By Matthew Sorrento. Many have noted (including the Academy) the strength of George Clooney’s performance in The Descendants, and how the former is essential to the latter. Immediately coming to mind is Clooney’s role in Up in the Air, about a travelling corporate “henchman” whose job is emotionally wearing him […]
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
By Christopher Sharrett. Upon viewing Stephen Daldry’s Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I am reminded of the difficulty the American mind has in conceiving its own destruction, at least by the Other. When it attempts to imagine such destruction, it is cast in apocalyptic terms suggesting no other atrocity could […]
The Skin I Live In (2011)
By Jacob Mertens. The iconic image of Dr. Frankenstein hunched over a slab of metal, peering into the glassy eyes of his patch-work creation, cannot be easily forgotten when watching Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In. In its place, Antonio Banderas, playing Dr. Robert Ledgard, watches his own mysterious […]
Treasures from the Archives: an interview with Clyde Jeavons
By Parviz Jahed. Clyde Jeavons is the programmer of the London Film Festival’s ‘Treasures from the Archive’ section. He was the former curator of the National Film and Television Archive and the British Film Institute. He’s been retired for some years, but he now annually programs the restored films at […]
Sex in the City of Pornocracy
By Celluloid Liberation Front. A bruised urban womb, livid with solitude and alienation: New York, phallocratic capital of the New World. Venting his inner but tangible malaise is Brandon, a successful man in his thirties whose days are tormented by an unforgiving addiction. What appears as an accomplished individual is […]
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
By Steven Harrison Gibbs. Based on Stieg Larsson’s internationally-acclaimed novel (originally titled The Men Who Hate Women), the latest film from David Fincher struck a chord of dissonance during its production among those who were content with the Swedish adaptation helmed by Niels Arden Oplev, which made its U.S. debut […]
The New Tenants’ Day from Hell Leads to an Oscar
January 16, 2012
The New Tenants won the Academy Award for best live action short film in 2010. Amy R. Handler has talked to the men behind the movie. Who hasn’t had a day where ‘everything breaks down in a bucket of hell?’ We’ve all had such an experience – chances are, several […]
The Adventures of Tintin (2011)
By William Frasca. One of the best family films to see this holiday season is The Adventures of Tintin. This full-length animated film is a smart, simple adventure movie that is entertaining from beginning to end. The film is an adaptation of the comic series and is able to take […]
The Descendants (2011)
By Jacob Mertens. At the beginning of Alexander Payne’s The Descendants, George Clooney’s disembodied voice hovers over idyllic imagery of Hawaii, warning the audience that the content of the film will not compliment the scenery. The film soon cuts to a series of shots: clogged traffic, an urban sprawl laid […]
“Datong: The Great Society” Receives Inaugural Movie of the Year Award
January 4, 2012
Film International is pleased to support and promote Film International reviewer Evans Chan’s new film. New York-based Hong Kong director Evans Chan’s new film, Datong: The Great Society (大同：康有為在瑞典), which is playing in the former British colony to critical acclaim, became the first film to receive the inaugural Movie of […]