The End
2005 | Tim Clayton & Rob Crowther | download
A very brief film with a slightly silly, slightly amusing idea at its core. It doesn’t outstay its welcome, but it does lose something in that you can see the end coming almost from the start. Currently available for free at LOVEFiLM.
Bus Stop
2004 | Matt Abbiss | download
An animated, somewhat bizarre short about two people waiting at a bus stop. Done in a very simple style with sparse sound, but it’s competently executed and often effective. It has some amusing moments. Not bad, but mainly for people who like this kind of thing anyway. Currently available for free at LOVEFiLM.
Park
2005 | Andy Pearson | download
“Some humans in a park act like dogs” is essentially the premise of this film. It’s a decent enough concept for a short really, and is well executed with some nice little moments. Prettily shot in the autumn, too. Currently available for free at LOVEFiLM.
Nine 1/2 Minutes
2002 | Josh Appignanesi & Misha Manson-Smith | download
David Tennant (yes, David Tennant!) and Zoe Telford (she’s been in a variety of TV stuff) star in this comedic short about two people on an uncomfortable blind date that lasts just about as long as you might suspect. Genuinely funny for the most part, and easily the most professionally executed of these four shorts, but it does have a somewhat confounding conclusion. Currently available for free at LOVEFiLM.
Comedians Walter Matthau and Michael Crawford (yes, Frank Spencer!) star alongside Barbra Streisand in this comedy musical directed by Gene Kelly (yes, the star of many a musical himself!) which flopped at the box office but did well at the Oscars, and has gained in popularity since.
Godard’s first and most famous film; part of the beginning of the nouvelle vague, a French movement defining a particular youth culture at the time. OK, loose history lesson over.
2007 #45
As expected, this film pales in comparison to the 
Slowly paced and beautifully photographed, this is about as far from Disney’s telling of the story (in 
Judi Dench puts in her fourth appearance in this list (far and away the most represented actor, I should think) in Charles Dance’s first film as writer and director.
I seem to recall reading that Secretary attempts to depict a realistic and sympathetic dominant/submissive relationship. Unfortunately this seems to come a bit unstuck with the feeling that the relationship is initially based in an emotionally (and physically) abusive act against a clearly vulnerable character, leaving the following events and mutually loving resolution tinged with a hint of something akin to Stockholm Syndrome, in my opinion.
To be fair to The King and I, I was a little sleepy through most of it, and, thanks to some slightly cheesy bits at the start, my mind was occasionally locked in a spoofing mode.
2007 #32
100Films.co.uk 