Cracks

"Let nothing hold you back except the air itself. You are between heaven and earth. The rules no longer apply." A teacher (Green) at a boarding school for girls tries to teach them about real life. When a new girl arrives at the school and takes Miss G's (Green) attention from her, Di (Temple) becomes jealous. This is a movie that drags a little, but is still very good. Eva Green's performance alone is worth watching this for. The entire movie she keeps you guessing as to what kind of person she is. Just when you think she is helping the girls, something changes and you are not sure anymore. I would compare this to "Dead Poet's Society", but a darker version of that movie. I did enjoy this but again, it is pretty slow in parts but it is worth it to stay with it until the end. Overall, this is a good movie, but not for everyone. A very dark British version of "Dead Poet's Society" for girls. I give it a B-. Would I watch again? - I don't think I will. *Also try - Never Let Me Go

While this might seem like your typical boarding school drama it isn't. It's a surprisingly beautiful film with wonderful cast and some fantastic scenery. However, it's Eva Green's performance and the music that won me over. The entire score is done by Javier Navarrete - who was nominated for an Academy Award for his score of Pan's Labyrinth - needless to say, it was phenomenal and really adds so much to the movie. It might be a little slow paced but I don't think that detracts at all. I found that you could sympathize with a lot of characters as the main themes were abandonment, favouritism, fear, and the desire to be wanted. It was nice watching the characters all develop and start to accept Fiamma. I read the book after watching the movie and there were a few things that had been changed - the ending in particular. The book featured a more "Lord of the Flies" ending whereas in the movie it's not nearly as explicit and much less horrifying... if one can really say that. Either way, I'd highly recommend the film.

Jordan Scott, niece of director Tony Scott who with his brother Ridley Scott serve a executive producers of this film, makes and impressive debut as a director/writer (with Ben Court and Caroline Ip) in this intensely interesting and well crafted adaptation of Sheila Kohler's novel CRACKS. This is a period piece (1934) that takes place in St. Mathilda's School in Stanley Island, England, an isolated all girl British boarding school. The mood is one of Gothic evil where rich young girls participate in the cloistered rigid education imposed by the matrons of the school -Miss Nieven (Sinéad Cusack), Matron (Helen Norton), and Miss Lacey (Deirdre Donnelly) - whose chief concern is to guard the reputation of the school at all costs, and lightened only by the presence of the swimming/diving coach Miss G (Eva Green) whom the girls admire for her exotic beauty, worldliness, supposed travel around the world, and her possessiveness of her brood. One of the girls, Di (Juno Temple in a brilliant performance), is the team captain and the apparent favorite of Miss G - until the sudden arrival of a beautiful Spanish girl Fiamma (María Valverde) who tends to set herself apart form the rest of the claque (Di, Poppy (Imogen Poots), Lily (Ellie Nunn), Fuzzy (Clemmie Dugdale), Laurel (Adele McCann) and Rosie (Zoë Carroll). Fiamma is an expert diver and her gifts as a sportsman as well as her beauty attract Miss G, replacing Di as her favorite. In jealous rage Di gathers the claque and plans the exit of this unwanted intruder. How this backfires and increases Miss G's attraction to Fiamma leads down another path of evil that pulls this little tale of terror to a surprising end. Eva Green manages to make Miss G a fascinating character and her gradual obsession with Fiamma and the direction that takes her is a very fine performance. But the entire cast - girls and teachers - is superb, especially Juno Temple in a career making role. The cinematography by John Mathieson finds both the haunting beauty of the isolated St. Mathilde's School and the splendid panoramas of nature add immeasurably to the film as does the musical score by Javier Navarette - a score that combines Anglican hymns with gentle piano music. This is a triumph for all concerned and bodes well for the career of Jordan Scott. Grady Harp

Mesmerising. Predictable perhaps, but only because it stays true to so many classic roots (Think Picnic at Hanging Rock meets Lord of the Flies meets Death in Venice... the list goes on) Yet it's never clichéd. Definitely an instant classic on so many levels, and that's before one realises it was directed by the progeny of one of the world's greatest filmmakers - should that be prodigy? Given the history, I feel it's almost a pity there wasn't a part for Harvey Keitel, as he seems to star in the debut masterpiece of more than a few great modern directors, including Ridley Scott, Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, etc... Personally I would have given him a small cameo as one of the townspeople just for fun! Bravo the Scott Clan (no wonder it felt a bit like watching The Hunger for the first time.) - Encore!