The Young Victoria is another visually lush period presentation of life within the parameters of luxury, beauty and power which constructs yet another entangled tale of drama and historical inaccuracy. Directed by French-Canadian Jean-Marc Vallèe, The Young Victoria is a snapshot of the Queen’s early days and her experiences with falling in and out of civil popularity up until the birth of her first child, where the film abruptly ends. Despite the fact that Emily Blunt steals the show as the young Victoria herself, her efforts are only enough to slow the sinking of this film. Gosford Park Screenwriter Julian Fellowes does his best to convey the turbulent youthful years of England’s longest ever serving Monarch, but fails to find the point where teenage angst on account of parental pressure, first love and isolation culminate with the excitement, frustration and fear that comes with being hailed the youngest Queen in British history. Many viewers may also find an entertaining similarity between the characters of Victoria and Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette. This film had the potential to be just as fresh and excitable as Victoria’s youth, but has fallen under the period-drama cookie-cutter instead.

It’s hard to keep in touch with teenage trends as the generation becomes savvier with technology and no less moody. Influences from all directions bombard them in their quest to be edgier, and in 2009 what sets the cool kids apart are apparently names with silent letters. Oh, and you can’t forget the decade’s indie influence either. So when these two combine with High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens, a battle of the bands competition and quirky sidekicks you get Bandslam. It’s not the musical everyone might be expecting and there’s not as much cheese either, but it’s fun without too much camp.

My my Steven…how interesting you are.

The Steven I refer to is none other than Steven Soderbergh, truly one of those ever-reliable filmmakers. I guess at times I take this seemingly effortlessly slick, stylish filmmaker’s skill for granted, but he really is one of those ever-reliable directors (do I go as far as to call him an auteur? Perhaps not.) that continually makes film after solid, substantial film. The Girlfriend Experience is no exception.

Right off the bat, I admit to having literally no prior knowledge of Quentin Crisp before turning up for my first screening of this year’s Melbourne International Film Festival. In fact, it failed to register that it was a film based on the life of a real person when I had read the blurb in the MIFF programme, failed to register as I thought, “Ooh! This sounds intriguing! Book les tix!”

“It’s what non-car people don’t get,” begins Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson when discussing with Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down, Star Trek) their shared obsession with cars in Love the Beast. “They see all cars as a one and a half ton piece of metal and rubber. That’s all they see.”

Clarkson’s right. As someone who views cars as little more than a mode of transport, I struggle to relate with Bana’s quarter-century love affair with his 1974 Ford GT Falcon Coupe. Love the Beast is a solid film about car lovers, for car lovers. Unfortunately, I’m not one of them.

Memories of Nobody, from director Noriyuki Abe, is the first film adaptation of the long-running Bleach anime, based on the manga by Tite Kubo. Shiningami Rukia, and substitute-shinigami Ichigo, battle outlaws, samurai style, to save a vivacious spirit-entity. Although the film involves an offshoot storyline, it includes many of the characters from the original anime. A classically intricate plotline, and lots of magical samurai action infuse this anime with light and shade. However, the dubbing is a serious detraction.

If Seth Rogen is dominating Hollywood screens as America’s everyman, Virginie Ledoyen could certainly be considered the French equivalent. Seen by Australian audiences in 2009 in A Pain in the Ass and in the upcoming My Friends, My Loves, Ledoyen is strengthening the symbolic modern French female with her roles – strong yet fragile. French films are often best at explaining that our desires drive us to act selfish and crazy but the need to live honestly justifies those choices. Whether you morally agree is up to you, but the understanding of how the simplest thing can spiral out of control is the basis of Ledoyen’s venture in Un baiser s’il vous plaît (Shall We Kiss?).

The protagonist is confused about love. His kooky but good-hearted friends dish out uncertain advice to him, usually mirroring their own love-related issues. They smoke, have sex and enjoy the simple things in life. If this formula sounds familiar then you can likely guess what I’m getting at… these are the elements of a quintessential French film, centering on romance and kinship. My Friends, My Loves (Mes amis, mes amours) goes about the task in a comedic way and initially suggests that love is all you need – from your best friend.