Let the Right One In (Låt den rätte komma in, Sweden, 2008)

It’s a while since an ‘arthouse’ film has received such universal praise (covers on Electric Sheep and Little White Lies) and it’s a relief that it lives up to its reputation. The imdb rating also indicates high audience satisfaction so it is a film that, simply, must be seen. It is a vampire movie, without [...]

Paranoid Park (France-US, 2007)

I found it difficult to care for the characters in this film, usually a fatal problem for a movie unless it’s a popcorn roller-coaster pic. It’s Gus van Sant’s use of non-professionals, ranging for okay to terrible, that alienated me from the film; this isn’t a problem in itself as he did the same in [...]

Show Me Love (Fucking Amal, Denmark-Sweden, 1998)

Director: Lukas Moodysson
Screenplay: Lukas Moodysson
Editors: Michal Leszczylowski & Bernhard Winkler
Music Mixer: Morten Holm
Producers: Lars Jonsson
Cinematographer: Ulf Brantas
Cast: Alexandra Dahlstrom, Rebecca Lijeberg, Erica Carlson & Mathias Rust
Naturalism began in the theatre as a form that tried to erase the obvious contrivance of the medium by constructing the ‘fourth wall’ and so rendering the audience invisible to [...]

American Graffiti (US, 1973)

How many films have ‘American’ in the title? I don’t know but I’d bet more than any other nation. Is it that Americans believe that they are so distinctive from the rest of us that they need to distinguish between them and us? To be fair, the ‘American’ in George Lucas’ second feature is valid [...]

Adulthood (UK, 2008)

Noel Clarke: Bitten off more than he could chew?

Kidulthood (see June 24) was terrific; Adulthood? It’s an adage that sequels are never (rarely) better than the sequel; is it because all the good ideas have been used or because filmmakers feel they have to out-do the original so strain too hard? Whilst Clarke wrote and [...]

Kidulthood (UK, 2006) and Beat Girl (UK, 1959)

Kids today eh!

Kids then eh!

Kidulthood is shocking, only if you believe it’s typical of kids in London. Well, I wouldn’t know, but the idea that youngsters are out of control is not exactly new. However, this is a terrific film that does the ‘day in the life’ of the youth of today with pace and [...]