Category Archives: Cinema

A Glasnost-borne satire: “Gorod Zero” [1989 USSR]

Alice in Wonderland meets Franz Kafka in Karen Shakhnazarov’s surreal dark comedy “Gorod Zero” [Eng. Title: City Zero] – a biting satire on a Soviet system resolutely chained to inertia and bureaucracy against the blowing winds of change. The film … Continue reading

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The rebirth of classic-giallo: “Tulpa” [2012 Italy]

Pop-musician and film-maker Federico Zampaglione has succeeded in making a full-blooded giallo in the classic tradition of Fulci and Argento with his latest horror-thriller, “Tulpa – Perdizioni mortali” [Eng. Title: Tulpa] – it comes complete with the Fedora hat and … Continue reading

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Gravity-defying romance: “El lado oscuro del corazón 2” [Argentina, Spain 2001]

Eliseo Subiela follows-up on the romantic drama he made a decade earlier with a sequel – “El lado oscuro del corazón 2” [Eng. Title: The Dark Side of the Heart 2]. He catches up with the same protagonist after ten … Continue reading

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Muscovite fetishes seen through lens: “Intimnye mesta” [2013 Russia]

Writer-directors Alexey Chupov and Natasha Merkulova’s début feature “Intimnye mesta” [Eng. Title: Intimate Parts] is an amusing observation of the sexual mores and fetishes among a group of urban Russians. Principal character Ivan (Yuriy Kolokolnikov) – a photographer, is preparing … Continue reading

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La Dolce Vita brought up-to-date: “La grande bellezza” [2013 Italy]

The post’s title appears misleading, but it’s not entirely off the mark. Director Paolo Sorrentino may not have set-out to reinterpret a Fellini masterpiece through his “La grande bellezza” [Eng. Title: The Great Beauty], but there are striking similarities between … Continue reading

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