Adaptation of the fairy tale of the same name. Princess Aurora is cursed by the evil witch Maleficent - who declares that before Aurora reaches her 16th birthday she will die by a poisoned spinning-wheel. To try to prevent this, the king places her into hiding, in the care of three goodnatured - but not too bright - fairies. Written by Tim Pickett {quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au}

(more…)

Dr. John Dolittle has the world in his hands: A beautiful wife at his side, two adorable daughters and a career that could not go better. One night, he nearly runs over a dog with his car. The dog yells “bonehead” and disappears. From then on, his childhood ability is back: To communicate with animals. Unfortunately, the word of Dolittle’s ability is spreading quickly. Soon, many animals from rat to horse flock to his place to get medical advice. But his colleagues suspect he’s going mad, and as the clinic Dolittle used to work for is about to being taken over for a huge amount of money, many decisions have to be made. Believe him? Put him into a mental institution? Sell the clinic? But also his family is close to breaking apart. Until a circus tiger falls seriously ill. Written by Julian Reischl {julianreischl@mac.com}

After Frances’s seemingly happy San Francisco marriage ends abruptly, she goes into a funk. Urged by her friends to move on, she joins a bus tour of Tuscany where, on the spur of the moment, she buys a crumbling villa. She assembles a crew of oddballs and immigrants to repair the house; over the next year, as they work, she welcomes one of her New York friends who’s pregnant and at loose ends, and she seeks love, first (tenuously) with her married real estate agent, then with a charming stranger. Although life gets in the way of love, Frances’s wishes come true in unexpected ways, and there’s always the Tuscan sun. Written by {jhailey@hotmail.com}

(more…)

A criminal psychologist (Berry) awakens to find herself a patient in the institution where she works, with no memory of the murder she’s accused of committing. As she tries to regain her memory - and her freedom - a vengeful spirit manipulates her. Written by Anonymous

(more…)

In a cyberpunk vision of the future, man has developed the technology to create replicants, human clones used to serve in the colonies outside Earth but with fixed lifespans. In Los Angeles, 2019, Deckard is a Blade Runner, a cop who specialises in terminating replicants. Originally in retirement, he is forced to re-enter the force when six replicants escape from an offworld colony to Earth. Written by Graeme Roy {gsr@cbmamiga.demon.co.uk}

(more…)

Arthur (aka Wart) is a young boy who aspires to be a knight’s squire. On a hunting trip he falls in on Merlin, a powerful but amnesiac wizard who has plans for Wart beyond mere squiredom. He starts by trying to give Wart an education (whatever that is), believing that once one has an education, one can go anywhere. Needless to say, it doesn’t quite work out that way. Written by Tim Pickett {quetzal@yoyo.cc.monash.edu.au}

(more…)

A young man (Lerman) moves from Montana to Florida with his family, where he’s compelled to engage in a fight to protect a population of endangered owls.

It was bound to happen. Each “Harry Potter” movie prior to “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” was able to outdo its immediate predecessor, but the odds were stacked against that trend continuing with every film in the series. Unfortunately, “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” is a step down from “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” in both production and entertainment value.

(more…)

I’ve finally found my favorite movie of the year. Granted, the year isn’t over – and I’ll probably change my mind a dozen or so times before December 31st rolls around. But as of May 31st, “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” stands as the best film of 2004, at least in my book.

(more…)