David O. Russell wrote and directed one of the most subversive, absurd and funny war movies of all time, Three Kings in which a group of American soldiers plunder Iraq's wealth after the first Gulf War. He returns to the silver screen with the enchanting I Heart Huckabees.

The film centres around the work of two private detectives, Vivian and Bernard Jaffe, played by Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman. Rather than checking up on cheating wives and philandering husbands, they investigate the more existential parts of our being - seeking to solve those inner turmoils. Environmentalist Albert Markovski, played by Jason Schwartzman, hires the Jaffes to investigate his life, as the mythical retail chain Huckabees gains a foothold in this sleepy town at the behest of corporate stooge Brad Stand, played by Jude Law. As the film progresses it's not only Albert who's hired the detectives, but Brad and his spokes model girlfriend Dawn, played by "Australia's own" Naomi Watts.

I Heart Huckabees is a quirky film that explores the existential philosophy of our everyday lives. It moves with a rocketing pace for the majority of the film and was described by Ross Anthony as The Coen Brothers meets Sartre; well worth a view.

A knight (von Sydow) returns home from a ten year crusade with his squire (Bj((ouml))rnstrand), to find his homeland ravaged by plague. His experiences had made him cynical about the existence of God and the afterlife. When the black figure of Death (Ekerot) comes to claim them, the knight challenges Death to a game of chess to stall for time. While the game is in progress, the knight tries to gain some insight into the meaning of life, good and evil, and the existence of God, before passing away. Along the way in his spiritual journey he meets a number of characters, representing the canvas of humanity, who all succumb eventually to Death's calling. Ingmar Bergman convincingly depicts medieval life, but the subtext of the film is the search for meaning in the modern age of doubt and uncertainty. Full of stunning imagery and symbolism, this is an excellent introduction to the films of Ingmar Bergman, and it helped to establish his international reputation.