Inception
Director: Christopher Nolan
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page
Certificate: 12
Out now on DVD
Rating: *****
Ah, Inception. Where do I begin? Christopher Nolan, well known for directing masterpieces Batman Begins and The Dark Knight, has done it again and brought us something so unimaginably amazing, it is hard to describe. Leonardo DiCaprio stars as Cobb, a man who leads a team into other people’s dreams, looking for one thing: secrets. They are the extractors. But they are then given the task of planting an idea in someone else’s mind.
This film is a mind-bending experience that brings out Nolan’s amazing directing skills. There are fabulous performances from Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Tom Hardy, both of whom are to star in Nolan’s forthcoming The Dark Knight Rises.
Whether you understand it or not, there is no denying the complexity of the film, and how brilliant it is. This will forever be top of my DVD collection.
Inception will expand your mind to lengths unknown. Every morning, I wake up and I kick myself because I didn’t watch this in the cinema. Whether you like Nolan or not, watch it. Just watch it.
Robbie Jones, 13, Beechwood School, Slough
Filmclub, an educational charity supported by Lovefilm, sets up school film clubs where children meet to watch, discuss and review films. Each week members of Filmclub will review everything from new releases to classic and world cinema. To find out more and to join, see: www.filmclub. orgregister or call 0207 288 4520. To take part in a survey on the benefits of film in education, go to www.21stcenturyliteracy.org.ukthe_evidence.php
The Third man
Director: Carol Reed
Starring: Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli, Orson Welles
Certificate: PG
Out now on DVD
Rating: 2 OUT OF 5
The Third Man follows the main character’s past and his happy moments with his pal Harry Lime, who has now become a trickster and a drug dealer. The main character Holly Martins (no, not a girl) arrives only to find Harry supposedly dead, with his girlfriend Anna Schmidt looking rather forlorn.
Holly, a natural charmer, attempts to console her and begins his investigation of the not-so-interesting “third man” who helped to drag Harry’s body across the road. He finds holes in the various accounts and finds that Calloway, the police chief, doesn’t really care.
The film may sound rubbish, but it has a lot of symbolism and a fairly good plot. It allows you to make your own judgments on Harry, until the overblown ending that is where the plot is left open - and the ending resembles the beginning.
Although this film was not for me, I liked its soundtrack. For those who love mystery and decoding symbolism, this is a must-see.
Rajesh Jethwa, 15, Nicholas Breakspear Catholic School, St Albans
Grave of the fireflies
Director: Isao Takahata
Starring: J Robert Spencer, Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi
Certificate: 12
Out now on DVD
Rating: 4 OUT OF 5
I have never focused my eyes on such a sad and distressing film. Set in China, the story follows two siblings who go on an adventure during the Second World War to become healthy and fit enough to go and get themselves a good life.
The film shows that there were more things to worry about in the war, apart from bombings or even the death of loved ones. It reminds me of Carrie’s War. They have the same message: to be free and not have all the hatred in the world.
Grave of the Fireflies is a good animation, although it may not be popular because it is so sad. The effects are amazing and really make the film what it is. For me the best bits were the sad bits, although I’m not sure why.
It doesn’t matter what age you are, this film is mind-blowingly brilliant. It will blow you out of your seat, down the hall, and out the front door.
Eve Coleman, 12, Bishop Challoner Catholic College, Birmingham
Good hair
Director: Jeff Stilson
Starring: Tanya Crumel, Marvet Britto, Sandra “Pepa” Denton
Certificate: 12
Out now on DVD
Rating: 5 OUT OF 5
For a 17-year-old girl who is steadily making her way though the stages of African Caribbean hair processing, this movie taught me a lot of things I didn’t know, as well as expanding on the things that I did.
Seeing stars of black cinema speak so openly about their hair and the pain of the perm, and just accepting their hair as it is, made me feel some unity with these people, who have no idea that I exist.
Although some of the terms might make Good Hair not suitable for just anybody to watch, for me it made the whole experience of learning about the ins and outs of black hair all the more enjoyable. I loved it.
PS. One day, I will go to the hair show that is featured in the film.
Shaquilla Johnson, 17, St Augustine’s CofE High School, Kilburn, north west London.
