Josephine Decker gives us a rich and textured exploration of feminism and patriarchy, wrapped around a fictionalised account of real-life gothic horror writer Shirley Jackson.
Continue readingShirley (2020)
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9to5: The Story of a Movement (2020)
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Who knew that the comedy 9 to 5 (1980) was based on an actual grassroots organisation that began in the 70s to advocate for fair work conditions for (mainly female) clerical workers?
Continue readingRose Plays Julie (2019)
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I was expecting a somewhat easy ride from this Irish thriller starring GOT villain Aiden Gillen. Its slow and sparse storytelling occasionally faltered but it sucked me right in to its compelling and unsettling tale.
Continue readingDay 21: My guilty pleasure film
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The Decoy Bride (2011)
The definition of guilty pleasure is “something that one enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard.” I have a trousseau of romcoms that would fit this brief and one of my favourites is this British gem starring Kelly Macdonald and David Tennant.
Continue readingDay 7: My favourite black and white film
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Image via thegirlinrowk.wordpress.com
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
There are so many B&W films that I love but this Iranian feminist vampire Western is pitch perfect for me. The debut of British-born Ana Lily Amirpour, it has a killer soundtrack, haunting visuals and an understated narrative of love and redemption in an Iranian ghost town. The soundtrack is perfect for late night long distance driving.
Read about it here on IMDb and, if you have a Kanopy account, it’s currently available to stream.
What’s your favourite black and white film? Is it a classic like The Philadelphia Story (1940) or something more contemporary?
Posted as part of the 30-Day Fillums Challenge, created by me. If you want to see what’s coming up, have a look at my post here and feel free to join in by commenting each day with your own choice.
Coming Next: Day 8: Your favourite animation feature film
Hustlers (2019)
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Image via http://www.kmuw.org
It’s a rare treat to see a mainstream Hollywood film where so many of the leads are women of colour. Lorene Scafaria’s Hustlers takes a true story of a group of women in the late 2000s, who survive the financial crash by fleecing businessman, and turns it into a warm and vibrant story of female friendship. Continue reading
Little Women (2019)
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Image via http://www.indiewire.com
Memories of reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott are distant. I remember feisty Jo and the warm and chaotic March family, full of charity for the poor and hopes for the future. Continue reading
Emma. (2020)
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Image via http://www.justwatch.com
Don’t forget the full stop. Emma is my least favourite of Jane Austen’s novels (other than the superlative adaptation Clueless (1995). This remake by Autumn de Wilde is nicely staged with beautiful sets, clothes and a humorous thread of caricature and it mostly surmounts the biggest challenge of the story – that the eponymous character is not very likeable. Continue reading
Honey Boy (2019)
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Image via consequenceofsound.net
This autobiographical meditation on trauma, fame and rehab, written by actor Shia LaBeouf and directed by documentarian Alma Har’el, is surprisingly gentle and engaging. Continue reading
National Theatre Live: Fleabag (2019)
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Image via http://www.maketheswitch.com.au
Having just watched Phoebe Waller-Bridge’s Crashing (2016) (available on Netflix), I am now a big fan of her vulnerable, heartfelt comedy. The two seasons of her TV show Fleabag (2016-17) are on my to-watch-list, delayed only by the need to purchase them. It seemed apt to see the one person show that began Fleabag’s story and thank goodness for Cinema Nova for screening National Theatre live versions of hit shows, including this one. Continue reading
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