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 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 […]
Solothurn Film Festival 2016 winners are…
Solothurn is yet another well kept Swiss secret and the location of a film festival over half a century old. This baroque town with a stunning location on the river Aare, decided in 1966 to start a festival that would focus on Swiss films, feature films, documentaries and short film productions. In addition, it now […]
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 […]
Solothurn film festival – now on!
For the 51st time the Solothurn Film festival presents 187 long and short films over eight days from 21 to 28 January 2016. The festival will show 29 premières from Swiss film makers under the banner of “Panorama Swiss”. The festival judges will award nine prizes. The public will have a chance to vote and […]
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 […]
2015’s worst film and two great ones
31 December 2015. Because of the Christmas holidays, the films have been piling up – so the reviews will have to be short. There are a variety of films – so you’ll need to know which to run to, and which ones to miss. Have a GREAT 2016 – hopefully a kinder, gentler year, if possible. And […]
Book review: Montreux Riviera Switzerland by Farrol Kahn
Books in English about the Lake Geneva region are rare and good books are even rarer. In his third book about Switzerland, Farrol Kahn, a British journalist who has lived in the region for several years has succeeded in describing in a refreshingly eclectic style, the Montreux Riviera (a region he denotes as starting in […]
Films this week: Francofonia, Cowboys, 21 Nuits Avec Patti
27 November 2015. Neptune Ravar Ingwersen reviews film extensively for publications in Switzerland. She views 4 to 8 films a week and her aim is to sort the wheat from the chaff for readers. A RICH WEEK OF RUSSIAN and FRENCH FILMS! FRANCOFONIA **** (vo Russian with French subtitles) Ah, the depth of the Russian […]
