Let's get this out of the way first: Denis Villeneuve's Dune is actually Dune Part One. This is the first chapter in a story that is reliant on a conclusion, a fact that makes this film more difficult to independently evaluate. As a teaser for later Dune, this film is a huge success. I left … Continue reading Dune (Review)
Tag: cinema
Have You Seen… Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971)?
Terayama's iconoclastic classic is full of unfiltered madness and moments of political cogency. The main political push is in the title, and it is something that carries throughout the film: throw off apathy and disillusionment and take action. It's deeper than this though, it is about throwing out traditional forms of art so that we … Continue reading Have You Seen… Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971)?
The Labyrinth of Cinema (Review)
Nobody makes films like Nobuhiko Ôbayashi does, and with his tragic death in 2020, we are never going to have films like them again. Luckily, we have Labyrinth of Cinema; after giving us a final filmic statement in 2017 with the wonderful Hanagatami, Ôbayashi lived long enough to make one more final film. This film … Continue reading The Labyrinth of Cinema (Review)
Another Round (Review)
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)
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)
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)?
Have You Seen… An Elephant Sitting Still (2018)?
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… An Elephant Sitting Still (2018)?
Overseas (Review)
A vital and affecting exposé of a horrifying system. The filmmaker takes us inside a centre where Filipino women are trained to work as maids overseas, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). The whole situation is horrible, the women are preparing to be sent off into slavery - given a meagre wage for exploitative contracts that they … Continue reading Overseas (Review)
Rocks (Review)
This pitch perfect evocation of teenage life (specially teenage girls and primarily people of colour) ends with this statement in the credits: ‘The cast and many other young Londonds collaborated with the writers and filmmakers to create the characters and world of our film.’ This collaborative approach, an ethos further enforced by the want to … Continue reading Rocks (Review)
Wolfwalkers (Review)
To begin with, Wolfwakers seems overtly familiar. We are in a medieval fantasy world in which a tyrannical ruler is trying to destroy nature (the surrounding woodlands) to extend their rule and nature is fighting back, in this film in the form of routine wolf attacks. It is a man versus nature setup, an overt … Continue reading Wolfwalkers (Review)
Assorted Opinions 