“Grave of the Fireflies” is one of the most distressing films ever made. It’s an anime film from Studio Ghibli and directed by Isao Takahata (“Pom Poko”) but is far darker than the vast majority of their other work such as “Kiki’s Delivery Service” and “My Neighbour Totoro”.

“Grave of the Fireflies” tells the story of an adorable little girl named Setsuko and her big brother called Seita. As the end of World War II draws near, these Japanese children have to fend for themselves after their home is bombed and the mother badly injured. Together, the two struggle for survival and food and other resources become scarce.

The characters in “Grave of the Fireflies” are incredibly well crafted. Having children as the main characters during wartime reminded me a lot of the excellent “Empire of the Sun”. You really find yourself investing in these characters and you want them to survive as they’re just innocent kids trying to live while the world around them is full of so much fighting. The other characters don’t really matter so much because the focus is on the two children. I’m glad Studio Ghibli didn’t opt for adding any strange creatures into this film because I think it could have distracted from the serious subject matter.

Make no mistake, this is not a film for children; you’ll see corpses and people with severe burns and the subject matter is immensely upsetting. Some people think animated films can only be for children but “Grave of the Fireflies” will surely change their minds. There are so many terrific scenes in this movie but I guess the iconic one will be where the children release some fireflies in where they sleep to light everything up. If you want a powerful film about the effects of war on a civilian population, “Grave of the Fireflies” will fulfil your desires because it is a brutally honest picture.

Made from both sides of the camera by the legendary Clint Eastwood (“Bird”, “The Outlaw Josey Wales”), “Gran Torino” proves to be a special film that tackles lot of serious issues while still making us laugh at times thus making it one of Eastwood’s successful efforts at filmmaking.

In “Gran Torino”, after losing his wife, a stubborn and racist war veteran named Walt Kowalski (Eastwood) has nothing left in his life but his prize possession: a 1972 Gran Torino. When he gets past his prejudiced view, he bonds with his Asian neighbours and attempts to reform one of them after they try but fail to steal his Gran Torino.

Clint Eastwood is absolutely brilliant in “Gran Torino”. He starts off with this disgruntled look on his face that never truly leaves him. He has a good reason to have this look as his children and grandchildren are hardly the nicest people. It’s great to see him break through the barrier of predigest and become more open to other people as the film progresses. Also he doesn’t just overcome the barrier of racism but he gets more involved with a persistent priest as well. None of the other cast members come close to matching Eastwood’s memorable and enjoyable performance.

“Gran Torino” is a wonderful movie that addresses racism, age, being materialistic and gang violence while still adding the right amount of humour to make it a truly great experience. Although the film is far from being perfect I was just so appreciative of the fact that Clint Eastwood has picked a fitting picture for his age as although he’s characters don’t like to admit they’re old guys, Eastwood himself is more than aware of that. “Gran Torino” is another one of Eastwood’s achievements that if you’re a fan of his work you should definitely check out.

“Gotti” has quickly got a reputation as one of the worst crime movies ever made. While I disagree with that classification, I understand where people are coming from. This is a bland mob movie with no clear structure. It seems like more than 100 minutes of John Travolta (“Saturday Night Fever”, “Broken Arrow”) standing around acting tough.

“Gotti” begins with what I can only assume is the ghost of the deceased John Gotti (Travolta) talking about his life and legacy. The film then darts around the timeline of his life like we are watching a “Doctor Who” episode. We see Gotti become the head of the Gambino crime family and his eventual incarceration.

Travolta looks like he’s trying to be the new Marlon Brando from “The Godfather”. He is not entirely bad in the role but he just looks like he is trying too hard and his performance ends up coming across as rather unnatural. I did not know anything about John Gotti prior to watching this film and I feel that I learned very little from watching it. The movie never really shows us anything about how he ran the Gambino family, we just see a lot of talking. The other characters are all forgettable.

Watch a crime movie classic such as “Goodfellas” or “Scarface” and then watch “Gotti” and you will realise where this movie went so wrong. There is just no focus here and we are left confused by what is being put in front of us. I’m sure that there could be a decent film about the life of John Gotti but this movie is way off. It’s not as aggressively bad as some critics have made it out to be but “Gotti” is also far from being a good movie. I recommend that you watch “Goodfellas” instead of this.

I went into “Gothika” expecting to see a movie like “Shutter Island”, a clever mystery set in an asylum. When I finished watching “Gothika”, I realised I’d just watched a ghost film with a stupid mystery and some sadomasochism.

Halle Berry (“X-Men”, “Cloud Atlas”) stars as a psychiatrist named Miranda. She sees a mysterious girl bursting into flames and then wakes up inside the asylum where she worked with no recollection of how she got there. Instead of there being a genuinely interesting mystery, a ghost is thrown in to help to justify how outrageously dumb the rest of the film is but that only makes it even crazier.

