★☆☆☆☆ There seemed to be much promise to Uncle David (2010), co-directed by Mike Nicholls (the man behind the 2008 TV special Living with Boy George), Gary Reich and David Hoyle, who also wrote and stars in the film along […]
★★☆☆☆ Sallie Aprahamian’s Broken Lines (2008) – starring Paul Bettany and Olivia Williams – was screened earlier this year as part of the London Jewish Film Festival and is now available to own on DVD and Blu-ray. Set it multi-cultural […]
★★★☆☆ Winner of Best Adapted Screenplay at the 2010 César Awards, Stéphane Brizé’s 2009 film Mademoiselle Chambon is – quite literally – a very French affair, as we follow the blossoming forbidden romance between married manual labourer Jean (Vincent Lindon) and […]
★★★☆☆ The Salt of Life (2011) – otherwise known as Gianni e le donne (Gianni and Women) – is a light, warm-hearted Italian comedy starring, written and directed by the delightfully funny Gianni Di Gregorio. Gianni can count himself as […]
★★★★☆ Having already picked up a staggering 15 nominations at the Japanese Academy Awards (and walking away with 5 of them), Sang-il Lee’s multi-layered whodunit Villain (2010) comes to DVD this week courtesy of Third Window Films, and from the […]
★☆☆☆☆ In 2009, Todd Phillips’ The Hangover was the unexpected comedy hit of the summer. The success of the film boosted the careers of those involved (most notably Bradley Cooper). Fast forward to 2011 and the team are back in […]
★★★★☆ Camera d’Or winner Las Acacias (2011), directed by Argentinian filmmaker Pablo Giorgelli and starring Germán de Silva and Hebe Duarte, is a potent film of subtlety, silence and charm. This is a road movie with a difference following single […]
★★★★☆ Fuelled by supernatural quantities of cocaine and liquor, Martin Scorsese’s The Last Waltz (1978) is the rock ‘n’ roll equivalent of The Last Days of Sodom. Laden with rich, bloated and strung-out musicians suffering the effects of a decade […]
★★★★★ Surviving Life (2011), Jan Švankmajer’s latest cinematic work, offers little in the way of surprises to those familiar with his unique directorial style, yet still manages to succeed in creating a psychoanalytical masterpiece through a combination of striking visuals […]
★☆☆☆☆ Claiming to have taken his cues from both Christian Nyby/Howard Hawks’ The Thing from Another World (1951) and John Carpenter’s seminal 1982 re-imagining, debut director Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. seemingly had high aspirations for his 2011 ‘prequel’ if he […]
★★★★☆ The 3D debate looks set to be blown wide open with the release of Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese’s Hugo (2011), the renowned filmmaker’s first attempt at utilising this new technology. Alongside Wim Wenders’ Pina and Werner Herzog’s Cave […]
★★★☆☆ Directed by Jean-Pierre Améris, Romantics Anonymous (2011) is a twee and light-hearted French romantic comedy starring Benoît Poelvoorde and the prolific Isabelle Carré. The film follows twitchy, insecure, yet highly talented chocolatier Angélique Delange (Carré), employed by the seemingly […]
