Everyone loves a good biff, especially when it has absolutely nothing to do with The Footy Show. Here, I’m speaking about the one and only Brisbane International Film Festival also known as BIFF. The Gold Coast, being the cultural vacuum that it is, us film geeks eagerly await the annual BIFF where a selection of films from around the world are screened over the course of one and a bit weeks. This year I’ve been lucky enough to work with some of the BIFF crew by putting together articles on various films for the website and daily newsletter. With dozens of movies crammed into the 11-day event it would be easy to miss some of the real gems. The good news is I’ve taken a look at the complete line-up of films screening at this year's festival and even watched some of them early. So, the following is my list of the films you MUST SEE or die at this year's BIFF.

For you international readers this can be a handy guide of limited release films you should keep an eye out for in the coming weeks/months.

• An Education — the opening night film starring Peter Sarsgaard and set in the 60s. The Sars-man in a film with romance, drama and intrigue sounds like too rare an opportunity to miss.
• BALIBO — the notorious tale of five young, Australian journalists who were executed while reporting on Indonesia’s invasion of East Timor in 75. An impressive Aussie cast including Gyton Grantley, Nathan Phillips and Anthony LaPaglia expose the Australian and Indonesian governments shameless efforts to cover-up this important story.
• Coraline — has been covered extensively on this blog given its beautiful visuals and dark storyline. Directed by Henry Selick, director of the classic Nightmare Before Christmas, Coraline follows the adventures of a young girl who discovers a secret door leading to an alternative reality.
• 500 Days of Summer — a last minute addition to the festival line-up, this quirky, nontraditional love story deserves to be seen purely because it features the talents of my favourite Joseph Gordon Levitt. It also stars everyone’s favourite indie film star Zoey Deschanel.
• CHE: Parts One & Two — director Steven Soderbergh’s stunning two-part opus based on the life Che Guevara and starring Benicio Del Toro in the title role. You’ll be hard pressed to catch this screened back to back anywhere else in Queensland.
• Away We Go — highly peculiar, yet, interesting film which looks at the journey of two thirtsomethings who discover they’re going to have a baby. Instead of settling down and preparing, the couple take to the road to visit old friends. This is the latest thing from the amicable Sam Mendes and marks a return to his off-beat indie roots.
• The September Issue — one of the most anticipated documentaries of the year, this film delves into the life of legendary Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour in the lead-up to the massive September issue.
• Jules And Jim — this French film from the 60s is a classic love-triangle with arguably the most recognisable face in French cinema — Jeanne Moreau.
• Moon — one of the films I’m most looking forward to, this sci-fi thriller i s the debut feature from David Bowie’s son Duncan Jones and stars Sam Rockwell in what is said to be the performance of his career.
• The Missing Person — a private detective is hired to follow a missing person but what started as a simple job rapidly develops into a complex mystery. Full of double-crosses and classic noir moments, this is a film not to be missed by lovers of all things noir.
• The Strength of Water (below) — having Maori parentage, I like to pay special attention to films from indigenous New Zealand filmmakers. The Strength of Water is definitely worth the gaze. A unique look at the complexity of grief through the eyes of a 10-year-old living in an isolated Maori community. Beautiful, naturalistic, creative and moving. A must-see.
• Van Dieman’s Land — the infamous tale of Australia’s very own Hannibal Lecter gets the big screen treatment from a filmmaker heading for the stratosphere.Subdivison — Brisbanite Ash Bradman (from Nova radio fame) wrote and stars in this appealing comedy set in semirural Hervey Bay. Fans of Aussie films like Crackerjack, The Castle and Kenny are likely to enjoy this.
• The Cove — along with Cathy Henkel’s The Burning Season, this has to be one of the most important documentaries of the year and looks at the culling of dolphins in the picturesque town of Tokyo, Japan. Part horror film, part espionage thriller and part environmental documentary, The Cove is all part's essential viewing. It Might Get Loud — there’s no time for air guitar in this documentary which takes the audience on a candid trip into the world of three of rock’s most iconic electric guitarists; Jimmy Page (Led Zepplin), the Edge (U2), and Jack White (The White Stripes).
• Black Dynamite — if I even have to explain to you the plot of this film, given the sheer volume of posts about it on this blog, then you deserve to be pimp-slapped into a China cabinet. Here’s your chance to see what all the fuss is about.
• Dead Snow — Tarantino and Rodriguez fans, like myself, are likely to adore the work of the Norwegian lads behind this low-budget, horror slapstick about Nazi zombies. Writer/director Tommy Wirkola and writer/star Stig Frode Henriksen have been pipped for big things since their debut short Kill Buljo and their first feature doesn’t disappoint. Catch their work before it explodes as their next film Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters has been picked up by The Weinstein Company (bada-boom).
• Storage — a tense, edge-of-your-seat psychological thriller from Brisbane filmmaker Michael Craft and starring Gold Coast actor Matt Scully in the lead role. An impressively clever debut from Craft who shot the film in storage facilities in and around Brisvegas. Creepy.
• The Horsemen — containing what is said to be one of the `most amazing fight scenes captured’ is there really any other reason to see this?

