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Tag Archives: drama
Wadjda (2013); written/directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour
The behind-the-scenes stories would be enough to put Wadjda in the history books: The first film to be shot inside Saudi Arabia. By a Saudi director. A female Saudi director. Because of the restrictions placed on women in the public … Continue reading
When Evening Falls on Bucharest or Metabolism (2013); directed by Corneliu Porumboiu
Corneliu Porumboiu is my favorite Romanian director working today, although he’s got some stiff competition from Cristian Mungiu, Calin Peter Netzer, Cristi Puiu …. Porumboiu’s 12:08 East of Bucharest (I wrote about it here) is a slapstick re-enactment of a … Continue reading
The Congress (2014); directed by Ari Folman
The Congress, directed by Ari Folman, and starring Robin Wright as a sci-fi version of herself, knocked the wind out of me. It set off a series of echoing reverberations in my mind that are still going on, days after … Continue reading
Goodbye To All That (2014); directed/written by Angus MacLachlan
No, not the famous Joan Didion essay (strange, to pick such a famous title. Kind of like that recent Vanessa Hudgens’ movie called Gimme Shelter. Although maybe MacLachlan is consciously connecting his movie to Didion’s essay?) I wrote about this … Continue reading
Millennium Mambo (2001); directed by Hou Hsiao-Hsien
A circuitous and depressing film by the Taiwanese master Hou Hsiao-hsien, Millennium Mambo takes place in 2001, but, as the exhausted-sounding female narrator tells us, the events in the film happened “ten years ago”, giving a sheen of nostalgia and … Continue reading
Inherent Vice (2014); directed by Paul Thomas Anderson
In Joan Didion’s essay “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” there is a section that reminds me of the vibe that Thomas Pynchon captured in his druggy LA-noir set in 1970. Didion wandered through Haight-Ashbury in 1968, 1969, meeting people, hanging out, and … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged drama, Inherent Vice, Joaquin Phoenix, Paul Thomas Anderson, reviews
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We Are the Best! (2014); directed by Lukas Moodysson
“We should start a band.” “We seriously should.” One of the perfect gems of 2014. With all the hype about Boyhood (much of it deserved), it is wonderful to see a movie about young girls coming of age, a story … Continue reading
Miss Julie (2014); directed by Liv Ullmann
Liv Ullmann directing August Strindberg’s wacky 1888 comedy, Miss Julie. Jessica Chastain, man. But all three of the main actors – Chastain, Colin Farrell, and Samantha Morton, give phenomenal performances. It’s rather unforgettable, actually. My review of Miss Julie is … Continue reading
Posted in Movies
Tagged August Strindberg, Colin Farrell, drama, Ireland, literary adaptation, Liv Ullmann, Norway, reviews
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My Interview with Oscar-Winning Director Shawn Christensen
I’ve written a couple of times about my love of the 2013 Oscar-winning short film Curfew, written/directed by Shawn Christensen (he also starred in it). I saw Curfew when it premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2012 and thought … Continue reading
Bad Hair (2014); written and directed by Mariana Rondón
A new movie from Venezuelan writer/director Mariana Rondón about a little boy who wants to straighten his “bad hair,” and how that desire has a ripple effect in his life. Painful, truthful. Highly recommend it. My review of Bad Hair … Continue reading