The Guard (John Michael McDonagh 2011)

I enjoyed this hugely. Best line, when Don Cheadle's FBI agent twigs to the Brendan Gleeson's brand of humour: 'Ho' very long pause 'ho.' And Brendan Gleeson's mouth twitches into a smile.

Friends with Benefits (Will Gluck 2011)

I went expecting this to be a mechanical Hollywood romcom and got what I expected. There are some glimmers of humanity, some mind in there, but give me The Planet of the Apes any day, maybe even Green Lantern.

Win Win (Tom McCarthy 2011)

Lovely film by the guy who made The Station Agent and The Visitor. What happens when a decent man does something corrupt but then stays decent? Or a decent woman gets vengefully moralistic but then stays decent? And other interesting questions. I often find Paul Giamatti irritatingly quirky even though brilliant. In this he's just brilliant.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Rupert Wyatt 2011)

The special effects worked wonderfully – all the apes look as if they're actually there. The humans by contrast feel a bit insubstantial. I found a lot of the visuals irritating, and eventually realised I was watching scenes shot for the boring abomination of 3D. Even with the after-images of Tottenham to give the climactic mayhem resonance, though, I wasn't emotionally engaged. Oh, and the final credit sequence adds significantly to the plot.

That Deadman Dance (Kim Scott 2010)

This is for the book Group. I have two days. It has 400 pages.

Treme, Series 2 (Eric Overmeyer, David Simon 2011)

This should fill the gap in the Australian TV programs for the next while. John Goodman has gone and the blonde chef is cooking for a wage in New York City. New Orleans is still suffering.

Red Dog (Kriv Stenders 2011)

Some of this was ludicrous, but I loved it. Imagine Bran Nue Dae with Aboriginal presence erased more thoroughly than any genocide, The Last of the Knucklemen with secret knitting and soppy romance, a kelpie Hachiko who wanders over great tracts of country,

Belvoir Street: Windmill Baby (David Milroy 2005)

A one-woman piece directed by Kylie Farmer, cast as a reminiscent yarn told by the elderly Aboriginal woman Maymay returning to the station where she was a domestic in her youth. Roxanne McDonald as Maymay is fabulous.

Bangarra: Belong

Two pieces of beautiful dance.

A Fish Called Wanda (Charles Crichton 1988)

Thirty-three years later, and this is still very funny. I notice that IMDB says that John Cleese (uncredited) directed it along with Charles Crichton, which spoils a nice piece of mythology. Jamie Lee Curtis is fabulous in this.