A young knight Robert Nerra (Eric Stoltz) and his brother defy their father and set out to join King Richard I’s crusade. When their quest is immediately struck by tragedy, Robert continues alone. He finds himself the unwilling leader of … Continue reading REVIEW: Lionheart (1987)
Yuzo (Isao Numasaki) and Masako (Chieko Nakakita) meet in Tokyo one Sunday morning for a date. They have only 35 yen between them. Over the course of a single day they face numerous challenges as they wander the streets of … Continue reading REVIEW: One Wonderful Sunday (1947)
“Life of a VIP” I feel as if Anna Chlumsky is an Academy Award waiting to happen, as soon as Hollywood’s various studios recognise her immense talent and cast her into an appropriate feature. She arguably remains most famous for … Continue reading TV REVIEW: Inventing Anna 1.01 (2022)
Georges Simenon’s fictional detective Jules Maigret featured in 75 novels and a handful of short stories, and since 1932 has been a mainstay of cinema and television in both France and the United Kingdom. Over the years the character has … Continue reading REVIEW: Maigret (2022)
They can’t all be winners, as the saying goes. Akira Kurosawa’s eighth directorial feature is also his least effective so far, with a story that is too simple and characters whose over-emotive turmoil destroy any chance of realism or nuance. … Continue reading REVIEW: The Quiet Duel (1949)
Akira Kurosawa’s fifth film, No Regrets for Our Youth, was his first to be made following the end of the Pacific War. With Japan’s military government completely disbanded, and a new wave of democracy flowing over the embattled country, Kurosawa was … Continue reading REVIEW: No Regrets For Our Youth (1946)
A young man plays a cello in his apartment. There’s a knock on the door, and a woman walks past the cellist to answer it. She is immediately pulled back away from the door, and seconds later we see a … Continue reading REVIEW: G Affairs (2018)
Let’s have a look at silent cinema again; in this case at the role of women in silent cinema. If you glance at the earliest motion picture shorts and features, a lot of men immediately come up: Charlie Chaplin, Buster … Continue reading REVIEW: The Dumb Girl of Portici (1916)
Director Steve McQueen achieved a remarkable feat in 2020, directing not one but five feature films about West Indian immigrants in the United Kingdom. The series was titled Small Axe, and was funded by the BBC. It is a remarkable achievement, not simply … Continue reading REVIEW: Mangrove (2020)
Hong Kong melodramas: they are where one separates the tourists from the locals, or the dabbler from the true believers. It is easy enough for an international viewer to check out the latest Hong Kong crime thriller, or martial arts … Continue reading REVIEW: Ladies Market (2021)
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