14 August 2026 LOCARNO, 2026! LOCARNO’s competition and certain Piazza films were somewhat mediocre this year. This festival is unfortunately squeezed in between two prestigious festival giants – Cannes and Venice – and other heavyweights such as Toronto and San Sebastián. So it tends to venture into experimental cinema from emerging countries. But it still […]
FILM: LOCARNO FILM FESTIVAL with its openness to the public
7 August 2026 Two brilliant festivals, one after the other, celebrating the arts of music and cinema. And both in marvelous settings. French-speaking VERBIER in July, the trendy laid-back ski village which transforms into a world-class classical music event in the summer for the pleasure of avid mélomanes; and Italian-speaking LOCARNO, with its lake and […]
FILM: SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY ** For the hype and the adrenaline
31 July 2026 A bit of a foray into the effects of entertainment… SPIDER-MAN: BRAND NEW DAY ** Our daily press screenings in various cinemas around Geneva usually consist of six to eight journalists. We each have our favourite seats and it’s peaceful. We can tell a hyped-up blockbuster is coming when a whole lot […]
FILM: DE LA COMÉDIE FRANÇAISE **** an exhuberant film
24 July 2026 DE LA COMÉDIE FRANÇAISE **** (vo French, with English subtitles) Here’s a day in the life of the oldest and most prestigious theatre company in the world, founded in 1680 under Louis XIV. It’s also one of the most delightful comedies of the year, directed by Martin Darondeau and Bertrand Usclat with […]
THE 2026 VERBIER MUSIC FESTIVAL
JULY 16 – AUGUST 2 Among the prestigious classical artists appearing in Verbier this year are: EVGENY KISSIN, SIR SIMON RATTLE, JOSHUA BELL, MAO FUJITA, MARTHA ARGERICH, MISHA MAISKY, GÁBOR TAKÁCS-NAGY, KHATIA BUNIATISHVILI and many more. If that stellar lineup and their glorious composers don’t tempt you, there is also the UNLTD section offering music […]
FILM: THE ODYSSEY **1/2 – neither impressed nor moved
17 July 2026 THE ODYSSEY **1/2 Sorry, I was neither impressed nor moved by this heavily promoted blockbuster by Christopher Nolan. This is, of course, based on the classic mythical tale by the Greek poet Homer, dating from the 8th century BC, about the struggles of the King of Ithaca, Odysseus (Ulysses in Latin), and […]
FILM: MOANA (Vaiana: La Légende) *** – a charmer of a film for the whole family
10 July 2026 VAIANA: LA LÉGENDE (called MOANA in the U.S.) *** What a charmer of a film for the whole family. We were expecting animation at the press screening, we were instead pleasantly surprised with a live-action version, with some brilliant CGI (computer-generated imagery) for Vaiana’s cute pets – Pig and silly Bird – […]
FILM: The second half of DE GAULLE’s battle ****
3 July 2026 You have an amazing choice this week – an important historical gem; a wild blockbuster; a gentle animated love story; and a cruel Robin Hood. Take your pick… I am including the previously published review of the first part of this two-part historical film, as it explains the background to both films. […]
LES CAPRICES DE L’ENFANT ROI ***1/2 – a delight!
26 June 2026 LES CAPRICES DE L’ENFANT ROI ***1/2 (vo French, subtitled in English) This amusing historical film is a delight! It’s 1651 in France, and rebellions are raging outside the royal palace. The 13-year-old King Louis XIV, the future Sun King, is sent by his mother, the regent Queen Anne of Austria (Doria Tillier) […]
FILM: BROKEN ENGLISH – MARIANNE FAITHFUL ***
BROKEN ENGLISH – MARIANNE FAITHFUL *** If you remember Marianne Faithful, you’re dating yourself as a baby boomer. Those were the days – the free, exciting, and at times decadent 1960s – when she began her versatile career of singer, songwriter and actress, almost by accident. She was of course known as an icon of […]
