Spoof and Pastiche and Meringue in Your Eye Goes ‘Bugsy Malone’
Alan Parker’s kids’ gangster movie Bugsy Malone kids about how adults take themselves too seriously.
Film
BFI LFF: Family Drives Iranian Drama ‘Hit the Road’
In Hit the Road, which won Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival 2021, the silence between the family members carries the weight of their powerlessness.
From Gothic to James Bond: Reflections on Terence Young’s ‘Corridor of Mirrors’
Terence Young’s mystery, Corridor of Mirrors, now on Blu-ray from Cohen Media Group, brings all kinds of Gothic “madwoman in the attic” melodramas to mind.
BFI LFF: ‘Mothering Sunday’ Laments Grief’s Tenacious Hold
In Mothering Sunday, playing at the BFI London Film Festival 2021, the memories of grief and tragedy distract a novelist from writing her new thriller.
Good Thing Melvin Van Peebles Ignored All That Dumb-Ass Safe Advice
Melvin Van Peebles’ life and art are about breaking the rules, ignoring society’s “wise” advice, and following your heart.
BFI LFF: Drama ‘True Things’ Echos a Broken Britain
Harry Wootliff’s ‘True Things’ is a timely exploration of the broken foundations upon which the Conservative Government wants to “Build back better.”
BFI LFF: Control and Its Consequences in Jordanian Thriller ‘The Alleys’
The Alleys, in the First Feature Competition at the BFI LFF, criticises societal structures that use guilt and shame to control through conformity.
Artistry and Humanity Clash Quietly in ‘Bergman Island’
In the inside-out drama Bergman Island, a filmmaker couple vacationing in Ingmar Bergman’s old home find the lines between their work and their lives blurring.
BFI LFF: Curiosity Compels the Story in ‘Memory Box’
The curiosity-driven Memory Box, playing at the BFI London Film Festival 2021, explores the role of memory and the lasting impact of the Lebanese Civil War.
NYFF: ‘Returning to Reims (Fragments)’ and Freedom from Political Ideology
Inspired by Didier Eribon’s eponymous autobiography, Jean-Gabriel Périot’s film Returning to Rimes (Fragments), urges French citizenry to reinvent democracy.
NYFF: ‘Chameleon Street’ and ‘James Baldwin: From Another Place’
Meditations on being Black in America, Chameleon Street and James Baldwin: From Another Place, complement each other in NYFF’s Revivals Program.