In The Crosswind, 2014. Directed by Martti Helde. Starring Ingrid Isotamm, Mirt Preegel, Laura Peterson, Tarmo Song and Einar Hillep. SYNOPSIS: In 1941, an Estonian woman and her young daughter struggle to find their way home after being deported to Siberia by the Soviet occupiers, in this dreamlike saga of survival inspired by a true […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – The Assassin (2015)
The Assassin, 2015. Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou. Starring Qi Shu, Chen Chang and Satoshi Tsumabuki. SYNOPSIS: An assassin in 7th century China accepts a mission to kill a political leader. Arthouse martial arts is a problematic concept. On the one hand, ‘arthouse’ suggests serious, high-minded fare; on the other, ‘martial arts’ conjures up thoughts of […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Black Mass (2015)
Black Mass, 2015. Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Cochrane, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard and Dakota Johnson. SYNOPSIS: The true story of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, the notorious gangster who used his status as a FBI informant under John Connolly to take over South Boston. In Scott Cooper’s Black Mass, there is no protagonist. […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Tag (2015)
Tag, 2015. Directed by Sion Sono. Starring Reina Trendl, Mariko Shinoda and Erina Mano. SYNOPSIS: Mitsuko, a normal, average schoolgirl, experiences extreme situations that lead her to question her own reality. That plot synopsis of Tag above is simply a decent guess. Director Sion Sono has already directed six films this year, with a seventh […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – The Assassin (2015)
The Assassin, 2015. Directed by Hsiao-Hsien Hou. Starring Qi Shu, Chen Chang and Satoshi Tsumabuki. SYNOPSIS: An assassin in 7th century China accepts a mission to kill a political leader. The Assassin is not the film you’re expecting it to be. In that way, many will be disappointed. It’s not Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Youth (2015)
Youth, 2015. Directed by Paolo Sorrentino. Starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz and Paul Dano. SYNOPSIS: Conductor Fred Ballinger (Michael Caine) spends his retirement at a luxury hotel in the Alps, when he receives an invitation from Queen Elizabeth II to perform for Prince Philip’s birthday. Meanwhile, his best friend, film director Mick Boyle […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Black Mass (2015)
Black Mass, 2015. Directed by Scott Cooper. Starring Johnny Depp, Joel Edgerton, Benedict Cumberbatch, Rory Cochrane, Kevin Bacon, Jesse Plemons, Corey Stoll, Peter Sarsgaard and Dakota Johnson. SYNOPSIS: The true story of James ‘Whitey’ Bulger, the notorious gangster who used his status as a FBI informant under John Connolly to take over South Boston. Black Mass is a very strange film. It’s a […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Son of Saul (2015)
Son of Saul, 2015. Directed by Lazlo Nemes. Starring Geza Rohrig, Urs Rechn and Uwe Lauer. SYNOPSIS: A prisoner forced to help exterminate his people finds a body that he believes is his son and will stop at nothing to give him a proper burial. Son of Saul opens with a scene that would be […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – Victoria (2015)
Victoria, 2015. Directed by Sebastian Schipper. Starring Laia Costa, Frederick Lau and Franz Rogowski. SYNOPSIS: Victoria meets a group of guys while at a club, but soon finds herself drawn into their world when they have to repay a dangerous favour that same night. If you’ve read anything about Victoria, it’s that it’s done in […]
29th Leeds International Film Festival Review – The Witch (2015)
The Witch, 2015. Directed by Robert Eggers. Starring Anya Taylor-Joy, Ralph Ineson and Kate Dickie. SYNOPSIS: A family of settlers is slowly torn apart by supernatural forces in 1630s New England. ‘The scariest film of all time / the year / in decades’ is a phrase that appears on the posters of every single horror […]
