The Law

There are just so many reasons to recommend seeing this uncensored French-language version of Jules Dassin’s The Law. The story about life in a small Italian village is well written and well acted. The black and white cinematography of Otello Martelli looks fantastic. Heck, even the score by Roman Vlad is impressive. But let’s be honest, one look at the box cover art says it all: Gina Lollobrigida. Shot back in a time when ‘full figured’ wasn’t a bad thing for an actress to be, The Law makes the most of Lollobrigida’s physique, whether she’s strutting down the village street or sweetly seducing the man she wants to marry (a charming Marcello Mastroianni). Yet it never does it in a gratuitous or salacious way because one look at the sharp eyes of the lady in question and you know she wouldn’t stand for it.

Corpse Princess Shikabane Hime, Part One -- Aka

What happens when a person dies filled with regrets or unfulfilled passions? According to this anime series, they turn into evil demons called Shikabane who feed on the living in a twisted attempt to atone for their lives. A mysterious group of monks use specially created demons called Shikabane Hime to send them back to their graves. It’s a twisted story, filled with amazing art, particularly in the creative use of imagery to show us what a Shikabane really looks like once the outer human shell is torn away.

Just Wright

Just Wright may be a Queen Latifah movie, but the real star of the film is Common, the rapper turned actor who takes the poorly written part of an NBA player trying to find an honest woman and turns it into the kind of suave, sophisticated leading man role you thought Hollywood had forgotten all about. It’s pretty generic stuff, for the most part, but what separates Just Wright from just about every other romantic comedy to come out in the past year, is the fact that the guy in the movie isn’t a one-dimensional hound dog looking to get lucky, or a loser who needs to be taught a lesson or any one of a dozen clichés used in this kind of movie to give the girl something to fall in love with and fix. As played by Common, Scott McKnight doesn’t need fixing. He is an honest, up front guy who treats his women with honor and respect. He’s good looking, dresses well and has good manners. He likes and respects his mom and genuinely seems to enjoy his life and the people who are part of it. He’s everything we want a leading man to be but almost never see any more, and Common makes it work on the screen.

Hetalia Axis Powers, Season One

This is, without a doubt, one of the strangest anime series you will ever see, strangest and, once you surrender to its offbeat charms, one of the most delightful, too. It’s the story of the creation of the Axis Powers at the start of WW II told as a reality show starring cute boys and girls whose knowledge of history is, to say the least, scandalously inappropriate. It’s politically incorrect, borderline offensive and, above all, hilarious.

Eric Clapton: The 1960s Review

Long before he became the elder statesman of the electric guitar and made millions of fans – and millions of dollars – with such radio friendly hits as Tears in Heaven and I Shot the Sheriff, Eric Clapton was a guitar god. In fact, in the 60s, all you had to do is look around and soon you’d find some graffiti saying just that. This fascinating documentary explains to the uninitiated just why he was worshiped so ardently by fans and fellow musicians in the first place.

Robin Hood

Take everything you know about the legend of Robin Hood – the robbing from the rich to give to the poor, the band of merry men, the swashbuckling swinging from tree to tree in Sherwood Forest – and throw it out the window. Now you are ready to enter the word of Robin Hood as re-imagined by director Ridley Scott and actor Russell Crowe. Crowe is both rough and charming as Robin Hood, and Cate Blanchett is equally excellent as a no-nonsense maid Marion who puts Robin in his place long before she lets him into her heart.

The Secret of Moonacre

This is one of those rare family films that really will appeal to the entire family. There are enough princesses and rainbows for little girls, and enough fighting and adventure for little boys, (or vice versa if that’s the way you want to think about it). There is also an intelligent story about a family feud that’s lasted for generations and some strong performances from the grownups in the cast. It’s an unexpected treat.