Sweet Virginia (2017)

I sometimes still think about Sweet Virginia (2017) which I watched one grey afternoon on Netflix several years ago. I think it’s a good neo-noir thriller, not a great one; it flirts close to the nihilistic edge of something like No Country For Old Men, but sort of flinches, which is both a good and […]

Klute (1971)

I watched Klute (1971) a long time ago and simply remembered it as a good 70s thriller. One Saturday night, dusting off the DVD I own, which held up well visually considering the darkness and shadows of Gordon Willis’ artful cinematography, this re-watch opened my eyes: Klute is a masterpiece! This isn’t exactly news as […]

The Drop (2014)

I don’t think Tom Hardy can ever play a normal guy – he’s one of those actors who always has to do something, some bit of business to make it interesting for him. On the surface, he seems to be playing an ordinary joe in The Drop (2014), a Noo Yawk neo-noir in the downbeat […]

Friday Night (2002)

I remember SBS programming Friday Night (2002; Vendredi soir) when I was younger and I was intrigued to see it even though, at the time, I didn’t have much awareness of who director Claire Denis was (or had to see Beau Travail at the very least). The sound of the plot – two people meeting […]

Lost River (2014)

Ryan Gosling’s directorial debut, Lost River (2014), has always sat there beckoning me. When it came out, it received mixed to poor reviews and sort of disappeared. Yet it also looks like a Nicolas Winding Refn movie, who I am a fan of. After years of putting it off, I finally dove in. For the […]