The Sword With No Name

The fight sequences in this movie from director Yong-gyumn Kim are spectacular, particularly the final battle scene where a single palace guard, dedicated to saving the life of his queen, takes on an entire army by himself. What makes this movie so epic, though, is the beautiful love story woven between the battles. It starts with a young woman (Soo-Ae) whose last wish before going off to marry the king is to go see the ocean. She hires a local man (Seung-woo Cho) to day and her day of solitary reflection turns into something more as romantic sparks fly between the two. Promised to another — and the King, no less — the woman decides to keep the day as a perfect memory of her life, and not pursue it further. The man, smitten to the bone, decides to dedicate his life to protecting the woman he may never know. It’s beautiful, sumptuous and romantic as hell.

Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer: The Complete Series

When it was first aired back in the early 1950s, this gritty series was attacked by critics and viewers for it’s “excessive and gratuitous violence.” More than five decades later, it may not be as shocking, but it’s just as intense. Darren McGavin stars as Mike Hammer, Mickey Spillane’s tough-talking private eye, and he does a terrific job of making Spillane’s tough-guy talk come to life, whether he’s wising off to a thug or sweet talking a dame in a tight dress. The cases Hammer solves from episode to episode are pretty routine by today’s CSI-saturated standards, but yo don’t really watch them today to see how Hammer will solve he crime. Yo watch it to listen to the razor-sharp dialogue, waiting to see if it leads to a killing or a kiss

Dumbo

It’s been 70 years since audiences still saw an elephant fly for the first time, but this classic Walt Disney animated feature is as much fun as anything that’s been releases since. Maybe even more. The story, about an elephant who is ostracized for his over-sized ears, is classic and the songs, even the lullaby “Baby Mine” avoid the usually sugary sweetness of a Disney soundtrack. Above all, the animation is amazing, particularly when the artist let their animation run wild to show what might be running through a baby elephant mind if he accidentally got drunk on cheap champagne (Pink Elephants). Be sure to watch the extras and discover how a tight deadline and even tighter budget helped make this movie the success it was.

Bridesmaids

One look at the poster, showing a row of tough looking women dressed in fluorescent pink dresses and you might think Bridesmaids is just another chick flick. Think again. Written by Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo, Bridesmaids is an hilarious comedy about the lengths friends will go to when they need them most. It’s a buddy film and a raunchy comedy, wrapped up in a smartly written script that’s filled with strong characters brought to life by actors who know what it takes to make an audience laugh.
It just happens to star six of the best comediennes in show business. Leading the pack is Wiig, best known for her comedic work on Saturday Night Live and her dramatic work in films like Whip It and All Good Things. In the movie, Wiig plays Annie, a struggling single woman faced with the biggest challenge of her life: The need to make sure her best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) has the perfect wedding day. (Read out interview with Kristen Wig by clicking HERE)

Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal

The cinematic adaptations of movies based on author Terry Pratchett’s Disc World series of novels have been a mixed bag, from the good (The Color of Magic) to the godawful (the animated Soul Music). This latest film, directed by Jon Jones (Northanger Abbey), ranks among the best. It’s the story of a conman named Moist Von Lipwig (Richard Coyle) who escapes the gallows only by agreeing to becoming the Post Master and restoring the Ankh-Morpork mail service so it can compete with the primitive Internet-style services provided by the evil Reacher Gilt (David Suchet). There are a lot of in- jokes for fans of the original novel, but the story is clear enough for all to enjoy. The acting, particularly Suchet’s performance, is superb.

Glee Season 2

With all the hype surrounding it’s first season’s success, there was bound to be some critical (and fan) backlash as the singing students from William McKinley High School battle back from losing the Regionals at the end of Season 1. Well, don’t believe the hype because Season 2 is better than you expect. Much better. The music is more diverse throughout the season, but the way they dedicate single episodes to the music of Britney Spears or The Rocky Horror Picture Show is inspired. The Glee Music Juke Box extra on the Blu-ray lets you enjoy all the songs and videos on their own, but why would you when you can watch the them while waiting for the awesome Sue Sylvester (Emmy Award winner Jane Lynch) to walk on camera and steal the scene.

Brand New Day

When the budding romance for a local girl (Jessica Mauboy) starts making him have conflicting feelings about his calling for the priesthood, a young Aborigine named Willie (Rocky McKenzie) decides to head home to see if there’s more to life than religion. It may sound like a dry and serious subject, but under the delightful direction of Rachel Perkins this high- energy musical (that’s right, musical) is an absolute delight. The songs are catchy as hell — don’t be surprised if you find yourself singing ‘Nothing I Would Rather be (Than an Aborigine)’ for days after you see it — and the dancing is energetic and well filmed. The two leads give good performances, but it is Geoffrey Rush’s work as the priest who wants the boy to come back into the fold that steals the show.