Halle Berry probably gives a good performance but you become so distracted but how ridiculous the rest of the movie is. Robert Downey Jr. (“Iron Man”) stars as one of Miranda’s former-colleagues and he’s pretty dull. The ghost in the film is of a dead girl and makes you feel as if the filmmakers were trying to cash-in on the success of “The Ring”. The interactions between Miranda and the ghost are confusing because the ghost seems to be attacking her in one scene and helping her in the next. Penélope Cruz (“Vanilla Sky”) is awful as one of Miranda’s fellow inmates and an ex-patient. The villains of the movie are absolutely terrible and I just do not know what was going through the minds of the writers when they came up with them.

“Gothika” has a few claustrophobic sequences that are okay but aside from that, this is a dreadful picture. “Gothika” is one of the silliest thrillers I’ve ever seen with a plot that is all over the place. If you want a psychological thriller then stick with “Shutter Island” but if you want a zany ghost movie with some torture scenes chucked in, then I’m sure “Gothika” will fit the bill.

“Goodfellas” is a brilliant gangster epic that feels like “The Godfather” with better writing. I liked “The Godfather” a lot but I always felt it was overrated while “Goodfellas” deserves all the praise it gets. It is a masterpiece from director Martin Scorsese (“Shutter Island”, “Silence”) that delivers pretty much everything you could want from a crime film.

“Goodfellas” tells the story of a real-life mobster, Henry Hill (Ray Liotta “Heartbreakers”, “Narc”). The film follows his journey from joining a gang in his youth to his eventual downfall. The movie also covers his relationship with his wife (Lorraine Bracco “Medicine Man”, “The Basketball Diaries”).

While Ray Liotta is great as Henry, some of the other performers steal the spotlight. Joe Pesci (“Home Alone”) is terrific as Tommy DeVito and Robert De Niro (“Heat”, “Meet The Parents”) is terrific as always as James Conway. The three really work well together and they are all very funny, especially Pesci. The best performance may actually come from Lorraine Bracco as Karen Hill. We really get to empathise with her and understand why she stayed in this hectic marriage where she is forced to hide weapons and drugs while he goes off having an affair. The chemistry between Liotta and Bracco is spectacular.

“Goodfellas” is funny, gritty and somehow just seems to perfectly capture organised crime. The movie is quite long and just filled to the brim with bad language but it works because the characters are so enjoyable and the dialog is so witty. When talking about the best gangster films, people will bring up “The Godfather”, “Reservoir Dogs”, “Pulp Fiction” and “Scarface” but “Goodfellas” is better than all of them. If you see only one gangster film then make sure you watch “Goodfellas” because Scorsese just manages to nail the subject matter and deliver one of the most entertaining pictures he has ever made.

“Good Kill” is a movie that tackles one of the most controversial issues in recent years. This is an honest look at the reality of drone warfare that does not take a stance but rather sticks to just presenting the facts.

In “Good Kill”, Major Thomas Egan (Ethan Hawke “Training Day”) used to fly an F-16 to fight wars but down he sits in comfortable surroundings in Las Vegas as a drone pilot. He carries out strikes in war zones thousands of miles away such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and Yemen and then returns home to his family. He increasingly feels the pressures of the job and it takes a considerable toll on him and his family.

Ethan Hawke is a very talented actor and here is under the guidance of director Andrew Nicol (“S1m0ne”), who brings out the best in Hawke. The two first worked together on “Gattaca”, which was one of the best sci-fi movies ever made. Hawke gives a very believable performance as he struggles to balance his duties with his morals. Bruce Greenwood (“Swept Away”) gives a strong performance as Lieutenant Colonel Jack Johns. January Jones (“X-Men: First Class”) is really good as Thomas’ wife, Molly. The other characters are good as well.

“Good Kill” works very well because it does not take sides. This movie could have easily condemned the use of drones or been an advert for weapons companies but it is smart enough to take an objective look at the subject matter. The film ends somewhat abruptly yet I’m unsure what a better ending would have looked like. Those looking for a thought-provoking piece about the issues surrounding the technological advances in warfare need to see “Good Kill”. Some will undoubtedly find it slow so do not go in expecting a lot of action.

“Gone In Sixty Seconds” has a great premise but the execution just never works whatsoever and that’s a real shame as they recruit two good actors in the process.

In “Gone In Sixty Seconds”, ex-car thieving extraordinaire Memphis Raines (Nicolas Cage “Ghost Rider”, “Con Air”) is forced to steal 50 cars in 72hrs (it turns out to be in 1 night after all the talking) otherwise a group of gangsters are going to kill his brother. It’s something that has never been done before and Memphis is going to need the best of the best if he is going to succeed. The movie ends up becoming more of an elaborate heist film rather than a speedy getaway movie.

