Spotlight on Film

“A Royal Affair” Review

A Royal Affair [2012] – ★★★★★ 👑 A masterfully-executed historical drama, showing one of the most important and exciting periods in Danish history. Nominated for an Academy Award in the Best Foreign Language Film category, this critically acclaimed Danish/Swedish film has so far been unable to pass unnoticed in any country. The engrossing story of a young Princess,…

“Margaret” Review

Margaret [2011] – ★★★1/2 Lisa Cohen (Anna Paquin) is a somewhat spoiled and opinionated seventeen-year-old girl living with her mom, Joan (J. Smith-Cameron), an actress and her little brother in New York City. After witnessing a bus accident, in which she believes herself and a driver (Mark Ruffalo) to be guilty, Lisa’s views on life…

“The Secret in their Eyes” Review

El Secreto de sus Ojos [2009] – ★★★★★ ‘¿Te das cuenta, Benjamín? El tipo puede cambiar de todo: de cara, de casa, de familia, de novia, de religión, de Dios…pero hay una cosa que no puede cambiar, Benjamín… no puede cambiar…de pasión’. (Pablo Sandoval) Praised by critics and audiences alike worldwide, El Secreto de sus…

“Skyfall” Review

Skyfall [2012] – ★★★★1/2 For those who are unfamiliar with Sam Mendes’s work and its quality, Skyfall may appear like another action flick of some dubious quality, just another James Bond film full of the same old, recycled “tricks”. However, this is the film of Sam Mendes, which means that this first impression would be false. Skyfall…

20 “Must-See” Spanish-Language Films*

In no particular order: 1) Abre los Ojos (1997) 2) All About My Mother (1999) 3) Volver (2006) 4) Pan’s Labyrinth (2006) 5) Sin Nombre (2009)

“Caramel” Review

Caramel [2007] – ★★★★ Caramel is the first feature film of a Lebanese director Nadine Labaki. The film follows the lives of five Lebanese women, three of which are working in a beauty salon Si Belle in Beirut, Lebanon. Each of the five women has her own problem: Layale (Nadine Labaki) has an affair with…

Tony Scott (1944 – 2012)

“The biggest edge I live on is directing. That’s the most scary, dangerous thing you can do in your life” (Tony Scott, 1995). With the most tragic death of great director/producer Tony Scott on 19 August 2012, I thought I would pay tribute and briefly outline his early biography, as well as comment on some…

10 Great “Human Rights” Films

In no particular order: 1) Blood Diamond (2006) 2) The Kite Runner (2007) 3) Dead Man Walking (1995) 4) The Killing Fields (1984) 5) Amazing Grace (2007)

“Jane Eyre” Review

Jane Eyre [2011] – ★★★★1/2 🏚️ An intelligent and considerate adaptation of the classic novel, conveying the emotional intensity and hidden attraction between the characters. Jane Eyre is an adaptation of Charlotte Brontë’s classic novel of the same name, starring Mia Wasikowska (Alice in Wonderland (2010)) as Jane Eyre, Michael Fassbender (Hunger (2008)) as Mr….

“The Skin I Live In” Review

The Skin I Live In [2011] – ★★★★★ 🥼This artistically gorgeous and unflinching cinematic creation is a triumph of specifically Almodóvarian film-making. Hailed as one of the most provocative films of the year, Pedro Almodóvar’s The Skin I Live In is a bizarre drama about a genius plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Ledgard (Antonio Banderas) who…

“Last Night” Review

Last Night [2010] – ★★★1/2 Directed by Iranian-American director Massy Tadjedin, Last Night is a romantic drama revolving around a posh married couple, Joanna and Michael Reed (Keira Knightley and Sam Worthington), who live in New York. After years of marriage, Joanna and Michael start to experience relationship tensions, doubts and stings of jealousy. Over…

“Avatar” vs. “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” – A Case of Plagiarism?

Although there has been a number of comparisons done recently between ‘Avatar’ (2009) and ‘FernGully’ (1992) (also ‘Pocahontas’ (1995) and ‘Dances with Wolves’ (1990)), I, nevertheless, have decided to take my own turn on the topic and ascertain the similarities between the two movies. In this piece, I will provide some evidence that demonstrate that ‘Avatar’ and ‘FernGully’ are so similar – both in plot lines and style (more so than many other films/stories), that, in my opinion, it was nearly impossible (for James Cameron) not to have in mind ‘FernGully’ when writing ‘Avatar’.

“The Quiet American” Review

The Quiet American [2002] – ★★★★1/2 Directed by Phillip Noyce (Patriot Games (1992)), The Quiet American (2002) is a marvellous adaptation of Graham Greene’s classic novel of the same name. This book-to-film adaptation is so good, it arguably suppresses the majority of previous Graham Greene novel adaptations, and the film is certainly better than the…

10 Films Dealing with Drugs

In no particular order: 1) Requiem for a Dream (2000) 2) Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) 3) Candy (2005) 4) Traffic (2000) 5) Basketball Diaries (1995)

“Miller’s Crossing” Review

Miller’s Crossing [1990] – ★★★★1/2 Loosely based on Dashiell Hamett’s Red Harvest, Miller’s Crossing is an intelligent gangster film shot in the style of a film-noir. Directed by Joel Coen, and produced by Ethan Coen and Mark Silverman, the film centres on Tom Regan (Gabriel Byrne), who is the “right hand” of Leo O’Bannon (Albert…

“Shame” Review

Shame [2011] – ★★★★★ Directed by Steve McQueen (Hunger (2008)) and starring Michael Fassbender, Shame is a bold, beautiful film about a high-paid office worker in New York, Brandon Sullivan (Michael Fassbender), who suffers from sex addiction. While Brandon is able to shuffle work and (his idea of) play reasonably successfully on a daily basis,…

“The Year of Living Dangerously” Review

The Year of Living Dangerously [1982] – ★★★★ 💥 Peter Weir’s The Year of Living Dangerously, starring Mel Gibson, Sigourney Weaver and Linda Hunt, is an underrated romantic drama and adventure film set amidst Indonesia’s political unrest of the mid-1960s when the country was making its transition to the so-called “New Order”. The film, based on…

“Identity” Review

Identity [2003] – ★★★★ 👤 An intelligent and claustrophobic horror treat, with one mind-blowing final twist. “As I was walking up the stairs, I met a man who wasn’t there. He wasn’t there again today; I wish, I wish he’d go away.” Ten strangers: a family of three, a limo driver, a film star, a call girl, a…

20 Disturbing Films You Will Never Want To Watch Again

In no particular order: 1) Sleepers (1996) 2) The Last House on the Left (2009) 3) Funny Games U.S. (2007) 4) Audition (1999) 5) The Experiment (2010)

“Antichrist” Review

Antichrist [2009] – ★★★★ ✂ The film targets the “primal human need” in the audience, the Freudian connection between sex and death, and the “death” drive. Coming from Danish director Lars Von Trier (Dancer in the Dark (2000), Dogville (2003)), this controversial film promises to be anything but an easy ride. Hailed in Denmark a masterpiece overnight,…