CineVue
For the latest reviews of arthouse, documentary and indie film in cinemas and on the festival circuit.
Psalm 1. Swedish horror fanatics rejoice, LORD. How great is Fredrick Hiller’s Asian flavoured fright fest Psalm 21 (2009)? Psalm 2. You have granted him a modest budget but have not withheld a talented cast. Psalm 3. You inspired him with Ringu (1998) and The Exorcist (1973)though it seems he Continue Reading
★★★★☆ Cherien Dabis’ bitter-sweet Amreeka (2009) (Arabic for ‘America’) follows the fortunes of Muna (Nisreen Faour), a single, divorced mother, who lives in the West Bank with her teenage son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem). The opening scenes show Muna and her son having to endure regular military checkpoints on her daily Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ Just Go With It (2011) is everything you would want from a Sandler/Aniston flick. Two hours of mindless entertainment with a happy ending. If you rent the DVD and feel cheated because the cinematography wasn’t quite Lawrence of Arabia (1962) standard then you’re an idiot. You don’t buy a Continue Reading
Wearing a tank top and looking very down-to-earth, Kim Rossi Stuart explains that he’s more than a little tired. Indeed, he’s had a long day of interviews for his controversial film Angels of Evil (2010), and all of them in English – I am actually his first Italian interviewer. As Continue Reading
★★★★☆ Michele Placido, director of Angels of Evil (2010), is one of Italy’s most well known directors. An acclaimed actor first of all (particularly well remembered is his performance in successful Italian miniseries La Piovra, which vividly depicted the fight against organised crime and mafia), Placido has been nurturing his Continue Reading
If you like your Scandinavian films with a twist of modern Asian Horror then Psalm 21 (2009) will be a welcome addition to your collection of psychologically disturbing cinema. When popular Stockholm priest Henrik Horneus (Jonas Malmsjö) learns of the death of his father Gabriel (Per Ragner – Let The Continue Reading
★★★★☆ Life, Above All (2010) is a moving drama about a 12-year old girl (a stunning debut from Khomotso Manyaka) who fights the prejudices and superstitions of her neighbours in a South African village. Lillian has lost her newborn baby, Sara, and the family are in mourning. But when her Continue Reading
Last Thursday evening, CineVue was honoured to be invited along to the latest event held by the esteemed British Society of Cinematographers (BSC) – an ‘In Conversation’ with the multi-award winning lenser Roger Deakins ASC BSC. This memorable evening formed part of the BSC’s new initiative, the BSC Club and Continue Reading
★★☆☆☆ Just why Stuart Beatties’ award winning adaptation of John Marsden’s Tomorrow, When the War Began (1993) was selected for the closing night of this year’s London Australian Film Festival beggars belief. What is utterly perplexing is the rapturous response that it received from a packed Barbican theatre. The film Continue Reading
So, the Cannes Film Festival has wrapped itself up for another year, with some extraordinary films receiving their world premieres and a plethora of fashion-clad stars adorning the Croisette. This year will probably be slightly marred by the remarks of a certain outspoken European auteur, but what would Cannes be Continue Reading
Rumours that Tangled (2010) represented a return to form by Disney have been swirling since it’s release, but I was pessimistic and decided that the gossip was nothing more than good promotion and over hype. On top of that I figured that an animated musical had little or nothing to Continue Reading
★★★★☆ With the release of vamp drama True Blood’s third season on DVD and Blu-ray, it’s hard to ignore the show’s rapid climb from cult favourite to ratings winner, a result of its sexy and explosive appearance, making it one of the hottest shows on television in recent years. Whilst Continue Reading
US filmmaker Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life (2011) has won the Palme d’Or prize at this year’s 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The reclusive director did not attend the star-studded ceremony itself, but the award was picked up by producers Bill Pohlad and Dede Gardner. The anticipation surrounding Malick’s fifth Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ In 2008, Eliot Spitzer stepped down as governor of New York when he was found to be ‘Client 9’ at the Emperor’s Club, a high-priced escort service catering to Wall Street’s wealthiest. Spitzer, tipped to become America’s first Jewish president, was forced into an early retirement, to the glee Continue Reading
★★★★★ Budrus (2009) is a truly remarkable documentary of great power. The film documents Budrus, a small village in Palestine on the borders of Israel, and the story of the village leader who unites Fatah, Hamas and members of the international community in a peaceful protest against occupying troops attempting Continue Reading