A PERFECT DAY ***1/2 The multi-awarded Spanish director Fernando Leon de Aranoa – of such socially-conscious yet personal films as “Les Lundi au Soleil” and “Princesas” – has come up with another winner. This time he’s gone international, taking a droll, almost sarcastic look at the consequences and absurdity of war, somewhere in the Balkans […]
Film: Brooklyn – a love story about a girl who emigrates alone
15 March 2016. BROOKLYN **** A fine romantic film is a rarity, and here is such a pearl. Underlying the romance is the more meaty tale of a young girl emigrating alone to America from her home in Ireland in the early 1950s, with all the turmoil that such a move entails: the fears of a […]
Film: the mum and her little boy who live in a single room
11 March 2016. ROOM **** This film, that spends half of its time in the confines of one room with just a mother and her little boy, yet remains powerful and touching, is a masterwork. Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue, it’s a riveting tale directed by Lenny Abrahamson, with amazing portrayals by little Jacob […]
Film: Spotlight – exposing a coverup of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.
26 February 2016. SPOTLIGHT **** Whatever your background, belief or religion, you will be shaken by this gripping, true account of tenacious newspaper reporting. It’s about the Boston Globe revealing in 2001-2002 the extent of the decades-long coverup of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Countless priests in the Boston area were molesting innocent children and […]
Film: Hail Caesar! The latest from the Coen brothers
19 February 2016. HAIL CAESAR! **1/2 Oh dear, I was so looking forward to another great Coen brothers film after seeing the hilarious trailer. But unfortunately it was not to be. Like Woody Allen, the super-talented brothers can’t win ’em all… and this has none of the coherence or brilliance of O’ Brother, Where Art Thou?, […]
Film pick: Chocolat – the true story of a black circus performer in 1800s France
12 February 2016. CHOCOLAT **1/2 (vo French) This bittersweet tale is based on the true story of a black circus performer in the France of the late 1800s. It features Omar Sy of “Les Intouchables”, and James Thierree, a grandson of Charlie Chaplin who has an uncanny resemblance to the famed comic. Actor/director Roschdy Zem has […]
Film review: The Revenant – a must despite very difficult to watch violence
THE REVENANT *** (vo English) Here is another tale of nature, but this one is about the incredible endurance and survival instincts of one man in a mercilessly harsh environment. Viciously mauled by a massive bear, betrayed by his companions and left for dead, he then becomes hell bent on revenge. Brilliantly filmed by the […]
Film review: The Danish girl – a story of a man turning into a woman
22 January 2016. THE DANISH GIRL **** (vo English) “What did I do to deserve such love?” – that is the refrain that threads through this story about a couple going through the turmoils of the husband feeling entrapped in his male body. It all starts off as a sort of forbidden game between two […]
Film picks this week: The big short, a Swiss film about an artist and a touching Japanese story
8 January 2016. If you haven’t seen a Swiss film for a while then Neptune has discovered just the thing for you this week. If this is not your cup of tea then there is the adrenaline of the stock market in The Big Short or cultural insights revealed in a Japanese film about a struggling […]
The latest Star Wars film set to break records
18 December 2015. The latest Star Wars movie is set to break records. The seventh film in the series has already made more than US$ 100 million in advance sales. It’s a great film that deserves to do well. STAR WARS – THE FORCE AWAKENS **** Director JJ. Abrams has done an excellent job in revitalising […]
