Drama

Ivan’s Childhood

Andrei Tarkovsky’s debut feature is on the one hand a fantastical escape from the horrors of war, but on the other a bleak, nightmarish vision of a young orphan faced… Read More
L’Avventura

I jumped at the chance to finally strike what is arguably Antonioni’s most famous film off my List of Shame, only to find the 2.5hr experience incredibly tedious. Sure, the… Read More
Snitch

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson does “serious” in this solid drama about a committed father who sets out to catch a group of fearsome drug dealers in the act in order… Read More
Knightriders

After the success of Dawn of the Dead, George A. Romero delivered this baffling tale of a nomadic gang of bikers sworn to live their lives as medieval knights –… Read More
Profound Desires of the Gods

If you are looking for a singular cinematic experience, then look no further than this bizarre, anthropological odyssey through the backwaters of Okinawa – a remote island off the South… Read More
Rosemary’s Baby

Returning to familiar ground first covered in his earlier film, Repulsion, Polish director Roman Polanski chose to direct this adaptation of Ira Levin’s bestselling novel for his Hollywood debut. Mia… Read More
Cinema Paradiso

My list of shame title for this month’s edition of Full Disclosure – an ongoing feature over at Twitch – was Giuseppe Tornatore’s Acedmy Award-winning love letter to the golden… Read More
A Late Quartet

The talented members of a world renowned string quartet, about to emabark on their 25th season performing together, are tested when one of their number falls sick with a debilitating… Read More
Quartet

For his directorial debut (at the age of 75), Dustin Hoffman delivers an unashamedly lighthearted and indulgent comedy drama starring some of the UK’s finest veterans. Set in a fictional… Read More
Barbara

After expressing her desire to leave East Germany, physician Barbara (Nina Hoss) is banished to a small hospital in a remote part of the country. There she is occasionally visited… Read More
Sansho the Bailiff

I really struggled with this film. I am familiar with Mizoguchi Kenji’s work, and have enjoyed the films of his I have seen, but nothing could prepare me for the… Read More
REVIEW: Like Someone in Love

The latest from Abbas Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry) sees the Iranian auteur continue his globe-trotting which began with 2010’s Certified Copy. In Like Someone in Love, he heads for Japan,… Read More
3-iron

Kim’s output reaches a stunning climax here in a film that marries strong characterization with glossy production values in a story that could only come from this singular filmmaker. A… Read More
Samaritan Girl

When a highschooler’s efforts to prostitute her best friend end in tragedy, Yeo-jin (Kwak Ji-min) resolves to sleep with the clients herself and return their money. But when her cop… Read More
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter…and Spring

Kim addresses faith, human nature and free will head on in this beautiful film, which charts the evolution of a Buddhist monk through the different chapters of his life. Located… Read More
Bad Guy

In Kim’s most extreme portrayal of “tough love”, a low-level pimp (Jo Jae-hyeon) targets a respectable college student (Seo Won), forcing her into a life of prostitution, only to become… Read More
The Isle

At a remote fishing resort, the beautiful yet mute Hee-jin (Suh Jung) services her guests with tackle, alcohol and even sex, for the right price. When she intervenes to stop… Read More
Finding Mr. Right

The surprise champ at the Chinese Box Office, Tang Wei appears to be back in the mainland’s good books with this decent, but truth be told, fairly unexceptional comedy drama… Read More