Critical Week: Cardiff calling

I'm off to Wales this morning for the 4th Iris Prize Festival, where I'll be serving on the jury. This is a competitive event for short films dealing with issues of gender and sexuality, and there are also several intriguing events on the programme, as well as a few features and of course parties.

As for this past week's films, it's been a busy one since press screenings are underway for the London Film Festival, which starts next week. Star power was in force for The American (George Clooney), Conviction (Hilary Swank), Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps (Michael Douglas), Death & Life of Charlie St Cloud (Zac Efron) and Everything Must Go (Will Ferrell). The best of that bunch, surprisingly, was the Will Ferrell movie.

Off the beaten path, we had the rather impenetrable Thai Palme d'Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, the frantic Hong Kong horror Dream Home, the artful doc Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow. And my two favourite films were Xavier Beauvais' haunting and powerful drama Of Gods and Men and the young Xavier Dolan's bold romantic drama Heartbeats.

Besides the films at Iris, this coming week I'm looking forward to James Franco in Danny Boyle's 127 Hours, Russell Crowe in the thriller remake The Next Three Days and the Mexican thriller We Are What We Are. But first, I have a train to catch...