[rating=5]
US: 106 min • Columbia Tristar • DVD

Truly magnificient femme fatale cinema, a film noir set in a world where the dark meets the light.

Gilda is considered to be one of the all time great femme fatales; displaying all the sexual power, allure and danger characteristic of those who wear the mantle, but what sets her apart from her predecessors is that Gilda doesn’t remain the enigmatic, almost supernatural, archetype.

[rating=5]
UK: 90 min • BandStock.com • Heaven, London

The maestro Patrick Wolf delivers an electric performance.

Patrick Wolf has all the charisma of the great ‘70s glam rock stars with the sensibility of a troubadour, and like all troubadours he has a tale or two to tell.

[rating=5]
US: 94 min • Miramax • DVD

The classic tale of boy meets girl set against the cut-throat world of ballroom dancing. It’s Baz Luhrmann untainted.

Everything about Strictly Ballroom is vibrant; the strong lighting and use of extreme close-ups, the mix of traditional and modern music, the heart pounding choreography, the vivid colours of the sets and costumes, and the energy of characters themselves, whooften flirt with caricature but are never so outlandish that they become unbelievable.

[rating=3]
US: 94 min • TLA Releasing • DVD

Teen angst, self-discovery and homosexuality with a love of Stevie Nicks thrown in.

Even though at times the film gets rather clumsy, jumping from one encounter to the next with often predictable results, it is an engaging film due to some very good performances from the central and supporting cast.

[rating=5] (ironically scattered stars)
US: 152 min • TLA Releasing • DVD (2 Disc)

If Sunset Beach was over-run with sex-crazed ineffectual vampires with a penchant for same sex proclivities, you would have The Lair. What’s not to like?

It’s a ‘Class A’ Guilty Pleasure which is incredibly addictive and has scene after scene of ‘wtf?’ moments such as the Sheriff’s reaction to the discovery of yet another dead body in the ongoing murder case. His deadpan assessment of the situation is, “We got a young John Doe. Naked… Dead… Makes a good looking corpse”.

[rating=4]
UK: 135 min • Really Useful Group • Adelphi Theatre, London

Gareth Gates is a revelation in this production of Joseph.

What can be said of Gareth Gates is that if he’s given half the chance, he could not only keep the show afloat, but he could breathe fresh life into the production and take it to new uncharted heights.

[rating=4]
US: 88 min • TLA Releasing • DVD

A coming of age film that is well-scripted and dodges sentimentality.

Dorian Blues has won to date fourteen Film Festival Awards, and deservedly so. It is a beautifully scripted and shot movie. Every beat of the dialogue rings with a truth, which often leads the story and characters in a direction that other directors wouldn’t have the courage to go..

[rating=4]
SP: 93 min • TLA Releasing • DVD

A refeshing comedy that owes a debt to Almodovar whilst remaining very much its own thing.

Chuecatown is populated with some of Spain’s finest actors, whose performances enhance an already rich script of feisty one liners and laugh-out-loud “I can’t believe they just said that” moments.

[rating=4]
US: 113 min • Universal • DVD

With a screenplay by Gore Vidal, adapted from the Tennesee Williams camp-a-thon The Milk Train Doesn’t Stop Here Anymore, Boom! has all the hallmarks of a cult classic.

Often extremely funny (sometimes unintentionally so), but always entertaining and at times quite moving, Boom isn’t a classic in spite of it’s disparate elements – it’s disparate elements are what makes it special.

[rating=5]
Released on November 28th, 2008

Take That’s latest album is so assorted that it can feel a little all-over-the-place. It needs time and attention to cohere into a whole.

It will only be with familiarity and time that this album will sound like a coherent entity, but since the songs are so strong and enjoyable I suspect it will be worth the wait.