Cinemania Film Festival Review: Pawel Pawlikowski’s ‘Cold War’
“As in ‘Ida,’ Pawlikowski offers little exposition, which leaves the audience to gather any and all clues.”
“As in ‘Ida,’ Pawlikowski offers little exposition, which leaves the audience to gather any and all clues.”
“I can’t make any grand pronouncements or bold proclamations, except that I need to either learn to read program descriptions more critically or invest in a plane ticket to Montreal next July.”
“It’s an unconventional perspective, making ‘Libera Nos’ a riveting new lens on a familiar topic.”
“Tropes and archetypes are global, fitting into different national contexts while carrying with them the memory of their international itineraries.”
“Focusing on a group from Osaka rather than Tokyo unveils a more nuanced reality of the industry, offering a look from the outside.”
“As we take for granted the ease of our own native tongue, we are perhaps ignoring its full potential.”
“In some ways, Oskouei’s involvement can be construed as invasive, but it feels integral.”
“What makes someone a great artist before they’ve made any great works of art? That becomes the central question and object of scrutiny at the heart of ‘Le concours,’ making it one of the most compelling examinations of auteur driven cinema.”
“‘Brothers of the Night’ takes an unexpected approach and reveals hidden parts of life amongst Bulgarian male hustlers in Vienna.”
“In search of new worlds and experiences, this year’s FNC has been a journey from the physical world to the metaphysical.”
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith
A Justine A. Smith Series on Montreal’s Cinémathèque Québécoise
“Centered on a made-for-television film, ‘Passion’ blends the far reaches of Western art with the birth of new mediums.”
“In the forbidden, Oshima reveals the fear of our own meaninglessness and our inability to face death as a certainty.”
“A deeply affecting and personal vision, it’s an essential entry in the history of eroticism in Canadian cinema.”
“As formally challenging as ‘The Pillow Book’ may be, it romantically creates a love affair unbound by its physical limits, connecting it to past and present through art and literature.”
“The internet is nor symptom nor cure; it simply exists as another conduit for the best and worst habits we have.”
Fantasia International Film Festival 2016: Justine A. Smith Interviews Adam Nimoy
“In full metamorphosis and reinvigorated by a new voice and direction, there could be no better program to sell that cinema in Montreal is sexy again.”
A Column on Film Criticism by Justine A. Smith