Faratyev’s Fantasies [1982] – ★★★★ Soviet director Ilya Averbakh (1934-1986) was first a doctor, having finished a medical degree, and only then a director, and perhaps that is why many of his films are characterised by certain exactness, almost medical precision, and clarity of vision. They also lean towards Chekhovian pathos (incidentally, Chekhov was also a doctor…
Author: Spotlight on Film
Providing in-depth reviews of films since 2011.
“The Brutalist” Review
The Brutalist [2024] – ★★★1/2 If The Pianist (2002) was Paris’s Notre-Dame de Paris, a soulful meditation on human struggle and condition, then The Brutalist is London’s Barbican Centre – empty in everything but performance and concrete image. It is an audacious construction of a film that, like much of modern architecture, is soulless. Directed by Brady…
“The Shrouds” Review
The Shrouds is a stylishly-executed film that pulls you in just on the basis of its intriguing, macabre concept of “the shrouds”, an invention that raises all sorts of moral and philosophical questions.
5 Films About Screenwriters
There is nothing like Hollywood turning the camera on itself. The depiction of screenwriters or scriptwriters on film (usually, Hollywood prefers just writers, and, often, alcoholic writers) is not a big theme, but it is still illuminating. From satire to thriller, below are five films that spotlight the profession of writing for film that emerged…
“Menus-Plaisirs – Les Troisgros” Review
A delightful, ambience-setting film, whose steady, leisurely rhythm promises relaxation for four hours or so.
Film Scene Spotlight: Alan Parker’s Mississippi Burning
This post is my belated, modest tribute to Gene Hackman (1930-2025), a great actor whose versatility and effortlessness on screen will continue inspiring generations to come. The scene I chose to focus on is from Alan Parker’s drama Mississippi Burning (1988), that concerns two FBI agents, Rupert Anderson and Alan Ward, played by Gene Hackman…
“La Otra” Review
If you ignore the film’s bewildering denouement, and focus on the unusual identical twins’ situation, Dolores del Río’s strong lead, and atmospheric film noir aesthetics, you realise you have a true cinematic gem…
John Corigliano: The Red Violin
Today, 16th February, American composer John Corigliano is 87 years old (1938-), and to celebrate the occasion I am sharing his supremely beautiful score for film The Red Violin (1997). This is one haunting score performed by violinist Joshua Bell, and in the film plot that has a five-card Tarot reading at its heart! 🎻 🎵 ♦️…
John Williams: Hook
To celebrate the 93th birthday of the legendary film composer John Williams, I would like to share his film score for Hook (1991) directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Robin Williams and Dustin Hoffman in the lead roles. I believe this score is quite underrated and underappreciated in comparison to his better known work. Born on…
5 Intriguing Films Set in Post-War Japan
Below are five films that showed Japan after the war, capturing a curious zeitgeist as the country tried to make sense of its new situation and environment.
5 Intriguing Films Set in Samurai-Era Japan
Nothing quite stirs the imagination when it comes to Japanese history and culture like the time and life of samurai (Japanese “aristocratic” warriors – 侍) in Japan (12th century to early 17th century). Their code, techniques and lifestyle continue to fascinate us, but, though there have been many film lists made that explore stories about…
7 Best Documentaries I Watched In 2024
I think 2024 was a very good year for documentaries (though not my favourite year for feature films), and many of them, like Daughters, Sugarcane and Dahomey, deal with injustice or seeking justice in some way, so I thought I would do the list of my documentary highlights for this year. Below are 7 best…
“Where the Sidewalk Ends” Review: A Bad Cop in a Tight Spot
…its thrillingly clever beginning, palpably gritty nature, and the galvanising acting still make it a memorable viewing experience.
Maya Deren: At Land (1944)
Maya Deren (1917-1961) was an influential experimental filmmaker whose short film Meshes of the Afternoon helped pave the way for other surrealist filmmakers, most notably David Lynch. Deren’s short film At Land follows an unnamed young woman who finds herself stranded somewhere on a beach. Her exploration of this land and journey through the island’s…
“Horizon: An American Saga (Chapter I)” Review
Costner’s sweeping, imperfect saga is an unapologetic return to the roots and conventions of a classic western.
“Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” Review
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a gory brew of some fifty different beetle-juices mixed together in a super-fast Burtonian blender.
“The Promised Land” Review: “A Man’s Reach Should Exceed His Grasp…”?
The Promised Land is…an inspiring, relentlessly gritty tale of one undying determination, an indomitable will to achieve the impossible against all odds.
10 Awe-Inspiring Films Set in Tokyo
Originating as the fishing village of Edo on the Sumida river in Japan, the city of Tokyo is currently one of the world’s most magnificent capitals. The metropolis, boasting more than thirty-six million inhabitants in its widest reach, fuses and lets coexist modern and traditional cultures like no other city on the planet does, capturing…
“Neighboring Sounds” Review: Tracing the Sources of Urban Anxiety
Neighboring Sounds is a handsome, but lethargic tale of urban cacophony.
“A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On” Review: A Bitter Taste of Things to Come
Elegantly presented with sensitive performances, A Cup of Coffee and New Shoes On is an introspective study of copying with one frightening medical diagnosis that also taps into the unfathomability of a twinship bond.
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