Shaun De Waal

Mel Gibson’s Jesus movie, <i>The Passion of the Christ</i>, is stirring up, ahem, passions all over. But, more than anything, it demonstrates the way communal myths can be reworked again and again. Gibson’s version is just the most single-mindedly gory and reactionary to date, writes Shaun de Waal.

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: I walked out of Tim Burton’s new movie, <i>Big Fish</i>, feeling a little lighter. This is a boon not to be gainsaid in these days of <i>Monster</i>, the remake of <i>The Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i> and, God help us, <i>The Passion of the Christ</i>, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b> As far as I can see, the main competitors for this year’s best-actress Oscar are Charlize Theron and Diane Keaton. Onse Charlize, however, could well snatch it from Keaton. Theron’s performance in <i>Monster</i> is the kind of thing the Oscars love to reward: glamour queen goes ugly, which is deemed to be an example of great self-sacrifice in the name of art, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>NOT QUITE MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b><br> Despite the display of the cream of British talent, Love Actually is a disappointment, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK: </b>Holes is not quite your usual teen fare. It isn’t a realistic tale with moral lessons to teach on the subjects of drugs or sex; nor is it the kind of out-and-out fantasy that is also huge in that market. It’s an odd combination of the two, writes Shaun de Waal.

The distorted reflections of JM Coetzee generated since he won the Nobel Prize say more about the media than about him, argues Shaun de Waal.

<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b> Of all the many movies this film critic sees in a year, there are usually only two or three he has any desire to see again. This year, so far, only two: <i>Far from Heaven</i> and, now, <i>Identity</i>, writes Shaun de Waal.

See the world’s most famous philosopher get his hair done! So it is refreshing, especially for those who have struggled through his dense tomes, to see a documentary that demystifies – indeed domesticates — the man. Shaun de Waal watches a documentary about Jacques Derrida.

<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b> <i>Pirates of the Caribbean </i>is a reckless, relentless romp from start to finish. It doesn’t even feel like two and a quarter hours long. Buckle your swash, shiver your timbers, and set sail, advises Shaun de Waal.

<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b> DreamWorks’s new animated adventure, <i>Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas</i> is very well done — as far as I could tell in the appalling conditions of one of the big cinemas at Hyde Park Nu Metro. The film was out of focus throughout, it was too dim, and the sound was too soft, observed Shaun de Waal.

<b>CDs of the week:</b>
<i>Various:</i> Exile on Blues Street; Blues on Blonde on Blonde

The blues, in one way or another, underlie an awful lot of popular music, so it’s no surprise that someone has thought of doing blues versions of the songs of The Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan — both draw meaningfully and powerfully on that tradition, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK:</b> I usually steer clear of making the kind of comment one often hears about a good movie from Australia, New Zealand or the Third World. It goes like this: "Now that’s the kind of film we should be making in South Africa." Usually, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Movie of the week: </b> John Cusack’s strongest asset is his face, which always seems to convey a kind of melancholy wit, writes Shaun de Waal. And Cusack’s style perfectly suits his latest character in <i>Max</i>.

<b>Movie of the week: </b> Loveable rogue Nick Nolte is a Leonard Cohen song come to life in <i>The Good Thief</i>, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Movie of the week: </b> Director François Ozon has taken a creaky old country house mystery in the Agatha Christie mould and reworked it with the cream of French female acting talent, writes Shaun de Waal.

Malunde is a sweet and touching little South African movie, as feel-good as they come, says Shaun de Waal.

<b>Movie of the week</b><br>

<i>Whale Rider</i> is a good movie, not a <i>great one</i>, lacking complexity and depth but delivering a sensitive and insightful portrayal of modern day Maori life, writes Shaun de Waal.

The pitch on Jillian Lochner is this: she’s a fashion photographer who also takes art photographs, and those art photographs rather question the values of fashion photography, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Movie of the week</b>

<i>Bulletproof Monk</i> is a finely tuned spoof of martial action movies, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Not quite the movie of the week: </b> <i>Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle</i> suffers from sequel syndrome, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>NOT THE MOVIE OF THE WEEK: </b>The new Bruce Willis vehicle, <i>Tears of the Sun</i>, is so bad and so offensive that it doesn’t deserve a review, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>MOVIE OF THE WEEK: </b><i>The Little Chinese Seamstress</i> is less a political than a sentimental education, writes Shaun de Waal.

Movie of the week: LIE</b> tells a complex story about complicated people in an artfully simple way, allowing the viewer space to fill in the gaps, writes Shaun de Waal.

Kendell Geers’s new show is about security, violence and pornography. Matthew Krouse and Shaun de Waal ask him some tough questions

Most eagerly awaited release:</b> Film fans are panting to see the futuristic fantasy <i>The Matrix Reloaded</i>. But, asks Shaun de Waal, what is it all really about?

Not the art movie of the week:</b> <em>The Rules of Attraction</em> is like having some bar-room bore telling you, at great length, about his sexual adventures and drug-related mishaps, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Movie of the week:</b> In a series of short but telling scenes, <i>Pollock</i> shows how Jackson Pollock’s turbulent life and art intertwine, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Movie of the week:</b> <em>28 Days Later</em> is one of those what-if stories that hearken back to a time when the threat of nuclear disaster hung over the world, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Not the movie of the week:</b> <em>The Core</em> is complete nonsense you can’t take seriously for a split second, writes Shaun de Waal.

<b>Movie of the week:</b> That Nicole Kidman got the Oscar for best actress and not Julianne Moore — for her work in <em>Far from Heaven</em> — is simply baffling, writes Shaun de Waal.