Ticket prices are cheap as chips compared to a normal outing at the movies and BIFF is running a series of workshops where you can meet the director, producer, writer and/or stars of some of the films.

All-Girl Rock Band the Runaways

Kristen Stewart and Dakota Fanning prove they are the Queens Of Noise in a biopic about 70s all-girl rock band The Runaways. The career of The Runaways was short lived, spanning only five years, but the impact they had on the music industry was immense. The all-girl teenage rock band helmed six albums and several hit singles such as Cherry Bomb, Queens Of Noise and Born To Be Bad, and helped shape female rock icon Joan Jett. Yet it was a dirty, tumultuous ride as shown in The Runaways, the directorial debut from Floria Sigismondi.

Set in Southern California in the mid-70s, Joan Jett (Kristen Stewart) is a shy and sulky glue-sniffer who dreams of becoming a rock star like Suzi Quatro. She takes that burning ambition to music promoter Kim Fowley (Michael Shannon) and after pitching him the idea of starting an all-girl rock band, he starts to recruit teenage girls for The Runaways. He and Jett find their front woman in the stylish and dreamy Cherie Currie (Dakota Fanning) and the young women are soon subjected to a rigorous training regimen where Fowley teaches them how to handle rowdy crowds, deal with hecklers and howl, wail and strut in a passionate brand of macho feminism.

Despite their musical talent, they all play their own instruments and write their own songs, Fowler sees an opportunity and promotes The Runaways as a cocktail of empowerment and exploitation. Dressed in hot pants, heels, jumpsuits and lingerie, the teenage girls become both a fetish and a rebellious rock `n' roll band, and subsequently take off. From homegrown success to global domination, including a huge fan base in Japan, the girls begin to struggle with their meteoric rise to fame, the easy availability of drugs, predatory men, lack of supervision and group dynamics.

The focus of the film is the individual stories of Jett and Currie, who are key members of the group and share an intimate relationship as friends and sometime lovers (which cumulates in a pash between Stewart and Fanning). Coming from a background as a photographer and music video director, Sigismondi has an eye for visuals and her competency in creating this grungy 70s world is similar to Catehrine Harwicke's effort in The Lords Of Dogtown. Her direction of the music scenes, which are all sung and performed by the actors, really captures the electricity of the band and their music. However, that is also her downfall because The Runaways retains a glossy sheen that seems out of place given the events unfolding on screen. The story too has been trimmed and moulded from Currie's autobiography, so that it is just rebellious enough, while skipping over some of the more confronting and compelling issues.

But the crux of The Runaways is the performances, with Shannon delivering a suitably sociopathic turn as Fowley and Alia Shawkat makes the most of her small supporting role. Yet it is Stewart and Fanning who steal the show. In case you did not know already, they make this film their declaration that they are no longer child stars, but rather young-adult actresses who deliver tour de force performances. Fanning's David Bowie-esque Currie is as beautiful contradiction, a vulnerable and undecided teenager off stage and a fierey sex kitten on it. Besides her uncanny resemblance to Jett, Stewart ozzes the rock `n' roll mentality and her brooding, attitude-filled performance is reminiscent of a young James Dean.

Flashy and feisty, The Runaways is an entertaining piece of pop art, but it fails to delve deeper into the real story. For an accurate account see former bassist Victory Tischler-Blue's documentary Edgeplay: A Film About The Runaways. Sure, from a technical perspective it may be one of the worst documentaries I’ve seen, but she captures the band’s truly amazing story in interviews and mind blowing revelations. Watch it. In other news, I interviewed her a few weeks ago and she describes Jett as a “fucking c#nt” so she deserves your props for that.

Sable Starr

Okay, so maybe I will never actually dress (or act) like Sable Starr, the "supergroupie" who, in the 1970s, was notoriously linked to such stars as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Johnny Thunders of the New York Dolls. I do, however, totally love this photo of her here:

Sable Starr and Iggy Pop

How great is that little ensemble? I love the hat and sunglasses, and the shirt is too cute. It's crazy to think that Sable Starr and other teenage girls flaunted their way onto the rock scene at as early as thirteen years old! They sure had guts.

