An interesting if somewhat soporific film school 'classic', there is much to quietly appreciate in this debut feature from Victor Erice. Essentially a collage of symbolism, the film follows a Francoist Spanish family living in post civil war 1940, and in particular youngest daughter Ana.

Ana (and her elder sister) watch James Whale's "Frankenstein" and she is effected somewhat profoundly, and her imagination leads us about her world. The cinematography is bleak and compelling, and the Fathers beehives add an…

I watched Baz Luhrmann's Australia over the weekend and in many ways wished I hadn't. It was a movie that just didn't have a clue what it was or where it was going, and just descended into camp farce, laughable cliche and confused morality piece - abysmal. Yes the production is excellent and the scenery is layer upon layer of stunning vistas, but it is about original as an Aussie soap and the characters are about as well devised. If…

I'm a huge fan of Japanese animated material and whilst this isn't a particularly accessible example of the genre, it is entirely enjoyable nonetheless.
Set in an alternate Japan in the 1990s, the country is divided into two parts, the US occupied south and the Soviet occupied north. A mysterious tower built by the north captures the imagination of two high school prodigies, who secretly build an aircraft in order to investigate it. A third friend vanishes and becomes inexorably…