Tag Archives: 3.5/5
Lunarcy! (2012): “The moon may be an alien and barren place, but we can learn how to become at home on it.”
Lunarcy! (2012, dir. Simon Ennis) is a quirky and charming documentary about people who are obsessed with and inspired by our closest galactic neighbour, the moon. For these people, the idealism and aspirational drive of the Space Race of the 60s never ended. Its synopsis is as follows: With wry humor and affection, Simon Ennis’ […]
No (2012): “Chile, happiness is coming.”
Directed by Pablo Larraín, No (2012) tells of a tumultuous time in Chile’s history where, after intentional political pressure, its leader the dictator Augusto Pinochet called for a national referendum, so that citizens could decide whether he should stay in power for another eight years. Chileans were encouraged to vote either “YES”, for the dictator to stay […]
The Prestige (2006): “Are you watching closely?”
One of acclaimed director Christopher Nolan’s best films, The Prestige (2006) is a feat of excellence in both its storytelling and cinematography. Set in turn of the century London, the story follows two rival magicians, Robert Angier (Hugh Jackman) and Alfred Borden (Christian Bale), as they compete with one another to perform the greatest trick […]
Childhood Flashback Movie Challenge: Mrs Doubtfire (1993)
Did anyone else love this film back in the day? I did, so I wrote this review for the wonderful MovieRob‘s Childhood Flashback Movie Challenge. It was so nice to revisit a film that I really loved as a kid, and to see how my understanding and enjoyment of it had changed over time! There […]
F For Fake (1975): Quick-shot review!
Kind of incomprehensible, yet quite profound, and also clearly a convenient vehicle for director Orson Welles’ blatantly huge ego, F For Fake (1975) is summarised by IMDb as “a documentary about fraud and fakery” – but it’s much more than that. It’s a multilayered film with a number of stories all happening at once: one […]
The Garden of Words (2013): Quick-shot review!
A short Japanese anime film about an unlikely relationship between a teenage boy and an older woman, The Garden of Words (2013, dir. Makoto Shinkai) is quite a charming little film. One rainy morning, Takao decides to skip school and go for a walk through the park to enjoy the weather. When wandering through the […]
The Rocket (2013): “One is blessed, one carries a curse.”
One of the very first commercially released films to be set and shot in Laos, The Rocket (2013, dir. Kim Mordaunt) is a charming story about family, tradition, and the quest to construct the perfect home-made rocket. Here’s a summary of the film, from IMDb: A boy who is believed to bring bad luck to […]
The Wicker Man (1973): “You’ll simply never understand the true nature of sacrifice.”
Robin Hardy’s supernatural horror The Wicker Man (1973) focuses on a mysterious society that has preserved its original, ancient ways of life and religious traditions into the 20th century. Police Sergeant Neil Howie (Edward Woodward) travels to the mysterious, remote Summerisle in order to investigate the disappearance of a young girl; a disappearance which the […]
The Congress (2013): “How do I know if I’m dreaming?”
Ari Folman’s The Congress (2013) is a surreal blend between live action and animation, starring actress Robin Wright as an alternate version of herself. Robin has reached a point in her acting career where it’s difficult to get good roles. Her agent introduces her to a man with a strange proposition in order to sustain her career […]
Like Someone In Love (2012): Quick-shot review!
Abbas Kiarostami’s Like Someone In Love (2012) is a divisive but charming film that follows Akiko (Rin Takanashi), a university student who also works as a prostitute. Akiko meets her client for the night: a man old enough to be her grandfather. The situation grows increasingly complicated as her fiance, who is unaware of her […]
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