I recently read an article entitled "Rock Groupies and Feminism" on Rachel Rabbit White's website, where I learned a lot about the "groupie babies" of the 1970s. Did you know that there was even a magazine (that ran for only five issues) centered around groupie lifestyle? The magazine was called Star, and you can find excerpts of it here.

I totally admire this chick for owning her style. She wasn't shy about taking risks or wearing something crazy to get attention, and that's pretty cool. I'm looking forward to reading more about Starr's very unique teenage lifestyle and her escapades across LA.

Sam Rockwell | MOON

I'm constantly altering the order of the entrants in my hypothetical `favourite actor's list'.However, one permanent feature has been the always awesome and versatile Sam Rockwell. Since his debut in the teen-horror Clownhouse, the 40-year-old has gone on to become a one-man gallery of crooks, rogues and oddballs. Critics adore him. Cinephiles applaud him. Yet still he manages to tread comfortably on the line between stardom and obscurity. Touted as `the next big thing’ for over a decade, Rockwell has made a career of playing the anti-hero. He shifts between supporting roles and leading parts as if they were gears in a car and is widely considered one of the finest actors working today. With a name like a character from an Austin Powers movie, Rockwell is the go-to man for directors with controversial or challenging parts. Thus, when Duncan Jones, son of David Bowie, entered into a career as a filmmaker it’s no wonder he wrote his debut feature Moon as a vehicle for Sam Rockwell. As audiences worldwide prepare to see him in the biggest the role of his career, I thought I'd put together this piece to look back at some of the his most memorable performances.

His breakthrough performance was in 1997 as a lovable oddity in Tom DiCillo’s Box of Moonlight. He went on to star in a number indie drama’s and had his first foray in to studio pictures as a child murderer in The Green Mile (below). Despite only having a small amount of screen time, Rockwell left a lasting impression as the charismatic killer.

Charisma was again a major feature in his role as Eric Knox in Charlie’s Angels. One of his most well-known parts, Rockwell was unforgettable as the quirky and deranged super-villain who was just as comfortable moon-walking to Pharaoh Monche as he was shooting missiles from his helicopter. However, it was his leading turn in George Clooney’s directorial debut Confessions of a Dangerous Mind that certified Rockwell as a rising talent. He won the Silver Berlin Bear for best actor at the Berlin International Film Festival for playing game show impresario Chuck Barris, who claimed to have been a CIA hitman.

With a growing reputation as a diverse character actor, Rockwell went on to star in several large supporting roles in films such as Matchstick Men, A Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Snow Angels and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Perhaps his most controversial role was as a sex-addicted con-man in last year’s Choke which is based on a book by Fight Club author Chuck Palahniuk. As a serious actor it would be difficult to find a juicer part than that of a man who pays for his mothers hospital bills by playing on the sympathies of those who save him from choking to death. On the surface it’s the kind of character that audiences should have loathed but Rockwell threw himself in to the part making him poignant and hilarious. He followed Choke with the Oscar nominated Frost/Nixon where he played passionate political writer James Preston Jr.

Although he has spent much of his career playing second fiddle, in his latest film Rockwell is back at leading-man. In fact, he is the only actor in Moon. He plays astronaut Sam Bell (below) who is wrapping up a three-year stint on the moon where he has been overseeing the mining interests of the Lunar Corporation. With the exception of recorded messages from his family and bosses back on Earth, his only company is the base’s computer Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey). That is until he meets a younger, angrier version of himself who claims to be there to fulfil the same three-year contract. Engaging the eye as much as the mind, Moon draws from classic science-fiction films and is propelled by an intense performance from Rockwell. Taking out the best British film award at the Edinburgh film festival earlier this year, it has been hailed as a remarkable debut from Duncan Jones who wrote the film to lure Rockwell in to working with him.

Made on a budget of $5 million and shot in 33 days, Moon has been hailed as an intelligent, intriguing and unique film held together by Rockwell’s performance. Critics have tipped this as the film to finally elevate the American actor to A-List, leading man status. Whether this will actually come to fruition remains to be seen, however Rockwell seems content with his position in modern day cinema. If nothing else the role will be another display of brilliance from the actor and can be added to his repertoire of unusual characters. In the mean time, his next move is away from the indie-circuit and back in to blockbuster mode as he stars alongside Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Gwyneth Paltrow and Mickey Rourke in Iron Man 2.