Little Joe [2019] – ★1/2 Little Joe is a British/Austrian/German-produced film that was selected to compete at the Cannes Film Festival 2019. In this story, Alice Woodard (Emily Beecham) works at a special laboratory that produces genetically-modified flowers for the public market. Alice and her team have managed to produce one type of a plant…
Tag: Science-Fiction
“Antiviral” Review
Antiviral [2012] – ★★★★ In 2012, a science-fiction film titled Antiviral hit both the Cannes Film Festival and the Toronto Film Festival, and what everybody talked about was that this film is from David Cronenberg’s son – Brandon Cronenberg. People started to look for similarities between Antiviral and David Cronenberg’s films and trademarks, and they…
Classic French Animations: Fantastic Planet, and The King & The Mockingbird
I. Fantastic Planet (La Planete Sauvage) [1973] – ★★★★1/2 Once in awhile comes one animation which is so powerful in its message and so unusual in its presentation, it becomes quite unforgettable. Fantastic Planet is precisely such adult-themed animation, co-produced between France and Czechoslovakia. A winner of the Cannes Special Prize in 1973, this French-language animation…
“The Handmaid’s Tale” Series Review
The Handmaid’s Tale [2017] “There is more than one kind of freedom, said Aunt Lydia. Freedom to and freedom from. In the days of anarchy, it was freedom to. Now you are being given freedom from. Don’t underrate it.” (Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale, 1985: 34) “Humanity is so adaptable, my mother would say. Truly amazing…
The Time Travel Blogathon: Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
Silver Screenings and Wide Screen World are co-hosting the Time Travel Blogathon, and my contribution is the review of Edge of Tomorrow, a fantastic science-fiction film directed by Doug Liman, and starring Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson. Relying on the now fabled “Groundhog Day” concept, Edge of Tomorrow is about a Major (Cruise) who…
“Downsizing” Review
Downsizing [2017] – ★★★ Alexander Payne’s Downsizing has the recipe to become one of a kind film – thought-provoking, funny and engaging. In the film, Paul and Audrey Safranek (Matt Damon and Kristen Wiig) are a couple who decide to undergo a revolutionary “downsizing” procedure to become four inches’ tall people and, from then on,…
“Marjorie Prime” Review
Marjorie Prime [2017] – ★★1/2 Based on an acclaimed play by Jordan Harrison Marjorie Prime, this film of the same name is a science-fiction/drama film directed by Michael Almereyda (Experimenter (2015)) and starring Lois Smith, Jon Hamm, Geena Davis and Tim Robbins. It tells of a woman in her 80s, Marjorie, who spends her time…
“Blade Runner 2049” Review
Blade Runner 2049 [2017] – ★★★★ **SPOILER ALERT** Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049 is already gaining a reputation of being a film which breaks new grounds in terms of creating visual splendour on screen, and its plot is a mix of cerebral reflections, unexpected turns of events and low-key, but effective action. Faithful to the…
“Blade Runner” Review
Blade Runner [1982] – ★★★★1/2 “A humanoid robot is like any other machine; it can fluctuate between being a benefit and a hazard very rapidly. As a benefit, it’s not our problem” (Rick Deckard in Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) Since its release in 1982, Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner has achieved a…
“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,…
“Melancholia” Review
Melancholia [2011] – ★★★★★ Clearly influenced by the films of Andrei Tarkovsky, Melancholia is a great film, which is certain to awaken something in the viewer, be it some inexplicable feelings of unease or awe. However, given that this film is directed by no other than Lars Von Trier (a Danish director known for his…
Spotlight on Film 