Top 10 Films
The Age
Saturday February 12, 2011
1 SWING TIME (103 minutes) GIF THE expression "pure cinema" means anything, it applies to Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers flying across the screen in this 1936 musical, one of their very best. Astaire plays a gambler living on his wits in New York, where Rogers works as a dance instructor; songs include A Fine Romance and The Way You Look Tonight.Astor Theatre, tomorrow, 2pm.Double feature with Top Hat (1935) at 7pm.2 ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (165 minutes) MMADE in 1968, the grandest and possibly the greatest of Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns stars Charles Bronson as a drifter with a harmonica, Claudia Cardinale as a floozy with a shotgun, Jason Robards as a bandit with a conscience, and Henry Fonda as a killer with a cold, cold heart.Astor Theatre, tomorrow, 7pm.3 FIVE EASY PIECES (98 minutes) MJACK Nicholson gave one of his most iconic performances, and one of his subtlest, in Bob Rafelson's 1970 character study, in which a sneering, discontented former concert pianist quits his job on an oil rig and heads home to visit his wealthy family with his naive girlfriend (Karen Black) in tow.ACMI, today, 7pm and tomorrow, 5.30pm.4 GHOSTBUSTERS (108 minutes) PGA HUGE hit in its day, Ivan Reitman's 1984 supernatural comedy about a group of scientists who go into the exorcism trade is still fun for all ages: kids can enjoy the mild scares and gross-outs while their parents appreciate the deadpan comedy of Bill Murray, ideally paired with Sigourney Weaver. Digitally projected.Rooftop Cinema, today, 9pm.5 HEREAFTER (129 minutes) MDIRECTOR Clint Eastwood ventures into M. Night Shyamalan territory in this odd, melancholic melodrama, which follows the lonely paths of several characters exercised by the possibility of life after death: a reluctant San Francisco psychic (Matt Damon), a French journalist (Cecile de France), and a pair of small boys in London (Frankie and George McLaren).General.6 FASTER (98 minutes) MAGEORGE Tillman jnr's eccentric, arty B-grade action movie doubles as an allegory of redemption, though the line between good and evil is deliberately blurred. Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson plays an ex-con who sets out on a methodical quest for revenge, while a scruffy cop (Billy Bob Thornton) and an ice-cold killer (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) try to stop him in his tracks.General.7 TRUE GRIT (110 minutes) MJOEL and Ethan Coen are up to their usual metaphysical tricks in this adaptation of Charles Portis's western novel, filmed with John Wayne in 1969. Newcomer Hailee Steinfeld plays a teenage girl who hires a bounty hunter (Jeff Bridges) to find her father's killer; Matt Damon is very funny as a Texas Ranger who joins them on the trail. General.8 HOW DO YOU KNOW(121 minutes) MREESE Witherspoon plays an unwillingly retired athlete torn between two very different suitors a fun-loving baseball player (Owen Wilson) and an unlucky businessman (Paul Rudd) in this beautifully staged romantic comedy. Writer-director James L. Brooks has lost none of his flair for neurotic dialogue, and all three leads are at their very best. General.9 ANOTHER YEAR (129 minutes) MMOVING through the seasons, the latest superbly acted slice of life from the great Mike Leigh covers a year in the life of a happily married couple (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen) and their less contented friends. As ever, Leigh finds abundant comedy and pathos in the most mundane rituals of social behaviour. Selected.10 THE FIGHTER (116 minutes) MAIN HIS long-awaited comeback, director David O. Russell (I Heart Huckabees) puts a manic, eccentric spin on the true story of Massachusetts boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) who sets out to become world lightweight champion with help from his hot-headed elder brother (Christian Bale), domineering mother (Melissa Leo) and feisty girlfriend (Amy Adams). General.Quote of the week"People scare better when they're dyin'."Frank (Henry Fonda) sums up the art of intimidation in Once Upon a Time in the West.
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