Reviews Archive

DVD: “The Last Days of Disco” (Criterion)

(2.5/5) This is a disco social comedy revolving around “The Club”, a New York disco space frequented by yuppies. The film is a late rework of John Hughes’ 1980′s teenager films, set in a Jay Macinerney’ s novel, with a female protagonist (Chloë Sevigny). Two college friends, Alice and Charlotte are working together in a [...]
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The Cinema of ‘God’s lonely man’: Understanding the Martin Scorsese-Robert De Niro partnership

I had the pleasure of seeing and reviewing ‘Shutter Island’ (2010) a few weeks ago at a local cinema. Whilst I was amazed at the film’s crisp cinematography and Martin Scorsese’s attempt at the psychological thriller, I was even more taken by Leonardo Di Caprio’s intense portrayal of Teddy Daniels. His performance was a throttling [...]
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DVD: 40th Anniversary Review – Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Il Conformista”

As an avid film fan, I am always thinking about films that capture me, motion pictures that have remained etched in my mind. Bernardo Bertolucci’s 1970 political-drama ‘Il Conformista’ (1970) captures, in rich cinematography, the alienation of Marcello Clerici (Jean-Louis Trintignant): a man who subscribes to Italy’s Fascist politics and culture by agreeing to kill [...]
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DVD: “State of Play” (Universal)

Film (3.5/5) DVD (3/5) “State of Play” is adapted by plot specialists Tony Gilroy and Matthew Michael Carnahan from the BBC 2003 television series of the same name. To directed the film has been called UK documentarist Kevin Macdonald (“Touching the Void”). The story starts with three murders, a political scandal and a journalistic rivalry [...]
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DVD: Bela Tarr’s “The Outsider” (Facets)

Film [Rating:3.5] DVD [Rating:3] “The Outsider” is the second feature film from Hungarian director Bela Tarr (“Werckmeister Harmonies”). The story is set in a small provincial town and it follows the tribulations of Andras Szabo, a young violin player and heavy drinker that has no control of his own life; he has been kicked out [...]
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DVD: Jean Renoir’s “Toni” (Eureka)

Film (4/5) DVD (4.5/5) I have recently seen the Master of Cinema critical edition of “Toni”, published by Eureka in a great DVD. The 1934 film is Renoir’s landmark entry into realist filmmaking and, through Luchino Visconti, assistant director on “Toni”, it holds its place as front-runner of Italian Neorealism. The challenge of the film was [...]
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Review – Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland”

Tim Burton’s most recent feature ‘Alice in Wonderland’ is maniacal and colourful, like the rest of his filmography. Stylistically, the film is multi-layered; it is gloomy and sinister in aesthetic. The mise en scene is unpredictable, unsettling and unhinged, much like the March Hare’s throwing antics. Whilst Burton’s Gothic, hyper-real visuals are eye-catching, the film, [...]
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Review: “Crazy Heart”

(3/5) “Crazy Heart” belongs to a long tradition of American movies focused on the loser. The film shows, in a romantic fashion, how such men lose themselves in society and deal with this reality of loss. It is the long shadow of the American Dream; the other side of the coin on the very same [...]
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Review – Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island”

Martin Scorsese’s ‘Shutter Island’ is shot in perpetual gloom. The film is reminiscent of a nightmare: always dark, chaotic and unsettled. Whilst Scorsese employs elements of the psychological thriller, he also refers to the melodrama in order to explain his story. The film is about a man trapped in his own mind, a struggle that [...]
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25th Anniversary Review – Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours”

Twenty five years after its release, Martin Scorsese’s 1985 black comedy/thriller ‘After Hours’ remains one of the director’s most (if not, his most) underrated feature. The narrative follows the adventures of Paul Hackett (brilliantly played by Griffin Dunne): an ordinary New York City worker trying to get home after becoming entangled in a series of [...]
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