Review

By Paul Risker. Fifty-six years have passed since Satyajit Ray added Apur Sansar (The World of Apu, 1959) to Pather Panchali (Song of the Little Road, 1955) and Aparajito (The Unvanquished, 1956) to create the series of films known as the Apu trilogy. In this passage of time the narrative […]

By Elias Savada. You may not recall who the 20th President of the United States was. Or the name of the British Prime Minister in 1980. But mention the name Hans Ruedi “HR” Giger and one word immediately comes to mind: Alien. As Dark Star: HR Gigers Welt (expanded in the subtitled […]

By Elias Savada. “Being dead can have its advantages sometimes.” That’s just one of the translated pieces of tossed off dialogue delivered in this Scandinavian smorgasbord of a comedy. No, Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared), isn’t a […]

By Jude Warne. The title of this thriller perhaps suggests all one needs to know about its plot, tone and perspective. A girl is in trouble. The girl here, Signe (Alicja Bachleda), is a stereotype of stereotypes, a beautiful but double-crossing Euro chick who gets physically and verbally abused by […]

By Christopher Sharrett. Alex Garland’s Ex Machina (some radio announcers have said “ex masheena”—one wonders if anyone knows Athenian drama, and the particular reasons behind theater’s use of the god from the machine) seems to be the must-see sci-fi film of the season, based on comments by newspaper and Internet reviewers. […]

By Paul Risker.  White God (Fehér istenr, 2014) emerges into being amidst a dreamy haze. While there is a lightness to the image of motion, its confinement within the rectangular frame meets with a weightier force. And as the film’s title intrudes quickly upon this dreamlike sequence, a powerful note […]

By Hannah Grayson.  Yael Kipper and Ronen Zaretsky’s documentary film follows a group of cashiers as they work in a Tel Aviv supermarket. What we view is a tender portrayal of Russian and Israeli women moving through their everyday tasks and concerns. The plot contains few moments of drama, and […]

By Jude Warne. For a reviewer, for a journalist, to review and critique a film that champions and practically makes love to the journalist vocation is a uniquely complicated task. Writers believe that the art of writing is of utmost importance, but who knew everyone else did, too? Rupert Goold’s […]

By Paul Risker. There is a natural tension that permeates the Anglo-French relationship: two countries that have intertwined histories, have fought wars as both allies and foe, and even within the political sphere of the European Union tensions have continued to endure as if they are a natural formation. So […]

By Elias Savada. Wow! I didn’t know (insert actor’s name here) could direct! Actually I should clarify that. Can said actor direct a film that is (a) something that his or her fans will want to see whether or not he or she is in it, and/or (b) a well done, […]