Dec 2019
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My Favourite Films Of 2019 + The End Of The Reviews
The year ends, and so does my little film review project. It started with a pope so perhaps it’s appropriate that it finished with two. Many thanks to those of you who took the time to read these little scribblings. Below I’ve put together a list of my favourite movies of the year. As I… Continue reading
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2019 Film Reviews – 71: The Two Popes [dir. Fernando Mereilles; 2019]
![2019 Film Reviews – 71: The Two Popes [dir. Fernando Mereilles; 2019]](https://dariushalavi.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/3a13f66f-0db3-463b-b2ac-c16cbfad2417.png?w=1019)
If theatre is better at exploring ideas than film is, perhaps that’s why The Two Popes feels as though it would have been slightly more comfortable at The National. Or maybe it’s because it consists of little more than conversations between Pope Benedict and the soon-to-be Pope Francis as they wrestle with their differing views… Continue reading
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2019 Film Reviews – 70: Little Women [dir. Greta Gerwig; 2019]
![2019 Film Reviews – 70: Little Women [dir. Greta Gerwig; 2019]](https://dariushalavi.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/dariushalavi_littlewomen_december19.jpg?w=691)
Towards the end of this latest, mildly indie-flavoured adaptation of Little Women, Amy berates Jo for always pointing out the former’s flaws rather than appreciating her strengths. With that in mind, I ought to state that Gerwig’s take on the 19th century classic is handsomely-staged, warmly played and mostly engaging — there’s a generous, affectionate… Continue reading
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2019 Film Reviews – 69: Atlantics [dir. Mati Diop; 2019]
![2019 Film Reviews – 69: Atlantics [dir. Mati Diop; 2019]](https://dariushalavi.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/5889c61b-d4b7-418d-82ec-dadcf104008f.jpeg?w=1024)
It is a stain on our collective conscience that there is still a need for us to tell stories about the current migrant crisis. So large is the problem that it has almost become the stuff of ‘news wallpaper’. So perhaps Mati Diop intended to jolt us out of complacency with her decision to approach… Continue reading
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Cruel
I’d like to update this blog more frequently. Truly, I would. And yes, it’s often time (ie a lack of it) that prevents me from putting finger to keyboard. But it’s also a certain resistance. An unwillingness to be what I suspect would be cruel. I don’t understand the (modern?) need to share the details… Continue reading
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2019 Film Reviews – 68: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker [dir. J J Abrams; 2019]
![2019 Film Reviews – 68: Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker [dir. J J Abrams; 2019]](https://dariushalavi.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/dariushalavi_riseofskywalker_december19-1.jpg?w=1024)
No-one reading a review of the new Star Wars film actually needs any help deciding whether they want to watch it. They’ll leap towards it or avoid it regardless of what anyone else says. For what it’s worth, I found its conclusion of the saga – which sees Rey and Kylo Ren circling ever closer… Continue reading
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2019 Film Reviews – 67: Spider-Man: Far From Home [dir. Jon Watts; 2019]
![2019 Film Reviews – 67: Spider-Man: Far From Home [dir. Jon Watts; 2019]](https://dariushalavi.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/dariushalavi_farfromhome_december19.jpg?w=690)
I must have a very perverse take on super-hero films: I didn’t think Dark Phoenix was anywhere near as awful as most people seemed to, and I wasn’t sent into ecstasies by Avengers: Endgame. So perhaps it was inevitable that I’d find myself giving Far From Home a friendly thumbs up. Yes, its high school… Continue reading
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2019 Film Reviews – 66: Marriage Story [dir. Noah Baumbach; 2019]
![2019 Film Reviews – 66: Marriage Story [dir. Noah Baumbach; 2019]](https://dariushalavi.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/dariushalavi_marriagestory_december19-1.jpg?w=840)
There’s no doubt that much of Marriage Story is touching and memorable. As it crosses over from America’s east coast to its west, this story of a couple handling the realities of a break-up – and its effects on their child – impresses with its honesty and its refusal to descend into mawkishness. But I’d… Continue reading
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2019 Film Reviews – 65: Tell Me Who I Am [dir. Ed Perkins; 2019]
![2019 Film Reviews – 65: Tell Me Who I Am [dir. Ed Perkins; 2019]](https://dariushalavi.files.wordpress.com/2019/12/dariushalavi_tellmewhoiam_december19.jpg?w=474)
In 1982, Marcus Lewis was injured in a horrific accident. When he emerged from a coma, he could recognise no-one but his twin brother. All other memories of his life prior to the accident had vanished. He was effectively a blank slate, with no knowledge of his parents or his childhood. His twin took it… 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 