Tag: essay
43 articles
Why did ‘The Tree of Life’ need dinosaurs?
About twenty minutes into Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life,” there is a sequence that chronicles the creation of the universe. There is darkness, then supernovas of stellar light, volcanic...
Jul 9, 2011 / Vanessa GranielloThe rise and fall, and rise of the American gangster movie
James Cagney, the quintessential movie gangster Seemingly always en vogue, gangsters have been especially so in recent years. The grand seigneur of American cinema, Martin Scorsese, finally won his...
Jun 1, 2011 / Torsten ReitzRage against the male machine; Cinema’s subtle female avengers
Jennifer Lawrence as the headstrong Ree in "Winter's Bone" I had recently watched Ingmar Bergman’s all-time-downer classic, “Cries and Whispers,” for the second time when an article critiquing the...
May 31, 2011 / Vanessa GranielloOn Campus at the Berlinale
The Berlin Film Festival is not just about watching films that have already been made: it also invests in the future of cinema by nurturing new talent. The Berlinale Talent Campus, now in its 9 th...
Feb 15, 2011 / Alison FrankMarching through a blizzard at the bottom of the world: George Miller’s microcosmic penguin mythmaking
I don’t think there is a singular film-maker I’ve found myself having written more about than Australia’s own Dr. George Miller. And now, writing this, I’m still not quite certain of the best way to...
Jan 13, 2011 / Henry J. Baugh‘I Am Love’ opens more than doorways
The month of January is named after Janus, the Roman god of exits and entrances. Janus is most commonly depicted in ancient art as having two faces, one looking backwards while the other looks...
Dec 16, 2010 / Vanessa GranielloBritish Film Institute 2011: A Programme for a Conservative Era?
To mark the approaching end of the festival, the BFI kindly invited me to a lunch where they presented their programme for 2011. I have to say that there was little there to make me sit up and take...
Oct 29, 2010 / Alison FrankArtful dodger: A brief analysis of Anton Corbijn’s ‘The American’
Well well well, finally a George Clooney film without “George Clooney.” Indeed, “The American” is a film without much claim to plot, action or dialogue and is yet a compelling watch. I was seduced by...
Oct 17, 2010 / Kamayani SharmaThe Town (2010)
A director who casts himself in the lead role of his own film may be subject to sharp criticism and charges of egomania (See Mel Gibson in “Braveheart” or Kevin Costner in “Dances With Wolves”)....
Oct 9, 2010 / Eric M. ArmstrongSherlock Holmes, Then and Now: A Comparative Analysis
Arthur Conan Doyle’s great detective, Sherlock Holmes, is one of English literature’s most recognizable and enduring characters. As such, he has made more than 200 movies appearances since the...
Oct 1, 2010 / Torsten ReitzForget Genital Mutilation; ‘Antichrist’ is Disturbing Enough Without it
As Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist” arrives on DVD, I felt compelled give the film a second viewing. What I found was this: despite the overwhelming controversy surrounding the film’s gratuitous sexual...
Sep 16, 2010 / Vanessa GranielloJeremy Renner Cast in ‘Mission Impossible 4’
The search for a new star to carry Paramount’s latest installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise is over. Oscar-nominated star Jeremy Renner, who anchored Kathryn Bigelow’s acclaimed Iraq War...
Aug 26, 2010 / Eric M. Armstrong‘Norwegian Wood’ and Japanese Film in the 2000s
A teaser trailer was released last week for a Japanese film called “Norwegian Wood,” based on the worldwide best-selling novel of the same name. Written in 1987 by Haruki Murakami, the novel recounts...
Jul 26, 2010 / Bryan LufkinInterview: Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley, one of the most prolific American independent directors, has recently released a collection of films titled “Possible Films Volume 2.” Hartley’s career dates back to the 1980s, when he...
Jun 21, 2010 / Angelos KoutsourakisWhat I Learned About ‘Splice’ Through Audience Reactions
“Splice,” the new film by Canadian director Vincenzo Natali, is a revitalizing standout in the long-suffering genre of sci-fi/horror. Instead of veering into predictable B-movie, torture-porn...
Jun 21, 2010 / Vanessa GranielloRecent 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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