The 77th Cannes Film Festival, held from May 16 to 27, 2024, was marked by a strong presence of American cinema, both in the official selection and in the awards given. Despite the disruptions caused by the actors’ strike in 2023, independent and established American filmmakers managed to distinguish themselves on the Croisette. Palme d’Or … Continue reading “Cannes 2024: Americans’ Rush for Awards”
Although he was one of the most cosmopolitan American authors, Paul Auster will forever remain indelibly linked with New York and specifically Brooklyn. The author of Moon Palace, The New York Trilogy and films such as Smoke, died there on 30 April at the age of 77 from lung cancer which had been diagnosed in … Continue reading “Brooklyn Mourns Paul Auster”
Monkey Man is a new departure for Slumdog Millionaire star Dev Patel: he co-wrote, directed and stars in the film inspired by Indian mythology and reality, which plays homage to the action movies he adores. The title and the film are inspired by the Hindu monkey-faced demigod Hanuman. The film does share themes with both … Continue reading “Monkey Man: Indian Mythology Meets Action Movie”
If you happen to be in Cambridge between now and the end of the summer, don’t miss the University Library’s exhibition about 20th century crime fiction with artefacts and first editions from the likes of Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle and Wilkie Collins. Crime fiction is by far the most popular form of fiction in … Continue reading “Murder by the Book”
A hundred years ago, a Scotsman became famous for NOT running a race at the Paris 1924 Olympic Games. Eric Liddell’s story was immortalised in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. And a play about his life is coming to Paris for two performances on 23 March. Liddell was an excellent sportsman who played rugby … Continue reading “Chariot of Fire: The Eric Liddell Story”
Definitely not one to show your pupils! Wicked Little Letters is a delicious comedy with Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, set in a 1920s English seaside town, where the population starts receiving defamatory letters full of profanities. An Irish migrant with a good stock of swear words in her vocabulary, Rose Gooding is accused of … Continue reading “Rumours, Rumours”
Siegfried Sassoon was one of the most famous of the British World War I poets but unlike Wilfred Owen, Rupert Brooke or Edward Thomas, Sassoon survived the war he had despised while serving brilliantly. Terence Davies’ final film traces both the war service and the long life looking for meaning which followed, with Jack Lowden … Continue reading “Benediction: Siegfried Sassoon Biopic”
The Ciné O’Clock British and Irish Film Festival in Villeurbanne will be presenting its 28th edition from 31 January to 4 February. There are some great current films, golden oldies and previews of upcoming releases. There are too many fabulous films for us to mention them all, check out the the programme and the teaser … Continue reading “Ciné O’Clock Villeurbanne 2024”
Poor Things, adapted into an award-winning film from the novel by Alasdair Gray, imagines a female Frankenstein’s monster who is fundamentally human, and her creator, who much like Dr Frankenstein, is perhaps more monstrous himself. Yorgos Lanthimos’s previous films such as The Lobster and The Favourite were far from mainstream, even if The Favourite won … Continue reading “Poor Things: Frankenstein Revisited”
We are gradually publishing an 8-part analysis of the 1993 animated film The Nightmare Before Christmas so you can study the film with A2-level pupils in class. Here are are the three final parts, 6-8, in time for Christmas The film, directed by Henry Selick and written by Tim Burton, focuses on the King of … Continue reading “Analysing Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Parts 6-8”
