The week in brief (7 - 13 May)

So, I'm back with another quick round up of what I've been watching over the past seven days. Quite a busy week, with nine films seen, though not really a vintage collection if I'm being honest. The line up was as follows:

Oranges and Sunshine (2010) 8/10
Lourdes (2009) 6/10
Drive (2011) 8/10
Final Destination 3 (2006) 5/10
Saw IV (2007) 4/10
Predators (2010) 6/10
Bad Teacher (2011) 6/10
Piranha (2010) 5/10
Secret Window (2004) 6/10

My picks of the week go to Drive and to Oranges and Sunshine, two very good, but very different films. Oranges and Sunshine is a poignant and moving story about the investigation into the forced migration of kids in childrens homes to Australia in the 1950s. Emily Watson is fantastic as Margaret Humphreys, a social worker from Nottingham who uncovered the truth about the case in the '80s, then led a campaign on behalf of the children. Drive is a film I've previously reviewed on this blog (see link above) - if you haven't seen it yet, you really should. It's just a fantastically stylish crime picture from Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn.

Sadly, those two films were about the only two bright spots in a pretty poor week, on the whole. There were a number of contenders for 'worst movie of the week', but Saw IV just about pipped Final Destination 3 and Piranha for the title. None of the films are exactly masterpieces of cinema, but at least FD3 features Mary Elizabeth Winstead (by the standards of the Final Destination series, she's Meryl Streep) and Piranha has a certain campy appeal. Saw IV was just a confusing, depressing experience; even Jigsaw's signature traps seemed to lack the invention of those that featured in the first three Saw movies.

No top ten list this week, I'm afraid, but I can direct you to a list that my friend Colin has put together on his blog (dated April 23 2012). It's a run down of his top ten cinematic couples - some are romantic pairings, others are just good friends.

Kirk's Quote of the Week

This is Spinal Tap (1984)

"Marty DiBergi: David St. Hubbins... I must admit I've never heard anybody with that name. 
David St. Hubbins: It's an unusual name. Well, he was an unusual saint. He's not a very well-known saint. 
Marty DiBergi: Oh, there actually is, uh... there was a St. Hubbins? 
David St. Hubbins: That's right, yes. 
Marty DiBergi: What was he the saint of? 
David St. Hubbins: He was the patron saint of quality footwear."