‘The reality is that we do not wash our own laundry – it just gets dirtier’ Serpico It was Al Pacino’s 80th birthday this month, I have seen most of his films, even the bad ones, yes there are bad ones! (Note - this is not a bad one) I thought I revisit Serpico as … Continue reading Serpico (1973)
'I want adults to listen to me' this is said by Zain, a 12 year old boy, as he stands in court, he has committed a crime and is serving his sentence but has decided to sue his parents for bringing him into this world. Nadine Labaki's film is a harrowing and powerful depiction of … Continue reading Capernaum (2018)
Spike Lee is a bit like marmite you either enjoy his films or you don't, I am sort of on the fence with him. I liked Do The Right Thing (1989), Malcolm X (1992), Summer of Sam (1999) and Bamboozled (2000) the latter is definitely sleeper film that needs viewing (though some would say argue … Continue reading BlacKkKlansman (2018)
'Courage is the solution to despair, reason provides no answers. I can't know what the future will bring; we have to choose despite uncertainty. Wisdom is holding two contradictory truths in our mind, simultaneously, Hope and Despair. A life without despair is a life without hope. Holding these two ideas in our head is life … Continue reading First Reformed (2017)
What ever happened? To man's best friend Falling - Spring - Blossom The above haiku is read by 12 year old Atari (the adopted son of Mayor Kobayashi) to the people of Megasaki in an attempt to save all dogs from being killed. This is the second animated film by Wes Anderson (the first being … Continue reading Isle of Dogs (2018)
Remember when journalism was about real matters and issues and you didn't have to double check everything that was written or published and what those in power told us? Well those days are almost over - perhaps due to the very reasons discussed in films such as All the President's Men (1976) and more recently … Continue reading The Post (2017)
Remember when people used to be nice? I quipped to a colleague days before our office broke up for the holidays (I can't remember what it was that made me ask that) anyway it was a rhetorical remark, but my colleague went on to mention a host of reasons why people are no longer nice … Continue reading Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987) Nice
The opening overhead shots of Marshland are absolutely stunning, they show Andalucia so pristine, clear and calm but also full of mazes, little do we know what the marshes hide, in fact at certain points the shape of the marshes look like a brain, complex and mysterious. Marshland is set in 1980 Spain, it follows … Continue reading La Isla Mínima (Marshland) (2014)
I had the opportunity to visit the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge a few days ago, it is quite an amazing place architecturally, and the art pieces inside. All the works are beautiful but I was particularly taken by French sculptor Aimé-Jules Dalou. Dalou was born in Paris on 31st December 1838 and died on 15th … Continue reading Jules Dalou
'America, they want someone to love, they want someone to hate' Tonya Harding I, Tonya is based on the real life story of American figure skater Tonya Harding, a self-confessed redneck who beat the odds to join the top ranks of the U.S Figure Skating Team only to have it all taken away by the … Continue reading I, Tonya (2017)
