Film – Page 132 – Close-Up Culture

Netflix Originals All Stars, No Substance – The Circle and To The Bone (Film Reviews)

YOU may have noticed Netflix have branched out from riveting documentaries and binge-worthy series to produce films starring big Hollywood names like Tom Hanks, Lily Collins and Emma Watson. I was relatively unaware (I did see Ellen Page star in Tallulah at London’s Sundance last year) of this production line until recently when plans to see…
Death is the Bond – The Death of Louis XIV and A Man Called Ove

The Death of Louis XIV – DEATH is the theme that bonds films The Death of Louis XIV and A Man Called Ove. Both are worth watching although their approaches to the issue of death are diametrically opposed. The Death of Louis XIV lives up to its title as it tracks the last days of…
Land of Mine – Outshines Dunkirk in Matters of War

Dunkirk – 3/5 – ALTHOUGH Dunkirk is winning all the summer cinematic plaudits, Land of Mine is more than its equal. Both films have the Second World War as their theme. But while Dunkirk looks at an event that is a key part of British war time history – the evacuation of troops from the…
Frames of Beauty: A Kristen Stewart and Olivier Assayas Collaboration

DIRECTOR Olivier Assayas seldom hides his admiration for Kristen Stewart. This was evident at a fascinating Curzon Q&A earlier this year in London. At the event he introduced Personal Shopper – his second project with Stewart following 2014’s Clouds of Sils Maria – by stating it was as much her film as his own. As…
Hair-Raising Australian Horror – Hounds of Love (Film Review)

Hounds of Love is out in cinemas on July 28 HOT on the trail of Jordan Peele (Get Out) and Julia Ducournau (Raw), Ben Young is the latest talent to cut his directorial teeth in fine fashion with an inventive and hair-raising horror film. His debut feature, Hounds of Love, is set to the backdrop of…
The Midwife (Sage Femme) – A Delightful Amuse Bouche of a Film

THE Midwife is a delightful hors d’ouevre of a film. It is both gentle and amusing although some will argue that it lacks a certain gravitas. More amuse bouche but appetising all the same. Directed by Martin Provost (Violette, Seraphine), it features Catherine Frot (Marguerite, Haute Cuisine) as a calm professional midwife whose somewhat mundane…
The Bravehearts of Raqqa – City of Ghosts (Film Review)

CITY OF Ghosts is an extraordinary documentary that should be watched by anyone alarmed by the rise – and continued threat – of Isis. In other words, by everyone. Directed by Matthew Heineman (Cartel Land, 2015), it centres on the good people of Raqqa in Syria as they rally against the Bashar al-Assad regime in…
Kristen Stewart’s Solo Masterclass – Personal Shopper (DVD Review)

FOLLOWING the critical success of 2014’s Clouds of Sils Maria, it was inevitable that acclaimed director Olivier Assayas and actress sensation Kristen Stewart would reunite at some stage. They have for Personal Shopper, a classy film (now released on DVD) that unexpectedly tackles our perception of the supernatural. The outcome is an intelligent, absorbing and genre-defining…
Utterly Beguiled: The Tale Of Two Films

SOFIA Coppola’s latest film, The Beguiled, begins with a young girl (Amy) singing as she picks mushrooms in the woods. Although it may seem insignificant, her voice marks an important shift in perspective compared to Don Siegel’s 1971 version of the story. Siegel’s film, which was released just 44 days before Coppola was born, opens…
Lost In Headphones: Many A Movie Moment

HEADPHONES play a big role in my life. They give me the freedom to listen to music and podcasts in public without disturbing others. They allow me, at any time, to escape boredom, silence or unwanted interaction. Sometimes, more pressingly, they distract my mind from creeping feelings of insecurity and upset. In many ways, headphones…