A Fantastic Woman (2017) Directed by Sebastián Lelio; Featuring Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes Una Mujer Fantástica or A Fantastic Woman is a Chilean film set in Santiago. It had a staggered release in 2017 and opened in Australia in 2018. It might be described as an LGBT movie, but I think it is better … Continue reading The Two Reviews: A Fantastic Woman and Aquarius
Author: Robin Stevens
Review Special: Haldaa হালদা (2017 Tauquir Ahmed)
This film has only had a limited release but has been showing at special screenings across Australia. Language: Bengali (narrated in local Chittagonian dialect) – with English subtitles This film is a powerful tragi-romance about the struggle between power and love, a metaphor for life and death on the river Halda in southeast Bangladesh. The … Continue reading Review Special: Haldaa হালদা (2017 Tauquir Ahmed)
The Two Reviews: Darkest Hour and The Post
Darkest Hour 2017. Directed by Joe Wright, featuring Gary Oldman, Ben Mendelsohn and Kristin Scott Thomas. Darkest Hour is a war-drama that follows the first few weeks of Winston Churchill’s Prime Ministership – a period of intense military and political turmoil for Britain. The German army is marching through Europe, a seemingly unstoppable military force, … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Darkest Hour and The Post
The Two Reviews: The Shape of Water (2017 Guillermo del Toro)
"...an adult fairytale, with love, passion and blood and violence..." The Shape of Water is a ‘Beauty and the Beast’-style fairytale between a mute woman and an amphibious creature. Unapologetically emotional and melodramatic, director del Toro, who seems to specialize in deep-colour and moody fantasy narratives, delivers a moving and engaging film. Given the somewhat … Continue reading The Two Reviews: The Shape of Water (2017 Guillermo del Toro)
The Two Reviews: Murder on the Orient Express and Loving Vincent
Murder on the Orient Express (Director, Kenneth Branagh. Featuring Kenneth Branagh, Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Dafoe, Daisy Ridley, Penelope Cruz, Lesley Odom, Derek Jacobi and Sergei Polunin) Everyone is on the same train i.e. The Orient Express. There is a murder most hideous and everyone is a suspect. I enjoyed this movie … Continue reading The Two Reviews: Murder on the Orient Express and Loving Vincent
Exploring Hitchcock Part 1: A Deeper Look at Rebecca, Rear Window and The Birds
This is the first in a series of posts on the filmmaking of Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980), one of the greatest directors of all time. These posts will be authored by Robin Stevens, JJ McDermott and Alan Matthews, and the idea is for each part to take a selection of Hitchcock’s films and analyze them in … Continue reading Exploring Hitchcock Part 1: A Deeper Look at Rebecca, Rear Window and The Birds
Shades of Light and Dark in A Place in the Sun
Charlie Chaplin once stated that A Place in the Sun (1951) was ‘the greatest film ever made about America’. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, it won six of them along with numerous other awards and accolades. Produced and directed by George Stevens, and starring Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor and Shelley Winters, it is one of … Continue reading Shades of Light and Dark in A Place in the Sun
The War-torn World of Casablanca
Casablanca (1942 Michael Curtiz) is one of the great romances of cinema. Set upon the backdrop of war-torn Europe and a massive exodus of European refugees into North Africa, it is significant to note that many of the leading roles were played by actors who themselves were refugees from fascist Europe. At a pivotal point … Continue reading The War-torn World of Casablanca