Alfred Hitchcock’s earlier work is sometimes sadly overlooked. He is known by many for his American films, and too right; Rear Window, Vertigo, Psycho and Rope are just some of his exceptional later films. Still, Alfred Hitchcock was an Essex boy. He began work in silent cinema with respected films such as The Lodger. Hitchcock’s work in the 1930s remains quintessentially British. The … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: April 2014
Lolita. (1997)
Lolita is the story of a British professor, Humbert, and his infatuation with his teenage step-daughter. We watch their love affair begin and quickly unravel around them as Humbert desperately tries to keep them together. Stanley Kubrick had major issues with censorship when he adapted Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov’s novel, to the screen. On reflection, the director stated that if … Continue reading
Lolita. (1962)
Adapted from Vladimir Nabokov’s quirky novel, Kubrick’s Lolita was highly restricted by censorship laws but still remained an incredibly controversial movie. Humbert Humbert, a middle-aged British professor, develops an obsession with the teenage daughter of his land lady during his summer lodgings. The film deals with his predicament of being in love with his step daughter, after … Continue reading
Burn After Reading.
The Coen brothers know how to do so many things. They know how to tell a steady and suspenseful story like Fargo and they know exactly how to poetically linger on loneliness and whimsy, demonstrated in Inside Llewyn Davis. Perhaps what they do best of all is chaos; the madness and genius we find in Burn After Reading would certainly … Continue reading
Fargo.
Joel and Ethan Coen are known for the violence and wit found in their movies. Since the late eighties, they have successfully built up a body of work that often focusses on crime and the ethics of it. Fargo, their sixth film, is certainly one of their best. Set in the cold and snowy landscapes of … Continue reading
Muppets Most Wanted.
I grew up watching The Muppet movies. They often seemed a little dated and a little isolating because of just how darn American they were, but that was all part of the charm. I have fond memories of The Great Muppet Caper and The Muppets Take Manhattan. I recall being mesmerised and impressed by the glamorous musical sequences … Continue reading
A Story of Children and Film.
I was fortunate enough to meet Mark Cousins less than two months ago. We were very grateful to have him visit our University, giving a talk on the art of the video essay. Video essays are becoming a more and more popular form for visually expressing and presenting academic research and discussion. The video essay … Continue reading
The Act of Killing.
I have finally gotten around to watching Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing, only a few days ago. A lot of the film reviews I write are written hours after seeing the films; I like to capture my gut reaction as much as possible. Yet, The Act of Killing has taken a while to sink in. I felt … Continue reading
Under the Skin.
Under the Skin is a highly ambitious film. It impresses so much in its opening half hour, setting up expectations that it ultimately struggles to live up to. True ambition is an admirable and rare quality to find in contemporary cinema and there is no denying the ambitious nature of Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin. Despite the … Continue reading
Reel Insights 