B.A.S.E., at first glance, was the kind of film that I thought I would absolutely hate. Two daredevil best friends who do proximity flying all the time, refer to each other as ‘bro’, ‘found footage’ shot from a GoPro and of course, pants-wettingly terrifying shots of jumps from high points. But B.A.S.E. surprised me. Once you get past the initial introductions and get used to watching the action … Continue reading Review: Base dir. Richard Parry
It’s 2017, and witch hunting is still alive and well. At least, in certain parts of South Africa. In her debut feature film, Wales based writer/director Rungano Nyoni explores the unusual topic of witch hunting with a deft hand, wry humour and surreal shots of Zambia. Opening with a scene of tourists visiting a ‘witch camp’, snapping photos and kids pointing excitedly at the seated … Continue reading Perspectives Film Festival 2017: I Am Not A Witch dir. Rungano Nyoni (2017)
Mathieu Kassovitz’s modern social realist classic La Haine (1995) returns to the big screen in Singapore this Thursday as part of the 10th Perspectives Film Festival. Shot in black and white and playing at Alliance Francaise (naturally), there’s a surprising relevance to the film that still rings true even today. France was rocked by a series of mysterious shootings and bombings back in 1995, creating an uneasy … Continue reading Perspectives Film Festival 2017: La Haine dir. Mathieu Kassovitz (1995)
This Halloween, prepare yourselves for a film that’s straight out of The X-Files. There’s a strange combination of ghoulish pleasure and horror as we witness a woman screaming in agony in the opening scenes of Liberami. As a wizened old priest touches her forehead, she lets loose a primal howl of pure pain, gnashing her teeth and growling like a feral animal. It’s precisely the sort of … Continue reading Review: Deliver Us (Liberami) dir. Federica di Giacomo
The annual French Film Festival makes a return this November with only the best new French films, some of which will be making their Singaporean premieres! Organised by the French Embassy, Institut Français Singapour and Alliance Française, the 2017 edition of the annual festival runs from 9th – 19th November across various venues. For the first time ever, the festival will be partnering up with … Continue reading Preview: French Film Festival 2017
Singapore’s only student-run festival returns for its 10th edition this October! Having opened last Friday with the Singaporean premiere of award winning director Matthew Heineman’s City of Ghosts (which will also be playing at the Singapore Writers Festival in November), the annual Perspectives Film Festival is organized by students from the Nanayang Technological University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information from start to end, … Continue reading Preview: Perspectives Film Festival 2017
If you ever needed proof that Hogwarts is a real place, then look no further than Neasa ni Chianain and David Rane’s School Life. Only instead of spells being slung back and forth, this Irish boarding school lays claim to enchantment of a different kind: the magic of education. In School Life, viewers are introduced to senior teachers and couple John and Amanda, teaching legends who’re absolute favourites … Continue reading Review: School Life dir. Neasa ni Chianain and David Rane
Being gay has never been easy, facing disapproval from the likes of family and difficulty in self-acceptance. But that’s the least of your problems when there’s an even bigger hurdle to jump over: the endlessly complex world of gay dating. Consisting of interviews conducted from 2012 to 2016 with over 60 subjects, Golden Village’s 9th Love & Pride Film Festival ‘s opening film Looking For? is a … Continue reading Love & Pride Film Festival 2017: Looking For? dir. Chou Tung-Yen (Review)
Myanmar born Taiwanese film director Midi Z makes a triumphant return to cinema after his 2014 film Ice Poison (selected as Taiwan’s entry to the Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film in that same year) with his new film The Road To Mandalay. Starring Wu Ke-Xi and Kai Ko (You Are The Apple of My Eye), The Road To Mandalay follows a most unusual love story between two illegal immigrants … Continue reading Review: The Road to Mandalay dir. Midi Z
Trust a British neo-noir film to get horribly dark. The Marker takes viewers on a pitch black path into the realm of the criminal underbelly lurking right beneath the tranquil surface of British towns. The Marker starts us off as we bear witness to underworld criminal Marley (Frederick Schmidt) as he accidentally kills a mother Ana (Ana Ularu) right in front her her 9-year old daughter. It’s a … Continue reading Review: The Marker dir. Justin Edgar
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