Author Archives: admin

Peter Machen on ‘Mirror Mirror’

Film: Mirror Mirror Country: USA Year of Release: 2012 Director: Tarsem Singh Screenwriters: Marc Klein, Jason Keller Starring: Julia Roberts, Lily Collins, Armie Hammer, Nathan Lane Review: Peter Machen ♥ Anyone making a contemporary version of Snow White will have … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Older Films, Reviews | Leave a comment

Peter Machen on ‘Otelo Burning’

Film: Otelo Burning Country: South Africa Year of Release: 2011 Director: Sarah Blecher Screenwriters: James Whyle, Sarah Blecher Starring: Thomas Gumede, Jafta Mamabolo, Tshepang Mohlomi, Nolwazi Shange and Sihle Xaba Review: Peter Machen ♥♥♥½ I watched Otelo Burning at its … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Older Films, Reviews | Leave a comment

Peter Machen on ‘Goethe’

Film: Goethe Country: Germany Year of Release: 2010 Director: Philipp Stolzl Screenwriter: Starring: Miriam Stein, Alexander Fehling Review: Peter Machen ♥♥♥ Goethe is loosely based on The Sorrows of Young Werther, a prose work consisting of a series of letters … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Older Films, Reviews | Leave a comment

Sarah Dawson on ‘The Turin Horse’

Film: The Turin Horse Country: Hungary Year of Release: 2010 Director: Béla Tarr Screenwriters: Béla Tarr, László Krasznahorkai Starring: János Derzsi, Erika Bók and Mihály Kormos Review: Sarah Dawson Béla Tarr began his career in film at age 10, acting in … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Older Films, Reviews | Leave a comment

Todd Solondz – From Happiness to Wartime

Todd Solondz is one of contemporary America’s most important film directors, pulling apart the elasticated morality of his subjects with one part love, two parts caustic soda. Peter Machen spoke to him about Life During Wartime, his sequel of sorts to the … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Interviews, Older Films | Leave a comment

Sarah Dawson on ‘Antichrist’

Film: Antichrist Country: Denmark/Germany/France/Sweden/Italy/Poland Year of Release: 2009 Director: Lars von Trier Screenwriter: Lars von Trier Starring: Willem Dafoe, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Storm Acheche Sahlstrøm Review: Sarah Dawson I read somewhere a description of Lars von Trier as the Marquis … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Older Films, Reviews | Leave a comment

Oliver Hermanus – A New Cinema

Peter Machen spoke to director Oliver Hermanus about his debut film Shirley Adams when it premiered at the Durban International Film Festival. Oliver Hermanus is driving when I phone him. He prefers it that way. It makes it easier for … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Interviews, Older Films | Leave a comment

Gregg Araki – The Mysteries Within Us

Peter Machen speaks to American independent filmmaker Gregg Araki about Mysterious Skin, his remarkable new film about youth, paedophilia and the dreams and illusions from which we construct our personal narratives. For more than 15 years American independent film maker … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Interviews, Older Films | Leave a comment

Larry Clark – For Real

I spoke to artist Larry Clark, the man behind the controversial movie Kids, and now, the even more controversial and emotionally honest film Ken Park. Larry Clark spent the ’70s and ’80s in a stupor of drugs and alcohol, all … Continue reading

Posted in Interviews, Older Films | Leave a comment

Fernando Meirelles – Living and Dying on the Streets of Brazil

Peter Machen talks to director Fernando Meirelles about his extraordinary action film City of God. The multi-award winning film City of God chronicles the lives of Brazilian street children living in a sprawling housing settlement on the outskirts of Rio, … Continue reading

Posted in Feature Films, Interviews, Older Films | Leave a comment