STILLWATER ***1/2 This film is inspired by – but is a fictionalized account of – the 2007 Amanda Knox murder trials in Italy. The key word here is fictionalized, for the country has been changed from Italy to France, as has much of the gripping context of the story. The gist of the film is […]
FILM: ALINE – a brilliant biopic on Celine Dion’s life
12 November 2021. By Neptune ALINE ***1/2 (vo French) Whether you are a Celine Dion fan or not, this biopic on Dion’s life by and with Valerie Lemercier is a brilliant, moving homage to a fine singer. Lemercier takes us on a beautiful journey about an incredibly close-knit French Canadian family with 14 children. The […]
FILM: COMPARTMENT No. 6
5 November 2021. By Neptune COMPARTMENT No. 6 ***1/2 (vo Russian, Finnish) A Finnish archeology student (Seidi Haarla) who has made a few friends in Moscow wants to go to Murmansk to see some rare cave paintings. On the long train ride she has to share a compartment with a drunken Russian fellow. This case […]
FILM: LAST NIGHT IN SOHO
29 October 2021. In the past two weeks we have had six excellent films released, four of them French. This week is unfortunately the opposite, with three disappointing films from important directors and one crazy black comedy. Even known talents can’t win all the time. Next week has a few fine works coming out, so […]
Vote launched against new Swiss Netflix law
In response to complaints by Switzerland’s cinema association, Switzerland’s government created a new law requiring online streaming services to pay money into a Swiss cinema fund. A group of young politicians view the move as a tax that will ultimately be paid by consumers and is organising a referendum to have the law thrown out, […]
FILM: LES ILLUSIONS PERDUES
22 October 2021. By Neptune LES ILLUSIONS PERDUES **** (vo French) This sumptuous tableau set in 19th century France about a young, idealistic poet’s coming-of-age (perfectly embodied by the delicate Benjamin Voisin), is based on one of Honoré de Balzac’s novels from his grand collection, ‘La Comédie Humaine’. With his brilliant cast of character actors […]
FILM: EIFFEL – the fascinating story of the man who built it
15 October 2021. By Neptune As there are five very different worthwhile films opening up this week, I will make my reviews short. Depending on your taste and inclination, they are each fascinating in their own right. So do catch them before they’re gone. And don’t forget the sublime AFTER LOVE, which I reviewed last […]
FILM: AFTER LOVE – touching and unforgettable
AFTER LOVE **** You can’t get more contrasted than Dover and Calais, or an English wife and a French mistress who have shared one man whom they both loved deeply. But as often in life, the facts are far deeper than the surface appearance. For here it’s less about infidelity and more about the view […]
FILM: NO TIME TO DIE – 007 – Bond is back and he is excellent!
NO TIME TO DIE – 007 ***1/2 Bond is back and he is excellent! Directed by California-born Cary Joji Fukunaga (“Jane Eyre”, “Sin Nombre”), it has everything and more that 007 aficionados have come to love about the franchise which has been going on since 1962 with 24 films in all. Action, amazing stunts, […]
FILM: BIGGER THAN US – young people taking the future into their own hands
23 September 2021. By Neptune BIGGER THAN US *** Malati, a young girl of 18 from Bali, started her campaign against plastic pollution in her country at the age of 12. She takes us on a journey around the world, visiting like-minded, caring young people who have decided to take the future into their own […]
