features

Woody Allen

USA | 2004 | 99mins | 35mm | Colour

Set in Allen's heartland of Manhattan, this ensemble piece drives into the heartland of his obsessions such as the frailty of love and the difficulty of relations. Its complex structure and seriousness mean that Melinda And Melinda is closest in Allen's canon to Crimes And Misdemeanors and Hannah And Her Sisters.

Playwrights Max and Sy argue that the same story can be either be drama or comedy, depending on how it is told. Max's tragic tale unfolds on the screen: a distraught woman named Melinda arrives unexpectedly at a dinner given by her old friend, Laurel. As the story gets under way, Sy cuts in with his comic version, in which Melinda is the neighbour of Hobie and his thrusting filmmaker wife Susan. The film cuts continuously between the two versions of the tale, which turn out to have distinctive parallels. Needless to say, one of the film's life lessons is that tragedy often leaks into comedy, and vice versa.

Woody Allen achieves a heartening return to form with his most idiosyncratic and substantial film in some time- Screen Daily

Danny Boyle

England, USA | 2004 | 97mins | 35mm | Colour

Two children stumble across a sack of stolen cash. They take the bag home and decide to hide it from their dad until they can figure out what to do with it. Damian has a wide-eyed innocence about life. He tries to persuade his more worldly and skeptical older brother, Anthony, that they should donate the money to the poor. Hilarious episodes ensue as Damian tries to give the money away without anyone noticing, until circumstances conspire to reveal the windfall. Complicating their plan is the looming spectre of Euro Day, when the conversion from the pound to euro will render all their banknotes useless.

Described as a cross between Trainspotting and Amelie, Millions is a beautifully crafted comic fantasy, providing a magical entry into the world of childhood. Boyle brings a vivid energy and heartfelt attitude to the narrative. Shot in a modern style, kinetic and creative when needed, unobtrusive and unadorned when dealing with the emotional moments that punctuate the story. The two young lead actors are pitch-perfect, while James Nesbitt plays their melancholic dad with a master's touch.

Allan Mindel

USA | 2003 | 96mins | 35mm | Colour

Albert Burroughs, a mentally disabled young adult, lives a quiet life in the gritty grey cold of an unassuming, chilly Milwaukee suburb. His selfish over-protective mother is uncomfortable with his increasing independence and especially his job in a small shop. But Albert earns most of his living as a gifted ice fisherman in tournaments that dot the Northern Midwest of America.

When street-smart Tuey rolls into town with her hypochondriac 16-year-old brother Stan in tow, she thinks Albert might be worth shaking down for the money she needs to kickstart her life. Then a slimy travelling salesman arrives and starts to unearth past secrets to win Albert onto his side. But these and other swindlers vastly underestimate their prey.

Allan Mindel's directorial debut is a smart, stylish modern noir, and has a plot loaded with twists and surprises. This combined with the admirably lustrous and slick cinematography by Bernd Heinl bear the tender fingerprints of a director and crew who understood the unique and quiet tale they were creating.