Year: 1999 Director: Claire Denis Stars: Denis Lavant, Grégoire Colin, Michel Subor My first exposure to Claire Denis was Bastards early in 2014 and I reacted very strongly. I was confused and repelled by what I perceived as cryptic ugliness and misery porn; a position I have since revised. In fact, Bastards now ranks among my favourite … Continue reading Why I Love… #120: Beau Travail
Director: Claire Denis Stars: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, Jessie Ross Robert Pattinson is the new Batman (*cough* best choice since Michael Keaton *cough*) and here he is in a new sci-fi film. Are his days in the wilds doing small pictures for indie darlings a thing of the past? Fuck no, they're not. High Life is … Continue reading Review: High Life
There are certain things too rich or strong, too full-bodied or intense, to fully appreciate on first approach. We all have these shock encounters in our childhoods, be it our first exposure to whisky, red wine or a blue cheese, as examples. They are at odds with the palette range we were accustomed to, and … Continue reading 180: The Dour Strength of Bastards
Director: Claire Denis Stars: Juliette Binoche, Gérard Depardieu, Xavier Beauvois I'd like to start, a little recklessly, by talking about the last scene of the movie. I don't feel like this will constitute what is normally referred to as a "spoiler". Let The Sunshine In is a character piece and treatise on midlife love, and so … Continue reading Review: Let The Sunshine In
Playing in a quagmire of murk, both visual and structural, the new film by Claire Denis fleetingly suggests a number of somewhat provocative, interesting ideas but ultimately takes the lot of them and chucks them in the river like a sack of unwanted kittens. It's a sad surprise to see a project fail so completely … Continue reading Review: Bastards
