Closer

Close to truth

Closer

Julia Roberts, Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Clive Owen

Rating: 3

– LT Simone Heyer

Sex sells, it breaks people up and brings them together.

It can be raw, shallow and cruel. Closer draws all these elements together and through four great characters weaves a sordid tale of love, betrayal and revenge.

Dan (Law) meets Alice (Portman) after she is hit by a cab – they fall in love.

A year later Dan meets Anna (Roberts) and stalks her till she falls in love with him.

Dan tricks a man in an internet chat room into meeting Anna – they fall in love.

Dan and Alice should be happy together.

Anna and Larry (Owen) should be happy together.

Over the next four years they play dangerous games with each other, pushing the limits of their relationships.

Apparently this movie takes an accurate look at relationships today.

The characters move brilliantly between being seduced and seducing, manipulating and being betrayed. Closer is by no means a chick flick.

It’s a dark, interesting, sometimes humorous, look at what people do on a whim and how it effects their partner.

While it’s an excellently-acted film – it’s not a movie you’d recommend to your Mum.

Vivid: Colours is a major drawmark of this movie

House of Flying Daggers

Zhang Ziyi, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro.

Rating: 3

– PTE John Wellfare

Intense colour and stunning visuals help make up for a meandering and predictable storyline in this Chinese action adventure from the director of Hero.

Set in China during the twilight years of the Tang Dynasty, the movie follows guard, Jin (Kaneshiro), as he tries to infiltrate the rebel army known as the House of Flying Daggers by gaining the trust of one of its members, Mei (Ziyi).

Don’t worry too much about the story or the occasionally redundant dialogue, director Zhang Yimou’s use of colour, movement and sound are the real drawcards.

The action sequences are characteristically over the top in a way that wouldn’t be forgiven in a western film but suit this genre perfectly.

Add some fast-paced camerawork and beautiful Chinese landscapes, and catching House of Flying Daggers on the big screen is a must.