Artificial Eye
Film Review: The Roy Andersson Collection
Roy Andersson is a rather unique film director even for a country renowned producing brilliant and unconventional filmmaking. His career in media has mostly been in commercials and in over five decades he has only made four films. However, it’s a case of quality over quantity, winning numerous awards for his output. The Roy Andersson …
DVD Review: The Green Prince
There are many different angles of approach to storytelling in a documentary. Some directors opt for style over substance, whilst others indulge in a one-sided polemic. In The Green Prince, director Nadav Schirman made the decision to recount events from two different perspectives. Based on Mosab Hassan Yousef’s autobiography, this choice makes it feel more …
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: 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 …
DVD Review: Nymphomaniac Director’s Cut
Lars Von Trier has made his reputation by going to places where other directors fear to tread. He first came to international prominence through the tear-jerking Breaking The Waves and the hysteria-inducing The Idiots. Nymphomaniac Vol 1&2 was originally going to be one film, but the last instalment of the ‘Depression Trilogy’ (along with Antichrist …
Film Review: A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence
A Pigeon Sat On A Branch Reflecting On Existence is the third in a trilogy of films by Roy Andersson which look at the modern human condition. Along with Songs From The Second Floor and You, The Living, it focuses one of the many aspects of living. Andersson takes the viewpoint of the titular observer, …
Incoming: The Green Prince
Set against the chaotic backdrop of recent events in the Middle East, Nadav Schirman’s THE GREEN PRINCE retraces the details of a highly unprecedented partnership that developed between sworn enemies. In the style of a tense psychological thriller, this extraordinary documentary recounts the true story of the son of a Hamas leader who emerged as …
DVD Reviews: Anne and Muriel & A Gorgeous Girl Like Me
Whilst many of Truffaut’s works are well-known, others have faded from memory over the passing of time. Artificial Eye, starting with his first film 400 Blows, are releasing a whole raft of the French director’s work on Blu-ray in the UK for the first time. Anne and Muriel and A Gorgeous Kid Like Me are …
DVD Review: The Soft Skin
Many of François Truffaut’s film have elements of the autobiographical and The Soft Skin is no exception. Written in collaboration with Jean-Louis Richard, the French director in renowned for having affairs with his leading ladies. Luckily for Truffaut he didn’t suffer the same fate as Jean Desailly does in the film. On his way to …
DVD Review: The Night is Young
With the release of Mauvais Sang (oddly named The Night is Young for English speaking audiences), Leos Carax confirmed his place as one of France’s most inventive and creative young directors, and a leading light in the Cinema du look movement. It’s beautifully inventive and creative, moving away from the imitation of Boy Meets Girl …