Spartacus (1960)

Directors: Stanley Kubrick, Anthony Mann Starring: Kirk Douglas, Laurence Olivier, Jean Simmons The slave Spartacus survives brutal training as a gladiator and leads a violent revolt against the decadent Roman Republic, as the ambitious Crassus seeks to gain power by crushing the uprising. Spartacus (Kirk Douglas) has been a slave since the age of thirteen. He is among a handful of slaves…

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Taxi Driver (1976)

Director: Martin Scorsese Starring: Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd A mentally unstable veteran works as a nighttime taxi driver in New York City, where the perceived decadence and sleaze fuels his urge for violent action. There really is one character here that matters, and that’s taxi driver Travis Bickle (very well portrayed by Robert de Niro). From a character study point of…

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The Sound of Music (1965)

Director: Robert Wise Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker A young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer. The Nuns at the Nonnberg Abbey in Salzburg are not convinced free-spirited Maria (Julie Andrews) is ready to be a nun. The Reverand Mother then sends Maria to naval officer Captain Georg…

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The Survivor (1981)

Director: David Hemmings Starring: Robert Powell, Jenny Agutter, Joseph Cotten When an airline pilot survives a crash that kills all 300 passengers, he works with a psychic and a priest to find the culprit behind the incident and pacify the souls of the victims. ‘The Survivor’ is not to be confused with 1984’s ‘Sole Survivor’, which is also about a plane crash leaving only one survivor. I’ll…

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The Pit (1981)

Director: Lew Lehman Starring: Sammy Snyders, Jeannie Elias, Sonja Smits A solitary and strange preteen boy wreaks revenge on his harassers when he makes a disturbing discovery in the depth of a forest. 12-Year old Jamie has no friends. He has trouble getting to know anyone. Some even refer to him as a nutcase. His best friend is Teddy, his teddy bear. When Jamie’s parents go away for a…

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Mirrormask (2005)

Director: Dave McKean Starring: Stephanie Leonidas, Jason Barry, Rob Brydon In a fantasy world of opposing kingdoms, a fifteen-year-old girl must find the fabled MirrorMask in order to save the kingdom and get home. Director Dave McKean dared to be different with this most unusual film. With visuals unlike anything I’ve ever seen in a film, this certainly was a unique viewing experience. Many…

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Kung Fu Panda (2008)

Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson To everyone’s surprise, including his own, Po, an overweight, clumsy panda, is chosen as protector of the Valley of Peace. His suitability will soon be tested as the valley’s arch-enemy is on his way. I love animated movies, but I remember watching ‘Kung Fu Panda’ many years ago and thinking it was definitely more suitable for a young demographic. With…

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Riders of Justice (2020)

Director: Anders Thomas Jensen Starring: Mads Mikkelsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Andrea Heick Gadeberg Markus goes home to his teenage daughter, Mathilde, when his wife dies in a train crash. All appears to be a tragic accident until a mathematics geek, who was also a fellow passenger on the train, and his two colleagues show up. Fate is an interesting thing. It has its own plan for every…

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Hotel Rwanda (2004)

Director: Terry George Starring: Don Cheadle, Sophie Okonedo, Joaquin Phoenix Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, houses over a thousand Tutsi refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda, Africa. ‘Hotel Rwanda’ is based on the Rwandan genocide which – according to Rwanda – killed around one million people during the 100-day war in 1994. Most of the victims were from the…

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Late Night With The Devil (2023)

Directors: Cameron Cairnes, Colin Cairnes A live television broadcast in 1977 goes horribly wrong, unleashing evil into the nation’s living rooms. ‘Late Night with the Devil’ is a fresh take on the possession genre. TV presenter Jack Delroy went from humble beginnings to hosting one of the highest rated night shows, Night Owls. All went well until his wife died from cancer. After shunning the…

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Immaculate (2024)

Director: Michael Mohan Starring: Sydney Sweeney, Álvaro Morte, Simona Tabasco Cecilia, a woman of devout faith, is warmly welcomed to the picture-perfect Italian countryside where she is offered a new role at an illustrious convent. But it becomes clear to Cecilia that her new home harbors dark and horrifying secrets. On invitation from Father Sal Tedeschi (Alvaro Morte), Sister Cecilia…

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The Innocents (2021)

Director: Eskil Vogt Starring: Rakel Lenora Petersen Fløttum, Alva Brynsmo Ramstad, Sam Ashraf During the bright Nordic summer, a group of children reveal their dark and mysterious powers when the adults aren’t looking. In this original and gripping supernatural thriller, playtime takes a dangerous turn. 9-Year old Ida seems to have a nasty streak for wanting to hurt people. Although it…

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When Worlds Collide (1951)

Director: Rudolph Maté Starring: Richard Derr, Barbara Rush, Peter Hansen As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home. Long before Roland Emmerich brought us the modern-day disaster movies, director Rudolph Maté gave us ‘When Worlds Collide’. Back in 1951 the visual effects…

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The Sting (1973)

Director: George Roy Hill Starring: Paul Newman, Robert Redford, Robert Shaw I’m beginning to think there’s something wrong with the way I view (older) films. ‘The Sting’ is yet another highly rated movie I found slow and boring. Maybe its just that older movies were generally slower moving than most of today’s films; I don’t know. I suppose films were more about character development back…

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Amores Perros (2000)

Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu Starring: Emilio Echevarría, Gael García Bernal, Goya Toledo An amateur dog fighter, a supermodel, and a derelict assassin, all separately struggling to find love, find their lives transformed by a devastating car wreck in Mexico City. ‘Amores Perros’ tells three stories that interconnect. The first story is called ‘Octavio and Susana’. Susana is married to…

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The Wretched (2019)

Directors: Brett Pierce, Drew T. Pierce Starring: John-Paul Howard, Piper Curda, Jamison Jones A defiant teenage boy, struggling with his parents’ imminent divorce, faces off with a thousand year-old witch, who is living beneath the skin of and posing as the woman next door. Although the film’s logline mentions a witch, this antagonist has all the traits of a demon, and I will therefore view…

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Lake Mungo (2008)

Director: Joel Anderson Starring: Rosie Traynor, David Pledger, Martin Sharpe, Talia Zucker Strange things start happening after a girl is found drowned in a lake. Presented documentary style, ‘Lake Mungo’ is a mockumentary – supposedly based on events that happened in 2005 in the small town of Ararat in Australia. The use of ‘police footage’ also gives the film a more realistic edge. The…

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