Archive for the ‘Cultural issues’ Category
A review of the new documentary “Prime Minister”
December 15th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
Whatever omniscient cab drivers think, I can tell you, as someone who has worked for a national government, that governing a country is hard. It is even harder if you’re young and a woman – and pregnant. It’s harder still if you’re prime minister of a country when the entire world is suffering a pandemic […]
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A review of the 2024 Iranian film “The Seed Of The Sacred Fig”
December 10th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
This film, written, co-produced and directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, is remarkable, both for how it was shot and for what it tells us about the contemporary state of Iran. The work was filmed in Iran in secret and then smuggled to Germany for editing and post-production. It was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival where […]
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A review of the important new film “Nuremberg”
November 26th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
Nuremberg: the German city where Hitler held his infamous rallies from 1923 to 1938 and where 22 Nazi leaders were put on trial in 1946-1947. This film centres on the interactions between two men at that trial: Hermann Göring, effectively Hitler’s deputy, and Dr Douglas Kelley, a US army psychiatrist assigned to determine the mental […]
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A review of the new film “The Running Man”
November 21st, 2025 by Roger Darlington
I haven’t read the 1982 novel by Stephen King, on which this film is based, and I haven’t seen the 1987 movie version, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but it was one of those evenings when I fancied some mindless entertainment and I found that big-time by viewing this 2025 adaptation on an IMAX screen. The central […]
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A review of the radical new film “Bugonia”
November 10th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
Yorgos Lanthimos is one of the most unconventional and exciting directors around today and Emma Stone is one of the most talented and audacious actresses in the current firmament. So any film which combines their skills is a must-see for any serious fan of cinema. “Bugonia” – actually a remake of the 2003 South Korean […]
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A review of the classic film “Kind Hearts And Coronets” (1949)
November 4th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
This deliciously black comedy from Ealing Studios is loosely based on the novel “Israel Rank: The Autobiography Of A Criminal” (1907) by Roy Horniman. The work, co-written and directed by Robert Hammer, is regarded as one of the best British films ever made and remains a popular piece of entertainment. Set in the class-ridden times […]
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A review of the French film “The Tasting”
November 2nd, 2025 by Roger Darlington
This is a small French film from 2022 that would never be shown in most British cinemas, but I managed to catch it at the Ventnor Film Society on the Isle of Wight. It is a romantic comedy which has much humour in the first half but then progressively features more serious issues of life […]
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A review of the new film “After The Hunt”
October 23rd, 2025 by Roger Darlington
I so wanted to enjoy this film, since the lead role is taken by Julia Roberts, an actress I admire, and the subject matter – an allegation of sexual abuse made by a black student against a white lecturer – promised drama and topicality. But I was really disappointed. The acting is fine, with Roberts […]
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A review of the 1977 classic “Annie Hall”
October 23rd, 2025 by Roger Darlington
This is a Woody Allen film: he co-wrote and directed it and takes the lead role. But it is also a Diane Keaton movie: she absolutely lights up the screen with her beauty, personality and dress style. This was the fourth of seven works which Allen and Keaton made together and, for some of the […]
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A review of the unusual novel “Brian” by Jeremy Cooper
October 19th, 2025 by Roger Darlington
This is a strange novel in format, tone and subject. The 180 pages are written as a single piece of narrative with no chapters or breaks, no plot and no direct dialogue. It is a melancholic work dealing with loneliness, isolation and obsession. It is the story of the eponymous London character who has a […]
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