As a long-time Midnight Madness viewer at TIFF, I’m always surprised to find a horror film screening in the main festival (under Contemporary World Cinema) but given the tremendous cinematography and complex, if somewhat under-utilized, psychological study underlying Paco Plaza’s supernatural thriller, it makes sense that Verónica was deemed fit for a wider audience. If […]
The Handmaiden is a tautly executed new thriller from Park Chan-wook.* Set in Japanese-occupied Korea, it tells the story of Sook-hee, a young woman who is hired to serve Lady Hideko, a woman who lives with her eccentric uncle in an isolated manor. But all is not what it seems; Sook-hee is secretly working with […]
For the past two years, I’ve been ranking every film I see- just the new releases, from January 1st to December 31st. The rankings are subjective, based entirely on how much I enjoyed and/or connected with or appreciated the film rather than on some sort of objective artistic criteria. Basically, this is a list of […]
I saw 90 movies in 2013 (or shortly thereafter, if we’re being honest- I don’t know how anyone is expected to see all the Christmas releases in one week!). 90 is a lot of movies, or at least it is for me (I head up My Theatre and My TV, My Cinema is Rachael’s problem). […]
Studio Ghibli is probably the only anime studio that is consistently adored in the West by both its fan base and the critics. It’s one of the few anime studios that has a good enough track record to even be mentioned in mainstream media. Of course, a good part of that has to do with […]
The Spanish phenomena in filmmaking, Pedro Almodovar, who has received a worldwide recognition for his string of masterpieces: All About My Mother (1999), Talk to Her (2002), Volver (2006), Broken Embraces (2009), etc. cheers up his followers with one, bizarre as ever, film parody I’m So Excited! Essential in their graphic explorations of sexuality, Almodovar’s […]
One of the most respected figures in world cinema today, Hungarian film auteur Bela Tarr- known for his distinctive highly stylized black and white long takes, apocalyptic stories and melancholic rhythm enhanced by a dramatic score from Mihaly Vig- delights his audience with one last hypnotizing cinematic experience The Turin Horse (2011). Embodying the cinematic […]
Take a box of tissues and leave your grandparents at home, Michael Haneke is in town! The Austrian writer/director who brought us The Piano Teacher (2001), Cache (2005), and the critically acclaimed 2010 Golden Globe Best Foreign Film winner The White Ribbon (2009), makes a return with another darker-than-ever psychological family drama, Amour (2012). The film- […]
Who knew Greeks can make great cinema? A country famous for its extra virgin olive oil export and hardly any traditions or structure for filmmaking, stunned audiences around the globe with the art-house sensation Dogtooth. Giorgos (Yorgos) Lanthimos’ equally disturbing and comical crafty feature swept the Prix Un Certain Regard award at the Cannes in […]
If you haven’t read Part I of this over-written countdown, you should go do that now (I worked hard on these!). I’ll wait…. … … … … … Are you back? Okay, here’s Part II. It’s got two relatively small films, two massive world-wide blockbusters, and one new release featuring the breakout star of the […]
While American politicians abjectly deride the Scandinavians for being ‘pinko commies’, Hollywood has been taking notice of their considerable cinematic talent, finding every opportunity to import some of their best films for American remakes. David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and Matt Reeves’ Let Me In are excellent examples, but no Scandinavian film […]
Here’s a well-known traditional Japanese proverb: “the world sucks”. Filled with deception, greed, and amoral opportunism, honesty and trust have become nothing more than archaic misnomers and fantastical abstractions for naïve dreamers and gullible idealists. As such, there are people out there who see life as nothing more than a game, and when that game […]