Archive for the ‘Cultural issues’ Category
A review of “Avatar: The Way Of Water”
December 23rd, 2022 by Roger Darlington
When in 2009 I enjoyed the original “Avatar” in 3D and IMAX on the largest screen in Britain (the BFI’s flagship screen), I never imagined that it would take 13 years before I would be able to see the (first) sequel, but I made a point of seeing it in the same format on the […]
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A review of the new Netflix film “Rogue Agent”
December 17th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
This Netflix movie is a small work in the sense that there are no special effects or great cinematography and no real action sequences, but it tells an interesting story which is based on a real case. Robert Freegard was an imposter and conman who pretended to be an MI5 agent and swindled a succession […]
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A review of the 2020 film “Let Him Go”
December 13th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
I’d never heard of this movie until I can across it on Netflix. I guess its misfortune was to be released during the covid pandemic so I doubt that many people saw it at the cinema. Truth be told, I’m not sure that I would have bothered to see it a theatre but it is […]
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A review of the film version of “Seven Years In Tibet”
December 11th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
It took me 25 years to view this 1997 film and, by then, I’d visited China four times but never managed to reach Tibet. In fact, although there was some secret filming in the Chinese-occupied territory, most of the stunning scenery in this work was shot in Argentina. So the film looks wonderful and it […]
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A review of the 2018 Battle of Britain film “Hurricane”
December 7th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
What “Dark Blue World” in 2001 did for Czechoslovaks in the wartime Royal Air Force, “Hurricane” – which had different titles in Poland and the USA – in 2018 did for Polish pilots in the RAF, namely paid tribute to brave men who left their Nazi-controlled nations to fight for liberty but were subsequently erased […]
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How many of the top 100 films of all time have you actually seen or even know?
December 5th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
“Sight and Sound” magazine has announced the result of its latest 10-yearly ‘Greatest Film of All Time’ critics’ poll and Chantal Akerman’s 1975 film “Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles” is there at No 1. “Jeanne Dielman” makes this the first time a female director has been admitted to this exclusive top spot. […]
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A review of the 2000 film “In The Mood For Love”
December 4th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
This immensely stylish work by Hong Hong director Kar-wai Wong is like a Chinese version of “Brief Encounter” in that it shows a man and woman – both married – struggling with whether they should be unfaithful to their spouses, although the twist this time is that their partners are apparently already having an affair […]
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Word of the day: Twiddlemuff
November 30th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
A Twiddlemuff is a double thickness hand muff with bits and bobs attached inside and out. It is designed to provide a stimulation activity for restless hands for patients suffering from dementia. I came across one today while volunteering in the Older Persons’ Unit of St Thomas’ Hospital in London.
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A review of the new superhero movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever”
November 27th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
After seeing two really heavy films in a row, I yearned for some straightforward entertainment and “Black Panther 2” delivered. Following the great success of the original “Black Panther” movie, its lead actor Chadwick Boseman, who was king of Wakanda T’Challa, died of cancer aged just 43 and so the sequel had both to pay […]
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A review of the 1982 classic film “The Draughtsman’s Contract”
November 24th, 2022 by Roger Darlington
Most critics really admire the work of British writer and director Peter Greenaway and “The Draughtsman’s Contract”, his first major feature, is regarded as a classic. However, I always thought that I would find his films too odd and avoided them. Yet, when my brother recommended that I view a 40th anniversary re-mastered version, I […]
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