Category Archives: movies

a disturbing and absorbing movie (film: Good Time – Benny & Josh Safdie, 2017)

‘Good Time‘, the 2017 film by brothers Benny and Josh Safdie, was for me one of those films that left me glued to my seat at the end and when the credits rolled I asked myself: ‘What did I just … Continue reading

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Shakespeare in Love … again (film: Hamnet – Chloé Zhao, 2025)

What is Chloé Zhao‘s true voice? When she describes American reality from the perspective of characters who are not very favored by fate, as she did in ‘The Rider’ and ‘Nomadland’? In superhero films like ‘Eternals’? Or now, when she … Continue reading

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everybody lies (film: Focus – Glenn Ficarra & John Requa, 2015)

‘Focus‘ – written and directed in 2015 by Glenn Ficarra and John Requa – is a pure entertainment film, from the category that Americans use to call ‘caper movies’ – films with picturesque and likeable villains, who plan robberies or … Continue reading

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different cultures, same emotions (film: Rental Family – Hikari, 2025)

The encounter between Japanese culture and the cultures of the rest of the world is a theme that is often explored, both by Japanese and international cinema. Japan fascinates, and Japanese filmmakers are also drawn to the experiences of those … Continue reading

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outstanding and controversial cinematic experience in the mid 1930s (film: Kermeze héroïque – Jacques Feyder, 1935)

‘La kermesse héroique‘ (‘Carnival in Flanders’ in the English distribution) was a completely unexpected discovery for me, especially since I knew almost nothing about any of the directors or actors who participated in the production with the exception of Louis … Continue reading

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the jaws of the past (film: O Agente Secreto – Kleber Mendoça Filho, 2025)

There is no espionage story in ‘O agente secreto‘ (‘The Secret Agent‘) by Brazilian director Kleber Mendonça Filho, nor is there any connection to the novel written by James Conrad more than a century ago, which inspired many other films … Continue reading

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the sound of passion (film: Song Sung Blue – Craig Brewer, 2025)

‘Song Sung Blue‘ is not just a biopic about who musicians, although it has as heroes a couple of people who make music, and it is not just a musical film, although it is rich in musical numbers. The movie … Continue reading

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who is the monster? (film: The Housemaid – Paul Feig, 2025)

Those who – like me – thought that the 2025 production of ‘The Housemaid‘ directed by Paul Feig is a remake of the 2010 Korean film with the same name (in English distribution) were wrong. The American movie is an … Continue reading

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Truffaut settling down? (film: Domicile conjugal – François Truffaut, 1970)

‘Domicile conjugal‘ (‘Bed & Board‘ in the English distribution) was made by François Truffaut 11 years after ‘Les quatre cents coups’, one of the three films that launched the ‘Nouvelle Vague’ and changed the direction of French and world cinema. … Continue reading

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21st century Modern Times (film: Eojjeoluga eobsda / No Other Choice – Park Chan-wook, 2025)

What a chance to start my 2026 cinephile year with a film like ‘Eojjeoluga eobsda‘ (the English distribution title is ‘No Other Choice‘) by the Korean master Park Chan-wook. I found in this film the mixture of thriller and horror … Continue reading

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