Freaks Out
There is never a shortage of World War II-adjacent films, but Gabriele Mainetti’s latest feature gives a sentimental superhero makeover to the well-trodden narrative of infiltrating the Nazis.
All posts by Carmen Paddock
Please Baby Please
Does Please Baby Please break new ground? Possibly not. Does it entertain, thrill, and captivate continually, using its cast of familiar character faces to great effect? Absolutely. Kramer’s vision is a raucous delight that will grow on every rewatch.
Life of Crime 1984-2020
In the opening minutes of Jon Alpert’s real-time biographical documentary, Jon stays with two men who are preparing a burglary in broad daylight on a main street in Newark, New Jersey. The tools are unloaded, the car prepared for a fast getaway, and smiles and jokes bounce between the two soon-to-be thieves. When asked what … Continue reading Life of Crime 1984-2020
Kinorama – Beyond the Walls of the Real
Without the all-encompassing, state-of-the-art picture that one would find in a properly equipped cinema, the cracks in KINORAMA – BEYOND THE WALLS OF THE REAL show.
Ida Lupino: Gentlemen and Miss Lupino
While perhaps little more than a glorified introduction to one of the 20th century’s great filmmaking talents, IDA LUPINO: GENTLEMEN AND MISS LUPINO is built with love. In a world where, once again, studio dominance seems all-pervasive, one hopes Lupino’s thoughtful, challenging pictures find an audience.
Ailey
AILEY continually returns to the creative process even as it melds performance, archival footage, and interviews to celebrate and interrogate the life and work of revolutionary choreographer Alvin Ailey.
Rose Plays Julie
ROSE PLAYS JULIE thrives in discomfort. Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor’s drama opens with a veterinary school lecture on euthanising healthy animals – a common occurrence, often for behavioural reasons – and then spends each following scene contrasting characters’ assumptions and knowledge about their lives and loved ones. Carmen Paddock reviews.
Scarecrow
The Sakha Republic (Yakutia) in far northeastern Russia is far removed from the political, social, linguistic, and cosmopolitan realities of Moscow or St Petersburg. In this environment, a local cinema culture has flourished, and Dmitry Davydov’s SCARECROW (PUGALO) brings Sakha cinema to an international audience at IFFR.
Death on the Streets
While an imperfect effort, DEATH ON THE STREETS is an interesting outside-in angle on a forgotten America. Heart and honesty make up for lack of polish, and it treats its subject with uncomfortable, unrelenting respect that drives home the lack of quick fixes and easy answers.
Beans
Coming-of-age stories set against monumental national or world events are a cinematic constant. BEANS excels at both portions of its story, even if it sometimes struggles to connect them.