FIlm Review
Film Review: Shooting For Socrates
We love to back the underdog, especially when it comes to sport. Football has many tales of heroism, from FA Cup giant killings to the meteoric rise of the likes of Castel di Sangro. The World Cup is a particularly fertile ground for shocks, from Cameroon to South Korea there are endless examples of David …
Film Review: Electric Boogaloo: The Wild, Untold Story of Cannon Films
I’m showing my age here, but I miss video. The humble VHS may have been as compact as a brick, have a picture which often resembled the end of the world (any female nudity was often accompanied by the kind of major crumpling which only repeated rewind, pause and playing causes) and truly classy covers, …
Film Review: Four Corners
South Africa’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at last year’s Academy Awards was Ian Gabriel’s Four Corners. The Rainbow Nation is not traditionally a country particularly noted for its cinema, but post-Apartheid cinema has gradually been picking-up speed. The most notable success story is that of Neill Blomkamp, but there have been some lesser …
Film Review: Timbuktu
Sometimes the simplest films are the most powerful. Whilst Timbuktu’s nomination for an Academy Award may have much to do with its subject matter, there’s no denying that it’s beautifully made, subtly disquieting and thought provoking. Abderrahmane Sissako’s film is in no way basic, assuredly side-stepping any notion of melodrama are an overly-complex plot. Opting …
Film Review: The New Girlfriend
‘Based on a story by Ruth Rendell’, is not something you expect to read at the beginning of a François Ozon film. I’ve not read the book, but given Rendell’s normal output I’m guessing it’s very loosely based on a theme which Ozon himself has toyed with previously. The New Girlfriend focusses on the fact …
Film Review: Spring
In terms of a horror film, Spring is a real anomaly. There’s more chemistry between Nadia Hilker and Lou Taylor Pucci, the two leads, than you see in the majority of romantic dramas. In actuality, it’s more of a indie drama than a horror movie. The level of characterisation and details is impressive for any …
Film Review: Tokyo Tribe
Shion Sono is not what you’d call an unadventurous director. Suicide Club, Noriko’s Dinner Table and Strange Circus built him a cult following with horror aficionados. He then stunned the world with Love Exposure, a film which is as mind-boggling as it is long. He’s one of the most innovative Japanese film makers and, coming …
Film Review: The Supreme Price
Nigeria is a huge country. Populated by over 160 million people and boasting a landmass which is significantly bigger than Mainland Europe, the most visited country in Western Africa is a chaotic and diverse nation. Comprising almost 400 different ethnic groups, over 500 languages, not to mention a split between Islam and Christianity and native …
Film Review: Clouds of Sils Maria
There’s been quite a few “backstage” films of late. The most famous example is Birdman, but other notable entries include Map To The Stars and Venus in Furs. Olivier Assayas is a very descriptive director, but in Clouds of Sils Maria he wraps the plot and intrigue in many layers of intertwining knots, merging fantasy …
Film Review: A Fuller Life
n many ways, screenwriter and filmmaker Samuel Fuller was a maverick of American cinema. He staunchly avoided the Studio system and mainstream Hollywood, making films which were controversial and uncompromising. Working on a shoestring budget is never easy, but Fuller has mapped out a career which includes Shock Corridor, The Naked Kiss, Pick-up on South …