Tag: American Film
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BlacKkKlansman
Spike Lee’s latest, loosely based on the early career of police-officer Ron Stallworth, opens with an icon scene from 1939’s Gone With the Wind. An iconic moment in American cinema, a distressed Scarlett O’Hara is wading through a sea of injured civil war soldiers. The camera gradually draws out, revealing the vast extent of the wounded.…
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The Last Five Years.
Opening with the end of a romance, The Last Five Years spends its time travelling back through the relationship we now know to be over. Nothing is chronological as we spring from raunchy Summer dates to proposals to domestic spats. Don’t expect The Last Five Years to deliver any type of profound commentary on relationships and human intimacy; it…
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Alice.
There is something indulgent about sitting down on a rainy weekend and enjoying a Woody Allen film you’ve never seen before. With a large mug of tea and a slice of buttered toast, I sat back to enjoy Allen’s fantasy/comic adventure Alice. A film that centres around re-evaluation, Alice tells the story of a woman of luxury, assessing her…
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Captain Phillips.
Four month ago I posted an entry on this website called ‘The Magic of Tom Hanks‘. The article discussed the actor’s baffling screen diversity and applauded Hanks for his ability to remain a household name and yet never be typecast. Having played some of cinema’s most memorable characters, from Mr. Gump to Captain Miller, Hanks…
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A Woman Under The Influence.
When A Woman Under the Influence first came out in the mid seventies, many rejoiced in its honest and realistic depiction of marriage and family. Where Hollywood provided either ‘happy’ or ‘unhappy’ marriages, John Cassavetes’ masterpiece presented a much more truthful and complex image of love, madness and marriage. Mabel, first and foremost, loves her family. Mabel’s…
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Blackfish.
Documentary is one of cinema’s most useful tools when it comes to uncovering injustice and fighting for what is right. Revealing hidden truths and bringing lies to the surface is the main intention of Gabriela Cowperthwaite’s Blackfish. Investigating the causes behind the tragic death of SeaWorld trainer Dawn Brancheau, the film strives to prove that the…
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The Way Way Back.
We all remember the summer holidays that seemed to last forever; the uncertainty of what lies around the corner after months of freedom from school and normal childhood, or adolescent, routine. The Way Way Back captures the summer vacation in a more depressing way, demonstrating the strain placed upon family life when you are suddenly forced to…
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Kick-Ass 2.
Just like many of its limp characters, Kick Ass 2 is rather unconvincingly disguised. Masking itself as a slick and kooky alternative-superhero movie, Kick Ass 2‘s masquerade wears thin after the first thirty minutes. The comedy in the script is particularly disappointing, as are the flat and boring characters. Matthew Vaughn’s absence from the director’s…
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Match Point.
Woody Allen has stated that Match Point is his personal favourite of all the films he has made. It is by no means my favourite of Allen’s works of art but it is easy to see what it is about this film that the director would cherish and be proud of. Most commonly associated with comedy, Allen constantly…
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Sideways.
Now and again, you discover a comedy that balances hilarity and emotion perfectly. Sideways is a refreshing, intelligent and moving film that remains interesting, comical and complex from start to finish. Miles and Jack appear to have very little in common. Their morals, interests and ambitions are worlds apart and yet the two men, who…
Hannah McHaffie 