Here’s the thing – I am a big fan of all the performing arts, and when it comes to the three kinds of narrative performance, there are different methods of control. In all of them, there are different components, each one vital and necessary, but there is always the one figure that is most important,…
Category: Drama
Moonlight (2016)
I don’t think there is anything that is simultaneously beneficial and harmful to a film than hype. There are some films that are just hyped up so much and given the status of being essential viewings right from the beginning, and usually many people do enjoy the film, but many others find themselves somewhat disappointed,…
Elle (2016)
In my review for Things to Come, I called Isabelle Huppert the greatest actress in the world. I don’t think I have ever uttered something more truthful, and my belief in this fact is only amplified by the fact that Huppert is frequently beyond outstanding in nearly everything she does. Perhaps it is her performance…
It’s Only the End of the World (2017)
Oh, Xavier Dolan. How is it possible that there is a filmmaker so talented, yet so unbelievably messy in some of his cinematic pursuits? I jumped at the opportunity to watch It’s Only the End of the World (Juste la fin du monde) while I was in Europe, and I have to say that despite…
Manchester by the Sea (2016)
Last February, Leonardo DiCaprio won the Academy Award for Best Actor. Now while I do follow awards season, I don’t use that as a barometer of quality, and I try and keep awards prospects out of my reviews of films, because some of the best films never came close to the Academy Awards. The reason…
Captain Fantastic (2016)
In a cinematic landscape where nearly every mainstream film is a remake, reboot, re-imagining or sequel, or an adaptation or true-life story, independent cinema constantly comes to the rescue, creating fascinating and original stories. One such film is Captain Fantastic, one of the most bizarrely wonderful little films I’ve seen in a while, and proof…
Things to Come (2016)
Is there any doubt that Isabelle Huppert might just be the greatest actress in the world? Never before has there been such an extraordinary actress, capable of being so incredibly complex and layered. She has been having quite the year, with Paul Verhoeven’s Elle bringing Huppert to a higher level of fame in the English-speaking…
Pride and Prejudice (2005)
Who doesn’t love a good period drama? Certainly, the epitome of period drama has to come from Jane Austen adaptation – there have been many, and whether they are good or bad, they are still selfishly enjoyable and a lot of fun to watch. They’re not too serious, and luckily they are usually very well-made….
The Girl on the Train (2016)
The Girl on the Train is the silliest movie I’ve seen all year. I also, in a very strange way, really enjoyed it. It was a campy, ridiculously overblown and often very pompous mess of a film, and for that, it is truly very enjoyable. To be honest, I really doubt any of us really…
The Motorcycle Diaries (2004)
There is a moment towards the end of The Motorcycle Diaries (Diarios de motocicleta) where our two protagonists get on a boat and sail down a river. In front of them, on the island they just departed, stand dozens of lepers, all waving towards these two men. It is single-handedly the most heartbreakingly emotional moment…
The Postmodern Pelican 