Kalifornia [1993] – ★★★1/2 Directed by Dominic Sena, Kalifornia centres on two couples and takes place on the road. On the one hand, we have an intelligent pair of up-and-coming journalists: Brian Kessler and Carrie Laughlin, played by David Duchovny and Michelle Forbes, who are in the midst of an important Serial Killers book project and who…
Tag: Thriller
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…
“The Departed” Review
The Departed [2006] – ★★★★★ “When I was your age, they would say we can become cops, or criminals. Today, what I’m saying to you is this: when you’re facing a loaded gun, what’s the difference?” (Frank Costello) Martin Scorsese’s crime thriller The Departed, winner of an Academy Award…
“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…
“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…
“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…
“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…
Explained: David Lynch’s “Mulholland Drive”
In Mulholland Drive, the person’s subconsciousness is on full display for us to see and try to make sense of. This intelligent and thought-provoking film is a real “brain-teaser” where appearances mislead, nothing is what it seems, and reality and wishful thinking intertwine.
Spotlight on Film 