Happy Valentine’s Day to all of my followers! In spirit of all the onscreen love and its lovers, today’s highlighted film scene is from Joel Schumacher’s romantic comedy Cousins [1989], which is a remake of French comedy Cousin Cousine [1975]. Now, this film is no masterpiece by any stretch of imagination, and suffers on almost all fronts,…
Tag: Romance
“Chico & Rita” Review: Uneven, but Potent & Memorable
Before La La Land (2016), there was Chico & Rita, an adult Spanish animation which was nominated for an Academy Award and won the prestigious Spanish Goya Award for best animation. It tells the story of two star-crossed lovers, Chico and Rita, who meet and quickly fall in love in Havana, Cuba, and whose turbulent professional journeys make their love a real torment. Chico is a talented pianist with high ambitions and Rita is a stunning beauty with a voice of an angel and a desire to make it big. Pursuing the dreams of fame, both do not even realise how far from each other their destinies could take them.
Short Reviews: The Red Shoes (1948), West Side Story (1961), & Black Narcissus (1947)
I. The Red Shoes [1948] – ★★★★1/2 The Red Shoes is about the rise to stardom of a dancer Victoria Page (Moira Shearer) who falls under the strict control of one charismatic, but elusive and mysterious company director Boris Lermontov (Anton Walbrook). Page becomes truly famous after appearing in Lermontov’s ballet “The Red Shoes”, but…
“The Shape of Water” Review
The Shape of Water [2017] – ★★★★1/2 “Words lie, but looks don’t…When you fall in love, you fall in love, absolutely, all at once, all-in. It’s a miracle” (Guillermo del Toro). “Unable to perceive the shape of You, I find You all around me. Your presence fills my eyes with Your love, It humbles…
The O Canada! Blogathon: Laurence Anyways (2012)
Ruth of Silver Screenings and Kristina of Speakeasy are hosting the O Canada! Blogathon to celebrate all things Canada in film and TV, and I thought I would contribute because Canadian cinematography is close to my heart. It has always tried to be different and often experimented. Xavier Dolan, my choice for this blogathon, is no different….
“Little Women” (1994) Review
Little Women [1994] – ★★★★1/2 ✒️ A heart-warming and faithful adaptation of the classic novel, elevated by a parade of talented stars. It is Christmas eve, and while I want to wish all my readers a very Merry Christmas, I thought I would also review one of the films that could make Christmas all the…
The Food in Film Blogathon: Facing Windows (2003)
Speakeasy and Silver Screenings are presenting The Food in Film Blogathon, and I thought I must participate since food in films has always fascinated me. Food can be used for sensual purposes in a film, as in Como Agua Para Chocolate (1992), I Am Love (2009) or even in The Lunchbox (2013), or can have morbid…
The Duo Double Feature Blogathon: Julia Roberts and Richard Gere
Phyllis Loves Classic Movies and The Flapper Dame are hosting the Duo Double Feature blogathon, and this is my contribution to this amazing and fun cinematic race. The blogathon showcases pairs of stars who made only two films together, and my choice is Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, who were in both Pretty Woman (1990) and Runaway…
“The Discovery” Review
The Discovery [2017] – ★★★1/2 The Discovery is a film which had its first premiere at the Sundance Film Festival 2017, but, arguably, it deserves more attention than it eventually got. Here, Will (Jason Segel) and Isla (Rooney Mara) meet in the strangest of times. It has been scientifically proven that the afterlife does exist,…
“Match Point” Review
Match Point [2005] – ★★1/2 In this film, Chris Wilton (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers), an ex-tennis pro, comes from humble background, but slowly makes his way to the society’s upper class by dating and then marrying a sister of one of his students at a posh tennis club in London. However, this is all far from being…
The “No, YOU’RE Crying!” Blogathon: Head in the Clouds (2004)
Debbie at Moon in Gemini is hosting the “No, YOU’RE Crying!” Blogathon, and I thought I would be part of that amazing film race. It is great when a film is so powerful emotionally that it makes you cry, even though there may not be many films out there who possess this enviable quality. Of…
“Indignation” Review
Indignation [2016] – ★★★★ Indignation is a directional debut of screen-writer and producer James Schamus, known for adapting the script of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) and being producer of Brokeback Mountain (2005). Adapting a book by Philip Roth, in Indignation, Schamus presents the life of Marcus Messner (Logan Lerman), a bright lad who, while…
“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….
Makoto Shinkai: “Your Name” & “5 Centimetres per Second”
Your Name [2016] – ★★★★★ 📆 An emotionally intense, unforgettable viewing experience, filled with “coming-of-age” fun and spiritual longings. Showcasing Makoto Shinkai’s talent for presenting emotional connections, fully-fledged characters and breathtakingly beautiful, detailed animation, Your Name is a romantic story of an accidental body-swap between country girl Mitsuha and city boy Taki, who, in reality,…
“La Corrispondenza” Review
La Corrispondenza [2016] – ★★1/2 La Corrispondenza or The Correspondence is a film by renowned director Giuseppe Tornatore, the mastermind behind cleverly-crafted La Migliore Offerta (2014), beautiful Malena (2000), and critically-acclaimed Cinema Paradiso (1988). The film, with music from Ennio Morricone, is about astrophysics student Amy Ryan (Olga Kurylenko) and her infatuation with older Professor…
“Tale of Tales” Review
Tale of Tales [2015] – ★★★1/2 Directed by Matteo Garrone, best known for his raw crime drama Gomorrah (2008), Tale of Tales or Il Racconto dei Racconti is a fantasy horror film which comprises three main stories seemingly running in parallel. The first story starts with the Queen (Salma Hayek) and King (John C. Reilly) of…
“Chinese Puzzle” Review
Chinese Puzzle (Casse-tête chinois) [2013] – ★★★★ Chinese Puzzle is the final film in Cédric Klapisch’s travel trilogy (other films are L’Auberge Espagnole (2001) and Russian Dolls (2004)). The film presents Xavier, a French writer (Romain Duris (Populaire (2012)), who leads a confused and stressful life in Paris. When his girlfriend of 10 years, Wendy (Kelly…
“Leave Her to Heaven” Review
Leave Her to Heaven [1945] – ★★★★★ In this noir drama, a successful fiction writer, Richard Harland (Cornel Wilde), meets a young beautiful socialite, Ellen Berent (Gene Tierney) on a train. After a short introduction, the pair fall in love. However, Ellen’s obsessive streak soon becomes evident when she unceremoniously ditches her politically successful fiancée…
“Oscar and Lucinda” Review
Oscar and Lucinda [1996] – ★★★ 🎲 The film is as odd and uneven as its main characters, but there is still something delightful happens when Fiennes meets Blanchett. Oscar and Lucinda is based on the novel by Peter Carey, and tells the story of a young Australian heiress Lucinda Leplastrier (Cate Blanchett), with the…
“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…
Spotlight on Film 