Nicolas Cage is the first talented actor this movie has and it is a real shame because he isn’t given enough to actually do, most of the time he’s just stood around with an incredibly bland voice. Robert Duvall (“The Godfather”) in the other talented actor this movie seemed to get hold of and again he’s just stood around not doing much. Christopher Eccleston is boring as the villain. I hated Delroy Lindo (“The One”) as the police officer. There is too much of the characters just standing around.

“Gone In Sixty Seconds” is so bothered about the set-up that it forgets about all the car chases we came here to see as we end up only getting one and it isn’t too impressive. I usually like elaborate heist movies or at least the elaborate heist itself but this movie should be more about car chases than anything else. This movie also badly uses its two talented stars.

“Going Clear” is perhaps the most informative documentary that you can watch about Scientology. The cult is adhered to by some of Hollywood’s most famous faces including Tom Cruise (“Top Gun”) and John Travolta (“Grease”) and this film helps to shine a light on its seedy practices and its highly questionable origins.

In “Going Clear”, we hear testimonies from many ex-Scientologists that reveal the abuses within the movement. We also learn the history of L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of the group and the author of “Dianetics”, Scientology’s equivalent of “The Bible”. We discover how this organisation has spread across the globe and has attracted many celebrities.

We hear from a range of people that have left Scientology. Some of them held senior positions in the hierarchy. Of course, we do not get any exclusive interviews with Cruise or Travolta or the group’s current leader, David Miscavige. However, we do get to see some archive footage. The archive footage of Cruise and L. Ron Hubbard is both amusing and pretty scary. The Cruise footage contains excerpts from the infamous interview about his faith. We find that Hubbard was a science-fiction writer before founding a religion and there are some striking similarities between his works of fiction and his theological texts.

“Going Clear” has come under intense fire from Scientology, who have characterised it as biased and claim the participants are discredited. You can make the decision for yourself. I think watching this movie will give you a very good insight into the alleged abuses of Scientology. I recommend “Going Clear” for anybody that has ever found the Scientologists a curious bunch because this documentary is likely to answer a lot of questions. If you do not have the few hours needed to check this out, may I recommend the “South Park” episode instead.

“Godzilla’s Revenge” is often viewed as one of the weakest films in the “Godzilla” franchise and it’s not really very surprising. The movie makes use of a lot of stock footage from previous “Godzilla” films. While it is not uncommon to see shots being re-used in these films, “Godzilla’s Revenge” steals whole scenes. Also, the monster action takes place in a kid’s imagination, which trivialises pretty much everything.

A bullied schoolboy is obsessed with Monster Island. He fantasises about befriending Godzilla’s son, who has his own problems that parallel his own. The boy must help Godzilla’s son defeat a monster by the name of Gabara (this is also the name of a bully that torments our protagonist).

While most of the “Godzilla” films lack interesting characters, “Godzilla’s Revenge” is worse than most by having its main character as a child. Most of the time, these films contain characters that are trying to save the world from giant monsters and/or aliens but all this kid is trying to do is stand up to a bully and some kidnappers. There are a lot of scenes with Godzilla but it’s a real shame that a lot of them are just taken from other films. The parts where Godzilla’s son speaks are pretty hilarious. Gabara is not one of the better monsters from the series.

“Godzilla’s Revenge” is not completely irredeemable but it just feels like a real waste. We have seen a lot of the footage before and the plot involves incredibly low stakes, these two facts make it hard for us to get enthusiastic about what is going on. The most devout fans of the “Godzilla” films might want to hunt this one down just to say that they have seen it but I think most people are just going to be disappointed by this rather lacklustre entry.

The original “Godzilla” seemed to launch the Japanese giant monster movie industry and while it is somewhat impressive given its time, I cannot help but feel that it is a little overrated. It’s by no means a bad film but it pales a little in comparison to other monster movies such as “King Kong” and “The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms” and the fun factor of some of the later “Godzilla” films is absent.

After the Americans test nuclear weapons in the Pacific, a seemingly unstoppable dinosaur-like monster emerges from the sea and attacks Japan. The military try their best but the monster stomps its way through Tokyo and unless the scientists can work out how to beat Godzilla, the entire country will be destroyed.

The characters in giant monster movies are not usually very interesting and the ones in “Godzilla” are not great. There are some moderately deep conversations about the effects of war and nuclear weapons. The film does a good job at making Godzilla look like a big menacing monster with a great use of camera angles. It’s reasonably satisfying watching him demolish Tokyo as the military are powerless to stop him. It’s a shame he does not fight any other monsters in this one.

I admire the effort that clearly went into making the original “Godzilla” and the scenes where Godzilla attacks Tokyo are pretty impressive but overall, I was left a little disappointed. People often point to the original “Godzilla” as the best in the series but I have to disagree. Some of the later entries are much more entertaining than this one. Fans of giant monster movies arguably need to see this one because it is so important in giving us our first look at one of cinema’s most famous creatures but as a film, I cannot say that is really worth the general public’s time.