My Favourite Films of 2022

There are two sections: New in 2022 (new releases, festival films, etc) Older films discovered for the first time Films are listed alphabetically within each section. 1. New in 2022 (new releases, festival films, etc) Aftersun [Charlotte Wells, 2022, UK, US] Incredibly impressive: subtle, atmospheric, immersive. One of the stand-out films of the year. A …

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 …

That Ealing touch

At Screen St Ives we recently showed the 1942 classic WENT THE DAY WELL?, to a packed and extremely enthusiastic audience. It is a testament to Ealing, the relatively small, independent studio that produced this film, that their output is still delighting audiences some 70 years later. Perhaps part of what still captivates us in …

About Elly

My 2012 Cambridge Film Festival experience began on a real high this September when I saw ABOUT ELLY. I recently saw this Iranian film a second time and it made an even bigger impression. Director Asghar Farhadi is better known for his more recent film A SEPARATION, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language …

A quick look at Monsoon Wedding…

It was a pleasure to see Monsoon Wedding (2001) again on the big screen, courtesy of this month's Screen St Ives presentation, particularly when the audience reaction was so warm and enthusiastic (average audience rating a very strong 4.3 out of 5). In preparation for my brief introduction to the film I checked out the …

Sleep Furiously and the Cambridge Film Festival…

In my last post I mentioned the fast approaching Cambridge Film Festival, one of the highlights of my year. Among the many reasons I love the festival so much is that it affords the opportunity for discovering some real cinematic gems. I can still vividly remember being mesmerised by Guy Maddin's DRACULA: PAGES FROM A …

The Nine Muses and its ghosts…

With one of the highlights of my year, The Cambridge Film Festival, only a few tantalising weeks away, it just so happens that I have been re-watching one of the films shown at last year's festival - The Nine Muses. At the time I found the film beautiful and poetic, although I also felt it …

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie…

Bunuel's classic 1972 film has been re-released, and comes to the Arts Picturehouse in Cambridge this week. Having recently re-watched it on DVD, I found it as strange and compelling as ever; it doesn't seem to lose its potency, if anything I find it more intriguing as I get older. Even though on the surface …

…some thoughts on Las Acacias…

I saw this film in the cinema at the end of last year; it's now out on DVD. A second viewing has confirmed first impressions: Las Acacias is a perfectly formed, subtle, moving, and heartwarming little gem. Philip French doesn't agree; he flatly dismisses the film in his short Guardian review:- In this widely praised …