Apollo 13 (1995) – ★★★½

Director: Ron Howard
Writers: Jim Lovell, Jeffrey Kluger (Book), William Broyles Jr, Al Reinert (Screenplay)
Stars: Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Ed Harris, Kathleen Quinlan

Apollo 13 is a thrilling film with solid performances, a nerve-wracking true story, and beautiful music and cinematography. The ending didn’t quite pull at my heartstrings, but the journey that these three men went on did. Their ordeal got to me, especially through Tom Hanks’ character. It’s overly long, but enjoyable.

Napoleon (1995) – ★★★★

Director: Mario Andreacchio
Writer: Mario Andreacchio, Michael Bourchier
Stars: Jamie Croft, Philip Quast, Geoffrey Batemen, Blythe Danner, Barry Humphries, Joan Rivers

I am shocked and saddened to see that Napoleon, an Australian classic, has faded almost into extinction. Nobody talks about it anymore, and scarcely anyone I know has seen it. I’ve loved this film ever since I was a little boy. It’s more than an adventure, it’s magical. It hit all the right notes in terms of humour and emotion. If you ever want to get a movie for your children, get Napoleon! It will be one they’ll never forget.

Ouran High School Host Club ‘Ôran kôkô hosutobu’ (2006) – ★★★

Written by: Bisco Hatori
Stars: Maaya Sakamoto, Mamoru Miyano, Masaya Matsukaze, Akaya Saito

I am torn between liking and hating this show. Maybe it was the ‘fake-incestuous’ twins, or the relationship between a ‘toddler-like-boy’ and a senior… something just didn’t sit right with me. It’s full of stupid stories and over-the-top characters. Popular opinion says that this is a great show, but I think it’s pretty average in comparison to other Shoujo anime series. With that being said, I enjoyed this show enough to watch it to the very end. It’s not good, and it’s not bad.

It’s about a girl named Haruhi (Maaya Sakamoto), who accidentally walks into a room full of handsome high school boys. They are the ‘Host Club,’ a group of boys who are in the business of escorting girls who want to be wooed and thrilled by their charm. The group is composed of: a very feminine leader, a boring manager, fake-incestuous twins, and another boring person (with his toddler-like companion named Honey). Basically, Haruhi becomes friends with them and you see all kinds of mischief they get up to.

First of all, there aren’t any likeable characters, save for Haruhi… not one. You never hear their thoughts (unless they’re joking), which makes it impossible to connect to the characters. The thing is, none of the characters have a particularly interesting story. They’re all either over-the-top and annoying, or too quiet.

The character that looked and acted like a toddler bothered me the most about this series. There is an implied romance story with this character that is just plain weird. This is a toddler for all intents and purposes, he’s there to look cute and represent a 3 to 6 year old boy. Even though he is ’17′ in the show, does that make his romance any less disturbing? Honey-Senpai is literally the most annoying anime character I’ve ever come across. He’s not cute, and the sound of his voice makes me cringe. I dreaded having to watch an episode that focused on him.

The incestuous brotherly love characters also made me feel a bit uncomfortable. It is as if someone made a fan-fiction of The Weasley Twins (Fred and George) from Harry Potter, with them being a couple. It’s like there’s no such thing as ‘Taboo’ in Japan. Crossing the line… what line? Nothing is off limits for their anime's. I guess that doesn't necessarily make it a bad show, it just wasn't executed in a way that made me care.

After seeing top quality anime recently, Host Club was above all, unimpressive. There was nothing new or exciting. If there was a hint of originality or heart put into the story-lines and characters then perhaps the show would have won me over. What saved it for me was its fantastic finale, which was thrilling and beautiful. Other than that, it was nothing special.

Laputa, Castle In the Sky (1986) - ★★★★½

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Stars: Anna Paquin, James Van Der Beek, Cloris Leachman

Laputa is the second film ever made by Studio Ghibli and is one of the most magical adventures they’ve ever created. It’s a beautiful animated film that pleases both adults and children. For a film made in 1986, the quality of animation throughout is extraordinary. While it isn’t flawless, it is still one of the very best creations from the masterful mind of Hayao Miyazaki.

Touch of Evil (1958) - ★★★★

Director: Orson Welles
Writers: Orson Welles (Screenplay), Whit Masterson (Novel 'Badge of Evil')
Stars: Charlton Heston, Janet Leigh, Orson Welles, Joseph Calleia, Akim Tamiroff, Marlene Dietrich

Touch of Evil is an incredible film. Everything about this film screams 'masterpiece.' It's an extremely gutsy film, considering it was made in 1958. Some of the themes included were: hard drugs, gangs, kidnapping, corruption, and murder. I think there were a few problems with the editing department, for at times it felt either sloppy or unfinished.

Paths of Glory (1957) - ★★★★★

Director: Stanley Kubrick
Writer: Stanley Kubrick, Calder Willingham, Jim Thompson (Screenplay). Humphrey Cobb (Novel)
Stars: Kirk Douglas, George Macready, Adolphe Menjou, Ralph Meeker, Timothy Carey

Up until this point, I have seen three perfect films. The first is Casablanca by Michael Curtiz. The second, High Noon by Fred Zinnemann. The third, Ikiru by Akira Kurosawa. I will now add Paths of Glory to this list. It's a pure masterpiece by arguably the greatest movie director of all time, Stanley Kubrick. The perfect acting, outstanding cinematography and great story made this a faultless and genius film.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012) - ★

Director: Christopher Nolan
Writer: Christopher Nolan
Stars: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, Tom Hardy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Gary Oldman, Marion Cotillard, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson

I was thoroughly unimpressed with this movie. It was boring, unoriginal, predictable, and a huge disappointment. I’m a fan of The Dark Knight mainly because of Heath Ledger’s performance as The Joker. Without him, The Dark Knight Rises was nothing but a stupid comic-book adaptation that took itself too seriously.

The Hunt (2013) - ★★★★½

*This was a speedy 5 minute review*

Director: Thomas Vinterberg
Writer: Tobias Lindholm
Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Thomas Bo Larsen, Annika Wedderkopp, Lasse Fogelstrom

A man wrongly accused of paedophilia suffers the fury of his own town.

People have an overwhelming desire to believe that children always tell the truth. Unfortunately, sometimes they lie. The Hunt is a thought provoking and effective film. It makes a point of showing how ridiculous people can be when they are worried for their children. It draws one to ponder what they would do in a similar situation.

From Here To Eternity (1953) - ★★★★

Director: Fred Zinnemann
Writers: Daniel Taradash (screenplay), James Jones (novel)
Stars: Montgomery Clift, Burt Lancaster, Deborah Kerr, Frank Sinatra, Donna Reed, Ernest Borgnine

Now this is an iconic movie! From Here To Eternity is a wonderful film and winner of Best Picture in 1953. The central themes to this movie from what I gathered was fear and love. It is full of masterful cinematography and brilliant acting, making it one of the most memorable films of all time.

Django Unchained (2012) - ★★★★½

Director: Quentin Tarantino

Writer: Quentin Tarantino

Stars: Jamie Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Samuel L. Jackson, Kerry Washington

I don't know how Tarantino does it, but the more films he makes, the more entertaining they get. Django Unchained is a brilliant film. It has a strange mix of western, classical and hip-hop music, which generally describes the film itself. Sometimes it feels like a spaghetti-western, sometimes it feels like an old classic, and amazingly it has some ghetto elements incorporated too. Somehow, it all worked so fantasticly well.