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 […]
Ex Machina: Woman Abused (to Small Concern)
May 11, 2015
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. […]
Rhythms of Nature: Kornél Mundruczó’s White God (2015)
May 6, 2015
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 […]
Super Women and the Plight of Tel Aviv Immigrants
May 3, 2015
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 […]
A Journalist and a Murderer (i.e., a Writer’s Fantasy): True Story (2015)
April 27, 2015
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 […]
John Schlesinger’s Darling (1965): the British Screen in Transition
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 […]
Russell Crowe Helms Aussie History: The Water Diviner
April 25, 2015
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, […]
The Authentic Death and Contentious Afterlife of Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid: The Untold Story of Peckinpah’s Last Western Film, by Paul Seydor (2015)
A Book Review by Tony Williams. It is very rare to encounter a critical work written by someone who combines the expertise of university professor, film historian, and film editor. Yet such is the position of Paul Seydor who is not only an Oscar nominated film editor with many credits […]
Constancy and Variation: An Autumn Afternoon as Ozu’s Final Testament
April 22, 2015
By Jeremy Carr. An Autumn Afternoon was director Yasujirô Ozu’s final film. He passed away a year after its release, on his 60th birthday, Dec. 12, 1963. Knowing that the film is indeed his last, it’s easy to look at it in terms of being a sort of grand summation […]
Hunting Elephants: In Search of….
April 19, 2015
By Elias Savada. With all the unrest in the Middle East, it seems that one of the few places where Israelis can gather these days for a good laugh would be at the cinema. Yet, despite the best efforts of its cast, Hunting Elephants is a tame comedic excursion into a […]