Category film review
I Wish (2011): Quick-shot review!
Hirokazu Koreeda’s I Wish (2011) is a bittersweet story told from the separate perspectives of two brothers. Koichi and Ryuunoske are two young boys who have been split across different houses and cities after the breakup of their parents; one living with their mother, and one with their father. They regularly keep in touch on […]
if…. (1968): “Violence and revolution are the only pure acts.”
Winner of the Palm d’Or at the 1969 Cannes Film Festival, Lindsay Anderson’s if…. (1968) is a strange film which shines a light on the trials and tribulations of life at a boarding school for boys. It is the start of a new term at the school. Mick Travis (Malcolm McDowell) is the ringleader of […]
The Elephant Man (1980): “People are frightened by what they don’t understand.”
David Lynch’s The Elephant Man (1980) portrays the true story of John Merrick (John Hurt), named as such due to his physical deformities which included malformed bones, sagging skin, and swollen growths over 90% of his body. In the film, Merrick is being displayed at a ‘freak show’, for all of 19th century London to […]
The Taste of Tea (2004): A sip of whimsy and charm.
You might be able to tell that I have a special obsession with Japanese film. I find that the surrealism and humour of Japanese film tends to be in a class of its own, and The Taste of Tea (2004) is no exception to this. This charming film follows the movements of the Haruno family during […]
Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present (2012): Quick-shot review!
This is a documentary which you cannot miss. Marina Abramovic: The Artist is Present (2012) gives an insight into the legendary performance artist’s infamous piece which she performed at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Abramovic sat in immobile silence every day for three months, 736 hours in total, opposite museum visitors […]
Escape From Tomorrow (2013): “You could be a host and not even know it.”
It’s a small world after all. Escape From Tomorrow (2013) is the debut film by writer-director Randy Moore. It is a psychological-horror-sci-fi-thriller centered around Jim and his family, who are on the last day of their holiday at Walt Disney World in Florida. Early in the morning, Jim learns that he has been fired from […]
Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992): “Chug a lug, Donna.”
David Lynch’s Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) is quite the contentious subject for fans of the original television series. It serves as both a prequel and sequel for the series; allowing the viewer an insight into the final seven days of the life of the mysterious Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), and also some […]
The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001): Surrealist, horror, musical, black comedy.
Takashi Miike’s musical-horror-comedy The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001) follows the exploits of the failure-prone members of the Katakuri family as they start up their quiet mountain bed & breakfast inn. As business starts picking up, and all their guests begin dying of various ridiculous causes, the Katakuri family is forced to band together in […]
Zardoz (1974): “Go forth, and kill!”
One of the worst films of all time? Maybe. John Boorman’s Zardoz (1974) ponders the ethics of technological and societal advancement. Zed (Sean Connery) is a savage warrior whose society is bred for the purpose of killing. When Zed hides within a giant flying stone head (?), he mingles with a technologically and psychologically advanced […]
Love & Pop (1998): Materialism with a cultural twist.
Hideaki Anno’s Love & Pop (1998) explores an activity that is apparently fairly popular in Japan, called enjo-kosai; compensated dating. Hiromi and her three friends are normal, middle-class teenagers in Japan, but they are not immune to the lure of fancy things. They decide to advertise themselves for compensated dating in order to have some […]
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