Film Reviews
219 articles
Lowlights of Cinélatino
After the last two weeks’ blogs on highlights of Toulouse’s Cinélatino film festival, this week will conclude with a selection of films which, in my opinion, should be avoided at all costs. First of...
Apr 23, 2012 / Alison FrankTwo Treatments of Italy’s Fascist Past
Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Conformist and Vittorio De Sica’s The Garden of the Finzi-Continis were both released in 1970, both based on novels (by Alberto Moravia and Giorgio Bassani, respectively)...
Mar 6, 2012 / Alison FrankA soothing demise: Lars von Trier’s ‘Melancholia’ considered
Kirsten Dunst greets the apocalypse “Melancholia” is Lars von Trier’s intelligent, melodramatic, achingly beautiful and wickedly funny new film. It tells the story of Justine (a transcendent Kirsten...
Jan 18, 2012 / Vanessa GranielloSurviving ‘Surviving Life’
At the screening I attended of Jan Švankmajer’s Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) (2010), there were two walk-outs. I was tempted to follow, but my love of the great Czech animator’s previous work...
Jan 9, 2012 / Alison Frank‘Leaving’: Made in Prague
This year London’s Czech Film Festival, ‘Made in Prague’ celebrated its 15 th edition (10-27 November). The theme for 2011 was ‘Film and Literature’, and included hard-to-find retro delights such as...
Nov 29, 2011 / Alison Frank‘Chicken with Plums’: Better on Paper
It’s a well-worn observation that the book is better than the movie. But what about the graphic novel? It seems reasonable to expect the transition from one predominantly visual medium to another to...
Oct 27, 2011 / Alison Frank‘Alois Nebel’: Surrounded by Fog
The feature debut of director Tomáš Lunák, Alois Nebel (2011) is an animated film based on a trilogy of graphic novels by Jaromír99 and Jaroslav Rudiš. The film’s black-and-white images sometimes...
Oct 26, 2011 / Alison FrankThe Descendants: The Kids Will Be All Right
The Kids Are All Right (Lisa Cholodenko, 2010) was a highlight of last year’s BFI London Film Festival. This year’s highlight looks set to be The Descendants (Alexander Payne, 2011), a film similar...
Oct 25, 2011 / Alison Frank50/50 (2011)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Seth Rogen star in "50/50" Making a comedy about cancer is risky business. Making a comedy about a young, attractive person with cancer is self-sabotage. People don’t go to...
Oct 23, 2011 / Eric M. ArmstrongDrive (2011)
“Drive” romanticizes a lot of things that shouldn’t be romanticized: The myth of redemptive violence, dangerous and illegal driving, robbery, evading police and, most egregiously, Members Only...
Oct 18, 2011 / Eric M. ArmstrongThe Exchange: Sociability for Self-Absorption
The Exchange ( Hahithalfut , 2011) is the latest feature from Eran Kolirin, who made a crowd-pleasing debut with his 2007 comedy The Band’s Visit . His new film is also intended as a comedy, but...
Oct 18, 2011 / Alison FrankAttack the Block (2011)
John Boyega leads a street gang of alien-killers in "Attack the Block" It’s Guy Fawkes Night , and the South London sky is pulsing with brilliant explosions. In the midst of the celebration, Sam...
Sep 14, 2011 / Eric M. ArmstrongArsenals Day 2: Honouring Herz Frank
This year the Riga International Film Festival ‘Arsenals’ has chosen to honour Latvian documentarist Herz Frank on the occasion of his 85 th birthday. Sporting his signature knitted beret and Leica...
Sep 13, 2011 / Alison FrankThe Pleasures of ‘Potiche’
In Potiche , Catherine Deneuve plays Suzanne Pujol, the titular ‘trophy wife’ who thinks that jogging, housekeeping and writing light verse are enough to keep her happy. But deep down, she feels...
Sep 2, 2011 / Alison FrankRushes Soho Shorts Festival 2011
The 13 th edition of the Rushes Soho Shorts Festival took place in London at the end of last month (20 th -29 th July, 2011). The festival gives awards to short films in 8 competitive categories:...
Aug 1, 2011 / Alison FrankRecent Articles
- Review: ‘A War’ explores war’s quiet, forgotten horrors
- TMA FilmCast #33 — Vera Chytilova and the Czech New Wave
- The fantasist: The comic art of Woody Allen
- Tribeca picks up North American rights to ‘Misery Loves Comedy’ at Sundance
- TMA FilmCast #32 — Alison Frank interviews Ana Geislerova
- ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ tops Online Film Critics Awards
- TMA FilmCast #31 — Alison Frank reports from 67th Locarno Film Fest
- 5 ½ hour film dominates awards at Locarno
- Shorts at #Locarno67: meditation vs testing the audience’s patience
- ‘The Fool’: A modern propaganda film
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