Tag: Film
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An Out Of Sync Gladiator 2
Ridley Scott’s 2000 Best Picture directorial work Gladiator was a seminal moment in 21st century cinema. Oscar winner Russel Crowe’s broody Maximus made an impression on filmgoers. Gladiator 2 arrived in cinemas this week. It is best to leave well enough alone. This come twenty-four years later sequel is an out of sync spectacle. Paul…
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The Anti-War Film On My List
I placed Elem Klimov’s 1985 anti-war work Come and See on my watch list years ago. The film’s title comes from the Book of Revelation, “I heard the Beast say Come and See”. When the restored print was released in 2020, there was universal acclaim for the 142-minute film. At times shocking, numbing, unforgettable, the…
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Femme moves to 2023
I interviewed filmmakers Sam Freeman and Ng Ping for a Chat Cinema podcast last year. The BAFTA nominees had completed their short film noir FEMME. Fast forward to this week, the duo unrolled their feature debut FEMME at the Berlinale. A continuation on the sexual repression theme from the duo’s first work, the longer version…
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Awards + Uncertainty
This Award Season reflects life, uncertainty. Trying to decipher a front runner in the race has confounded critics and filmgoers. Tar and Everything Everywhere All at Once seem sure bets as does Braden Fraser and Ke Huy Quan are nods bets. Cate Blanchette, Michelle Yeoh and Danielle Deadwyler for the little seen Till are front…
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DIVA in 2022
An extraordinary film released in 1981, Jean-Jacques Beineix‘s DIVA is a classic example of Cinema Du Look. Expressive, colorful, romantic. The French thriller is the story of an Opera Singer and a secret tape. Released by Rialto Pictures in the US.
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Is An Oscar In The Future?
For this episode of Chat Cinema, a conversation with Film Director Martin Strange-Hansen about his short film ON MY MIND. A personal story drawn from real life experience. The Danish work received a nomination in the Best Short Film category for the 94th Academy Awards. One question asked, “how did he come with the one…
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Chat Cinema with Erica
The episode of Chat Cinema talks to Bay Area filmmaker Erica Eng about her new short film AMERICANIZED. Americanized was screened at the Bentonville Film Festival. Running time: 17 minutes.
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Is This Indie Flick Worth The Trip?
Pooling to Paradise Indie Road Flick Pooling to Paradise is an engaging and often fun critique on contemporary living. Married mum and step-mother Jenny (Lynn Chen) plans to travel to Las Vegas for a professional Blogger conference. Involuntarily she chooses the Car Pool option on her app. This means she will subsequently miss her flight.…
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Belarus on the VERGE
Reading the headline about the Ryanair flight intercepted to Belarus, a story straight from a Cold War novel, suddenly the world was back in an East versus West game of high stakes chest. President Alexander Lukashenko has been in power for almost 3 decades with no signs of exiting the stage. After the the 2020…
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Tribeca Day 1 Impressions
My first day at the virtual Tribeca Film Festival. My first impression of the overall films: technically superb, polished, broadcast quality, indeed ready for a streaming service. These are filmmakers with an end goal concerning their work. While I have not seen broad risk taking, after viewing a few features, the message here is: I…