I often find myself using the term melodrama as a dirty word, particularly when critiquing low budget independent films. I acknowledge that I shouldn’t do that, melodrama as a genre doesn’t mean bad, Magnolia is in every essence melodramatic, and it’s a masterpiece. However, there is something about the genre
Joker Review: Forever alone in a crowd, failed comedian Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) seeks connection as he walks the streets of Gotham City. Arthur wears two masks -- the one he paints for his day job as a clown, and the guise he projects in a futile attempt to feel
By Matt Keay. Renos (Aris Servetalis) is a quiet, reserved, lonely professional waiter in Athens. He spends his days at work, subserviently tending to the patrons of the restaurant he has been employed at for many years. His nights, an ordered routine of uniform, washing, ironing and preparing for another day
Peele, Viggo, Dracula - Weekly Round Up: In times of uncertainty, politically and socially, the horror genre booms in popularity. It happened during the Depression era, and it happened in the 80s, and in today’s confusing, turbulent and volatile climate it’s happening again. It and It Chapter Two are
By Fergus Henderson. Russia’s national cinema is paradoxically infamous for both its chilly austerity and its wild expressivity. When it comes to making solemn cinematic allegories for its spiritual state, Russia sometimes seem unmatched. Recent examples like Andrey Zvyagintsev’s Loveless and Kirill Serebrennikov’s The Student have levelled extraordinary yet thematically apposite critiques of the country’s
