Samson and Delilah

This movie is not for the faint hearted. It is a gritty look at modern Aboriginal life. Although there is a complete economy of speech this film manages to portray its message strongly. The two main characters are a girl and a boy living in remote Australia. Their lives are made up of the mundane. The boys mainly glue sniffing. The girl looking after her grandmother and painting. The gentle way this story is told has you spell bound. Your interest is kept even though you are being driven down deeper and deeper by circumstances.

Australia - the movie

Baz Luhman does it again. Uses quasi comedy and false scenery to create this kind of acceptable pastiche. So much doesn't add up. I just couldn't believe the polite English lady coming to the rough outback and jumping on a horse to head across the dessert. Hype over substance.

Slumdog Millionaire

This movie is a feel good one. Not like Rohinton Mistry's A Fine Balance book which is unrelenting in not giving the Dalit's a go this movie goes for the happy ever after market. Whether or not they do could be a whole other movie. But the premise is cleverly put together. The police interagate the boy on a winning streak playing "Who wants to be a millionaire" as to why he could answer the questions correctly. The movie then backtracks to how he knew the answers. It takes you on a rocky road and back to his childhood, riots against Muslims and being taken to a dodgy orphanage. It is beautiful shot in parts and then others, appropriately, gritty.

Lars and the Real Girl

I loved this movie. Although the subject matter is in the realm of being unbelievable I allowed it to take me on the journey. It was told with such grace that I was awash with emotion. You had compassion for the situation and the way the community got behind him was inspiring. The premise being a social inept person buys a doll off the internet and treats it as a human. Small town America and small budget film success.