One of the best things about living in Ballarat is that we are only a seven minute walk to the art deco gem, the Regent Theatre.

This means loyal patronage from us and the fact that because not as many go to the cinema any more, there’s always plenty of available seats and less distraction from popcorn-munching, chip packet-opening audience members.

There seems to be a lot more independent films coming to The Regent and a couple of them most recently have been superb. Not surprisingly, both IO Capitano and Perfect Days were nominated for the Best International Film at the recent Oscars.

IO Capitano – This is an epic film about two teenage cousins from Dakar, Senegal who attempt to reach Italy via the Sahara Desert and then the Mediterranean using any means possible. It is incredibly real and brutal as the boys run into slave traders and some of the shadiest men imaginable in their quest for freedom. The lead actor Seydou Sarr is extraordinary and all the supporting cast, which is significant, provide an insight into what it takes to put your life on the line for freedom. Sumptuous cinematography and gripping from start to finish. 8.5/10

Perfect Days – You can always expect the unexpected with Wim Wenders films and this is no exception. Hirayama (Koji Yakusho) lives in a tiny apartment a short walk to The Skytree Tower in Tokyo. He is middle aged, healthy and works as a public toilet cleaner. His life is minimalist and almost ritualised. He takes pride in his work, listens to cassettes, takes photos with an old fashioned film camera, reads books, goes to an onsen, and visits the same food establishments. For almost the first hour there is little to no dialogue as we watch this gentle man go about his week. From there we see a few other characters enter the fray but this is a film that reminded me of one of Wender’s other films Paris, Texas. Essentially it’s a slow burn and has that existential quality without being self-indulgent or boring. Wenders allows the viewer to make your own mind up on the what, where, when and why. What he does deliver is a beautiful portrait of a man we know little about but he shows us that you don’t need a lot, particularly of a material sense to be happy.  If you’ve been to Tokyo before you will want to go back again after seeing this. Wenders has captured this fascinating city in all its quirky glory without the regular clichés. A truly stunning film. 8.5/10

Wicked Little Letters –  There hasn’t been a decent comedic film out of the UK for a long time so this was quite refreshing. The apparent true story of spinster Edith Swan (Olivia Coleman) who in 1920 claimed to be receiving hate mail from her next door neighbour Rose Gooding (Jesse Buckley) is very funny at times. The two leads are excellent especially Coleman who grafted out her comedic qualities as part of the brilliant BBC series Peep Show. There is a quality support cast headed up by one of my favourite British actors Timothy Spall. A nice romp and chuckle. 7.5/10

Monkey Man – We thought this was a Jordan Peele film so were quite looking forward to it. Unfortunately it was only produced by Peele and it stars and is directed Dev Patel. Allow me to sum this up quickly. It’s a combination of Slumdog Millionaire and John Wick. Don’t be fooled by the imaginary fight for freedom narrative floating around in the background. It’s pointless and the bloodthirsty fight scenes are gratuitous. The money it cost to make this tripe could have fed thousands rather than pretending to save them. Rubbish 6/10.