The theater doors blast open, and Quentin Tarantino’s band of Jewish soldiers bursts in with fury, guns first. Showering the audience—once their oppressors—in a rain of bullets, the gunmen stand triumphantly on a balcony that deteriorates as it is licked by flames. The viewers fall to their knees at the sight of the screen’s collapse. [...]
I don’t think there is a singular film-maker I’ve found myself having written more about than Australia’s own Dr. George Miller. And now, writing this, I’m still not quite certain of the best way to introduce him, if indeed such a thing is necessary at all. The last of cinema’s thoroughly modern myth-makers – those [...]
The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of exits and entrances. Janus is most commonly depicted in ancient art as having two faces, one looking backwards while the other looks forward. Janus is also symbolic of changes and transformations. The prospect of exiting and entering, of endings and new beginnings, and [...]
Well well well, finally a George Clooney film without “George Clooney.” Indeed, “The American” is a film without much claim to plot, action or dialogue and is yet a compelling watch. I was seduced by its atmospherics and ambition. Anton Corbijn not only has a cool name but has also directed the luminous love letter [...]
Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective, Sherlock Holmes, is one of English literature’s most recognizable and enduring characters. As such, he has made more than 200 movies appearances since the inception of cinema. The master snoop had been portrayed by such luminaries as Basil Rathbone, Jeremy Brett, Christopher Plummer, Patrick Macnee, Jonathan Pryce, Christopher Lee and [...]
As Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” arrives on DVD, I felt compelled give the film a second viewing. What I found was this: despite the overwhelming controversy surrounding the film’s gratuitous sexual violence, the most troubling, terrifying moments in “Antichrist” were essentially sexless and bloodless — and talking fox-less. I realized that much of “Antichrist’s” terror [...]
“Splice,” the new film by Canadian director Vincenzo Natali, is a revitalizing standout in the long-suffering genre of sci-fi/horror. Instead of veering into predictable B-movie, torture-porn tendencies, “Splice” is a serious, insightful commentary on scientific and human ethics. It is also self-effacing, ghoulishly funny, and fearless in its willingness to be shocking and thought-provoking without [...]
Thick with intrigue and corruption, Jacques Audiard’s “A Prophet” is well-stocked with the hallmarks of political cinema: miserable living conditions, exploited minorities, a grittily-tinged color palette. Viewed through this lens it plays as starkly effective polemic: a thriller that also makes a point; crime, betrayal and gunplay with a distinct social conscience. But if Audiard [...]
DIFF 2012 Reviews: ‘Cinema Six,’ ‘Compliance,’ ‘Faith, Love and Whiskey’
Things I Don’t Understand (2011)
Jiří Trnka: Animation Retrospective
Lowlights of Cinélatino
Brevity Pays Off
‘A Secret World’ at Cinélatino
‘Future Lasts Forever’ at Sofia
Two Treatments of Italy’s Fascist Past
‘The Leopard’: novel, opera, but above all, film
We’ll always have ‘Casablanca’
