ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies OVER THE past decade, Shane Meadows has matured into one of Britain’s best film makers. His films manage to reflect intensely personal experiences and yet speak universal truths. Crude vigilante drama ‘Dead Man’s Shoes’ (2004) may have divided critics and left audiences indifferent, but Meadows is right back on form […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies THE TIRED old cliches of the inspirational teacher/pupil relationship are refreshingly reinvented in ‘Half Nelson’. This is not the kind of formula fare like ‘Dangerous Minds’ or ‘Coach Carter’ that encourages you to cheer the triumph of the underdog. Instead, it offers a haunting snapshot of the unlikely friendship that […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies THE SPECTACULAR ‘Curse Of The Golden Flower’ (Man cheng jin dai huang jin jia) is the concluding film in director Zhang Yimou’s ‘wushu’ trilogy. Following on from ‘House Of Flying Daggers’ and ‘Hero’, it is a much darker and more oppressive film. It feels like a mixture of grand opera […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies POLITICIAN and media mogul Silvio Berlusconi casts a long shadow over the recent history of Italy. Nanni Moretti attempts to confront his influence and his legacy in the wide-ranging satire ‘The Caiman’, a huge European success just before Berlusconi’s fall from power a year ago. Typically, Moretti’s tale operates on […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies IF YOU THINK there is nothing left to add to the legacy of great films on the Second World War, then ‘Days Of Glory’ (12A) will make you think again. This is a film that can stand alongside Steven Spielberg’s ‘Saving Private Ryan’ (1998) or Sam Fuller’s ‘The Big Red […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies SCOTS ACTOR Gerard Butler seems to have been poised on the brink of great things for several years now. The title role in ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’ should have made him a star, but his bland performance was one of that film’s many disappointments. He finally achieves his potential […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies Edie Sedgwick was the superstar of Andy Warhol’s New York Factory in the 1960s. A poor little rich girl, she soared to fame on the wings of Warhol’s obsession with her, and crashed and burned when his obsession moved else where. She may have been the first victim of society’s […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies THEY SAY that charity begins at home. A flippant remark is the basis of a powerful, haunting story in ‘After The Wedding’, the latest film from Danish director Susanne Bier. Bier made ‘Open Hearts and Brothers’, both released in Britain, and this continues her fascination with the way ordinary, orderly […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies SCOTTISH ACTOR Martin Compston is in danger of becoming a major international star. Discovered by Ken Loach for ‘Sweet Sixteen’, he served a useful apprenticeship on ‘Monarch of The Glen’. He is constantly improving as an actor and a screen presence, giving a BAFTA-nominated performance in ‘True North’. Now, he […]

ALLAN HUNTER at the Movies THERE ARE always at least two sides to every story. That explains why Clint Eastwood was inspired to follow the acclaimed ‘Flags Of Our Fathers’ with the Oscar-nominated ‘Letters From Iwo Jima’. The first film dealt with the American view of that vital World War Two battle, the new film […]