The noughties marked my life’s maturing (ages 14-24) and by way of that, marked the ascendancy of my passion for film. It was during this time that I generally started to reject the mainstream and seek out more independent material. Whether because I was genuinely establishing my taste in art or because I just wanted … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 2000s
The first film I saw in the cinema was Honey I Shrunk the Kids, a Disney film penned (weirdly) by body horror masters Brian Yuzna (Society) and Stuart Gordon (Re-animator), and released in the summer of 1989. I was four, so the memory is a bit patchy but I do recall being very complimentary of … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1980s
Often seen as a stepping stone to the more experimental sixties, the fifties offered some low-key cinematic experimentations in itself. Hollywood continued to focus on their traditional popular genres like Musicals and Westerns, but even in those parameters one can determine some variation and expansion taking hold. And this was mostly down to a subtle … Continue reading Travelling Through Time: The Best Films of the 1950s
The last few months of 2021 and the opening of 2022 – the festive season or summer in the southern hemisphere – marks the re-emergence of major film releases following the COVID outbreak. While all through 2021 there was a steady release of films, the big-budget blockbusters have been held back until late 2021. A … Continue reading A Summer Selection of Film, Part 2
With a mocking smile, he placed one hand upon my shoulder and, holding me tight, bared my throat with the other, saying as he did so: 'First, a little refreshment to reward my exertions...' And oh, my God, my God, pity me! He placed his reeking lips upon my throat! Mina Harker narrates in Bram … Continue reading Horror in Store, Part 1: Dracula’s Influence
Good documentaries are hard to come by but they are there if you look for them! Netflix have several mainstream and topical documentary series in their catalogue, and many from this year have been worth the remote control button press. The Last Dance about Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls is a riveting sports documentary. … Continue reading Film in 2020: Five Must-See Documentaries
The Extraordinary (Hors Normes) Directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano. Featuring Vincent Cassel, Reda Kateb, Hélène Vincent, Bryan Mialoundama, Alban Ivanov, Benjamin Lesieur, Marco Locatelli, and Catherine Mouchet. In French with English subtitles. Showing at the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival 2020 across Australia. This French drama was released as Hors Normes at the … Continue reading The One Review: The Extraordinary / Hors Normes (2019 Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano)
Many filmmakers have made their name by making stylised documentaries - Micheal Moore, Werner Herzog, Adam Curtis, Amy Berg, Joshua Oppenheimer, Nick Broomfield, Alex Gibney and Errol Morris are all big names that come to mind. Indeed, style derives from the individuals and can often take away from the content of their documentaries. But I … Continue reading The Focus of Film: 8 Documentaries with a Cause
This is a short excursion into the film careers of four extraordinary female actors of early cinema. All four women set new standards in dramatic performance, all came to fame as outstanding beauties of their time, and yet all brushed away vanity to portray diverse roles, impaired personalities and to smash down stereotypes. Asta Nielsen … Continue reading Four Icons of Early Cinema – Part 1: Asta Nielsen
Tobol (Тобол), The Conquest of Siberia (2019, KinoFilm Corp) Directed by Igor Zaitsev. Featuring Andrey Burkovskiy, Erkebulan Dairov, Evgeniy Dyatlov Aleksandr Lazarev, Dmitriy Dyuzhev, Yekaterina Guseva, Agata Muceniece and Ilya Malanin, . Tobol, also known as The Conquest of Siberia in some British and American releases, is loosely based on historical events, when under Peter … Continue reading The One Review: Tobol, The Conquest of Siberia (2019 Igor Zaitsev)
Momentary Cinema 