Kakera: A Piece of Our Life

This quirky love story excels thanks to great characters and a focused narrative and direction. Urban Tokyo is shot through a loving lens and the non-judgmental tone allows for full audience interaction. The great soundtrack by James Iha and the inspired mise-en-scene add to a wonderful film. 

The Man From Nowhere

Yet another Korean action/thriller that makes Hollywood look completely amateurish in every respect. For all it lacks in originality it makes up for by being such a well made film, with strong characters and an emotional, thrilling story arc. Essential for any fan of Korean cinema.

Wrecked

Adrien Brody stars in yet another completely overlooked but quite ace high-concept thriller, and again adds weight to the overall film with a great performance. It's slightly too long, but still better than most recent Hollywood fare, plus it'd make a great double bill with Essential Killing.

Limitless

A masterclass in style over substance, with ADHD editing destroying any connection to character or situation, and yet for all the cool visuals it still can't find a new way to film conversation other than shot/reverse-shot. It's not bad, just... empty, lifeless. A shame really.

Juventude Em Marcha

A stunning study of composition, Costa allows the camera to linger, morphing the every-day into something quite surreal. Fractured dialogue and absence of narrative add to the ethereal feel, but the colossal running length and slug-like pace will frustrate many. Highly recommended for art-house enthusiasts.