Round-up of Films Seen in 2023
Dear USE readers, Once again we come to the end of another year of watching new film releases from as many parts of the world as…
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British Films, North American Films
Poor Things: a male-centred fantasy of a child-like heroine’s sexual liberation and personal empowerment
Yorgos Lanthimos, “Poor Things” (2023) A visually sumptuous feast, set in an alternative late Victorian steampunk world, “Poor Things” is a science fantasy concoction revolving around…
British Films, North American Films
Die Another Day: overloaded plot, silly science fantasy and variable acting turn early darkness into cartoon frivolity
Lee Tamahori, “Die Another Day” (2002) For the twentieth movie in a film franchise celebrating 40 years, the scriptwriters were tasked to come up with a…
The Daughter of Dawn: a dull love-triangle story detailing the culture and customs of Kiowa and Comanche peoples
Norbert A Myles, “The Daughter of Dawn” (1920) Believed to have been lost after initial screenings in 1920, until nearly 100 years late when a private…
Multi-media Presentations, Russian and Soviet Films
Direct Line with Vladimir Putin (December 2023): four-hour marathon on domestic issues, international relations with other countries, and Russia’ Special Military Operation
In December 2023, the annual Direct Line with Vladimir Putin, usually a televised phone-in event in which Russian citizens ask questions of the Russian President, was…
The Boy and the Heron: visual virtuosity can’t compensate for a tired formulaic plot and dubious motifs
Hayao Miyazaki, “The Boy and the Heron” (2023) A decade after “The Wind Rises”, the film that originally had been intended as his swansong, Hayao Miyazaki…
British Films, North American Films
Saltburn: black comedy thriller send-up of British elites and modern British culture
Emerald Fennell, “Saltburn” (2023) Arriving in Sydney with little fanfare, “Saltburn” initially presents as a more contemporary variation of “Brideshead Revisited” with the latter’s hints of…
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s Speech on Martyr’s Day (11 November 2023): the most important weapons are patience and time
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s Speech on Martyr’s Day (11 November 2023) November 11 is celebrated by Lebanese political party and movement Hezbollah as Martyr’s Day in remembrance…
French and French-language Films
Mon Crime: screwball comedy is a sly satire on male privilege and how societies deal with uncomfortable issues and truth
François Ozon, “Mon Crime / The Crime is Mine” (2023) On the surface, “Mon Crime” presents as a frothy light comedy romp paying homage to the…
Labyrinth: coming-of-age fantasy film let down by music and the passage of time
Jim Henson, “Labyrinth” (1986) A film very much of its time, “Labyrinth” has not aged too well and the 1980s-era disco music oozes cheese from every…