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The Arts Desk’s Latest Film Reviews
After sifting through the latest movie releases, The Arts Desk has released its latest batch of expert film reviews. Its team of writers have reviewed films ranging from thought-provoking documentaries to Hollywood’s latest animation – to separate the good, the bad and the just OK.
Kevin MacDonald’s documentary film ‘Life in a Day’ caught the eye of Alexandra Coghlan. The documentary film includes thousands of clips from YouTube users, who uploaded videos of what they did on one particular day in 2010. The universal stories and correlations of human life emerge through its clever editing, however it’s the less contrived experience of watching the unedited leftovers on its YouTube channel that ends up being more exciting.
Nick Hasted found Dreamworks’ latest mega-budget animation, ‘Kung Fu Panda 2′, less charming the second time around. Its 3D effects may give cause for applause, but its core idea is losing steam, prompting a disheartened response to its inevitable third film.
Gregg Araki’s return from his mainstram success to his psychedelic Nineties shtick with ‘Kaboom’, Emma Simmonds believes, has not been completely successful.Despite an enjoyable element of anarchy, what worked previously seems to feel irrelevant, making this film perhaps only appropriate for diehard Araki fans.
By avoiding the usual clichés, Fred Cavayé’s thriller, ‘Point Blank’, impressed Adam Sweeting. A smart choice for the ordinary man desperately trying to save his pregnant wife from kidnappers is actor Gilles Lellouche, who portrays a man swept up in the panic as a result of the relentless pace of the film.
Director of ‘Nighthawks’ (1978), Ron Peck, was recently interviewed by The Arts Desk, as his film has been labelled Britain’s first openly gay film. Peck talks to Tom Birchenough about British independent films’ future – a future where anyone can become a film-maker by distributing their films online.
The Arts Desk has also reviewed the latest DVD movie releases. The Coen brothers’ remake of the classic John Wayne western, ‘True Grit’ is admired by Alexandra Coghlan, while Robert Aldrich’s restored Cold War cult noir ‘Kiss Me Deadly’ is, according to Graham Fuller, worth a second look.
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