10 May 2019. By Neptune Cannes Film Festival – Where anything is possible! The French/Serbian animation director Enki Bilal, one of the 9 (4 women, 5 men) Jury members in Cannes for the main Competition selection of 21 films, put it quite succinctly during their press conference when he said cinema is the best and […]
FILM: AVENGERS: ENDGAME – dark, detailed but too lengthy
10 May 2019. By Neptune AVENGERS: ENDGAME *** A quality blockbuster from the Marvel studios, this is a dark, detailed but too lengthy (just over 3 hours!) final episode. Fun for the aficionados of the franchise, with all the Marvel characters brought in at various points of the scenario, sometimes with drama, sometimes with great […]
FILM: AT ETERNITY’S GATE – Vincent Van Gogh’s last tragic years
4 May 2019. By Neptune AT ETERNITY’S GATE ***1/2 (vo English and French) A contemporary artist’s take on the iconic master of the late 19th century, this film by Julian Schnabel is a difficult but effective portrayal of Vincent Van Gogh’s last tragic years. It takes a painter like Schnabel to fully understand the artist’s […]
CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? – one of the BEST films of the year
By Neptune CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? **** I just saw – belatedly, recommended by a kind friend – one of the BEST films of the year. RUN to it (at Cine17) before it’s gone! It’s not only English-language, but a true New York flick (somewhat in the vein of “Midnight Cowboy”), brilliantly directed by […]
FILM: ASH IS THE PUREST WHITE – an intriguing panorama of life in China
19 April 2019. By Neptune This is indeed an international week – there’s not a single English-language film in my reviews. But we’re in Geneva, and lucky to be so diversified! ASH IS THE PUREST WHITE (LES ETERNELS) ***1/2 (vo Chinese) One could call this a love story. A love story à la Chinoise, but […]
FILM: RBG – the exceptional documentary of Ruth Bader Ginsberg
5 April 2019. By Neptune A rich array of releases this week – do not miss them! RBG **** Ruth Bader Ginsberg has not only been a judge on the Supreme Court of the United States since 1993, but she has been a persistent ground-breaker in the struggle for equal rights between men and women […]
FILM: THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS – separated triplets who find each other at 19
29 March 2019. By Neptune Lots of films to cover, so these will be short reviews. Get out there and see the good ones. THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS **** This exceptional documentary by Tim Wardle, about separated triplets who find each other only at age 19, starts off as a heart-warming revelation but slowly turns into […]
FILM: FEMALE PLEASURE – the struggle for justice and equality in sexual matters
22 March 2019. By Neptune FEMALE PLEASURE *** (vo German, English, Japanese) The title is unfortunate – it seems like an unnecessary come-on for the public, for the film is actually about female pain and displeasure. Or rather the struggle for justice and equality in sexual matters by five women from five different cultures: An […]
FILM: THE KINDERGARTEN TEACHER – a New York teacher who becomes obsessed by a pupil
15 March 2019. By Neptune Please take note, dear cinephiles – four out of five films this week are done by, with and about women. We’ve come a long way, baby… Also try to catch the last days of the important and ambitious FIFDH – the Human Rights film festival in its 17th year in […]
FILM: STAN AND OLLIE – a sweet tribute to the legendary duo Laurel and Hardy
8 March 2019. By Neptune STAN AND OLLIE **** Duos have always been popular for they are often made up of opposites and therefore make for varied possibilities. There’s always the repartee that livens up these acts, giving them both fun and pathos, as with Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis, Holmes and Watson, or […]
