Tag Archives: drama
Ida (2013): “Who are you?”
Ida (2013, dir. Paweł Pawlikowski) is a truly great film – quietly brilliant, visually stunning, and emotionally powerful. It tells the story of Anna (Agata Trzebuchowska) a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland, who, before taking her vows to become a fully initiated nun, discovers a disturbing family secret recalling the horrors of the Nazi […]
Synecdoche New York (2008): Quick-shot review!
A riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a conundrum. Synecdoche New York (2008) is a masterpiece straight out of the mind of Charlie Kaufman, the genius behind Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). This is a film where the lines between reality and illusion are increasingly blurred, especially when it comes to reflecting […]
300: Rise of an Empire (2014): “Only the gods can defeat the Greeks.”
The highly anticipated sequel to 300 (2007), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014, dir. Noam Murro) is an action-packed historical war film loosely based on the events of the Battles of Artemisium and Salamis, in the year 480 BCE. It follows the Greek general Themistocles (Sullivan Stapleton), as the Greeks seek to defend their democracy […]
Palo Alto (2013): “I wish I didn’t care about anything.”
Ah, the follies of youth – remember the kinds of high school parties where you think you’re super cool until you light the wrong end of a cigarette in front of a group of people? Good times. Palo Alto (2013) is directed by Gia Coppola (Francis Ford Coppola’s granddaughter, and Sofia Coppola’s niece), and is […]
“Is it worth paying for a ticket?”: Boyhood (2014)
Director Richard Linklater’s magnum opus that has been twelve years in the making, Boyhood (2014) tells the story of young Mason (Ellar Coltrane), from age five to age eighteen. Boyhood follows Mason as he grows up, notably using the same actor for the entire film; we literally watch him grow as the film progresses. Boyhood […]
Putty Hill (2010): Quick-shot review!
Director Matthew Porterfield’s emotionally raw yet expressively quiet independent drama film Putty Hill (2010) focuses on the death of a young man named Cory, and the ways in which it has affected his family and the different people around him. Throughout the film, a disembodied voice from behind the camera talks to each of the […]
Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013): “Existence precedes essence.”
Based on a graphic novel of the same name by Julie Maroh, Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013, dir. Abdellatif Kechiche) tells the story of Adèle, a high school student who is blossoming into adulthood. Adèle has a fairly regular life, she enjoys studying and has some good friends and a potential boyfriend. One day, […]
Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008): “Life is short. Life is dull. Life is full of pain. And this is a chance for something special.”
Director Woody Allen’s love letter to the beautiful Catalonian capital, Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008) tells the tale of two American tourists enjoying a holiday in the city. They meet a charismatic Spanish artist (Javier Bardem) who approaches them with a scandalous request. Both Vicky (Rebecca Hall) and Cristina (Scarlett Johansson) become enamoured with him, but […]
Castaway on the Moon (2009): Quick-shot review!
A quirky Korean drama-comedy-romance hybrid, Castaway on the Moon (2009, dir. Lee Hae-Joon) tells the story of a man stranded on an island within his own city, and a woman who observes his predicament from afar. Kim Seung-geun (Jung Jae-young) is stricken with debt problems that he can’t escape, leading him to attempt suicide by […]
“Is it worth paying for a ticket?”: The Fault In Our Stars (2014)
The Fault In Our Stars (2014, dir. Josh Boone), adapted from the book of the same name by prolific young adult author John Green, is, as the poster states, one sick love story. Hazel Grace Lancaster (Shailene Woodley) is a seventeen year old girl who has terminal thyroid cancer, but lives an otherwise normal life. […]
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