#16 - Momma's Man (2008) Review

Momma's Man (2008), Azazel Jacobs
3.5/5

This indie film is very subtle and slow. The slow pacing is due to the narrative focusing on stasis rather than action, focusing on Mikey's re-adolescence making this somewhat of a re-coming of age film in a way. The cinematography is really interesting, telling the emotional story through imagery and editing techniques, complimented with sparse dialogue. Overall it is a quiet, quirky film that is at times cold and at others poignant. The main character Mikey oscillates between being pathetic and sympathetic. Much like other indie films and European cinema this film plays on emotional ambiguity, failing to explicitly explore character motives and drives and instead uses the medium to imply rather than state, and thus is more authentic, if somewhat unsatisfying.

I've Loved you so long (2008) (France) Review

I've Loved you so Long (Il y a lontemps que je t'aime) (2008) (France), Phillipe Claudel
3.5/5

Beautifully shot and minimalistic, this drama plays on the underlying emotional tension beneath the surface of the relationship between these two sisters. Subtly playing on darker emotional tension and turmoil and at the same time exploring some sort of recovery or assimilation back into society. Which plays beautifully opposite the family dynamic of the sister and her children etc, furthering the sort of tension and friction creating a comparison between the two sisters and their lives. The acting is great, Kristin Scott Thomas (Sarah's Key, 2010) is superb as always, creating both a stark compelling cold and yet vulnerable character. This film does not create melodrama out of the trauma, instead it slowly peels back layers of truth. A great film.

#15 - Spoorloos (The Vanishing) (1988) Review

Spoorloos (The Vanishing) (1988) (Netherlands/ France), George Sluizer
4/5

This is a brilliant psychological thriller. Performances are great, and the cinematography is incredibly moody and interesting. The lighting is at times naturalistic and at others almost noir style. The drama and tension of the film are great and have quite interesting concepts. This film is creepy and eerily realistic. A brilliant horror/ thriller that plays on the unknown and the unseen.

#14 - Clerks (1994) Review

Clerks (1994), Kevin Smith
4/5

This dry black comedy is a great exercise in the new wave of indie American cinema. Taking place during the span of a clerk store shift, the characters are great, and performed authentically. The dialogue feels organic and authentic, almost improvised in nature. This film strikes the combination between banal trivialities and also meaningful observations. Shot in black and white on video, the grainy almost surveillance video style lends itself perfectly to the subject matter of the film. This film is up there with the sort of indie film movement in the 90s when video technology began to be cheaper and more widely available spawning the likes of Richard Linklater (Slacker, Before Sunrise, Waking Life, A Scanner Darkly) and Kevin Smith (Clerks, Zack and Miri Make a Porno) and later influenced the Mumblecore genre of indie film in the 2000s for instance Andrew Bujalski (Funny Ha Ha, Mutual Appreciation). This film is for anyone who likes indie films and anyone who has a dark sense of humour.

#13 - Ju-On (The Grudge) (2002) Review

Ju-On (The Grudge) (2002), Takashi Shimizu
0.5/5

This J-Horror isn't in the least bit scary, unless you're scared of children painted white, close up shots of eyes, people staring out of windows or the sound of frogs. About the only thing going for this film is the cinematography, with it's low to the ground tracking shots, abrupt cuts to close ups and swivelling shots, that make the editing at least unsettling. However, that can't be said for the imagery or subject matter of the film itself. The "plot" is not very interesting and builds absolutely no tension, with it's repetitive nature.

#12 - Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994) Review

Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles (1994), Neil Jordan
0.5/5

Eat your heart out Twilight, this film is worse. The long arduous and boring plot is supplemented with dull dialogue and voice over narration. Trying to believe Brad Pitt as a vampire is only usurped by attempting to believe Tom Cruise as a vampire. The vampire make up is ridiculous, the musical score over wrought and melodramatic. Whether the screenplay is faulted from the source material by author Anne Rice or due to adaptation, this film is incredibly dull and far too long. One exception is Kirsten Dunst who gives a great performance and to hear her say lines such as "I'll get rid of the bodies" while dressed like a doll was a rare treat. The effects were pretty bad and watching Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise fly was one of the many wtf cheesy moments. Also, the scenes between Pitt and Cruise were more than slightly homoerotic. The vampire lore explored in the film also wasn't that interesting and hard to believe even within the fantasy world itself. Overall, far too long, dull nonsensical plot, bad performances, and terrible make-up design and effects. This vampire film takes a B grade genre to a whole other level of badness. It wasn't even cheesy enough to make it enjoyable for it's badness, it was just plain bad.

#11 - The Girl on the Train (La fille du Rer) (2009) Review

The Girl on the Train (La fille du Rer) (France) (2009), Andre Techine
3.5/ 5

Beautifully shot, this moralistic drama is visually and emotionally intriguing. The use of different camera movements, changing between hand held, long shots and close ups are used to create intense drama. Also, the repetition of imagery and even use of dual exposure creates a visual emotional language that communicates the drama in this film. It is based on an actual case, although adapted. The performances are good especially Emilie Dequenne as Jeanne, creating an intense emotional narrative, that like most French films leaves much open and ambiguous and thus all the more interesting. Overall this film is superbly shot and brings up some interesting religious, political, moral and social issues.