Sound and vision, that's all you need. This transcendent film from Toshiaki Toyoda (9 Souls) captures the Taiko Performing Arts Ensemble 'Kodo' and Koshiro Hino, filmed on the beautiful Sado Island. it is 89 minutes of percussion performance, with the island backdrop being integral to the overall effect. This overall effect is one of the … Continue reading Shiver (2021) (Review)
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House of Gucci (Review)
There are two films in House of Gucci. One, the better one, is an excellently acted relationship drama helmed by Lady Gaga and Adam Driver. The other is a complete trainwreck, but a hilarious one; it is this bizarre buddy comedy that follows Jared Leto and Al Pacino as they try to out overact each … Continue reading House of Gucci (Review)
Have You Seen… Belladonna of Sadness? (1973)
When taken as a whole, this is a majestic work. The first, and most overt, element to deal with is the film's visuals. This is one of the most astonishing animated works I have seen. It mixes the approach of classical (or traditional) art with the freedom of 70s psychedelia. Our compositions and our poses … Continue reading Have You Seen… Belladonna of Sadness? (1973)
Have You Seen… Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974)?
To even describe Céline and Julie Go Boating is antithetical to the experience. It is a purposefully rambling and anti-narrative piece more in love with spontaneity and energy than it is with anything else. It is a film about breaking the rules, about repetitions and deviations, and ultimately about the nature of cinema itself. Fundamentally, … Continue reading Have You Seen… Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974)?
Have You Seen… Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles (1975)?
In Virginia Woolf’s outstanding work of literary non-fiction, A Room of One’s Own, she explores the supposed lack of ‘Great Female Artists’. She is not the only one to explore this, and it is also a very Euro - and white - centric argument that is rejected by many. Art Historian Griselda Pollock, for one, … Continue reading Have You Seen… Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles (1975)?
Have You Seen… The Day He Arrives (2011)?
Welcome to ‘Have You Seen….’ a regular column exploring an interesting film that is worthy of greater attention – for good or for ill. The focus is on the underseen, the undersung or the underrated – or just those films you just need to write about. The focus is analysis more than evaluation so, expect … Continue reading Have You Seen… The Day He Arrives (2011)?
The Dig (Review)
The best way to describe Simon Stone’s film about the monumental discovery at Sutton Hoo in 1939 is through the metaphor of a dig itself. This is something that was definitely worth uncovering - you can tell there’s gold here. However, in approaching this project, Stone has dug too widely and only scratched the surface … Continue reading The Dig (Review)
NastyPALs 28: Killer Nun
https://soundcloud.com/nastypals/28-killer-nun Remember, we watch these so that you don't have to.
David Byrne’s American Utopia (Review)
Over 36 years ago, Talking Heads teamed up with acclaimed director Jonathan Demme (The Silence of the Lambs) to produce Stop Making Sense. This masterpiece is not only frequently viewed as the best concert film of all time, it is also one of the highlights of 20th Century cinema. Now, in 2020, the ex-frontman of … Continue reading David Byrne’s American Utopia (Review)
Mangrove (Small Axe) (Review)
Towards the end of Mangrove, during the court case which occupies the second half of the film, a character proclaims that the history books will talk of this. It is a line that stings, and one that feels purposeful. The man speaks from 1970, but is depicted in 2020 as part of a five film … Continue reading Mangrove (Small Axe) (Review)
Assorted Opinions 