2011
-
Film Review: ‘Immortals’
★★★☆☆ You know you’re in safe hands when the mellifluous tones of John Hurt waft over the opening credits. Immortals (2011), the latest fantasy from Indian director Tarsem Singh starring Mickey Rourke, new Superman: Man of Steel Henry Cavill, Freida Pinto, Luke Evans and Stephen Dorff, is breathtakingly beautiful, viciously violent, but also needlessly noisy.In…
-
Film Review: ‘L’Amour Fou’
★★★★☆ Only after watching Pierrre Thoretton’s directorial debut L’Amour Fou (2010) do you begin to realise the influence that couturier Yves-Saint Laurent had, not only on the world of fashion, but also on everyday culture. Charting the decision by YSL’s business and personal partner Pierre Bergé to sell their collection of art and personal belongings…
-
DVD Review: ‘Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale’
★★★☆☆ “He’s making a list and checking it twice; he’s gonna find out who’s naughty and nice”…Santa Claus is coming to town in Jalmari Helander’s creepy Finnish fantasy Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010), released this week on DVD and Blu-ray. The premise is a very unique and enjoyable twist on the Santa Claus myth…
-
Jameson Cult Film Club: ‘The Blair Witch Project’
This Halloween, Jamesons Cult Film Club screened the cult 1999 ‘found footage’ horror The Blair Witch Project, one of the most influential films of its sub-genre, if not the decade as a whole. Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez’ film documents three student filmmakers on a mission to unearth the mystery of Elly Kedward – AKA…
-
DVD Review: ‘Come on Eileen’
★★☆☆☆ In its attempt to tackle themes of loneliness, alcoholism and adolescence, Finola Geraghty’s Come on Eileen (2010) fails to successfully break into the category of gritty social realism, eventually lapsing into the realm of melodrama and soap opera in spite of its best efforts.Focusing on Eileen (Jackie Howe), a forty-something single parent of two…
-
DVD Review: ‘The Woman’
★★★☆☆ In a small rural town, a family man discovers the last remaining member of a flesh-eating cannibal clan roaming the woods surrounding his home. Thinking he can cultivate this creature, he captures it and introduces her to his family, with the plan of working together to make her a respected member of society –…
-
DVD Review: ‘The Escape Artist’
★★★★☆ The Escape Artist (1982) is another title rereleased this week from Francis Ford Copolla’s Zoetrope production company. Directed by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel, the film is yet another of Zoetrope’s casualties that failed to find an audience at its theatrical release, despite some initially positive critical reviews. Given that it was pitted alongside the likes…
-
DVD Review: ‘Hammett’
★★☆☆☆ Nominated for the 1982 Palme d’Or at Cannes, Hammett (1982) was Wim Wenders’ American debut feature and an homage to the B-movies and film noir that influenced him from a young age. His later film, The State of Things, was inspired by his experiences directing Hammett and working inside the American studio system, the…
-
DVD Review: ‘One from the Heart’
★★★☆☆ In Francis Ford Coppola’s One from the Heart (1982), Hank (Frederic Forrest) and Frannie (Teri Garr) are two working stiffs living in Las Vegas, locked in a relationship from which much of the fun and affection has drained away. After the umpteenth row, Frannie walks out and into the Fourth of July celebrations. Here…
-
DVD Review: ‘Close to Leo’
★★★☆☆ French writer and director Christophe Honoré’s Close to Leo (2002) is a poignant ode to family bonds, love and acceptance. The often grey film (both visually and emotionally) stars Pierre Mignard as a young French man who discovers he is HIV positive, and the ensuing drama as he and his family come to terms…