Patrick Gamble
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DVD Review: ‘The Yellow Sea’
★★★★☆ Director Na Hong-jin’s 2009 debut The Chaser, along with the works of Bong Joon-ho, Park Chan-wook and Kim Ji-woon helped thrust the South Korean movie industry into the consciousness of Western audiences. However, a recent spate of mediocre and uninspired genre films has started to flood the market, threatening to stunt this Eastern revolution.…
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Film Review: ‘Wild Bill’
★★★★☆ On the surface, Dexter Fletcher’s directorial debut Wild Bill (2011) appears to be little more than yet another gritty independent British feature, seemingly conforming to the archetypal formula of such films to create yet another bleak piece of social commentary. However, thanks to a deeply heartfelt script and a cast which boasts a wealth…
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Film Review: ‘Act of Valour’
★☆☆☆☆ Featuring a cast of active-duty Navy SEALs and based on ‘real life acts of valour’, former film stuntmen Mike McCoy and Scott Waugh’s 2012 directorial debut Act of Valour is an adrenaline-soaked action adventure fuelled on tired clichés and a simplistic grasp of world politics – a banal and incredibly manipulative piece of military…
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Film Review: ‘Bel Ami’
★☆☆☆☆ Boasting an ensemble cast which includes Uma Thurman, Christina Ricci, Kristin Scott Thomas and Robert Pattinson, Declan Donnellan and Nick Omerod’s Bel Ami (2012) attempts to combine the sumptuous settings and period sensibilities of Guy de Maupassant’s original novel with a slice of contemporary drama – sadly culminating in an abysmal experiment that lacks…
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Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2012: Full lineup announced
UniFrance Films recently announced the full line up for this year’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema – a celebration of French filmmaking held across five cinemas in London (21-24 March) and Edinburgh (23-25 March). This unique festival boasts a wide range of premieres, exclusive screenings and visiting guest talent – including high profile actors Catherine Deneuve,…
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Film Review: ‘Carancho’ (‘The Vulture’)
★★★☆☆ From Palme d’Or-nominated director Pablo Trapero and starring one of the most recognisable faces in South American cinema, Ricardo Darin (The Secret in Their Eyes [2009]), Carancho (2010) is a morality tale with a twisted noir mentality – an unconventional romance set against a repugnant and deeply disparaging depiction of Buenos Aires.Sosa (Darin) is…
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Film Review: ‘Project X’
★☆☆☆☆ From producer Todd Phillips (The Hangover [2009], Old School [2003]) and first time director Nima Nourizadeh, Project X (2012) is a found footage-style examination of high school culture that successfully manages to sink to the lowest depths of entertainment.The moment Project X’s destructive catalyst Costa (Oliver Cooper) declares to the camera during the film’s…
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Spirit Awards 2012: Award predictions
You’d be forgiven for not having noticed the buzz emanating across the Atlantic for the 28th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards which commence tonight (10pm ET/PT) thanks to this Sunday’s more recognizable and prestigious Academy Awards. The Spirit Awards, created in 1984 and previously known as the FINDIEs (Friends of Independents) have become famous for…
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Berlin 2012: ‘The End of Puberty’ review
★★☆☆☆ An unique twist on the body-swap sub genre, Kimura Shoko’s debut film The End of Puberty (Koi ni itaru yamai, 2011) is a kooky comedy about a young girl and her biology teacher, who inexplicably find that they’ve exchanged sexual organs during intercourse – only in Japan could you find such an outlandish premise.…
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DVD Review: ‘The Student Comedies’ (The BFI Ozu Collection)
★★★★☆ The Student Comedies consist of four incredibly rare films by the acclaimed Japanese director Yasujirô Ozu. This lovingly restored collection is part of the BFI’s ongoing venture to release all 32 of the surviving films he made for the Shochiku Studio. This 2-disc box set finally brings Ozu’s student-themed silent comedies to DVD for…