Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Matrixiole Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

merklekranz Some people need total control of everything and everyone in their lives. When they fail to enforce their will, these individuals lash out in anger, torment, or aggression. "The Fat" could be the poster child for such outrageous behavior. Daniel Benzali has played the heavy many times before (see "Suckers"), but his performance in "All the Little Animals" is pure evil, and reason alone to seek this film out. John Hurt and Christian Bale give fine performances, but it is Benzali who makes the movie memorable. The film is highly original, deliberately paced, and the ending is extremely satisfying. Highly recommended. - MERK

Neil Doyle Nobody can accuse Christian BALE of choosing to do conventional stories. He's starring in a really quirky tale here, about an isolated boy running away from a cruel step-father (DANIEL BENZALI) and connecting with a hermit (JOHN HURT) who resides in a rundown shack in the woods, guarding a dark secret involving the death of a woman he killed and a whole lot of stashed cash.It starts out peacefully enough, but soon invades Stephen King territory when the tale takes a much darker turn. DANIEL BENZALI is truly scary in the scene where he mocks Hurt and almost strangles him to death, after which he kicks him brutally in the side. He then forces Bale to take him to the hermit's hut deep in the woods and has him dig a couple of graves. To tell any more would spoil the rest of the plot and give away too much--let's just say, the viewer is kept wondering what will happen next, especially during the last ten minutes.Beautifully photographed among handsome British locales, it's not exactly a pleasant story and, again, it's not surprising to see that Christian BALE is not your conventional young actor choosing only safe material. Much like Johnny Depp, he dares to take on boldly unconventional films that he must think have some sort of social significance.Serious movie buffs might find this independent film intriguing, but it's not for the average movie-goer.

Libretio ALL THE LITTLE ANIMALS Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (2.35 Research)Sound format: Dolby DigitalUntil it takes a darker turn during its latter stages, there's a quiet dignity at the heart of this unusual drama, the directorial debut of producer Jeremy Thomas, based on a novel by Walker Hamilton. Christian Bale - a long way from EMPIRE OF THE SUN and two years from American PSYCHO - plays a mentally impaired young man who runs away from his creepy stepfather (Daniel Benzali) in the wake of his mother's death and ends up in Cornwall, where he befriends an eccentric hermit (John Hurt) whose fondness for animals strikes a healing chord within Bale's damaged psyche. Together, they set out to bury the dead creatures they find around their ramshackle home in the forest, many of them killed by traffic on lonely country roads.Characterized by its magical performances (Bale is utterly convincing as the 10 year old boy trapped in a 25 year old's body) and eye-popping, panoramic vistas of the English landscape, the film offers a gentle reminder of mankind's place in the natural scheme of things, though Thomas makes his point without stooping to preachiness or obvious metaphors. In an amusing turnabout from standard Hollywood practices, this UK-lensed film features an American actor (Benzali) playing a Brit villain, the catalyst for a late-breaking plot development which some may find overly melodramatic. By turns humane, frightening and beautiful, this isn't a movie for all tastes, but adventurous viewers will be rewarded for their patience. A possible cult in the making.

JesNollie This is a quirky movie full of wonderful rich and moving performances. Christian Bale is, as always, magnificent as the slightly brain damaged Bobby. Unable to stand up to his sadistic step father he runs away and meets Mr. Summers, one of the most odd movie characters I've seen some time. A man who has dedicated his life to burying roadkill, played to perfection by John Hurt. Bobby is happy living with Mr. Summers and helping in "his work". But when Mr. Summers convinces Bobby to go home and break all ties with his step-father forever they find out just how evil this man really is. It's really quite a good film.