Tropfest 2011 gets underway across Australia February 20th with more than 150,000 people expected to turn up at live sites across the nation.

Those in the know say this year will produce some of the greatest films in the history of the event with the talent pool exceeding what we have seen in the past.

One of the shortlisted films in this year’s competition is One Night Stand – directed, written, and produced by Melbourne local David Coussins.

The basic plot of the film is fairly simple: a young man, Joel (David Coussins) wakes in bed only to realise he’s lying next to an unknown female bed-mate, Caitlin (Rhona Rees).

The exact details of what happened the night before appear to be fairly sketchy, but as far as Joel is concerned, the quicker he gets out of there, the better.

Unfortunately for Joel, Caitlin has taken a liking to him and doesn’t let him go too easy.

Any attempts for a quick getaway are thwarted by the love sick Caitlin, who shows all the characteristics of a female obsessed stalker.

To say what happens next would spoil or the fun but it’s safe to say that anything that could go wrong, does go wrong for Joel.

The film is edited with fine precision and continues to provide laugh after laugh at a zip line pace.

David Coussins is hilarious in the lead role and conveys the perfect amount of awkwardness and fear to make the audience cringe in sympathy throughout the film.

You know you have a talented comedic actor on board when he’s able to provide some of the biggest laughs in the film by facial expressions alone.

Rhona Rees is also hilarious as Caitlin – playing out the obsessive one night stand  that every young man fears to a tee.

One Night Stand proves that as far as short comedies are concerned, the simpler, the better!

When it comes to Laugh Out Loud moments, One Night Stand wins hands down, and if is anything to go by, this years Tropfest looks to be a winner.

Rating: 4.5/5

Tropfest 2011 kicks off February 20th and live sites all around Australia

Live Festival Sites:
Sydney – The Domain
Melbourne – Federation Square
Hobart – Salamanca Square
Canberra – Commonwealth Park
Adelaide – Glenelg Bay
Surfers Paradise – Cirlce on Cavill
Perth – Princess May Park, Fremantle

And live on Movie Extra Channel from 7pm.

Directed by Albert and Alan Hughes, the movie is based around a lone hero must fight his way across the wasteland of post-apocalyptic USA to protect a sacred book that holds the key to saving the future of humanity.

A real fantasy film that has some pretty impressive graphics and special effects.

Washington has s stellar performance and the movie seems to drag along quite smoothly for its majority.

The main character, as you may have guessed is Eli, and he fights to save the world.

Does he do it in the end??

Well, you’ll have to watch to find out!

In the meantime, here is a sneak look at the trailer.

The Book of Eli is out now at most cinemas across the country.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKfZrbS79To

How to be a Sex Star follows the journey of a man called Nathan Hill.

He is an average looking guy, average in almost all fields of life except for when it comes to picking up girls.

He is a Casanova whose chief occupation is the picking up women.

In the movie, if you could call it that, he juggles five different girls over a series of hilarious dates, all while trying to maintain his reputation by sleeping with the hottest girl in the city.

Now if you have read the book ‘The Game’, this is a movie for you.

It delves into he world of pick up artists, and the mind of females and how to ‘score’.

Bet’s are, if you took your other half to the cinemas with you to watch it, she would either walk out in a fuss, demanding you to go with her, or actually get into it while smirking at all the lines she swears would never work on her.

With equal parts of entertainment, information and controversies, SexStar finally reveals the truth about the games men play to pick up women.

The movie should be out May 1 in cinemas around Australia.

Keep your eye out for it and make sure you find a secret way to watch it!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=A65ILuP2G74

A decade later and he has impressed yet again, this time with the film The Wrestler.

One of the movies of the year in 2008, The Wrestler was nominated for plenty of awards, including Oscar nominations for best film, best actor and best supporting actress.

The film follows the life of Randy ‘The Ram’ Robinson, a professional wrestler in the 1980s.

The Rams life was full of excitement and fame in his early years, and was an A-grade celebrity in the industry.

However, by the 1990s his popularity decreases, as too does his quality of life.

Robinson still does the odd show on weekends, in front of mediocre crowds, but during the week he gets by with part time shifts at the local deli.

He is rarely recognized, and when he is it is usually at his expense.

The movie takes the viewers on a journey through the life of a superstar who has the battles of letting go of the only thing he loves so much, and the one thing that has torn apart his family.

Mickey Rourke assumes the role of Robinson and one could not find a more perfect match.

The similarities between both characters are striking, with Rourke also going through a similar experience, only in the acting world.

The Wrestler will make you laugh, and cry, in an emotional rollercoaster.

The film is now out on DVD across the nation.

With so many adaptations of the successful storyline since it was first written so many years ago, my initial thoughts were that the new installment would be a letdown to all fans.

However, after actually giving it the time of day, I have changed my mind on what I think of the movie.

Directed by Tim Burton, the movie was always going to be in safe hands, I should have known that…

The movie itself comes with great casting, with Johnny Depp as The Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as The Red Queen, Anne Hathaway as The White Queen, Crispin Glover as The Knave of Hearts and Stephen Fry as The Cheshire Cat.

Mia Wasikowska plays the role of Alice, in a performance that should guarantee her large amounts of success in her acting future.

In case you are still not familiar with the tale of Alice in Wonderland, it begins with the 19 year-old attending a party shortly after the death of her father.

At the party, Alice finds a white rabbit, which is dressed in a waistcoat and pocket watch.

In a frightened state, she runs off and follows the White Rabbit through a maze.

Here, she tumbles down a hole and into the underworld where he had been to 10 years earlier.

Struggling to remember her past time there, she eventually leads the Wonderland community to victory over the evil Red Queen in a tale full of adventure and excitement.

Alice in Wonderland is playing now at selected cinemas around the nation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjMkNrX60mA

7/10