219 articles

This year marked the 50 th anniversary of David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia . To mark the occasion, a digitally restored edition was released, and I had a chance to see it on the Empire Leicester...
Dec 31, 2012 / Alison Frank
Sometimes, maybe most of the time, ambiguous endings are cop-outs. The crime isn’t in subverting audience expectations—who wants movies without surprises?—but in betraying the stories themselves....
Nov 30, 2012 / Scott Armstrong
Paul Thomas Anderson has a taste for the epic. It was always there, from the sprawling spectacle of “Boogie Nights” (1997) to the experimental spider web narrative of “Magnolia” (1999) and the...
Nov 5, 2012 / Eric M. Armstrong
This documentary gives curious viewers a glimpse into the life of timeshare mogul David Siegel and his family. The titular ‘queen’ is Siegel’s wife Jacqueline, and Versailles is the monster home they...
Sep 24, 2012 / Alison Frank
As public ticket sales for the BFI London Film Festival open Monday (24 September), the time is ripe for a preview blog. Having attended a number international film festivals this year, I’ve already...
Sep 22, 2012 / Alison Frank
When you ask people in the industry what makes a good film, one of the most common answers is ‘a good story’. This is what is missing in most of Wes Anderson’s films. I remember watching other...
Jun 18, 2012 / Alison Frank
About the Film: Studio: Focus Features Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry, Patton Oswalt Directed By: Lorene Scafaria Written By: Lorene Scafaria ( Nick...
Jun 18, 2012 / Eric M. Armstrong
It hits you from the washed-out pink opening credits with their muted soundtrack: Whit Stilman’s “Damsels in Distress” is like an 80s teen movie on tranquilizers. You feel concern for a director...
Jun 12, 2012 / Alison Frank
Over the weekend of the 9 th -10 th June, the BFI is honouring Shyam Benegal, one of India’s leading directors. Considered one of the founders of India’s ‘New Wave’, Benegal began his film career in...
Jun 5, 2012 / Alison Frank
Aki Kaurismäki is one of those directors whose work is impossible to confuse with anyone else’s. Certainly, his style could be compared to Béla Tarr’s in the somberly staged performance of the...
May 21, 2012 / Alison Frank
“Extraterrestrial” Director: Nacho Vigalondo Writer: Nacho Vigalondo Starring: Michelle Jenner, Carlos Areces, Julián Villagrán “Extraterrestrial” is a movie I’ve been excited about for a while, in...
May 18, 2012 / Henry J. Baugh
“Cinema Six” Directors: Mark Potts, Cole Selix Writers: Mark Potts, Cole Selix Starring: John Merriman, Mark Potts and Brand Rackley “Cinema Six” is the definition of average, which is strange...
May 11, 2012 / Henry J. Baugh
As a freelance film critic looking to get involved with film festivals, I feared that talks at the International Film Festival Summit might be too specialised for me. True, I was one of only two film...
May 8, 2012 / Alison Frank
Hugo Dillon and Molly Ryman in "Things I Don't Understand" Someday, everyone you know won’t exist. Tomorrow doesn’t matter until it’s today. No one makes it through life unscathed, in one way or...
May 2, 2012 / Eric M. Armstrong
From April to May, the UK is being treated to a retrospective Jiří Trnka’s animation, through a collaboration by the Czech Centre London, the Czech National Film Archive and specialist cinemas in...
Apr 30, 2012 / Alison Frank


