"They should have sent a poet."

Can I be a pretentious knob for a moment? Thanks.

Having watched The Tree of Life over a week ago, I still find myself pondering over the many intricate details of the movie.

How did Malick recreate a family that's so pitch-perfect that it's hard to believe these people are actually actors? How did Brad Pitt convey about 70 billion emotions in a single glance? How does this film wrap up the meaning of existence in a measly 139 minutes?

This isn't a film in the conventional meaning of the word. If you let it, it is a meditation on the human soul, God, the Universe, and everything inbetween. Let it wash over you.

Yes, even the dinosaur bit.

The Creepiest Scene in Cinema History

For a film that has virtually no gore, extreme violence, or 'big scares', The Night of the Hunter certainly doesn't skimp out on the creeps. Robert Mitchum plays Reverend Harry Powell with the perfect balance of sinisterness and charm (but never OTT), in this 1950s classic. Go seek.

The Secret in Their Marketing

Having watched the highly acclaimed Argentinian crime drama The Secret in Their Eyes the other night, I am still reeling from what a fantastic film it is: well paced plot, heart-wrenching themes, awesome twists. It pretty much has everything. Then I turned to the DVD cover and realised why it had taken me so long to watch the damn film. THE DVD COVER IS F*CKING TERRIBLE.

Misleading DVD covers have been a bit of a bugbear of mine ever since discovering the awful design for Noah Baumbach's Greenberg. And it appears The Secret in Their Eyes is the latest victim of this most heinous of film crimes. Lets have a looksee.


1. Why does it look like a Bond film? This is a film about loss and dealing with the past. So is the exploding 'Golden Eye' really necessary?

2. Why is Esposito holding an (obviously photoshopped) gun? Yes, there are a couple of guns that are used very sparingly this movie. But NEVER does this particular character even come close to holding a gun. Why!?

3. It's not a Thriller. Even though The Daily Express quote would have you believe this is some sort of fast paced Bourne type techno-thriller, it is actually a fairly slow and thoughtful crime drama.

4. Seeing Stars. "It is foreign, but look at all these stars! It must be good!" - idiot shopper

5. Free Digital Copy. So f*cking what?


RANT OVER.