Your Sister's Sister (US, 2011)

A fairly ordinary romantic/situation comedy, verging slightly towards the flat and formulaic. The film is neither great nor awful, male lead Mark Duplass (director of Jeff Who Lives at Home) impresses more than the rest.

Judging from the chat outside afterwards, it clearly went down well with a group of young students though. Might be an "age thing"...

Dark Horse (US, 2011)

I've long been a Todd Solondz fan, since seeing Storytelling in QFT on my first visit to Belfast in 2001, following a never-to-be-surpassed 6 weeks inter-railing around central Europe. In particular his daring black humour, and the fact I can frequently relate to the sometimes pathetic, edgy, marginalised misfits, misfortunates and minorites who populate his freaky shows.

Selma Blair reprises her role as Vi from the hilarious Storytelling 10 years later as an anomic, heavily medicated, still aspiring writer living at home with her folks. After a brief meeting with loser Richard, Vi/Miranda casually accepts an out-of-the-blue proposal of marriage. Their relationship becomes complicated through illness and accident, while Richard must negotiate difficulties at his job in his father's company. Christopher Walken plays a not very Walken-esque Richard's father, Mia Farrow's in there too, and Donna Murphy as Marie pretty much steals the show towards the end.

Unfortunately managed to miss this during last month's Belfast Film Festival. 'Misanthropic' is frequently used to describe Solondz's work, I would tend to view it more as articulate, dark humour. Dark Horse may not be Solondz's best film, but it's a good one and retains his trademark qualities.

Notes on a Scandal (UK, 2006)

I obtained Zoe Heller's novel from the wonderful Bookfinders of Belfast shortly after moving here in 2009. The shop is one of many gems peculiar to the city, and all too rare nowadays - a dusty, dark place where the charming owner serves coffee and plays old classical records, which in Dublin would've been converted into "apartments" long ago.

I eventually brought it with me on a pointless "must use leave up by a certain date" Winter trip to Stockholm, and was soon engaged with a morbidly absorbing, propulsive page turner, which treats a difficult topic 'factually' but sensitively. I'm not a great reader, but this is well up there among the best I have read

The Amazing Spider-Man (US, 2012)

It's far-fetched, sure, but a decent enough and entertaining movie. The first Spiderman I've ever seen and my first movie in 3D as well; some of the FX were really, really good.

The Killing Fields (1984)

Much lauded and highly successful factual drama about American journalist Sydney Schanberg and his Cambodian interpreter, Dith Pran. Eventually, all westerners flee while Pran must face the ministrations of the incoming Khmer Rouge regime. Schanberg does his utmost to reunite Dith and his estranged family (now in America), but will he succeed?

None of the Cambodian dialogue is subtitled. A glimpse of the wikipedia article on the film is recommended to get an idea of the historical background. It's a good film, but Apocalype Now mk II it is not.

Brute Force (1947)

An original take on the prison break drama, with a generally different tone and plan of action to similar movies, and noteworthy for its clearly anti-authoritarian stance. It's an earnest as always performance from a young Burt Lancaster (cf The Killers) and Ella Raines is truly gorgeous. Noir elements evident in some of the photography and just slightly uneven plot.

A Night to Remember (UK, 1958)

The original and best of the Titanic films and the major British ensemble production of the 50's.