I’ve had an extra special intrigue in Haneke since I saw Funny Games US and surprisingly loved it so I’ve been quite excited for Amour. He has a voyeuristic style of filmmaking that’s both elegant and challenging. Amour is no different and one of his most subtle and simple films. The performances are particular highlights, as it circles around the two main characters. While Emmanuelle Riva is great, an actress who I’ve discovered from Hiroshima Mon Amour earlier this year…

[Logging for 11th of November but I know it was my birthday movie on the 24th]

I was quite excited for Silver Linings Playbook earlier in the year when it seemed to be the big hit comedy drama like Sideways, Little Miss Sunshine and Beginners that I find myself adoring. Then the trailers came and made it look like a messy chick flick shot by an amateur and my expectations plummeted. I had no intentions of even seeing it in…

Beasts of the Southern Wild is one of the indie festival favourites from this year that has blown up almost to mainstream proportions. I can see why it’s charmed so many, with its ultra charged pace and cathartic aesthetics, it is a breath of fresh air despite the very direct social commentary agenda on living in poverty (particularly the effects of global warming). The backbone of the film and why it’s so strong is due to the unpredictable and hard-hitting…

Ben Affleck has been slowly redeeming himself the past 5 years with his turn behind the camera with Gone Baby Gone, The Town and now Argo, one of the most hyped up films of the year to the point where it’s a serious Best Picture contender. The only thing I think it potentially deserves is the screenplay which is excellent. But in execution, it’s a really rough around the edges film, with (deliberately) sloppy cinematography and editing for the 70s…

I’ve always ired Jim Henson more than I like him. I know I enjoy the Muppets, but I can’t place it in any point in time in my life where I watched them. They have a nostalgic spirit, but nothing too personal, which is a great shame because I would have really loved them. In fact, I think the only specific Henson related thing that I can place in a time in my childhood is Muppets Treasure Island. I wish…

Five years we waited for There Will Be Blood and five years we waited for The Master. With that amount of time between films, it’s hard not to expect a complicated grand epic that will cut deep into the soul like Magnolia. Hell, that only took two years. Perhaps Anderson’s period dramas are grand epics on a different scale, but they are visceral examinations of the human condition rather than the hugely emotional core. Every film, bar Sydney/Hard Eight or…