Modern Films
Film Review: Return to Dust
Making a film in China is a tricky business at the best of times, but when it’s a period of heightened political activity the censors are on guard for anything which in any way could besmirch the ruling party or its leader. While Return to Dust had proved to be a success in the PRC, …
Film Review: Futura
Italy, by dint of geography and migrational history, perches itself in a fairly unique position within continental Europe. The affluent and pale north takes most of its cues from its Western European neighbours. While the south has much more of a Mediterranean outlook, both as a society and a state of mind. It’s a country …
Film Review – The Drover’s Wife: The Legend of Molly Johnson
As Europeans began to colonise the new world, myths and legends began to spring up around a number of figures. Tales of outlaws, lawmen and folk heroes travelled across vast expanses of land through word of mouth. While exaggeration and embellishment were par for the course, there is usually an element of truth involved. These …
Film Review: The Velvet Queen
This planet is truly a wonderous place. Created by a number of happy coincidences and a lot of luck. The fact we, humans, are here at all is as close to a miracle as you’re ever likely to see. Just the sheer diversity of flora and fauna is almost beyond comprehension. That’s even before you …
Film Review: Coppelia
Dating back to the Italian renaissance, ballet grew out of the courts over the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Popularity peaked during the next hundred years, but it has retained its appeal for a significant minority, especially within developed countries. Over the years it has evolved and often morphed into modern dance, allowing it to break …
Film Review: Three Floors
Nanni Moretti has been one of the most consistently reliable and impressive Italian filmmakers for decades now. He’s probably best known for The Son’s Room, which won him a Palme d’Or back in 2001 at Cannes Film Festival. However, the former professional waterpolo player has made a number of very good films including Mia Madre, …
Film Review: Memory Box
When it comes down to it, how much do we actually know about our parents? it’s more than likely that we’re aware of the major events in their lives as well as a wealth of random facts. The period which coincides with our existence will obviously be more familiar, but what about before we were …
Film Review: Celts
When considering the human cost of war, most of the emphasis is normally placed on those soldiers fighting in, or civilians directly affected by, them. Whilst these impacts might be much more evident and easier to quantify, conflict takes a toll in many less obvious ways. During the Yugoslav Wars, for instance, even those geographically …
Film Review: Drive My Car
Since the advent of moving pictures there have always been long films. Abel Gance’s 1927 classic Napoleon, for example, clocked in at well over five hours. However, what is often described as ‘slow-cinema’ has become increasingly popular. The likes of Béla Tarr and Lav Diaz have made careers out of creating dense and sedate films. …
Film Review: Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché
Marianne Joan Elliott-Said was one of the most influential musicians and artists of the late 1970s. After watching an early Sex Pistols gig on Hastings pier, she put an advert in Melody Maker looking for ‘young punx who want to stick it together’. She became Poly Styrene and they became the X-Ray Spex. As a …