Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines Directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan USA, 2012 Though its namesake is derived from perhaps the most famous of super-powered fiction females, Wonder Women goes beyond just looking at the development of comic book heroines, examining female role models and revolutionary characters in television and film. In looking at …
After Lucia Written and directed by Michel Franco Mexico/France, 2012 Following the death of his wife, Roberto (Hernán Mendoza) moves to Mexico City for a new beginning with his daughter Alejandra (Tessa Ia). Both struggle with the loss of Lucia in different ways, though both privately. A chef, Roberto occupies most of his time with …
Running from February 14th to the 24th, the 2013 installment of the increasingly popular Glasgow Film Festival marks its ninth incarnation. Advertised as a festival “for the people”, GFF tends to stray from the red carpet approach and curation-heavy feel of its local(-ish) cousin, June’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, though it does have various themed …
The Raid Written and directed by Gareth Evans Indonesia/USA, 2011 The Raid is an action thriller with unmistakable, specific influences, but one that combines them with its own unique qualities to provide a particularly potent collection of thrills. Made in Indonesia but directed by a Welshman, the simple but effective plot of Gareth Evans’ film …
Jeff, Who Lives at Home Written and directed by Jay Duplass and Mark Duplass USA, 2011 The Duplass brothers’ fourth feature length effort opens with its protagonist Jeff (Jason Segel), wielding a voice recorder, discussing how rewarding he finds M. Night Shyamalan’s Signs. Heavily relating to that film’s themes of fate and purpose, Jeff also …
This Must Be the Place Written by Umberto Contarello and Paolo Sorrentino Directed by Paolo Sorrentino Italy/France/Ireland, 2011 “Something’s wrong here. I don’t know exactly what it is, but something’s wrong here.” Repeated by its protagonist throughout This Must Be the Place, the line captures the baffling quality of Paolo Sorrentino’s English language debut. An …
Your Sister’s Sister Written and directed by Lynn Shelton USA, 2011 Lynn Shelton’s follow-up to her “mumblecore” hit Humpday retains frequent collaborator Mark Duplass and a focus on the dynamic between a small group of people, the trio of Your Sister’s Sister being Iris (Emily Blunt), Jack (Duplass), and Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt). Humpday’s character exploration …
Play Written by Ruben Östlund and Erik Hemmendorff Directed by Ruben Östlund Sweden/Denmark/Finland, 2011 Play is a frequently harrowing and thoughtful film about manipulation, bullying, identity, race and customs. Primarily rooted in uncomfortable ambiguity, it is based on a series of real cases of bullying and robbery that occurred in Gothenburg, Sweden in recent years. …
The Loves of Pharaoh Written by Norbert Falk and Hanns Kräly Directed by Ernst Lubitsch Germany, 1922 Ernst Lubitsch is best known for his work in Hollywood, operating as a master of comedies until his death in 1947. He left behind a legacy of films that includes the much beloved likes of The Shop Around …
Avé Written by Arnold Barkus and Konstantin Bojanov Directed by Konstantin Bojanov Bulgaria, 2011 Bulgarian film Avé is the fiction feature debut of its director Konstantin Bojanov. A road movie, it is concerned with two hitchhiking youths whose paths collide, leading them to travel together to a small town close to the Romanian border for …
A Boy and His Samurai Written and directed by Yoshihiro Nakamura Japan, 2010 Yoshihiro Nakamura’s fish-out-of-water comedy, based on a manga, concerns an Edo period samurai thrust forward in time to contemporary Tokyo and befriended by a single mother and her young son. Instead of a narrative rooted in the action film genre like one may …
Tales of the Night Written and directed by Michel Ocelot France, 2011 French director Michel Ocelot is perhaps best known for his animated films Kirikou and the Sorceress, that film’s sequel, and Azur & Asmar: The Princes’ Quest. His latest feature Tales of the Night is an anthology film made up of six short allegorical …