Category Archives: International

Page Eight and London River reviews

Two very different but very London-centric political thrillers now on DVD: Page Eight | Written and Directed by David Hare (BBC) Pravda playwright and The Reader screenwriter David Hare returns to directing for the first time in years with this John le Carré-style British spy drama. Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) plays a straight-arrow MI5 man,…Read More

Melancholia review

Written and directed by Lars von TrierI've said it before and will again: von Trier is a provocateur. That he's from Denmark, my mother's homeland, the most prominent director to emerge from 1995's Dogma movement—a rigorous aesthetic that he's long since shirked—makes his films interesting to me, but I rarely want to see them again.…Read More

The Trip (2011) review

Directed by Michael Winterbottom Weirdly, this film has no credited writer. Maybe not so weird. It's very possible that the picture was entirely improvised by the two leads, Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan, both of whom were in Winterbottom's Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story. Something else people should know: The film is an…Read More

Jane Eyre review

Directed by Cary Fukunaga Written by Moira Buffini from the Charlotte Bronte novel The moment Mr Rochester (Michael Fassbinder) commands the governess of his wards, Jane (Mia Wasikowska) to speak, the film catches fire for a moment. Unfortunately for this umpteenth adaptation of the Bronte chestnut Jane Eyre, their meeting takes place at the end…Read More

Hanna review

Directed by Joe Wright Written by Seth Lochhead and David Farr Hanna is a lot of things. On the surface it's what the trailer says it is: Saoirse Ronan is the titular teen, raised since diapers to be a polyglot killer by her father, Erik (Eric Bana) in a shack in the snowbound wastes, hiding…Read More

Thoughts on Truly Madly Deeply

Just a heads up for anyone who will be in Halifax this coming Thursday: I'll be hosting Carbon Arc, the Khyber film society's regular screening series, presenting Anthony Minghella's first feature film Truly Madly Deeply, which for years now has been a favourite of mine. Feel free to come on down to the Khyber at 1588 Barrington…Read More

Reviews: I Am Love, Valhalla Rising, Salt

Directed by Luca GuadagninoStory by Guadagnino, script by Guadagninio,Barbara Alberti, Ivan Cotroneo, Walter FasanoSometimes watching a movie can be like sitting in a classroom. It can be homework. It can also be a party, a rollercoaster ride, skydiving, an awkward conversation. And every once in awhile, a movie can be like someone licking you where…Read More