The lovely people at Toga Hospitality had offered D tickets to watch movies of our choice at the German film Festival that ended in Sydney a couple of weeks back. We had chosen Sommersturm (German for Summer Storm). This has been screened in Sydney on many occasions during the Mardi Gras Film Festivals and by popular demands seems to come back over and over. Its one of those feel good movies that leave you wanting more and is at the same time very realistic.

Tobi played by Robert Stadlober was among the audience and gave a short speech about the movie and also answered questions from the audience at the end of the movie. Seemed like quite a sorted down-to-earth person.

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Have you ever watched a movie you really wanted to thinking it would be good or had the possibilities or potential to be a showstopper but… it kinda never happened. Well in a nut shell thats what Duplicity is. Sounds pathetic huh? Well, wait tell you watch it. I’d say save you dosh and time to watch paint dry instead.

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We watched Easy Virtue at the St George Open Air Cinema last night. Certainly privileged to go a second time this year. You couldn’t ask for a better backdrop than to have the Opera House and the Sydney Harbour bridge in the one frame with the shimmering vermillion skyline to the left that slowly settles in to the dusk.

Easy Virtue is a social comedy that plays on the snobberies of the English aristocracy and disbelief of all things American. Its based on Noël Peirce Cowards comedy and directed by Stephen Elliot — who also directed “The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert“. The main characters were played by: Jessica Biel, Colin Firth, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ben Barnes.

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D & I were fortunate enough to be invited to the preview screening of “I’ve Loved You So Long” on Tuesday at Cremorne Orpheum. Even though I had done a little research about the movie prior to the evenings preview I was quite blown away by the cinematography, storyline and the strong characters in the movie. Its rewarding watching movies that have oomph and substance intermingled with good cinematography and down-to-earth realism. This isn’t to say I dislike the airy light headed genre but something realistic always has that much more to soak up!

Gaurdian has one fine review of it and I so agree to the fact that Kristin Scott Thomas fits the character of Juliette immaculately! I’d recommend watching I’ve Loved You So Long highly. But yeah its for those with some level of emotional intelligence, not all and sundry.

While this is the famous Lacemakers town in Belgium and often called the Venice of the North — Brugge is where we were very much planning to visit while in Paris earlier this year. But alas if only there was enough time… Apart from being all that Brugge, or In Brugges is also a recent film written and directed by Martin McDonagh starring: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson and Ralph Fiennes as the 3 main characters. Its a story of the likes of hit men and their daily tribulations when chores go wrong in a perfectly imperfect world. And when the jury is out on a job not done well, there is just one reply — one must mitigate and silence the past at any cost. There is no telling how ones life is going to end if they live by the gun… and In Bruges portrays that transient state of constant shuffle and disturbia and unsettled behaviour extremely well. The film keeps you on the edge of your seat constantly, with some emotions, limited humour, nihilism, a strong sense of amorality and plenty cocaine-talk. Fairly engaging but at times a bit dialogue heavy and with an overtone of xenophobia, In Bruges is one such journey where you get to see the very gritty side of life hit men often have but are not nearly exposed this openly.

The film bokeh in the movie scenes are to die for, especially those around the Gothic Bell tower. The cinematography is great and very real but its not without its share of follies too. Among the great scenes my picks are:

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