Iconic Japanese cinema nearly at it best but Ikiru just falls short of greatness because of a rambling, over-melodramatic climax. Well-worth a watch though for Watanabe’s performance, iconic scenes and interesting themes.
Lidice
A haunting tale of ordinary lives and genocide in Czechoslovakia during World War Two that is well told with great acting, and excellent cinematography and a musical score that complement each other perfectly.
X-Men: First Class
A somewhat return to form for the X-Men series thanks to a few star turns and a pre-dominantly riveting story spanning three decades. Just forget X-Men: The Last Stand and X-Men Origins: Wolverine never happened.
Sexy Beast
A workmanlike heist movie that’s given cult status by a terrifically terrifying performance by Ben Kingsley and a role that Ray WInstone was born to play.
The Hangover Part II
A remake rather than a sequel, Part II is lacking in any riotous humour and comes across as a completely pointless and infuriatingly unoriginal addition to the fantastic sleeper hit that was The Hangover.
Melancholia
An original and compelling take on the end of the world from nouveau-Nazi Lars Von Trier. Excellent acting, beautiful cinematography and a wonderful soundtrack create a haunting atmosphere. A great film – even if you do leave the cinema with all hope and positivity destroyed.