Posts by Susannah
BFI 55th London Film Festival: ‘Americano’ is a bit of an oddity
Americano Written by Mathieu Demy Directed by Mathieu Demy France, 2011 As a first-time director, the last thing you want to be is forgettable. One way to avoid that is to emulate Orson Welles by taking on the additional roles … [Read the Rest]
BFI 55th London Film Festival ‘Like Crazy’ a passing infatuation rather than a timeless romance
Like Crazy Director: Drake Doremus Writers: Drake Doremus, Ben York Jones 2011, USA Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance, Drake Doremus’s Like Crazy is the story of a transatlantic love affair that falls foul of the visa regulations. … [Read the Rest]
55th BFI London Film Festival: ‘Dark Horse’ finds Solondz at his least cruel
Dark Horse Written by Todd Solondz Directed by Todd Solondz USA, 2011 Todd Solondz doesn’t do feel-good comedies, but his latest tragicomedy, Dark Horse, does offer some hope to all those balding, paunchy guys who worry that they could never … [Read the Rest]
55th BFI London Film Festival: ‘Poupoupidou (Nobody Else But You)’
Poupoupidou (Nobody Else But You) Director: Gérald Hustache-Mathieu Screenplay by Juliette Sales and Gérald Hustache-Mathieu In French with English subtitles How much do you really know about cinema’s most famous blonde? Director Gérald Hustache-Mathieu’s Poupoupidou isn’t a biopic of Marilyn … [Read the Rest]
55th BFI London Film Festival: ‘The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975′ accessibly, powerfully catalogues black American struggle
The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975 Director: Göran Hugo Olsson In English and Swedish with English subtitles The luxuriant afro and towering intellect of Angela Davis loom large over The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975, a powerful documentary about a turbulent period … [Read the Rest]
55th BFI London Film Festival: ‘Oslo, August 31st’
Oslo, August 31st Directed by Joachim Trier Screenplay by Joachim Trier Norway, 2011 “I always thought happy people were morons,” says Anders (Anders Danielsen Lie), the hero of Joachim Trier’s witty but inevitably rather downbeat drama, Oslo, August 31st. No … [Read the Rest]
BFI London Film Festival Preview
The double bill I’m most looking forward to features Boardwalk Empire’s Michael Shannon, who I first saw in the brilliant Shotgun Stories (2007). Take Shelter is his second collaboration with writer/director Jeff Nichols and finds Shannon in dark territory again … [Read the Rest]
‘Mademoiselle Chambon’ a deft, subtle romance
Mademoiselle Chambon Directed by Stéphane Brizé Screenplay by Florence Vignon & Stéphane Brizé 2011, France Movie femmes fatales are ten a penny, but never underestimate the danger posed by a woman toting a violin case. Like Daniel Auteuil in Un … [Read the Rest]
‘Tomboy’ – Building a compelling drama around what is described as “the story of a lie”
Tomboy Written and directed by Céline Sciamma 2011, France Gwyneth Paltrow sported a fake moustache in Shakespeare in Love and Hilary Swank stuffed a sock down her jeans for Boys Don’t Cry. For Laure, the young heroine of Tomboy, it’s … [Read the Rest]
Wish You Were Here?
Wish You Were Here? “We’re going where the sun shines brightly We’re going where the sea is blue We’ve seen it in the movies Now let’s see if it’s true” Septuagenarian pop star Cliff Richard was (typically) seeing life through … [Read the Rest]
‘Went the Day Well?’: More than just a historical document
Went the Day Well? (1942) Director: Alberto Cavalcanti Based on Graham Greene’s short story The Lieutenant Died Last Screenplay by John Dighton UK , 1942 How many films and TV shows have left you quaking at the thought of … [Read the Rest]
A Look Back At ‘The Halfway House’
The Halfway House (1943) Director: Basil Dearden A young girl tries to bring her estranged parents back together by contriving a mini-break at a charming Welsh inn. It might sound a bit like The Parent Trap, but The Halfway House … [Read the Rest]
‘The Missing Person’ prefers well-delivered punch lines to scenes of explicit violence
The Missing Person Director: Noah Buschel Written by Noah Buschel USA, 2010 “I’ve never had any dealings with private detectives, Mr Rosow. I’ve seen them in Bogart films, though. Was that one of those kind of jokes? Those dry, sardonic … [Read the Rest]
‘Last Night’
Last Night Director: Massy Tadjedin Writer/director Massy Tadjedin’s Last Night shares its title with Don McKellar’s 1998 Canadian comedy drama about the end of the world. But despite recent biblical (non-) events, the only rapture on offer here is of … [Read the Rest]
Secret Cinema: ‘The Battle of Algiers’ Event
Do you ever feel that the big-screen experience these days is lacking a little je ne sais quoi? I don’t just mean the extortionate ticket prices, uncomfortable seats and annoying neighbours gawping at their iPhones. Going to the movies just … [Read the Rest]
Susannah Straughan is a freelance copywriter, film reviewer and fan of good grammar and all things noir. The biopic of her life would (ideally) be written by Joseph L Mankiewicz, directed by Billy Wilder, photographed by Raoul Coutard and star Julianne Moore, George Clooney and Humphrey Bogart. 
