A great film, well acted and well plotted. OK, the budget isn't huge, but what really makes the difference for me is the fact it's what you don't see that works better than what you do. Younger film fans of gornography will be disappointed, but thank goodness we're moving on from splatter films towards filmaking which concentrates on acting, direction and atmosphere.
The majority of films borrow from others and there are nods here to several classic films throughout, but this does not undermine the inventiveness and originality of the film. The great pace and tension slack off slightly towards the end which is why I haven't awarded five stars but all in all this makes for a great night in.

A hauntingly brutal story where the currency of human obsession is exploited within an almost Shakespearean construction. The translation of the prose renders gorgeous, poetic passages that require second readings. Occasionally, my lack of understanding of the intricacies of Japanese society left me questioning motives of central characters, but this did not prevent me from thoroughly enjoying this fabulous, sumptuously distasteful, intriguing novel. Highly recommended. A Mishima convert!

Others have written at more length on the plot of the film, it's realisation of the game etc. so I'll keep this short. It's lazy. Poor plot, risable dialogue, limited character development or credibility. It's two dimensional and shallow. Visually there are some great set pieces, the sets are good but unimaginative but it's simply not enough for adults. In short, this could have been - and should have been - so much better. This is essentially a children's film - and whereas there's nothing wrong with that - it's just not for me.

Australia seem to be consistently getting it right with their recent forays into the thriller / horror genre. This is an intelligent film with well crafted acting and superb dialogue: the twists and turns of the plot draw you right in and any attempts to second guess the plot are thwarted. At the heart of the success of this film is the location: the underground storage unit facility, isolated and repetitive is the perfect foil for the tension generated and sustained throughout. Matthew Scully as 17yr old Jimmy handles a complex role skilfully and convincingly throughout. A great film which does not rely on explicit gore for thrills as much of the horror/thriller genre seems to these days, but unstead offers something significantly more substantial and satisfying. Highly recommended for fans of what I term 'social horror' - horror set in the world we live in where the thing we have to fear most is our neighbour. Brilliant.

I approached this film with high expectations: a good cast, a promised new twist on the serial killer genre. I was very disappointed. The storyline in itself had the potential to be satisfying with the expected convolutions - what ruined it for me was the main character. It is all well and good for a director to try and lead a film with the portrayal of a deliberately unsympathetic character who intentionally rubs the audience up the wrong way - however this is actually a demanding requirement of the actor, and the lead in this case, regardless of his reputation, was simply not up to it. The middle hour of this film deals in conversations between this unsympathetic character and his colleagues and psychiatrist; the actors are all trying to deliver 'serious' performances but have been poorly directed as they are all working on the same level: the promised gore is delivered in a series of unsustained flashbacks after an opening scene which promises much but is never bettered. My belief wasn't suspended, and frankly, I became bored and disinteredsted. An unintelligent, poorly acted, poorly scripted and pointless addition to what must now be the most supersaturated genre in film.

Most of these songs I have heard from leaked and pirated sources and I must admit that they had the edge in being rawer and more direct. However, please don't let that undermine the fact that this is a brilliant album. Whereas not consistent, there is real emotional depth and resonance here.

The problem with Courtney Love is that she polarises opinion and people are either going to love her or hate her, love this or hate this regardless. It amazes me that boys who weren't even born in 1994 hate Courtney Love because of their love of Nirvana. Whereas this album is not going to necessarily win her any new fans in our Gaga dominated era of plastic celebration and style over substance, Nobody's Daughter is definitely going to keep those who have followed and loved her career amply satisfied.

We don't get the stars anymore. We seem to have forgotten what music is all about as we bow to consumerism and commercialism. This is an honest album in dishonest times and for anyone unacquainted with her music, this is possibly a good representation of all that Hole / Courtney Love do - both the stunning and the mediocre - remembering that mediocre here still knocks current pop rock culture into a cocked hat. Here we have the original of the original, not some referential wannabee.

