2011
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Film Review: ‘Las Acacias’
★★★★☆ 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 mother Jancita (Duarte) and baby Anahí (Nayra Calle Mamani) as they travel to Buenos Aires…
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Film Review: ‘The Last Waltz’
★★★★☆ 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 or so of biblical excess, the film focuses on the farewell concert of influential folk/blues…
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Film Review: ‘Surviving Life’
★★★★★ 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 and an endearing story of love and fantasy.Taking on the role of the protagonist himself,…
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Film Review: ‘The Thing’ (2011)
★☆☆☆☆ 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 thought he could bring anything new to a story that had already been satisfyingly covered…
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Film Review: ‘Hugo’
★★★★☆ 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 of Forgotten Dreams (also both released earlier this year), Scorsese’s Hugo is perhaps the first…
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Film Review: ‘Romantics Anonymous’
★★★☆☆ 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 gruff and equally socially inept Jean-René Van Den Hugde (Poelvoorde) in his failing chocolate factory.…
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Film Review: ‘We Have a Pope’ (‘Habemus Papam’)
★★★☆☆ We Have a Pope (Habemus Papam, 2011) is Italian director Nanni Moretti’s follow up to 2006’s The Caiman, his cinematic attack on former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. Whilst a deeply satirical examination of the Catholic Church, We Have a Pope is also a warm and gentle comedy about human frailty and the misguided attempts…
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Film Review: ‘Happy Feet Two’
★★☆☆☆ Warner Bros.’ Happy Feet Two (2011) – the 3D sequel to the 2006 animated smash hit and starring the voice talents of Elijah Wood, Robin Williams, Hank Azaria, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Sofia Vergara and Ava Acres – is unfortunately more soft shoe shuffle than entertaining quick-step.Mumble the penguin (Wood) has grown up and now…
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Barbican Film: ‘The Avengers’ 50th Anniversary evening
During an evening of rose-tinted nostalgia, London’s Barbican last night celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of that most British of TV series, The Avengers. Whilst some will remember The New Avengers of the late 1970s, this special event was dedicated to the original episodes starring Honor Blackman (Catherine Gale), Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) and Linda Thorson…
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Twin Peaks UK Festival 2011: Weekend review
David Lynch and Mark Frost’s cult masterpiece Twin Peaks – starring Kyle MacLachlan, Sheryl Lee and Ray Wise – was celebrated in decadent flair at London’s Riverside Studios this past weekend at the Twin Peaks UK Festival 2011. Now in its second year, the festival was captained by the Lynch-inspired Double R Club Cabaret and…