Penn & Teller-related or not, Tim’s Vermeer is a fascinating tale. At its heart is the work of Johannes Vermeer, who was accepted into his local Dutch painters’ guild in 1653, at age 21, with no recorded training as an apprentice or prior profile as an artist. The young buck promptly began painting masterful, singular, uncannily realistic pictures of light-filled rooms and ethereal young women, which were celebrated somewhat at the time but after his death, at 43, he and his work slipped into obscurity for two centuries.

Errors of the Human Body is most definitely a strange and almost indefinable film. On one hand it has a horror vibe going on, and on the other a distinctly sci fi feel all round. And having said that, it goes a lot deeper emotionally than either of those genres… so is perhaps something else entirely. A terrifying trip into one scientist’s worst nightmare perhaps, after the death of his young son drives him mad with frustration.

The intention behind tonight’s film Mr. Jones was to make an art house horror flick, which sounded like a promising little number to me and I got immediately stuck in. I was aware of the predominantly bad reviews of the flick but went in with (hopefully) an unbiased opinion, emerging later feeling uncharacteristically non-plussed. Good? Maybe not. Great? Probably not. But if you’re a fan of the genre them read on, as it may well be your cup of tea and hey – don’t believe everything that you read.

One of the most wonderful things about watching great movies is the sense of relaxation one feels, that moment of being simultaneously stimulated by and taken away from the everyday by a top-notch cinematic outing.

One movie that is both well made and acted but will have you in a state akin to a quivering wreck by the time the end credits roll however, is In Their Skin, showing on Rialto.

With talk of late proclaiming that upcoming, much hyped on screen couple Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson have the worst ever chemistry on display in “Fifty Shades of Grey”, I’ve been thinking about the least sexy, cinematic sex scenes ever made. The pair was apparently doing reshoots up until a few weeks ago, and by all accounts their press tour has been like watching a soon-to-be-divorced couple in the early stages of therapy!

This month is devoted – shamelessly – to sin on Rialto Channel, so I’m kicking off my part in the whole thing shebang with a top ten of the most sinfully sexy movies I’ve been lucky enough to see. Romance is not what I’m is not what I am counting down here either – it’s pure filth all round, so if that’s not what you’re after then please close the curtains.

This list is about hot, saucy, sassy and at times a little-too-real celluloid sexiness, and yep, at times it makes even me blush. Theses are the moments that make you feel strange if you watch them with your parents or new friends (a big thank you to Mulholland Drive for that awkward few minutes), scenes you don't want to witness on a first date, and the chemistry that makes a movie memorable and at times, a little uncomfortable to watch.

That James Franco is one hell of a polarising character. From pretty boy to serious talent to laughable auteur and scholar (and plenty more in between), you either love him or you hate him, and my camp of choice is most definitely the former.

Known for his breakthrough starring role on Freaks and Geeks (1999), Franco’s star ascended quickly, and his appearance in films as diverse as Pineapple Express and Milk have seen his profile grow among both stoners and art house fans all over the world.

This Wednesday, January 21 sees the New Zealand television premiere of COLLABORATOR, a very unusual little film that is also the writing and directorial debut of a highly respected acting talent – Martin Donovan.

It’s the story of Robert Longfellow, a renowned playwright in the middle of a creative dry spell that is turning him in knots. His latest high-profile production is a very famous flop, so to extricate himself from the bad press and general dysfunction of his professional life, he retreats to the home to the neighbourhood he grew up in on the other side of the country. He quite literally runs home to mama with his tale between his legs, and that is when things really start to go pear-shaped.