Courtney Love has claimed that `Beautiful', made famous by Christina Aguilera was written for her by Linda Perry. That makes sense. And if you can imagine what it might sound like, and the sense it actually makes both musically and lyrically, you have this album cracked.

The music itself is, for all its derivative nature, OK. It's that HORRIBLE SHRILL VOICE which I just can't take to. Sorry, I can't listen to this. Try Little Boots or Ladyhawke - or even Gaga instead or go back to the originals, DM, Yazoo etc.

After being disappointed with the nasty Patricia Wells 'Bistro' and 'Paris' at last here's a cook book which delivers exactly what you want on a day to day basis - simple recipes that work! Revolutionary? Well yes, actually. I am so sick and tired of recipes which require you travel all over the country for obscure ingredients, Nigella; or tell me that I can only cook an egg properly with a golden spoon, Delia.
A good cookery book needs recipes which follow this equation.
SUPERMARKET - POT - TABLE.
Simple.
End of.
LOL!

My introduction to Patricia Wells came through 'Trattoria' - one of my favourite cook books of all time. The recipes in that book are simple, use few, accessible ingredients and are recipes that actually work. I thought this was Wells' 'style' - simplicity of ingredient, approach and method so, unfortunately, I was disappointed with 'Paris'. The food is too complicated, her prose a little patronising and lengthy. There is very little in this book that appeals as to me the food is complicated and, dare I say it, too expensive. The robustness and wholesomeness, the simplicity and the fun of cookery apparent in 'Trattoria' - which incidentally I highly recommend - are not here.

Once again, I am compelled to write a review of a horror film. Until recently I thought the horror genre was dying, if not dead, despite clutching at occasional offerings such as `Mum and Dad' and `Eden Lake' both of which offered hope and a possible new direction in the horror genre. Whilst not necessarily a fan of torture porn, I think it is here to stay and at first, I thought `Martyrs' promised little more than misogynistic uberviolence.
But it's not. The plot leads you by a clammy hand through twists and turns, and whereas the mental illness angle was relatively easy to second guess, the second half of this genre jumping film was completely unpredictable. This is vicious, viscous, cerebral horror, horror to make you think, horror which really does leave mental scars. You might not want to, but you must make yourself watch this film to the end. Even now, I'm still struggling to come to terms with the basic philosophical thoughts which underpin this work and the absolute realism and attention to detail which informs the viewer throughout. Sitting through the second half, I wondered if this film was a step too far, considered that there ought to be tighter censorship laws governing these violent and sickening representations: the fact that the denouement made me, transiently, consider that the process I had witnessed justified the end result, worries me. This is a film about the unspeakable and the ultimate justification of the unspeakable and your own, eventual, compliance with the unspeakable.
I have deliberately not given any of the plot away, because on one level a good plot serves primarily to communicate ideas and move us towards them, and this film is a film of ideas, ideas so old they could be said to underpin the fabric of our society. If you are a horror aficionado, if you want to have your boundaries stretched, if you feel you have become complacent in your attitude towards a genre you thought was failing, then this is the film for you. This is a film that returns horror to its rightful place, on the top shelf, restricted. This is no fifteen certificate, this is horror grown up. Horror was never meant for social gatherings, shared bon hommie, popcorn in packed cinemas. DVD is the perfect format: we shouldn't want to share the darker sides of ourselves in public, lest we reveal ourselves to be actually enjoying something forbidden. This is certainly not a film for everyone, and I praise Pascal Laugier for that: uncompromisingly adults only - and so much the better for it, this isn't a film where any concessions have been made to taste or decency. This is European horror, deeper than society or sorority. This is streets ahead of the commercialised big budget American market where profit margins dilute content and result in `MTV Horror'. Horror isn't werewolves or vampires; horror is humanity, it's history, it's us. This is New Horror which takes us to the places we recognise in our neighbour, Josef Fritzl. An outstanding, marvellously sickening and deep contribution to my collection which leaves recent cause célèbres floundering in the shallows.