Media Reviews

In multicultural Los Angeles, the lives of several characters clash in a mix of tension, fear, violence and prejudice. The twists and turns of the plot show that racism takes many forms and that few of us can claim to be immune.

A disturbing view of what can happen when people use racial stereotypes to judge others. However, there are some contradictions, showing that human nature can sometimes rise above prejudice, and this saves the film from bleakness.

An emotional rollercoaster! The best film I’ve seen in a long, long time. 

Hassan is Amir’s family servant and they are good friends, but Amir is also jealous of Hassan because he thinks his own father admires Hassan more than him. When Amir witnesses an attack on Hassan, he hides and doesn’t help him, then is so overcome by guilt and shame that he frames Hassan for theft, forcing him to leave. 

Years later, Amir has now escaped from Afghanistan and has a new life in America – but he still thinks often of his betrayal of his old friend. When he hears that Hassan’s son needs help he is determined not to let Hassan down again. 

An eye-opening look at Afghanistan both before and after the Soviet invasion. Also a real tear-jerker which, despite the brutality it describes, manages to be life-affirming and positive. 

Childhood friends, Karl and Harry, form a successful magic act, but they fall out when a stage trick goes horribly wrong. Years later, they try to team up again to enter a magic competition, but find there are still lots of unresolved issues. 

A rather cheesy comedy, but quite enjoyable. 

This is a twist on the usual story of Anne Boleyn’s fateful marriage to Henry VIII. There is historical evidence that Anne Boleyn’s sister Mary was Henry’s mistress before Anne, and some even think that Mary’s son was also Henry’s. This film portrays what may have gone on behind closed doors during this dramatic historical period.

Not just a bodice-ripper – the film manages to give a chilling impression of what life must have been like in the court of Henry VII when gossip, intrigue, ambition and politics were a matter of life and death.  

Based on Philippa Gregory’s novel of the same name.