THE OTHERS [2001]

Tesis director Alejandro Amenábar's English language debut, The Others, is a good old fashioned Gothic ghost story.
Nicole Kidman plays a troubled mother of two ill children who live in a big ol' isolated house which plays host to a series of supernatural events.  Kidman is at her best when she's playing slightly mad people and here she excels, with the help of some impressive child casting, the always mildly creepy Fionnula Flannagan and some truly creepy photography.  Instead of needing flashy FX or rapid edits, The Others slowly chills the bones with it's slow-burning reveals and quiet but really eerie atmosphere.  I love me a good ghost story and this one delivered the goods with full satisfaction.

4 foggy days out of 5

SONG OF THE SEA [2014]

Inspired the Celtic Selkie legend, director Tomm Moore's second classically animated feature length, Song Of The Sea proves that Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon is a quality force to be recognized.
This quiet, yet vibrantly beautiful designed film, tells the tale of a young mute girl who transforms into a seal when she enters the sea, while living with a family in mourning of her mother.  Unlike most character & plot driven animated films of today, this one allows it's emotions and subtle poetic depths tell the story and it makes for a deeply powerful experience.  It's a great deal darker than Moore's previous film, The Secret of Kells but it's far more superior in storytelling fluency, instantly lovable characters and memorable visuals.  A real gem of a film that will leave even the strongest of folk with a bit of something in their eye by the end.

5 trick or treaters out of 5

THE GUARD [2011]

Written & directed by John Michael McDonagh (brother of Martin), The Guard is a hilarious crime caper from Ireland.  Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle do a fine job with the buddy-cop formula without ever feeling too forced or unrealistic, while McDonagh feeds them some snappy, yet quiet dialogue and beautifully frames them in front of the gloomy Irish coast or a run down village pub.  What could have been a loud, over-the-top violent Tarantino rip-off, instead delights with a scaled down character-driven story and a fantastic spaghetti western-esque score courtesy of Calexico. 

A great tiny little film that tries to be nothing more than just that.

3½ crotch surprises out of 5