Mar 2011
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Film Review: Cave Of Forgotten Dreams [dir: Werner Herzog; 2010]
There’s a transcendent scene in Anthony Minghella’s The English Patient where Naveen Andrews hoists Juliette Binoche up to the ceiling of an abbey so that she can take a closer look at some old frescoes. The flare she’s holding for illumination wraps her in smoke. The harness in which she sits swings from side to side. Gabriel… Continue reading
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Film Review: You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger [dir. Woody Allen; 2010]
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy several moments in Allen’s latest film. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think some of the performances worked quite well some of the time. I’d be lying if I said the plot’s quirky intricacies didn’t make me reflect on the quirky intricacies of the plots… Continue reading
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Film Review: Archipelago [dir. Joanna Hogg; 2010]
How refreshing to watch a film where the camera moves only if it has to, where the editing allows each scene to develop in a way that feels completely unforced and where the performances are of a standard so high, you forget that the actors are acting. Having said all that, Archipelago probably won’t be to everyone’s… Continue reading
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Film Review: Cassandra’s Dream [dir: Woody Allen; 2007]
The opening shot of Cassandra’s Dream shows Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell running towards a boat. But the sequence appears to begin too early, as though the editor has inadvertently permitted us to catch a split-second of behind-the-scenes reality: we actually see the actors spring to life, no doubt in response to Allen’s cry of “Action!” This… Continue reading
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Film Review: Inside Job [dir: Charles Ferguson; 2010]
How many times have you heard yourself saying that you “don’t really get this whole ‘financial crisis’ thing”? Well, it won’t qualify you to write a PhD on the subject, but Inside Job will certainly go some way towards explaining why, for instance, governments around the western world currently feel obliged to make savage cuts… Continue reading
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Film Review: North By Northwest [dir. Alfred Hitchcock; 1959]
Here’s one more reason why North By Northwest is brilliant: even though it stars James Mason, its story is absorbing enough to stop you from thinking about Eddie Izzard every two minutes… not that thinking of Izzard is to be avoided, mind you. Hitchcock’s masterful tale of mistaken identity and Cold War spy games displays more intelligence… Continue reading
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Around Her Neck
Today is International Women’s Day and the latest issue of The Observer quite rightly takes the opportunity to highlight the appalling gender inequalities that still exist around the world. If you’ve got a few minutes to spare, I’d urge you to read these articles: Liberia: A Land Divided by Emma Thompson and Tindy Agaba, Feminism’s Global Challenge… Continue reading
About Me
I am a writer and award-winning perfume critic currently living in the south of England and working on a novel. For my perfume-related writing, please visit Persolaise.com.
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DARIUSH ALAVI 