Perfume: The Story of a MurdererDirected by: Tom TykwerConstantin FilmJean-Baptiste Grenouille (Ben Whishaw) is born into the filth and fish markets of pre-revolutionary Paris with the gift of superhuman olfactory abilities: His sense of smell is one in a million. Becoming an apprentice to a perfumer (a distracting Dustin Hoffman) Grenouille learns what goes into […]
Carsten Knox
Posted inArts + Music
Dear Frankie
Dear FrankieDirected by: Shona Auerbach(Pathée Pictures)Scottish single mum Lizzie (Emily Mortimer) and nine-year-old Frankie (Jack McElhone) are perpetually on the move, as we are informed by Frankie’s voiceover. Frankie is deaf, so the VO is pretty much the only time we hear his voice. It crops up when he writes letters to his father, who […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Fate of The Artist
The Fate of The ArtistEddie CampbellFirst SecondAs a memoirist, Eddie Campbell could be described as willfully obscuring. His minimalist artwork on Alan Moore’s titanic Jack the Ripper tome From Hell tended to reveal truths in the darkness, whereas his Alec series (the titular hero a character standing in for the author), though also based on […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Corporation
Published December 08, 2005. The Corporation Directed by: Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott (Mongrel Media) A primer for anti-globalization, this long but fascinating Canadian-made documentary touches upon economic greed in many, many forms by comparing the corporate model with a psychopathic personality. More even-handed than Michael Moore, it’s essential viewing as part of the new wave […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Lives of Others
The Lives of OthersDirected by: Florian Henckel von DonnersmarckMongrel MediaAcademy Award winner in 2007 for best Foreign Language film, this beat out the healthiest field in years, including the fairy tale horror Pan’s Labyrinth. The story is of the final days of East Germany behind the Iron Curtain, and how a Stasi eavesdropper gets caught […]
Posted inArts + Music
Lie With Me
Lie With MeDirected by: Directed by Clément Virgo(Thinkfilm)This is the new film by Virgo, director of Rude and The Planet of Junior Brown, based on a novel by his wife, Tamara Berger (she also wrote the screenplay) and filmed in Toronto. Lie with Me premiered at the Atlantic Film Festival, but we shouldn’t be surprised […]
Posted inArts + Music
Little Fish
Little FishDirected by: Rowan Woods(Warner)A Sydney, Australia-based drama, the picture takes a hard look into the lives of a community of junkies. Starring Cate Blanchett, Sam Neill and the amazing Hugo Weaving, the portrait of desperate people in a hyper-realistic milieu is difficult viewing but will stay with you, thanks to the soul-grinding performances.Carsten KnoxCategories: […]
Posted inArts + Music
Metallica: Some Kind of Monster
Published December 08, 2005. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster Directed by: Joe Berlinger, Bruce Sinofsky (Paramount) Twenty years of creative and personal politics come to a head in this documentary about the legendary metal act. Sacrificing any lingering mystique, the band give the filmmakers almost uncomfortably intimate access, revealing the drive to be the best […]
Posted inArts + Music
The Island
The IslandDirected by: Michael Bay (Dreamworks/Warner Bros.)Cremated by critics and ignored by the cinema-going masses, one of this summer’s biggest bombs is now available to be seen on DVD. Surprise, surprise — this Michael Bay (Armageddon, Pearl Harbour) blockbuster is a great escape on video. Lincoln Six Echo (Ewan McGregor) and Jordan Two Delta (Scarlett […]
Posted inArts + Music
Road to Guantanamo
Road to GuantanamoDirected by: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross (FilmFour)In the days following 9/11, four British men chose a very bad time to travel from Pakistan to Afghanistan. After the fall of the Taliban, three were held and shipped off to the infamous American military base in Cuba. They were imprisoned for over two years […]
Posted inArts + Music
U2: ZooTV Live from Sydney
U2: ZooTV Live from Sydney(Island)The Irish rock band U2 will never be ambitious or outrageous as they were during this early ’90s tour, a concert as post-modern performance art extravaganza with costumes, characters and mixed media that includes performances of songs from their best recordings. Not since David Bowie has a rock act in the […]
Posted inArts + Music
Casino Royale: Two-Disc Widescreen Edition
Casino Royale: Two-Disc Widescreen Edition Directed by: Martin CampbellMGMThe savvy James Bond producers do it again, reimagining the world’s most successful franchise for a new generation. Daniel Craig’s 007 is just starting his career, more the cocky thug than smooth spy, but the hallmark international locations, femme fatales and explosive action are all in place. […]
