My Favourite Films of 2023

There are two sections: New in 2023 (new releases, festival films, etc) Older films discovered for the first time Films are listed alphabetically within each section. 1. New in 2023 (new releases, festival films, etc) 20 Days in Mariupol [Mstyslav Chernov, 2023, Ukraine] “20 Days in Mariupol” is one of the most painful films I …

My Favourite Films of 2021

A hastily cobbled together list: partly because I'm later than usual (I usually get it out of the way on New Year's day), but also because it's a snapshot of changing opinions and if I wait more than a few days I'll need to update it. Better to just get it down and move on. …

My Favourite Films of 2020

In this strange and frightening year, the importance of art and the sharing of the experience of art has become even more significant. So, although my cinema viewing has plummeted, watching films however I can and meeting people virtually to talk about them, has been both nourishment for the mind and a way of maintaining …

Bal (Honey) – ‘poetic film-making’

Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan is much on my mind of late, or rather his brilliant film Once Upon A Time In Anatolia. The contemplative manner of Anatolia reminds me of another Turkish director, Semih Kaplanoglu, and his film Bal (Honey). I saw it last year at the Belfast Film Festival and was impressed with …

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia

My short review published online in One Hundred Words Magazine [no longer available]:- Nuri Bilge Ceylan is one of the most gifted directors in the world; Once Upon A Time In Anatolia is his latest magnificent creation. What seems a simple police procedural is in fact a fascinating, intricate character study and philosophical essay, full …

Schleinzer’s Michael – shock tactics or powerful provocation?

Michael [Markus Schleinzer, 2011]: my short review of the film published online in One Hundred Words Magazine [no longer available]:- Markus Schleinzer’s astonishingly assured debut feature is a deeply disquieting film about a paedophile who has a boy locked in his basement. It is also devastatingly brilliant. Carefully understated, its precision of framing, editing and …

Attenberg

One of the things I love about Sight and Sound magazine is that you can get two different perspectives on a film within the same edition. In the Oct 2011 publication Attenberg is described by Lisa Mullen as follows:- A simple summary of the plot makes the film sound like the demented hybrid of a …