GilraenEstel

Firstly, I would like to say that I am a HUGE fan of Annie Proulx's short story. I must have read the damn thing fifty times. She is such a gifted writer, able to sum up Ennis' whole life with just one beautiful, poetic sentence. I seriously fell in love with the story and was so excited when I discovered that they were making a movie version.

Ang Lee was definitely the right man for the job as he is such a gifted director. I've been a fan of his since I saw the Ice Storm back in '97 and his cast are almost spot on. Jake Gyllenhaal is a perfect Jack Twist, just the way I pictured him and his last scene with Ennis is probably the best piece of acting I have seen in a long time. Michelle Williams' Alma was also a revelation - she sure has come a long way since Dawson's Creek. Anne Hathaway was good as Lureen, a character completely padded out for the movie. My only problem was Heath Ledger. He's just not Ennis. OK, he plays him as the reserved and monosyllabic person that he is but he's just lacking something. I am not disputing that he wasn't amazing (and very brave) but there just wasn't Ennis'... sadness, for lack of a better word. Also, I felt that the passion between the two was lacking somewhat.

Despite these small faults it was still an amazing movie, and I hope that Gyllenhaal and Williams pick up Oscars for their amazing performances. Well done to all involved.

When you were a teenager, it always felt as if the world was against you. No matter what you did, how much you tried to impress people - there was always something wrong, someone to put you in your place.

That is the brilliance of Grange Hill - it depicts British school life excellently: the everyday hum-drum of moving from one lesson to the other; the mind-numbing, soul-crushing hell hole that you have to attend every day for five years; the peer pressure and the bullying and most of all, realising that this is your life and it's never going to change. (And no, I didn't like school much!)

When you were at school, there was always kids whose parents were getting divorced, gay, on drugs, seriously depressed, victim of abuse or pregnant. Grange Hill doesn't just present the problem, it explores how that problem came about, the effect on that character and most of all the reaction of their peers when it all comes out (which it always does). There is always something compulsive about watching on the tele what you know to be happening all around you, what happens to your closest friend or worst enemy - because it's real.

Compulsive viewing for any one who is/was a teenager.

Who was Dian Fossey? Enviromental enthusiast? Insane eco-warrior? Or both?

Gorillas In The Mist is the story of this extraordinary woman whose work with Mountain Gorillas in Congo, and subsequently Rwanda, quite possibly saved these beautiful creatures from extinction. Her hard work and determination in studying these wonderful animals led to an amazing living arrangement with them.

How simply amazing must it be to touch, play and hold hands with a silverback Gorilla in the wilds of Africa? How would it feel to find that same silverback with his head, hands and feet cut off by poachers? To be frank, these gorillas were Dian Fossey's children - each had a name, each had their own unique trait - so it is hardly surprising that she became a little possessive and started treating the animals as her own. The horrors that she experienced on those mountains would send anyone mad.

Sigourney Weaver is simply superb as Fossey, portraying her hard work and gradual decline into insanity with that touch that only a few actresses possess. Her chemistry with co-star Bryan Brown adds to the feel of the film and the fact that she was brave enough to go anywhere near real gorillas is fascinating. To be fair, the two hours do drag a little, but Weaver is talented enough to carry the film through it.

Weaver once said "I only get the parts that Meryl [Streep] passes up" but to be honest, I couldn't imagine this brilliant woman being played by anyone else but Sigourney.