The Orphanage (El Orfanato) (2007)

Belen Rueda, who is so good in thrillers (for instance, Julia's Eyes), loans her weight to this slightly cheesy but perfectly entertaining Guillermo del Toro-endorsed gothic mystery with all the trappings: a creaky mansion by the sea that was once an orphanage, caves, pasty orphans in leg-braces playing nursery games, hidden rooms, ghosts, paranormal investigators, skeletons and treasure hunts.

★★★☆☆ 

CINECAL: ONE SENTENCE REVIEWS

Manchester by the Sea (2016)

Casey Affleck is Kenneth Lonergan's latest emotionally stunted, middle-aged, blue-collar white guy dealing with trauma - this time the death of a brother - and while he grapples with his responsibilities to his orphaned nephew, his own heartbreaking backstory is revealed, punctuated by moments of Lonergan's trademark bittersweet poignancy and laugh-out-loud comedy.

★★★★☆

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Hugo (2011)

Watch this, a precious, highly stylised and drama-free whimsy about an orphan boy who discovers the magic of cinema, or simply recall instead that part of each Oscar award ceremony where the presenters heavyhandedly expound film's curative properties. 

★★☆☆☆ 

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The Next Karate Kid (1994)

With Hilary Swank's angry orphan Julie-san replacing Ralph Macchio's Daniel-san and with the Kobra Kai replaced by a ridiculous American high school martial arts police force of rapey male teens, you'd think things had changed in this fourth Karate Kid movie but the story arc is exactly the same, as is Mr Miyagi's English language competence despite his ten years' experience breaking down rebellious American teenagers and building them up again with Confucian couplets.

★☆☆☆☆

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The Professional (Leon) (1994)

The 12-year-old orphan girl of a family shot to pieces by bad cops seeks refuge with a man from a neighbouring apartment, a hitman who makes the questionable decision of teaching her his trade, in this engaging action thriller that is part American (NY setting, Portman in her Hollywood debut, Oldman, English language), part French (Jean Reno, traditional French accordian music, Luc Besson French cool).

★★★★☆

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Orphan (2009)

It is a pity the makers didn't manage this thriller's entirety as well as it manages its surprise ending because although the ending is a good one (it had the cinema I was in on its feet, causing a huge uproar), the story that precedes it about Esther "The Bad Seed" orphan girl who has a wee behavioural problem, is humorless and arduous and even at times tiresome.

★★★☆☆

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You Can Count On Me (2000)

This is a heartwarming drama about a brother and sister reunited in adulthood after the deaths of their parents in childhood, starring next gen Marlon Brando and future Bruce Banner, Mark Ruffalo, and Matthew Broderick, a Culkin, and the always enchanting Laura Linney. 

★★★★☆

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