Philmology

Thirty-five years after it claimed the Palme d’Or for best feature film at the 1976 Cannes Film Festival, Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver remains a landmark work of cinema. An iconic depiction of loneliness, violence and urban alienation, Scorsese’s film stands out within that period of American cinema during the late 1960s and 1970s often referred […]

Filmic productions of theatrical performances have an unfortunate tendency to be, as the Bard might put it, ‘a little more than kin, and less than kind’. Often shot with static or spatially distant cinematography, weakened by conflicting performance styles, or overly lengthy, the transition from stage to screen is not always harmonious. Gregory Doran’s adaptation […]

At a time when popular culture is increasingly preoccupied with smug self-parody, ironic pastiche or cynical commercialism, Zachary Oberzan’s Flooding with Love for the Kid is something of a rarity; an earnest labour of love. And though his film mightn’t be the first to adapt First Blood (1972), David Morrell’s novel of a Vietnam veteran […]

It’s not uncommon for female sexuality to serve as a source of anxiety within horror cinema. However, in films such as Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People (1942), Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) or David Cronenberg’s Rabid (1977) the depiction of feminine monstrosity is geared toward an exploration of the cultural and political values that produce the […]

Produced for television by Arena BBC and directed by Nicola Roberts, Brian Eno: Another Green World offers an insight into one of the most prominent figures of the music industry. From his playing days as keyboardist with Roxy Music, Eno’s long list of collaborations reads like a roll call of pop royalty: David Bowie, David […]

Facing the jungles the hills and vales my past lives as an animal and other beings rise up before me Awarded the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives is as grand in themes as it is intimate in focus. Ruminating on death, the afterlife and […]

What is robbing a bank compared with founding a bank? – Bertolt Brecht (The Threepenny Opera) On the surface, Inside Job is concerned with the events and the aftermath of the global financial crisis (GFC). But amidst the various interviews and cultural analysis, Charles Ferguson’s insightful documentary addresses a more fundamental issue of social concern: […]

Of the many news stories to emerge from Egypt’s recent political upheaval, the ransacking and looting of a Cairo museum (and others) housing numerous ancient artefacts and antiquities was amongst the most disconcerting. That a group of volunteers responded by surrounding the museum in a human chain to prevent further damage is a testament to […]

Aron Ralston’s tale of survival is the stuff of contemporary folklore. Ensnared by a fallen boulder for almost six days with little food or water, Ralston resolved to sever his trapped arm using a blunt pocket-knife to free himself and reach safety. That Hollywood has adapted this story should come as little surprise: the victorious […]

While some may question what value a concept of individual authorship has within the collaborative medium of cinema, the work of Sofia Coppola provides ample material in defence of ‘auteur theory’. Elevating the director as centrally important to the creative process, auteurism presupposes that in the work of certain filmmakers there can be traced the […]