Joker [2019] – ★★★1/2 Directed by Todd Phillips (The Hangover (2011)), Joker is a latest, much-hyped film starring Joaquin Phoenix (The Master (2012)) in the titular role of Arthur Fleck or Joker, a stand-up comedian fallen on hard times, who resorts to violence in Gotham City to avenge wrongs allegedly committed against him. Being supported…
Tag: Psychological thriller
“L’ Amant Double” Review
L’Amant Double (Double Lover) [2017] – ★★★1/2 François Ozon (Frantz (2016), In the House (2013)) is a French director who is uninhibited when it comes to portraying sexuality/erotica on screen and was exploring it freely in his previous films Jeune et Jolie (2013) and Swimming Pool (2003). His latest psychological thriller L’Amant Double is another…
“The Killing of a Sacred Deer” Review
The Killing of a Sacred Deer [2017] – ★★★★ This film proved to be the most divisive at the Cannes Film Festival 2017, and there was a good reason for the audience and critics to feel so confused and uncertain. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is a product of Yorgos Lanthimos, the director who is…
The Medicine in the Movies Blogathon: Spellbound (1945)
Charlene at Charlene’s (Mostly) Classic Movie Reviews is hosting this amazing blogathon – The Medicine in the Movies Blogathon, and this review of Alfred Hitchcock’s Spellbound (1945) is part of the race. There are many good movies out there which explore interesting, intricate aspects of medicine: from Wellman’s overblown, but entertaining Night Nurse (1931) to…
“The Neon Demon” Review
The Neon Demon [2016] – ★★ 📷 Despite the visual beauty of certain scenes, Refn’s parade of random and confused ideas about LA show business and its qualities and appearances, produces a film which is the pretentious boredom, or the boring pretentiousness itself (as you like it). “Beauty isn’t everything. It’s the only thing”, says Roberto…
“The Handmaiden” Review
The Handmaiden [2016] – ★★★★★ 🖌️ Fiercely intelligent and psychological, unapologetically erotic and endlessly stylish, The Handmaiden is a perfect film that toys with the audience’s expectations and formed beliefs. The Handmaiden is an award-winning erotic psychological drama directed by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy (2003), Stoker (2013)), and based on/inspired by the novel Fingersmith (2002) by Sarah Waters….
“Rebecca” Review
Rebecca [1940] – ★★★★1/2 “…I suppose sooner or later in the life of everyone comes a moment of trial. We all of us have our particular devil who rides us and torments us, and we must give battle in the end” (Daphne Du Maurier Rebecca (1938)). Directed by Alfred Hitchcock, Rebecca is adapted from the best-selling novel…
“Elle” Review
Elle [2016] – ★★★★ A Dutch director known for Basic Instinct (1992) and Total Recall (1990), Paul Verhoeven has produced his first French-language film to date – Elle, based on a novel by Philippe Dijan (who is also known as a writer behind Betty Blue (1986)). Elle has already competed for a Palme d’Or at…
Ayoade’s “The Double” vs. Villeneuve’s “Enemy”
The question of personal identity and its duplication have been fascinating people for centuries. From Edgar Allan Poe’s William Wilson to Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, the theme has been pervasive in almost every form of art. When it comes to films, such works as Sommersby (1993), Face/Off (1997), The Prestige (2006) and Black Swan (2010) may…
Spotlight on Film 