Tuesday, 21 June 2011

But I'm A Cheerleader

dir. Jamie Babbit
USA, 1999

Great fun.

Klute

dir. Alan J Pakula
USA, 1971

The first of his "paranoia trilogy" is less explicitly political, but has some amazing moments, like after a heavy-breather phone call the camera pans away from Jane Fonda's bed, through her darkened apartment, her sitting up in bed, terrified, the jangly chime-like music perfectly matching the isolation.

Senna

dir. Asif Kapadia
UK, 2010

Brilliant and sad. Not really about F1, more about a person who lived on that thin line between life and death. Reminded me of Man On Wire.

Wednesday, 15 June 2011

Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?

dir. William Klein
France, 1966

Batty take-down of 60s Parisian fashion. Surely influenced by/influenced Monty Python, Terry Gilliam, the New Wave.

The Social Network

dir. David Fincher
USA, 2010

Fincher has this amazing ability to make a broad, culturally on-the-ball film without it becoming empty. The closing image of Zuckerberg robotically refreshing his own Facebook page is an image for our time like Fight Club was for the 90s.

Sleep Furiously

dir. Gideon Koppel
UK, 2008

Masterfully controlled portrait of disappearing life in Wales.

Robinson in Ruins

dir. Patrick Keiller
UK, 2010

A little of the magic gone, but a much more mature interweaving of narration and image. The description of the financial crisis to the image of a spider building its web is masterful.