Whilst The Hurt Locker unfolded in a theatre that felt metaphoric, Green Zone wears its heart on its sleeve and is unashamedly partisan in its political sniping of piercing accuracy
Green Zone
Directed by Paul Greengrass
We used to have to wait a decade before the cinema could fully digest the impact and consequences of that most grave of political [...]
Mother is a strange and compelling film that stretches the bounds of audience sympathy, and manages to work equally well whether or not it is maintained for its entire running length
Mother
Directed by Joon-Ho Bong
Maternal pain is the driving force behind Korean wunderkind Joon-Ho Bong’s fourth feature, acting as the practically exclusive catalyst for a [...]
Despite its many flaws, Alice is half a triumph. Besides being able to technically bring Lewis Carroll’s world to the screen, the film is usually enjoyable.
Alice in Wonderland
Directed by Tim Burton
Reviewing the new Tim Burton helmed Alice in Wonderland picture is somewhat of a fool’s errand. Both Burton and Alice command a devoted fanbase, and [...]
Technically, the film is a marvel – this is Heneke’s first black and white film and it’s simply dazzling.
The White Ribbon
Directed by Michael Haneke
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There’s always a certain kind of dread in a Mikael Haneke film. It could perhaps be do his reputation for exploring some of the most shocking aspects of society, but [...]
With both the social message and plenty of splatter, The Crazies is at times dated but still appealing for horror aficionados.
The Crazies (1973)
Directed by George A. Romero
In the same vein as Fahrenheit 451 and Soylent Green, and pre-dating Stephen King’s The Stand (by quite a few years), The Crazies has a similar story, but on [...]
The Intruder is a dying man’s long goodbye and at times recalls Jim Jarmush’s Dead Man
The Intruder (2004)
Directed by Claire Denis
Inspired by a short book written by philosopher Jean-Luc Nancy about his heart transplant, The Intruder works best viewed as an adaptation of a metaphor. The film starts vaguely, increases in abstraction, and ends inexplicably. [...]
This heartwarming, humanist and gender-blurring pic about life imitating art imitating life could possibly be his most accomplished work.
All About My Mother
Directed by Pedro Almodovar
With All About My Mother, Pedro Almodovar shifts away from his earlier, more kinky and offbeat views of sex and relationships. Here, he is more concerned about conventional film elements and [...]
Fish Tank
Directed by Andrea Arnold
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“less politically inclined than Ken Loach or theatrically mannered than Mike Leigh – the film operates in a realm well-trod in UK cinema and serves as a welcome antidote to the adrenaline-fueled demands of the summer season.”
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The UK has a proud tradition of social realist cinema, pioneered by the so-called British [...]
Wasting no time establishing its premise, The Crazies begins as a taut horror film and remains en effective journey through paranoia and conspiracy theories
The Crazies
Directed by Breck Eisner
Fear Thy Neighbour
The Crazies is about the inhabitants of a small Kansas town systematically plagued by insanity after a mysterious toxin contaminates their water supply, when a plane [...]
The Last Station feels more like a stuffy old British play than actual history
The Last Station
Directed by Michael Hoffman
The Last Station presents the fascinating last year in the life of Russian giant Leo Tolstoy, watered down by a cavalcade of coming-of-age story and biopic clichés. It’s too bad, because there is so much to explore [...]
Revanche is a tough slow, depressing film, but incredibly well-acted, consistently believable, and an always entertaining, modest, satisfying arty crime story.
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Revanche
Directed by Gotz Spielmann
Austria
2008
122 minutes
Color
1.85:1
German
“If you plan revenge, dig two graves,” the saying goes…
A prostitute trying to escape her desperate existence, her ex-criminal boyfriend looking for some quick cash to pay back his debt, a [...]
Shutter Island does not measure up to Scorsese’s acknowledged directorial capacity. His flair for innovation and the uniqueness of his storytelling are better directed toward a simpler design, not the blockbuster horror epic with its altogether fatuous termination.
Shutter Island
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Shutter Island, Scorsese’s fourth film featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, recounts the unnerving [...]
Shutter Island definitely begs a second viewing, and while it might not rank up there with earlier Scorsese classics, it remains a masterpiece in my eyes, and a production that has set the new standard for all future psychological thrillers.
Shutter Island
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Before seeing Shutter Island, all I knew about the plot was [...]
When comparing these critical scenes to their counterparts in such classics as An American Werewolf in London or The Howling, they are simply not in the same league.
The Wolfman
Directed by Joe Johnston
Joe Johnston walks into a bar and says: “Bartender, I’ve directed Honey I Shrunk the Kids, Jurassic Park III and Hidalgo. I think that [...]
As expected given its torturous production history the movie is a mess but thankfully not a dud of Van Helsing proportions, it’s a handsome looking film but the interference and mangling of the material, as with The Road, is plain to see.
The Wolfman
Directed by Joe Johnston
Woof, woof. A mere fifteen months late, Universal Studios [...]