
Umm, Batman is my favourite superhero, but Christian Bale is Poutman and spoils it somewhat for me. But the movie has an unpolished comic book reality that is seriously refreshing in this franchise begun by Tim Burton quite disastrously. Ooops – Michael Caine is getting typecast as the friendly old fogey. Yay for British actors with swanky American accents.
THE LADYKILLERS
DIRECTED BY THE COEN BROTHERS
RATING 
I’d not have thought the Coen Brothers had in them the uncouth ability to wreck a classic. I can’t fathom it. Everything about the movie is laughable – for the wrong reasons.
SEVEN SAMURAI
DIRECTED BY AKIRA KUROSAWA
RATING
Sister bought it – she remembered how I raved about dead Japanese hottie, Mifune; she was curious why I was hyperventilating. Err, what’s there to say about this classic that hasn’t been said before? That I fall off my chair every time Toshiro Mifune growls? ^^ It never fails… Somehow dear Sister wasn’t as excited.
BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S
DIRECTED BY BLAKE EDWARDS
RATING
Truman Capote? *yawn* I’m not sure I like Hepburn in “world-weary” roles. To be sure, I adore her, but I think I prefer her light sparkly roles to characters like Holly Golightly.
O
DIRECTED BY TIM BLAKE NELSON
RATING
The modern adaptation of OTHELLO. Julia Stiles is the doomed lover yet again – very blase. Josh Hartnett is “Iago” and totally out of his depth but still pretty. Mekhi Phifer is, hmm, the only black kid in an asylum for spoiled, rich white brats – rather staccato performance. Thankfully the dialogue isn’t Shakespearean. Look what happened to Ethan Hawke and gang when they attempted that. They sounded and looked constipated. Plus, E. Hawke is NOT Hamlet.
THRONE OF BLOOD
DIRECTED BY AKIRA KUROSAWA
RATING
Mifune gives an impeccable performance as the brooding, manic usurper. Very intense. His chalky faced wife almost steals the show. This freaky “Lady Macbeth” has such a powerful presence – and all she does is look down deferentially while her conflict-ridden husband growls away. But the slyness that creeps into her mask-like face is perfect. I could go on and on. Watch this movie.
INFERNAL AFFAIRS
DIRECTED BY WAI KEUNG LAU & SIU FAI MAK
RATING
I think watching the original might be a good idea in lieu of Scorsese’s THE DEPARTED. I’m still configuring the plot intricacies 2 days later. Very smart, very involved cops and gangsters thriller with a surprising Andy Lau (who usually resembles a cardboard) and a tragic, moody Tony Leung (who does it always anyhow – I think). Sole gripe factor is the incidental music. They should have brought in System of A Down or something instead of the Arabian like nonsense I had to endure. It was distracting.
MY TUTOR FRIEND
DIRECTED BY KIM KYEONG-HYEONG
RATING
Nerdy chick has to tutor totally hot, badass student. Hot student obviously falls for nerdy chick. Just another Korean romcom. But bloody hell, Kwon Sang-woo is so frickin’ hot!
JAPANESE STORY
DIRECTED BY SUE BROOKS
RATING
Unexpected gem really, with a compelling performance by the brilliant Toni Collette as an Aussie geologist who has to babysit a Japanese man. Sparks fly, cultures collide and something happens somewhere that transforms the not quite dream into a nightmare. Consequences ensue; geologist grapples with her conscience.
ALL’S WELL ENDS WELL
DIRECTED BY CLIFTON KO
RATING
Young Maggie Cheung, Leslie Cheung and Stephen Chow star in this comedy about a dysfunctional family. Leslie is a veritable darling as the delicate brother who falls for his manly aunt. Very funny how their relationship turns out. Maggie and Stephen romance Hollywood style, providing a few laughs and squirms along the way. Typical HK comedy fare.
LA BRASSIERE
DIRECTED BY HING-KA CHAN & PATRICK LEUNG
RATING
2 men are hired by a bra design house to create the ‘ultimate bra’. Women fall all over them; the heroines don’t – obviously. Some laugh out loud scenes here would include the men trying out bras themselves and going to the gym looking very busty. I didn’t like the ending at all. Apparently, the perfect bra is supposed to be a man’s hands. Like, give me a break already.
TAXI 3
DIRECTED BY GERARD KRAWCZYK
RATING
Typical trilogy fate. First movie rocked, second was alright, and third sucks. I don’t know what Sly Stallone was up to here, but I can’t stand that smug dignity of his.
ERAGON
DIRECTED BY STEFEN FANGMEIER
RATING
I didn’t burst out laughing at John Malkovich, who was playing King Gobbledygoo I think. I don’t know how I did it, but hurrah to me. The boy acts better than a certain Potter kid, and well, he’ll have his legion of fangirls. Jeremy Irons utters some awful lines but he has enough dignity to carry the damn show. And he still looks fine. Very fine. Carlyle is odd. Oh dear.
HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS
DIRECTED BY ZHANG YIMOU
RATING 
Uh, Takeshi Kenishiro – he is the prettiest man alive I’m sure. The movie itself is a chickflick disguised as a swordfight flick. Haha. But I still don’t get this – why does everyone like Zhang Ziyi? She’s icky.
ZOOLANDER
DIRECTED BY BEN STILLER
RATING
It has its moments. i’m not sure what else I could tell you. Oh, do look out for David Bowie – the inspiration for ‘Blue Steel’.
