Writers

In Review: Monsieur Lazhar

by Mairéad Roche 1 May 2012

Set in a Montreal school, director Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar tells the story of the titular Bachir Lazhar (Mohamed Fellag), an Algerian immigrant to Quebec. Lazhar becomes the new teacher to a class of 11-12 year olds after their previous teacher committed suicide in their classroom, a suicide discovered by two of her pupils.

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Sundance London: Safety Not Guaranteed

by Mike Richardson 1 May 2012

As Sundance London drew to a close, this reviewer settled in to watch a film that seemed to encapsulate everything good about Robert Redford’s independent Film Festival; Safety Not Guaranteed is one of those tidy little indie films that Sundance loves to love.

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Films that time forgot: Virtual Sexuality

by Helen Cox 1 May 2012

Tomorrow Jim, Michelle, Oz, Kevin, Vicky, Heather and Stifler are, fairly randomly, reunited in American Reunion 13 years after their original big screen outing. Back in 1999 when the first American Pie was released however, another now-forgotten teen flick also came to cinemas – the odds of Justin, Jake, Chas and Hoover being scheduled in [...]

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In Review: Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai

by Mairéad Roche 30 April 2012

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai is set in Edo, now known as Tokyo, during the peaceful late-1600s when the samurai class are no longer required by masters of great Japanese houses. Many young samurai are a part of a warrior class who have not known war but rigidly stick to the samurai code. Wishing for [...]

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In Review: Being Elmo

by Janet Awe 30 April 2012

This charming film tells the story of Kevin Clash. Passing him in the street, you’d probably think that the most extraordinary thing about this 6ft black man is his height. Actually, Kevin is the voice – and spirit – of Elmo, the internationally loved, furry red monster who has become one of the Muppet Show’s most successful characters.

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Sundance London: The Queen of Versailles

by Mike Richardson 30 April 2012

A million miles, or (more precisely) several billion dollars away from the poverty of the families in Finding North we had The Queen of Versailles, a documentary about David and Jackie Siegel and their brood, a billionaire family (mega rich thanks to David’s timeshare business) who were dissatisfied with their existing mansion and decided to [...]

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Sundance London: Finding North

by Mike Richardson 30 April 2012

The pick of Friday’s Sundance Festival was a double bill of two similar, yet utterly different documentaries dealing with modern day poverty in the US. First up was Finding North: a film that featured in Utah’s Sundance Film Festival documentary competition, and was especially pertinent as it featured music produced by T Bone Burnett (also [...]

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The British Silent Film Festival: A Couple of Down and Outs

by Helen Cox 29 April 2012

A Couple of Down and Outs [1923] is the second known film to be directed by Walter Summers, a man who went on to direct a further 36 pictures between 1923 and 1941. Anyone who thought Steven Spielberg’s War Horse was lacking a certain je ne sais quoi should definitely give this film a look [...]

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A Cinema Masterclass with Carlos Saura

by Janet Awe 28 April 2012

As a precursor to the London Spanish Film Festival in September, Ciné Lumiére in London hosted a Spanish Film Festival Spring Weekend. One of the highlights was a talk by the acclaimed and award-winning director, Carlos Saura, looking at his fascination with flamenco.

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Sundance London: Nobody Walks

by Mike Richardson 28 April 2012

One of the joys of independent film festivals, like Robert Redford’s Sundance is that you get to see films that you wouldn’t normally see. The festival has arrived in London in an attempt to take Sundance overseas and features British premieres of 14 American feature-length movies and 8 short films from the original Utah festival. [...]

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In Interview: The Monk director, Dominik Moll

by Mairéad Roche 27 April 2012

Dominik Moll was in London recently prior to the release of his new film The Monk [which opens in cinemas this weekend] starring Vincent Cassel. New Empress Magazine had the pleasure of meeting with the very friendly German director about his latest French film, for which he both co-wrote the screenplay and directed. Both amiable [...]

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