TEACHERS - SERIES 1

UK: Various Directors, 2001 (Created by Tim Loane)

Fun and whimsical UK comedy-drama with some well observed performances.

Score: 8/10

TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME ***½

France/USA: David Lynch, 1992

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INFERNAL AFFAIRS ****

Original Title: Mou gaan dou
Hong Kong: Wai Keung Lau and Siu Fai Mak, 2002

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A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE ****

Germany/USA: David Cronenberg, 2005

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(*) BLUE VELVET ****

USA: David Lynch, 1986

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THE DEPARTED ***½

USA/Hong Kong: Martin Scorsese, 2006

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(*) HANNIBAL *****

UK/USA: Ridley Scott, 2001

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(*) THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS *****

USA: Jonathan Demme, 1991

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HOW TO LOSE A GUY IN 10 DAYS **

USA/Germany: Donald Petrie, 2003

Being left in a room with nothing but your girlfriend's DVD collection can do weird things to you. This 'battle-of-the-sexes' rom-com is certainly not my typical night's viewing, however, much like the curiosity that teenage girl magazines evoked in me during my puberty I couldn't resist taking a peek. Actually, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days was far better than I was expecting and at the end of a long day, I did find myself in the right frame of mind to giggling along with the easy, unchallenging humour.

As far as the story goes it is pretty familiar stuff with two supposedly ambitious and calculating young professionals courting each other in the name of a bet, only to realise by the end that in fact they have fallen in love for real. Okay so the film is rather superficial and lacks any real emotional pull (the tissues were left untouched on the bedside table) but in Matthew McConaughey and especially Kate Hudson it does feature two likeable leads. Indeed, Kate Hudson in particular impressed me by her comedic assurance (no doubt picked up from parents Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn) and her disarmingly natural on screen presence. For those who haven't yet seen it I would strongly recommend watching Hudson's engaging performance in effective chiller The Skeleton Key.

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THE DARK *½

Germany/UK: John Fawcett, 2005

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(*) SHALLOW HAL ***

USA/Germany: Bobby and Peter Farrelly, 2001

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