Dark, tense, and twisty police thriller about washed-up cop Nick Tellis (Jason Patric) as he investigates the murder of Michael Calvess, an undercover narcotics detective. Calvess’s former partner, Henry Oak (Ray Liotta) had been working the case before him, but he had been removed because he was too emotionally involved. Tellis insists that Oak is allowed to help him with the investigation, but does Oak have his own reasons for wanting to track down the killers? The acting, script, and direction are all excellent, making it a thoroughly solid, gritty cop film. It’s also interesting for the way in which it examines how being a parent–or missing the opportunity to become a parent–affects you.

Lilo is a precocious young Hawaiian girl who lives with her troubled big sister after the death of their parents. Stitch is an all-destructive but highly intelligent little monster, the result of a mad alien scientist’s dabblings with genetic engineering. When Stitch escapes from the Galactic Council’s captivity, it ends up on Earth, in a Hawaiian dog kennel. Lilo finds it there, and takes it in as a pet. The rest of the film follows Lilo as she tries to socialize Stitch and bring him into the heart of her broken family, and the exploits of two bumbling aliens (the mad scientist and an alien anthropologist) as they try to recapture Stitch.

It’s a wonderfully funny and imaginative film. Lilo and Stitch are both eccentric goofballs, and there are plenty of scenes to show off the strange bond that forms between them. The animation is lovely. Stitch’s behaviour and expressions are hilarious–reminiscent of Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes) at his most monstrous–which leads to some excellent visual gags. And although the “family” theme of the film is obvious, it is warm and affecting rather than repetitive and preachy. Heartily recommended, even if you don’t have kids around the house.

Touching true story (“based on”) about a breakaway faction of the middle-class, middle-England Knapely branch of the Women’s Institute. One year, instead of doing a traditional calendar featuring scenic bridges and churches, they decided to do a nude calendar with themselves as models. Their goal was to raise money for charity, and they found success and renown far in excess of their initial modest goals.

The story starts off small, focusing on a couple of characters (Chris and Annie, brilliantly played by Helen Mirren and Julie Walters), and the reason for doing the calendar in the first place. It then expands to cover more of the women of the village, and folds their stories into the mix. The film loses focus in the third part, when the calendar becomes a huge success, and the women travel to America on a promotional tour. At this point, we’ve just had a major climactic moment. The screenplay struggles to turn the emotional conflict around, and to re-examine the relationship between Chris and Annie. It does produce an adequate resolution in the end, but the effort of doing so obliterates several sub-plots that I had hoped would get more attention. Still, it’s a lovely film, full of laughs and touching personal triumphs.

Delightful film about a Hollywood film production that comes to the small town of Waterford, Vermont. The juxtaposition of big city rollers and small town folk is a common theme, and State And Main doesn’t break any new ground. What it does do is tell an engaging story about a set of classic character stereotypes: the high-strung director, the star who can’t keep his hands off young girls, the starlet who refuses to bare her breasts, the shy writer, the bookstore owner, the local lawyer with big ambitions, the mayor, the crabby owner of the diner, and lots more. It’s a true ensemble piece. Philip Seymour Hoffman stands out as the writer, as does William H. Macy as the director, but the rest of the cast all chip in with lovely, quirky portrayals of people all trying to play by their own, mutually incompatible rules. There’s comedy, love, and a bit with a dog. Great, light entertainment.

Catch Me If You Can is the story of Frank Abignale (Leonardo DiCaprio), a teenager who watches his father go bankrupt and his family fall apart. To escape the pain, he runs away from home and starts impersonating airline pilots, doctors, and lawyers, while forging cheques and defrauding banks of enormous amounts of money. But all he really wants to do is make his father proud, and help him get back together with his mother. Abignale is a sympathetic crook, but also a scared and lonely boy. You laugh at his scams, admire his audactity, and feel sorrow for his inability to heal his family’s wounds. It’s a fine tragic comedy, beautifully filmed, with nice performances all round. (If only it didn’t have the traditional Spielberg “false endings”, where you think the film is over, only for it to roll on for another ten minutes. Twice.)

The effects, stunts, and fight scenes are unquestionably amazing, but that’s not enough to make up for an overly dense and bloated plot. The Wachowskis seem to have become too wrapped up in the hype and over-analysis of the world they created, and disappeared up their own philosphical navels instead of making another kick-ass film. The fight scenes are beautiful, but they lack tension because we pretty much know that Neo is going to win. (In this respect the most interesting scenes are the ones that don’t feature him.) The fully computer-generated scenes aren’t as seamless as they would like you to believe. It’s a shame to have to fault the film because it isn’t as fresh and different as the first episode, but I had been hoping it would be another genre-defining moment. Instead it’s merely Matrix taken to the next level. So, it’s good…just not great.

Frank Martin is a transporter. He takes packages from one place to another, no questions asked. To do his job, Frank operates by a set of rules: 1) Never change the deal, 2) No names, 3) Never look inside the package. His carefully organised life starts to go wrong when he breaks rule 3…. The film opens with a fantastic car chase, and it keeps the pace up right to the end. Although it’s set in the South of France, it’s essentially a Hong Kong action movie. The fight scenes–of which there are many–are beautifully staged and deliciously over-the-top. The acting won’t win anyone any Oscars, but it is appropriate to the genre: the villain is a caricature of wickedness, the policeman is tired and cynical, and Jason Statham as the action hero is strong but sensitive. Great fun.

Intense thriller about police corruption in Los Angeles. Fresh-faced cop Jake Hoyt (Ethan Hawke) gets the chance to “try out” for an elite undercover narcotics unit, run by Detective Alonzo Harris (Denzel Washington). The film covers this one “training day” from dawn to midnight. Hour by hour, Alonzo grinds away at Jake’s belief in decency and honest police work. He drags Jake headlong into his world of compromise, kickbacks, and outright brutality, and offers him a golden career path, if only he is willing to accept that these shades of dark grey are a necessary means to an end. Which way will he jump? Washington is amazing as Alonzo, and Hawke matches him in every scene. Fascinating to watch.

Fascinating, but somewhat uneven tale about a mentally disturbed teenager who sees visions of a man-sized rabbit from the future. As he follows the rabbit’s orders, the small-town life around him unravels with tragi-comic effects. Heartfelt and genuinely poignant performances all round, with beautiful direction and cinematography to match. The scene where the high school is introduced is a masterpiece: long tracking shots with balletic camera swoops, speed-ups and slow-downs, all to the tune of “Head Over Heels” by Tears For Fears. Unfortunately the story’s pace feels off-balance, and the ending is too ambiguous to be completely satisfying. Nice if you want something to scratch your head over, though.

Have I mentioned I’m a sucker for superheroes? Even if I wasn’t, I’d still rate Daredevil as a fine action film. Solid performances from the whole cast, with some nifty fight and stunt scenes. Unfortunately all the best character development and action seems to happen in the middle of the film, leaving the end a bit cliché-ridden and hurried. Terrific, escapist fun, though.