At the film’s start, the statement “Only the most ridiculous parts of this film are true” proudly flashes on the screen.” This bold challenge inevitably forces cineastes to consider how much truth there is in it.

Director Julie Taymor’s (the excellent TITUS) vision of an original film using 33 Beatles songs is a visual feast for the eyes and heavenly music to the ears.  ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is a love story of two star-crossed lovers, Jude (Jim Sturgess) from Liverpool and (Evan Rachel Wood) from Detroit.  Taymor and writers Dick Clement and Ian Frenais (THE COMMITMENTS) blend in racial riots in the U.S., the killing fields in Vietnam and peace demonstrations in the NYC.  The songs, performed with great zest, are as fresh as they were in the 60’s and Taymor’s passion for her art clearly shows.  Scenes of nude Viet girls lying alongside masks in the river waters, lovers frolicking in the dilapidated buildings by a pier and queues of dockworkers collecting their pay do not all necessarily make sense, but the images are nevertheless unforgettable.  ACROSS THE UNIVERSE is the best Beatles’ films not sung by the group.

Following close to the heels of his last hit A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE (and also starring Viggo Mortensen), Toronto’s own David Cronenberg’s latest thriller centres on the nasty Russian mafia activities in London.  Mortensen plays the mysterious Nikolai, chauffeur and confidante to ruthless chief, Semyon (Armin Mueller-Stahl) and unstable son, Kirill (Vincent Cassel).  Nikolai’s conscience is put to the test when he discovers an infant about to be murdered during Christmastide. 

The vigilante theme has been done many times before from Charles Bronson’s DEATH WATCH films to last week’s DEATH SENTENCE with Kevin Bacon.  This new entry THE BRAVE ONE, directed by Irishman Neil Jordan (THE CRYING GAME, BREAKFAST ON PLUTO) updates the genre by having a female heroine (Jodie Foster) and by taking the theme many steps further.  The script of THE BRAVE ONE (by Roderick and Bruce Taylor) has victimized NYC radio DJ, Erica (Jodie Foster) go through a character change from traumatized victim to confident killer as she uses her vocation to source out the killer. The story is also updated to the modern context – her attack is posted on the internet; another victim has his ipod stolen.  The script is admirably anti-racial.  Erica’s fiancé is African American and so is the investigating detective (Terrence Howard).  So, the film gets away with the attackers being dark (could be Hispanic as well).

Imagine your worst nightmare.  And then imagine this nightmare marrying your mother.  That is the premise of debut director Craig Gillespie’s new film MR. WOODCOCK, which surprisingly, is a comedy which sustains its laughs from start to end despite its rather simple idea.