Jackie (2016)

I completely missed Jackie (2016) when it was out during the busy summer movie/award movie period but finally caught up with it and yeah, it was excellent. Natalie Portman’s performance, Stephane Fontaine’s cinematography, Mica Levi’s score, Pablo Larrain’s direction, just everything working at a quality level to present a layered, immersive portrait. Can’t believe it […]

The Firemen’s Ball (1967)

I picked up a copy of The Firemen’s Ball (1967) last year on a whim, which is a recently restored print, purchased maybe after the passing of director Milos Forman and realising I’d not seen any of his pre-America films made in his home country of Czechoslovakia. This 71-minute film about a chaotic ball organised […]

Love And Anarchy (1973)

I’d not heard of Love And Anarchy (1973; Film d’amore e d’anarchia, ovvero: stamattina alle 10, in via dei Fiori, nella nota casa di tolleranza..) until Lewis Rice O’Donnell talked about it. Directed by Lina Wertmüller and set during the 1930s, it’s about a fuzz-faced yokel named Tunin (Giancarlo Giannini) who travels to the city in […]

Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion (1970)

Recommended to me by Lindsay Hallam, Investigation Of A Citizen Above Suspicion (1970; Indagine su un cittadino al di sopra di ogni sospetto) has a classic theme score by Ennio Morricone, which adds to the film’s unusual tone. Better known as the bad guy from A Fistful Of Dollars and A Few More Dollars More, […]