First off, to review a film you hate is easy, you bemoan the actors, directing, cinematography and story then add your ideas for what would have made the film better. However, reviewing a film which, as this film did, totally blows you away, is a more difficult proposition altogether. Fish Tank is the best film of 2009! There...said it end of review? Well, no! I need to say why, don't I? Stay subjective and write from a neutral perspective. So then, what exactly makes this film so good... [more]

Across the festival circuit, critics have been toasting the work of director Hirokazu Koreeda. Probably best known in the west for the film Afterlife, his work generally takes on contemporary emotional and moral issues in an often slow but reassuring way. The premise for his latest film, Kuki Ningyo (Air Doll) is promising. Tokyo table waiter Hideo (Itao Itsuji) lives a fairly dull existence, which is brightened only by intimate exchanges with his partner Nozomi, (Bae Doo-Na). The doting Hideo dresses her, buys her outfits, and takes her out for visits to the park. One issue here however is that Nozomi is a full size blow up doll... [more]