DanB-4

It took many years and many viewings before I could say that I liked this film better than A New Hope. But careful examination tells all - by every conceivable measure this is a better picture. The characters are more fully developed, Vader is even more evil, the score gives us the chilling Vader theme and the story is more interesting. Now that the six films are complete, The Empire Strikes Back is even more compelling and interesting than it was before we knew its Big Secret.

All great heroes are flawed, and Luke Skywalker is no exception. Empire reveals to us in full that the inner battle he will have to fight is worse than any enemy he will face. As we meet for the first time Yoda, the wise Jedi master (we find out in Sith why he is on this jungle planet), we learn what a Jedi is, what his responsibility is and just how difficult that life will be. Luke, however, wants immediate gratification - he wants to help and wants revenge.

The film cuts back and forth between Han Solo and Leia's pursuit by Vader and Luke's training and ultimately leads to the greatest scene of the six films, the epic light saber battle between Luke and Vader. And, if you are one of the 12 people on the planet who do not know the outcome, the less said the better.

Empire rightly holds a place in the IMDb top 10, combining Action-Adventure, space opera and even the best elements of a super-hero film, into an infinitely watchable, entertaining movie. **** out of ****.

As a parent, I deeply admire this film for adhering to a PG rating. It could have gone over the top in the battle scenes and with gore and completely ruined itself. Its jaw-dropping box office success was due to the fact that is was the best family film of 2005 and one of the better ones in many years.

Narnia's story is well known. Four young English children trying to escape World War II are sent to a large country home. There, they stumble upon an old wardrobe which leads them to the mythical land of Narnia, where strange and friendly creatures live. Narnia is cursed to a permanent winter while it is under the rule of the icy White Witch, devilishly played by Tilda Swinton. The four siblings soon find themselves in a battle for their own lives and for the very freedom of Narnia itself.

The parallels to LOTR are many, but Narnia comes across as LOTR-Lite. The battle scene at the end is exciting, not scary and Andrew Adamson has perfect sense in when to cut a scene and how far to take things. Yes, its frightening, but just enough.

And, as an allegory of the life of Jesus, it has a strong moral message that allows for some great conversation with your kids after the film.

Well made, wonderfully acted, good (but not great) FX, this is a film worth owning if you have kids, and maybe even if you don't. ***1/2 out of ****.

It will be interesting to see how history treats this film, whether or not this will be Philip Seymour Hoffman's Dog Day Afternoon, Silence of the Lambs or Raging Bull. Whether it will be held with history's truly great performances. I think it should be, and likely will.

Capote is a great film, well made from every aspect, with a strong supporting cast, tight script and engaging story, but it is all overshadowed by one of the best performances in a decade or more. PSH inhabits Capote, his cartoon-like voice, mannerisms, paranoia, ego, gestures. This is made all the more amazing by the fact that this movie is not a hero-worship picture - it tells a generally unflattering tale of a man who was willing to go to any extent to finish his book.

Capote tells the tale of the writing of In Cold Blood, the first "non-fiction novel", entertainment reading based on an entirely true story. Capote travels to the small southern town to write about the brutal murder of a family of four. How it affected the townspeople. He soon finds that he has a novel in the making. One that would make him the most famous writer in America, stop his prolific career and hasten his death.

By chance, Capote meets one of the accused killers, Perry Smith. A lonely and confused man, mistreated as a child but with many hidden gifts. Truman views him as a kindred spirit saying "Its as if we grew up in the same house." But the dilemma strikes - if the novel is to be completed, then Perry (whom Capote has at least inwardly fallen in love with) and his partner in crime must be put to death.

Although we know how this will end for both Smith and Capote, the journey is extraordinary as we watch the manipulation on both sides of the jail cell. In the background is Nell Harper (Cahterin Keener) Capote's friend gaining notoriety for To Kill A Mockingbird. (Capote says of the film at its premier "I don't see what the fuss is all about.") She acts as the films moral centre, telling Capote the truth about himself, which he knows but does not want to hear.

PSH deserved an Oscar nomination two years back for Owning Mahowny and I implore anyone as gripped by his performance here as I was to seek that small film out.

Capote is a worthy best picture nominee on its own, made better by a lead acting performance for the ages. **** out of ****