Right, big-ish batch to get through, I'll start with Penelope because that's the closest I'll get to a new release. Lovely, sweet little film - basic set up is Christina Ricci is born with a pig's nose because of a family curse generations before. She has to marry someone of her own kind (i.e. aristocratic) to relieve the curse but of course everyone runs at the sight of her. Cue James McAvoy's down and out gambler who is the only one who didn't run immediately. It's HYPER-cute (very Pushing Daisies in tone), consistently funny and very sweet. The acting is in the main good with a few mis-fires (the AWFUL Russell Brand and a mis-cast Witherspoon) from a fine ensemble. I really enjoyed this one (Ricci obsession or not) and I'd broadly recommend it.

So from the nose to the eye, the first of two Ingmar Bergman films I rented this week (I've seen over 25 so I'm well into "minor" Bergmans by now) - The Devil's Eye. Story is the devil has a stye in his eye because of Bibi Andersson's chastity prior to marriage. To combat this he sends Don Juan (Jarl Kulle) up to earth to "seduce and destroy" (as Tom Cruise might have put it ). It's quite funny, it's more "amusing" than anything else, the ensemble is fine but nothing special, much like the film itself. It's a brisk watch but a fairly inconsequential one.

The other Bergman I got was All These Women which follows Jarl Kulle (again) as a music critic who enters a great cellist's household to do a biography on him. We never see the cellist and instead are introduced to the gaggle of women in the house who are all in various stages of being in love with him. It's a fun romp, it's VERY weird (it's as close to Fellini in style as I've ever seen Bergman) but a great ensemble, in particular the Anderssons (Bibi and Harriet), who ensure it's always watchable. I liked it but it's really not for everyone.

So on to the hat - belonging to Hugh Dancy in Evening. I make special mention of it because the hat is probably the best and most entertaining thing about this unmitigated disaster of a film. Marvellous cast but it's so poorly written and flaccidly directed all the life is sucked out of it. It's messy, unclear, scenes have no weight or tension behind them, the writing is atrocious both in terms of dialogue, dramatic structure and characterisation, it's almost impressive how bad they make this ridiculously talented cast look. Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer was fine and showed talent, Dancy's big scene was the best of the movie (apart from the hat's marvellous cameo on the beach ) and Danes was okay, but the rest is just laughably poor, it's the worst I've ever seen Toni Collette but especially Glenn Close who almost made me soil myself such was the level of her overly theatrical incompetence.

Finally I'll take "the greatest Czech film ever made", Marketa Lazarová. Absolutely stunning cinematography but the film is not without problems. Firstly it's extremely confusing as to what is actually going on, hence it makes it very difficult to find the centre of the story and get involved in it. Secondly, because of that we don't really care about any of the people once we realise what's going on, none of them are sympathetic and it just goes on ... and on. Decent acting, beautifully made, but quite a chore to get through, even with the title-cards telling you what's happening in the upcoming chapter so it's quite difficult to recommend.