Nothing penetrates the inner workings of a society’s power structures quite so starkly as its sexual practices – and so, by exposing the relations of the genders and the shifting positions of the body politic, films that focus on the erotic can poke, prod and probe the state of a nation. Korean directors like Kim […]
Tag: drama
20 Best Movies of 2016
There has been much online chatter in recent months, that 2016 hasn’t been so good for the movies. Blockbuster season was categorically an abject parade of expensive crap, with “Suicide Squad” being a far worse picture than the berated “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” but one over-hyped season is not representative of the whole […]
The End is Nigh: 10 Post-Apocalyptic Movies in 2016–2017
From the Book of Revelation, to Y2K, to the supposed end of the Mayan calendar in 2012, it is fair to say that people have long been fascinated by the “end of the world.” This is part of our linear, fatalistic, religious, and/or increasingly nihilistic thinking: If everything had a beginning, then everything has to […]
Ten Great Movies Featured at the London Korean Film Festival 2016
Now in its eleventh edition, this year’s London Korean Film Festival boasts some 40 features, a smaller number of which toured beyond London to Sheffield, Manchester, Nottingham, Glasgow and Belfast. Amid the usual programme of Korea’s latest hits and indie titles, shorts and documentaries, there was also a welcome showcase of work directed by women […]
The 10 Best Films of 2016 … So Far
It’s time for my roundup of 2016’s best films so far… Writing this list was pretty tough. If I include films seen at Cannes and Berlin, it’s been a very strong year for cinema and there’s still another six months to go before I make the definitive “Best of” countdown, in December. Think of this, […]
The Ten Best Films From Cannes 2016
The incomparable “Festival de Cannes” is done for another year. And what a year it’s been. The Official Selection was extraordinary, with legendary filmmakers and their latest works turning up on the Croisette. The jury was headed by “Mad Max” helmer, Dr. George Miller. The mild-mannered Aussie director and his selected jurors (including Mads Mikkelsen, […]
Voyeuristic Movies: The Fascinatingly Disturbing Works of Hitchcock, Lynch…
“You like to watch … don’t you?” Sharon Stone’s iconic line in 1993’s erotic thriller “Sliver” addresses the viewer as much as it does a character in the movie. Voyeurism in cinema is a theme long exploited by directors and writers. Films often like to address voyeuristic tendencies, whether through plot or aesthetics, but movies […]
10 New Movies that Deserve Cult Status
Cult movies go against the grain in a host of different ways. What makes them “cult” can be down to different and varied sets of criteria. One key aspect is devout fans. Plenty of films fail on release and find an audience much later on down the road. As US writer Armond White once sagely […]
Ten Exciting Movies from The 66th Berlin International Film Festival
The 66th Berlin International Film Festival recently premiered the latest works in world cinema. With a whopping 310,000 tickets sold, Berlinale is one of the biggest public-focused film festivals in the world. The programme was incredibly varied and while Berlinale does not match the grandiosity and blockbuster bling status of Cannes, its commitment to embracing […]
10 Movies You Should See in 2016
The new year always brings with it a fresh excitement. Film fans look to the months ahead and take note of what’s on the horizon and what’s heading their way in the near future. 2016 sees the return of plenty of big hitters and brand directors. Martin Scorsese, Pedro Almodóvar, Tim Burton, the Coen brothers, […]