Film Reviews by Tim from London

A highly charged love affair between a philosophy teacher and an intellectually gifted but damaged 15 year old pupil - which has tragic consequences. The director of this film was recently in the news accused of sexually harrassing female actors. His films show a certain edge to them and a willingness to contront sexual issues - without resorting to cliches. This film refuses to moralise and presents the affir as a romance rather than a teacher abusing his position. His other film Secret Things is more grandiose and showy and I prefered the low key nature of this film which focused on the two lead characters. Bruno Cremer was wonderful as the intense ageing teacher unable to control his passions - but I'm afraid Vanessa Paradis failed to covey any of the depth that her charcter is supposed to possess.

This is the last of Rohmer's Six Moral Tales about a married man (Frederic) attracted to other women who is missing the time when he was free. He meets up with Chloe, a free-spirited friend and they spend afternoons together talking about love and relationships. The main tension of the film is the choice Frederic must make between his passion for Chloe and his love for his wife.

Like most of Rohmer's films the focus is on characters rather than plot. There is lots of talking - but it never seems false or tiresome. It is a charming film with real characters and real moral dilemmas.

A barnstorming performance from Helen Mirren. She manages to capture the Queen's aloofness - while also injecting warmth and tenderness. Most of all she portrays a real person who is out of touch with modern values and struggling to maintain her sense of duty. This could quite easily have been over/under acted and the results would have been disasterous. Having said all that I felt the film was good but was lacking in any narrative tension - given that we know what is going to happen - and at times the other actors played their characters as if they were the Spitting Image puppets (eg Phillip - in a couple of scenes). But worth watching for Helen Mirren alone.

This is a documentary about former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi and his control over the country's media - a very important and disturbing subject. Unfortunately this documentary just doesn't cut the mustard. Its made by comic Sabina Guzzanti whose TV political satire series on Berlusconi was cancelled despite getting 2m viewers which she believes was because of the influence of the former prime minister - but all you get is 80 minutes of different people saying how important freedom of speech is - which is an important point but is repeated pointlessly and never developed. The other problem with this documentary is that although you see only a few sketches from the banned series - what you do see is painfully unfunny (as is her stage show) and just a rant about the former prime minister - which led me to question whether the series had been pulled on the basis of quality control?

This film tells an interesting and thoughtful (and true) story of a Scottish lady loyal to the royalists during the French revolution. Not just a costume drama but also a fasticinating insight into French politics during this time and a suspenceful storyline. Great characterisations and good use of digital technology which made paintings come to life - surprisingly so for an Eric Rohmer film which are normally naturalistic and lacking in special effects. Well worth watching.

Not half as bad as the critics claimed when it was released. Complex, intelligent and compulsive 'cops under cover' story - lots of twists and turns with great set peices and fantastic cinematogaphy (the real star of the film is Miami filmed at night). There are just 2 problems with the film. Firstly the three lead actors are poor - or in the case of Jamie Fox just too insignificant. Second the sound is terrible. It's really hard to hear what is being said - especially by Colin Farrell - I even had to turn on the English sub titles (even then I couldn't understand the slang!) Expect to work hard with this film and at times not understand what is going on - this is no 'Heat' but worth seeing nonetheless.

Given the emotive subject matter (suicide bombers) I was disappointed that the film didn't capture my interest nor did I feel engaged with the characters. Not sure if this was because of the acting which was flat - or the script which I didn't think fleshed out the characters much beyond 2 dimensions. Yes the film did give an intimate feel to this issue and did not overly politicise (with the exception of the debate in the car) - and there were somegenuinely 'funny' moments (yes really). But overall it failed to stir any passion or emotion in me.

Don't be put off by the response to this film when it was released in the cinema - this isn't half as bad as the reviews suggest. A shlocky erotic thriller ala Basic Instinct 1, except that the film replaces Michael Douglas' detective with David Morrissey's psychoanalyst. Lots of twists and turns with an ending that recalls 'the Usual Suspects' - and by the time the credits roll the viewer is still unclear about is real and what is fiction. I liked the tongue in cheek dialogue which is littered with freudian one liners and the portrayal of London which is centred around the glass towers of the city and the seediness of Soho - full of phallic symbols eg the Gherkin (without a red bus in sight). David Morrissey gives a strong tortured performance but it is of course Sharon Stone who dominates the film. I'm not too sure about Stan Collymore's performance however...! Not a classic but entertaining.

Reminded me of Mississippi Burning in that the film tells the story of the Rwandan genocide through the eyes of a white idealistic teacher. The film was much too focused on the guilt and impotence of the westerners rather than the suffering of the African victims. The black characters were one dimensional caricatures and should have been the centre of any film about Rwanda.

Intelligent and subtle film about the impact of bereavement on a family. The family relationships are often intense and disfunctional. Expect to work hard with this film - the background and characters are not spelt out but are portrayed in short glances and throwaway remarks. Some of the (mostly female) characters were under developed and lacked sufficient depth but if like French cinema ala Eric Rohmer you will like this.

The film tells the story of a day in the life of a young boy who is on the verge of adulthood and the terrible events that unfold. There is very little narrative and hardly any explanation of the events (except references to absent fathers) - so there is little empathy or interest in any of the characters. Some interesting scenes where the farmers play cards and drink - but overall rather dull and pointless. Word of warning - if you dislike scenes of animal cruelty (including slaughter) avoid this film.