Hong Kong cinema has a stigma of being only martial arts films. Many of us are guilty of that association, including me for a while…until I was introduced to Wong Kar-Wai through his toweringly magnificent film Chungking Express. Quite simply, this is one of the greatest films ever made. This film has so many aspects to…
R.I.P.D. (2013)
I did not like this movie. Not one little bit. This was one of the poorest efforts of 2013. I really did not like this film. It never really reaches the point where it is a real stinker of a film, but it is an awful film. The problem with this film is that it…
Prisoners (2013)
Child getting abducted, skillful father takes the matter into his own hands. Where have I seen that before? Well, Prisoners tells the same story, but does so with such a unique and brilliant style, it feels like we are looking at a completely different story as opposed to the same taut plot. There were two…
Thoughts On…The 86th Academy Awards Acting Winners
The picture above shows the four ecstatic acting winners from Sunday’s Academy Awards. The Class of 2013 was an interesting one, and one we haven’t seen for a while. We have a rock star and method actor winning for his performance as a transgender woman, an unknown Kenyan actress who rose to the top,…
Dallas Buyers Club (2013)
If any film will make you both scared and excited, it is Dallas Buyers Club. This film succeeds both because of the impressive performances and the gritty filmmaking that made this important piece of art look the way it does, quite simply phenomenal Unlike American Hustle, which I reviewed just before this, Dallas Buyers Club is…
Final Predictions for the 86th Academy Awards
With only a few hours left to go, here are my final predictions for tonight’s Academy Awards…eek. Click on the headings of each category to see my in-depth predictions Best Picture Will Win: 12 Years a Slave Can Win: Gravity Dark Horse: American Hustle Best Director Will Win: Alfonso Cuaron (Gravity) Can Win: Steve McQueen (12 Years a Slave) Dark…
American Hustle (2013)
David O. Russell is an oddity as a filmmaker – he is purely an actor’s director, and he’s grabbed 11 nominations for his actors over his past three films, with three wins. The man clearly knows his craft and how to work with actors. Of course, up until today, my favourite film of his was Silver…
The State of the Oscars: Best Picture (The Winners)
The Big One now, folks. Best Picture is very tricky for anyone to decide, because unlike other categories, it is a combination of various factors that contribute to choosing a winner. This isn’t just like choosing the best performance or the film with the best writing or the film that is filmed most magnificently. It is…
Harold and Maude (1971)
Yes, this film does sound horribly gross – a young man romancing an elderly lady? In theory, that is a disgusting idea. However, Harold and Maude is essentially a film about friendship and finding someone you enjoy spending time with, regardless of the age difference. Ruth Gordon once again gives a magnificent performance…
The State of the Oscars: Best Director (The Winners)
Best Director has been sketchy as of late – after Kathryn Bigelow’s history-making win in 2010, it has been pretty much downhill for winners of this award. Tom Hooper won a tragically undeserving Oscar for The King’s Speech (likely swept up in the last minute love of the film). Michel Hazanavicius directed a wonderful film…
The Postmodern Pelican 