Tag: politics

film review

2019 Film Reviews – 49: The Great Hack [dir. Karim Amer & Jehane Noujaim; 2019]

I realise that various news sources have already covered the information this documentary presents about the activities of Cambridge Analytica (and if you’re not aware of the organisation, I suggest you look it up with delay), but Amer and Noujaim’s documentary encapsulates and presents it all in frighteningly compelling fashion. From the work of The Guardian’s Carole Cadwalladr, to the not-unproblematic involvement of Christopher Wylie, … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 49: The Great Hack [dir. Karim Amer & Jehane Noujaim; 2019]

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2019 Film Reviews – 22: The White Crow [dir. Ralph Fiennes; 2018]

If nothing else, The White Crow deserves praise for being a biopic that pretty much stays faithful to the bio. Some would argue that by choosing to end with Rudolph Nureyev’s defection in Paris in 1961, it omits the more tempestuous elements of the man’s life, but at least what’s there is fairly accurate, as far as one can tell. However, even though the climax … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 22: The White Crow [dir. Ralph Fiennes; 2018]

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2019 Film Reviews – 9: Three Colours: White [dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski; 1994]

Forgive me, but this post is going to be a bit of a cheat. Instead of offering a new review of Three Colours: White, I’m going to direct you to the latest issue of Sight & Sound (digital version out now; print edition in shops from 7th Feb) which contains an article on Kieślowski‘s movie by none other than yours truly. I am beyond delighted … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 9: Three Colours: White [dir. Krzysztof Kieślowski; 1994]

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2019 Film Reviews – 6: Vice [dir. Adam McKay; 2018]

We quite often hear the complaint that ‘worthy’ films preach to the converted; Ken Loach’s output is perhaps the first that comes to mind in this regard. So why am I not excited by the possibility that the irreverent, genre-morphing style of Vice might be the very thing that gets through to audiences who wouldn’t normally show any interest in a political biopic? Maybe it’s … Continue reading 2019 Film Reviews – 6: Vice [dir. Adam McKay; 2018]

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Film Review: Three Colours White / Trois Couleurs Blanc [dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski; 1994]

When it was released in the mid-90s, White was dimissed as the weakest chapter of Kieslowski’s trilogy. Although I’ve always been very fond of it, I concede that much of its impact is lost in translation, not least because of its tone-deaf English subtitles. However, recent socio-economic events have been kind to this sardonic essay on the pros and cons of equality. In the 90s, Poland was desperate to … Continue reading Film Review: Three Colours White / Trois Couleurs Blanc [dir. Krzysztof Kieslowski; 1994]

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Film Review: The Hunter [dir: Rafi Pitts; 2010]

Rafi Pitts’ latest doesn’t quite deliver on the promises it makes in its first half. With commendable restraint – and a striking use of light and colour – it builds up a portrait of a taciturn night security guard who spends much of his free time roaming the forests outside Tehran. But when a tragic event causes him to commit a crime, the story loses … Continue reading Film Review: The Hunter [dir: Rafi Pitts; 2010]

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