Release Year: 2008

‘Nobody To Watch Over Me’ packs quality into every area, from the probing direction to a superb cast without a weak link among them.

‘One Piece: Episode of Chopper’ is a surprisingly respectful and entertaining reinterpretation of one of my favourite arcs.

I’d say if you love your action then you won’t be disappointed but I still can’t shake the feeling that if Tony hadn’t left the set half way through, things might have been even better.

Not to everyone’s tastes, could have been a little shorter and hardcore Yen fans may be let down by the lack of dynamic hand-to-hand combat but ‘Painted Skin’ is still a stylish slice of fantasy filmmaking.

‘Ponyo’ is yet another strong Hayao Miyazaki movie that is as uplifting and enthralling as ever.

Despite having no conclusion of its own, all of the groundwork of the characterisation and story make the next chapter an exciting prospect.

‘Romantic Island’ has a charm that makes it much more appealing than just a picture-postcard sent to lift the spirits would be.

‘Run Papa Run’ is a story we may have seen before with style that may initially be jarring, yet is ultimately delivered with aplomb.

This comedy succeeds because of its wit and characterisation, two attributes that go hand-in-hand in the better efforts of the genre.

‘Sparrow’ is the archetypal Curate’s Egg, a film that fuses together precious few moments of brilliance with a heavy dose of lethargy, rendering the finished article difficult to digest.

‘Still Walking’ is mature cinema, thoughtful and deceptively powerful, another significant contribution to world cinema by Hirokazu Koreeda.

‘Suspect X’ plays with the usual hero/villain dynamic before settling into a denouement that reveals the complexity the audience was hitherto unaware of.