Winter’s Bone (US, 2010)

I’ve seen this film described as ‘hillbilly noir’ and while that doesn’t give us much of a clue to the drained-out colour of winter in the Ozark mountains, or the handheld visual style, it does indicate the nightmarish milieux portrayed. The world is one of patriarchy unfettered by any state, or feminine, discourse. Jennifer Lawrence’s [...]

Watchmen (US, 2009)

I’ll ignore the question as to whether the film’s as good as the graphic novel and deal with it in isolation. It’s not a typical Hollywood action movie, though the shadow of The Matrix (1999) is still looming for the fight sequences, as it is infused with melancholy and the emotional punch is garnered through [...]

Beowulf (US, 2007)

Hypermasculinity? Hyperfeminity? It takes time to get used to the plasticky CGI, but after a while it seems right for the other-worldliness of the time. The latest incarnation of Beowulf turns out to be a fascinating discourse on the representation of gender. If the original poem is about what happens when a society fails to [...]

Sin City (US, 2005)

Visually stunning rendition of Miller’s graphic novel. As sexist as the source material, true, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t good. It depends how your read it; and the blokes are not exactly paragons of masculinity. (DVD, 2) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0401792/

American Pie (US, 1999)

One of the funniest American comedies that grossed many critics out. Well it was supposed to. Superbly realisation of the pain and confusion of adolescence. Simply brilliant. (DVD, 3) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0163651/