greybeard (brian aldiss)

i really enjoyed the first half, it was really fun, with all the stoats and the village and the rafts and the risk of an attack from the north... and the idea itself, i loved the concept of a humanity with no more children. but then it all kind of lost momentum. i think my biggest disappointment was that i wanted it to move forwards and the story actually moved backwards. it kind of picked up at the end again, i really enjoyed the scene when the two main characters actually meet and play hide and seek... and then the wee girl tells the boy's mum he has drowned, that was awesome! but, as a whole, just a so-so.

house (nobuhiko obayashi)

crazy like only japanese films can be. i really like some bits, but in general i was put off by the 'kids tv' feel the whole thing oozes. i love the painted animated effects, though, like some of the blood and skeletons, as well as the gory bits and the fact that each of the girls had one defining characteristic. but as a whole the film didn't live up to my expectations. glad i watched it, though, it's enjoyable, but i expected more.

Rating: 6/10

let me in (matt reeves)

my problem with this was that i started watching it thinking i wasn't going to like it (american remake! vade retro satana!). but the truth is it's not that bad, especially if you haven't watched the fabulous original or read the book. but if you have, well, you can't possibly help comparing, can you? for me, this story is about the two kids, and i prefer the swedish ones. the original wee boy looks just so defenseless, and the girl is so freakish that they make the perfect partnership. i didn't feel the same with their american counterparts. yes, the girl is a bit 'warmer', but that's not necessarily good. it doesn't work as well for me. regarding the script, i was glad they got rid of secondary characters (mainly the drunks), and it was fun to see how they tried to include all 'the big scenes' anyway (like the burning girl in the hospital). the film as a whole looks good, there are some really beautiful scenes in it, but the cgi scenes with the girl jumping around as if she was a character in a videogame were truly horrible. what's wrong with filmmakers nowadays? it's so not necessary! it's as if they have justify the fx budget... grrrrr.

Rating: 6/10

damages, season 3 (glenn kessler)

i wasn't very impressed, to be honest. i liked the first two seasons when i watched them, but this all felt rather repetitive, more of the same... and i couldn't care less for any of the characters. i found the flash-forwards 'trick' that worked really well in the first seasons quite simply tedious. still, good(ish) quality tv, the script is ok, it's only 13 episodes and it's all well done. but they should stop here, though.

Rating: 6/10

cain's book (alexander trocchi)

even though i've never cared much for beat writers or junkie stories, and would have never chosen to read this if it hadn't been for my bookgroup, i really got into it at the beginning. i quite liked the style it's written in, and the characters... but then i got bored. it was just meeting person after person, dipping briefly into their lives and then forgetting about them. which is ok, but i wanted more of a story connecting all the characters. but i liked the whole atmosphere, and how junkies weren't glamourised or victimised at all, it was all very matter-of-fact: for them getting a fix was like going to the cornershop to get some eggs. and the book as a whole is way better than most bukowski, keruac and the like.

Rating: 6/10

being human season 3

i kind of enjoyed season 1 and 2, the story was kind of daft and entertaining, with a touch of good, perfect for a sunday evening. some of the episodes were indeed excellent. i couldn't help but feeling a bit disappointed with season 3, though. the story is all over the place, far too many new characters (i welcomed robson greene, he is great, but there were too many that appeared just for one episode and that's it), and the balance tilted more towards the daft than towards anything else. but, as usual, it has a couple of good episodes. however, the worse bit is there is not enough werewolf bum at all in this season! i think he renewed his contract and deleted the clause that said you have to appear naked in every other episode. bummer.

Rating: 6/10

somewhere (sophia coppola)

i'm a sucker for this kind of moody films, i love the apathy and boredom it all oozes. i know it doesn't really deliver, it kind of goes in circles or gets repetitive; and i also understand if people don't really like it or quite simply don't care about the main character, but i kind of enjoyed it. the cinematography is actually very good, and i loved the comedy bits, especially when he presents the award ceremony in italy, that was hilarious. i also appreciate that this is no big movie with a big change and a big drama. the drama was there before, and is there at the end, he's just more aware of it. that scene in the fx department where they apply the cast to his face works really well as a metaphor for the emotional isolation of the protagonist. dorf really suits the part of the scruffy good looking celebrety, and the portrait of the sensible and rather mature wee girl is really well done. so, not perfect at all, but i enjoyed some bits.

Rating: 6/10