Top Five Films
1. MIDNIGHT IN PARIS
(94 minutes) M
Owen Wilson was an unexpected but perfect choice to play the dreamy hero of Woody Allen's 2011 comedy, a screenwriter who magically travels back in time to the bohemian Paris of the Jazz Age. A love letter to the city and a statement about the consoling power of the imagination, this is one of the highlights of Allen's long career. Digitally projected. Astor, Saturday, 7.30pm. Double bill with Cafe Society.
The 1955 Disney classic The Lady and the Tramp.
2. LADY AND THE TRAMP
(75 minutes) G
A well-bred cocker spaniel falls for a roving mutt in this 1955 Disney cartoon, which displays a cosy sophistication some distance from the studio's archetypal fairy tale mode. Jazz legend Peggy Lee not only voices several characters but co-wrote the songs, including the memorable (if racist) duet between feline villains Si and Am. Digitally projected. QV outdoor cinema, Saturday, 8.30pm. Dog-friendly charity screening, all proceeds to Lort Smith.
Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdams in Midnight in Paris.
3. WHITE CHRISTMAS
(120 minutes) G
Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye are army buddies turned nightclub entertainers who stage a benefit show for their former general (Dean Jagger) in Michael Curtiz's cheery, campy 1954 musical, with songs by Irving Berlin. Rosemary Clooney sings and Vera-Ellen dances, but the main attraction is the combination of Crosby's gentle cynicism and Kaye's silken near-hysteria. Digitally projected. Astor, Sunday, 4pm.
4. PETE'S DRAGON
(103 minutes) PG
The independent writer-director David Lowery (Ain't Them Bodies Saints) was a daring choice to steer this live-action remake of the 1977 Disney film about a boy and his dragon. But the gamble pays off: he gives the simple story a distinctive, fragile texture, with the digital dragon appearing and disappearing in the shadowy Northwestern woods. Astor, Sunday, 2pm.
Singer Rosemary Clooney, second from right, dances with, from left to right, Bing Crosby, Vera-Ellen, and Danny Kaye in White Christmas.Credit:AP
5. SWORD MASTER
(108 minutes) MA
Directed by former star Derek Yee, this tribute to the wuxia films of the 1970s is flamboyantly decorative and highly enjoyable. Gengxin Lin stars as a legendary swordsman who tries to give the life away, until he's tracked down by his rival (Peter Ho). The legendary Tsui Hark (Chinese Ghost Story) was co-writer and producer. Selected.
Pete's Dragon.Credit:Disney
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