Perhaps the biggest strength director Luc Besson has in his arsenal is his ability to construct an immediately endearing fantasy world. He does so with The Fifth Element, a sci-fi drama with sprinklings of comedy and whimsical light-heartedness, wrapped around a host of action set pieces, effective set and costume design, […]
Year: 2020
Funeral Parade of Roses – Cinema Eclectica Podcast 268
Walkabout (1971): The Loss of Innocence and the Birth of Aussie New Wave (Review)
Coming to limited edition Blu-ray this week via the Second Sight label is Nicolas Roeg’s atmospheric, 1971 masterpiece Walkabout; a coming-of-age drama like no other, one which effectively heralded in the Australian New Wave movement. Starring Jenny Agutter, the director’s son Luc Roeg and indigenous Australian actor David Gulpilil, the […]
The Liberace Pocket Guide (With Checklist) – Literary Loitering 125
It’s time for another dose of the cultural anarchy that cures all ailments (medically proven by travelling salesmen in the Old West). In the news this week are Waterstone’s “controversial” idea about displaying books, why you shouldn’t microwave books, yet another tell-all book about Donald Trump, things that make you […]
Tenderness: The Past is a Foreign Country in Martin Šulík’s (1991) Debut (Review)
Released in 1991, Tenderness (or Neha as it is known in its native Slovak) is director Martin Šulík’s debut full-length feature, one which proved to be a groundbreaking production for post-Communist Slovakia. The film tells the story of Simon, a solitary young student played by Géza Benkõ, and commences with […]
Inception – Cinema Eclectica Podcast 267
All aboard the Louise Brooks train for the silent cinema legend’s wildest, nastiest and undeniably most hobo-packed outing: 1928’s Beggars of Life. Director William Wellman was coming off the back of the first-ever Best Picture Oscar winner, Wings. Is this a worthy successor? Off the Shelf kicks off with a […]
Harleen // The Mask Of Fudo // Spider-Man // … – 4-Panel Vol. 3, Issue 15
Story of a Love Affair (1950): lies, PIs and neorealism from Antonioni (Review)
Michelangelo Antonioni’s first feature film begins with a set of photographs being displayed for the camera and a warning that this won’t be the same old story. Already, he’s making promises: promises of narrative innovation, clearly, and promises that the camera – and therefore the viewer – will be active […]
