Mr. Turner
Mike Leigh’s stunning biopic of J.M.W.Turner is the portrait of the leading English Romantic landscape artist who was evidently also quite a philanderer and misanthrope too. Set in the 1820’s (although Leigh never tells us that) the movie focuses on the last 20 years of the painter’s life when he was at the height of … Continue reading
Mr X @ Sundance
Auteur is a much misappropriated word in cinema in the same way designer is in fashion, but the idiosyncratic extraordinary Leos Carax is one filmmaker who so unreservedly deserves the accolade. This new affectionate tribute to him examines why since his first film at the tender age of 24 ‘Boy Meets Girl’ won him an Award … Continue reading
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
In the same year that the UK’s Royal Shakespeare Company films a live performance of ‘Much Ado’ at The Globe Theatre in London is there really a need for yet another movie of this classic comedy? After seeing Joss Whedon’s exhilarating contemporary version, the answer is a very definite ‘yes’! Writer/director Whedon best known for ‘Buffy … Continue reading
MUD
This coming-of-age story of two 14 year old boys … best friends .. who live in rather decrepit houseboats on thee Mississippi River with their families is sadly as slow and boring as their nearest small Arkansas town. For want of something to do Ellis and Neckbone like to explore the river and the various islands … Continue reading
Mumbai Diaries (Dhobi Ghat)
As Hollywood tries to ape Bollywood’s success stories, some leading lights of the Indian film industry are now making movies that are aimed just as much for a western audience as their home crowd. If it wasn’t for the setting and the language, you could actually mistakenly think you were watching an American indie production … Continue reading