Though immediately successful as a smart critique of alcohol culture, specifically in Denmark (though, as a Brit, the film certainly has messages for us), Another Round is special because it is so much more than a polemic. This is a compelling drama, and a witty comedy, populated by well realised and beautifully performed characters - … Continue reading Another Round (Review)
Sound of Metal (Review)
As a piece of technical filmmaking, Sound of Metal is quite astonishing. It is defined by superlative sound design, subtly brilliant visuals and precise performances. It also adheres clearly to effective dramatic formulas, carving out a narrative that hits established emotional beats with a touch of arthouse flair round the edges. All of this is … Continue reading Sound of Metal (Review)
Promising Young Woman (Review)
A subjective lens is often the best way to skewer harsh realities. In Promising Young Woman, our view of the world is purposefully distorted by aesthetic. This is an overtly stylised, carefully framed and candy coloured treat - but one that hides real danger. This colourful, or false, view of the world plays multiple roles … Continue reading Promising Young Woman (Review)
Cuatro Paredes (Review)
For a few minutes, you get some nicely framed, crisp images of a pretty house. The wide angle gives you a decent view and the scene is set in promising fashion. We know the film is going to be about absence, so the wide frame leaves room for absence - and for stillness. Yet still, … Continue reading Cuatro Paredes (Review)
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)?
Palm Springs (Review)
Groundhog Day was a groundbreaking romantic comedy and now is a genre in its own right. The better time loop comedies, and Palm Springs is one of them, recognise the metaphorical potential as well as the comedic potential of the premise and spread themselves evenly over both sides. This film is a great balancing act. … Continue reading Palm Springs (Review)
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)?
Godzilla vs. Kong (Review)
Before 2014’s Godzilla, the Americans had a bad track record when translating the King of the Monsters for Western audiences. This process began with abysmal re-edits of the first three Godzilla movies: butchering the original products, diluting their impact and adding terrible extra footage (interestingly, this included a re-cut of the original King Kong vs. … Continue reading Godzilla vs. Kong (Review)
Have you seen… The Green Fog (2017)?
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 Green Fog (2017)?
Assorted Opinions 