ANIMATION doesn’t come less Disney-like than this magical, weird and wonderful tale based on British author Diana Wynne Jones’ novel but given a distinctly Oriental flavour by Miyazaki. For a start our heroine begins life as modest hat-girl Sophie, but spends most of the movie inhabiting the body of a grey-haired granny (beautifully voiced by Jean Simmons) after being cursed by the evil Witch of the Waste (Lauren Bacall).
Searching for a spell to change her back to normal Sophie is picked up by the quite extraordinary moving castle (resembling nothing less than a hovel on legs) owned by wizard Howl (Christian Bale) and ruled over by Calcifer (Crystal) a fire demon now confined to the kitchen hearth.
There are adventures, trips through time, tussles between fearless gran, Sophie, Calcifer and kitchen boy-turned trainee wizard Markl over who rakes out the ashes, mysterious monsters and eccentric flying machines but most of all there is a great feeling of otherness – as if one of your favourite fairy tales was being seen through a distorting glass.
There is little time for sugary sentimentality here (Sophie herself is far too sensible for that), but the film has great sensitivity and flair – a treat for old and young alike.

Loads of style, but precious little story

REVOLVER Directed by Guy Ritchie
Certificate 12A

RITCHIE returns to the gangster movie, his favourite hunting ground, after Swept Away, his last outing with wife Madonna, got whisked out to sea never to be seen again.
This is a genre he certainly knows his way around and he’s keen to show off all his signature moves; scenes shot in slow motion, extreme acts of violence and beautifully choreographed gun battles, it’s just a shame he didn’t expend as much effort on the storyline.
Jason Statham stars as thug Jake who finds himself on the hit list of crime lord Dorothy Macha (Ray Liotta – pictured) after beating him in a quick game of chance.
He’s saved by two hardened loan sharks who set him to work for them, using his money to lend to other people.
This is where Revolver’s plot breaks down because the pair (Vincent Pastore of The Sopranos and Andre 3000 of Outkast) and their sudden appearance are never truly explained.
While you’re still trying to fit the pieces together the film itself is galloping on to its conclusion in highly stylised fashion where the sets and costumes look glorious.
But that’s always been the problem with Ritchie’s films, they are more about style than content and while that may make for instant gratification, it also means Revolver will never go on to become a classic.

Also showing

Land of the Dead
A no-nonsense and rather entertaining zombie romp from the undisputed king of the genre, George A Romero, here we have a last enclave of the living under attack from the undead. Only hard men Riley (Simon Baker) and Cholo (John Leguizamo) stand between the citizens of Fiddler’s Green and being eaten alive.
It’s all gory, no frills fun and rushes headlong to its inevitable flesh-eating fest. In fact, it could have stretched events out to at least a couple more scenes.

Four
Co-written by Russian novelist Vladimir Sorokin and directed by award-winning Ilya Khrzhanovsky this indie really gives pause for thought.
Set in a post apocalyptic landscape it brings together three people in a bar who proceed to discuss a wide array of topics including cloning and the Kremlin.
But who are they and what are their individual agendas? Four hasn’t even been shown commercially in Russia yet so this is a bit of a scoop for the ICA in The Mall.

Abnormal Beauty
Nominated for two gongs at the Hong Kong Film Awards this is a creepy mix of psychological horror and slasher movie. Race Wong (part of successful singing duo R2 with her sister Rosanne who also appears here) stars as Jiney, a young woman who becomes obsessed with photographing suicides to finding sexual release.
Knowing it is driving her to madness she tries to stop her morbid compulsion, only to discover someone shares her dark desires. Unsettlingly violent.

King’s Gam
This political intrigue from Denmark has already won 11 awards and boasts a strong performance from Anders W Berthelsen as an investigative reporter intent on bringing the dirty dealings, intrigues and basically lies of those in the political arena to the public eye.
In much the same way as Mamet’s political films bring the real political landscape into focus this, too, is sharp, intelligent and rather disturbing.

One Night in Mongkok
You’ll be impressed by this classy, multi-layered actioner set in Hong Kong’s crowded and rundown Mongkok district.
Here, a hired killer is sent to take out a drug lord but ends up being pursued by the police after saving a tart with a heart. What ensues becomes a tussle between the killer (Daniel Wu Yin-cho) and the dedicated cop on his tail (Alex Fong Chung-sun).
This is full-on dramatic stuff, feeding off the great energy of the streets and building to a taut conclusion.

One Dollar Curry
This melange between those two great gastronomic nations India and France promises much but is a little short on flavour.
Arriving in Paris, looking to start a new life and make a name for himself is young Sikh Nishan (Vikram Chatwal).
What he discovers is the way to total reinvention as he becomes the self-styled ‘Maharaja of Indian Cuisine’ – selling his curry on the city streets.
What follows is colourful and jolly but hardly four-star haute cuisine.

When Will I be Loved?
Remember Indecent Proposal? Well, here’s the another take on it. Sexually liberated rich girl Vera (Neve Campbell) likes to trawl the seedier side of life with hustler boyfriend Ford (Fred Weller).
But when he suggests she sleeps with a Count for money who is calling the shots – him or her? Campbell is a more nuanced actress than Demi Moore and Toback writes some great dialogue but it’s all becomes a little preposterous.

Pick of the indies

Agatha and The Storm + Bread and Tulips
Silvio Soldini is a firm favourite with the film festival crowd and you can see why with this double bill, being screened exclusively at the Riverside Studios, because it’s just like the perfect cappuccino – light, frothy and uplifting.
Both films star the luscious Licia Maglietta, an Italian woman of a certain age with more sex appeal than a dozen skinny teenagers. In Agatha she plays the lead role, an unfulfilled bookshop owner who finds that when a younger man awakens her sexuality, a storm of passion and emotion is unleashed that affects everyone around her.
It’s full of zest for life and wonderfully joyous and there’s a lot of bed-hopping involved so it almost plays like an Italian take on the British sexual farce.
There are also elements of farce in Bread and Tulips where Maglietta plays downtrodden housewife Rosalba who revolts against her humdrum life and takes herself off to Venice where she discovers talents she never knew she had.
The always brilliant Bruno Ganz brings his hangdog expression to proceedings as a depressed waiter who takes her in while the twisting alleys of Venice add an atmospheric backdrop to the action. If you are finding the onset of autumn depressing, this will act as the perfect antidote.
• Riverside Studios, Crisp Road, W6. Box office is on 0208 237 1111.