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Sidonie in Japan – movie review

The artistic links between France and Japan run (perhaps surprisingly) deep. The French Impressionists were obsessed with Japanese woodblock prints, for example. In the 1950s, while French filmmakers and audiences embraced Japanese cinema, with Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon (1950) and Kinugasa Teinosuke’s Gate of Hell (1954) featured at the Cannes Film Festival; while Alain Resnais’ seminal…

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The Sitting Duck – movie review

The Sitting Duck (La Syndicaliste) is a political thriller based in fact. Director Jean-Paul Salome and co-screenwriter Fadette Drouard craft their story around a trade union official and whistleblower who wasn’t believed after a violent personal attack. The central figure is Maureen Kearney (Isabelle Huppert). In 2012, she worked for a Areva, a French multinational…

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The Crime is Mine – movie review

French cinema is possibly best known for its compelling personal dramas. But you’d have to say it’s not really associated with wacky screwball comedy – at least outside France. But that’s exactly what acclaimed director François Ozon delivers with The Crime is Mine. The situation is a bit of an odd one, because comedies apparently…

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Win tickets to The Crime is Mine

– The Crime is Mine – Only in cinemas from 12 October 2023 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to Vendetta Films. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE From master director, François Ozon, (8 Women, Swimming Pool, Potiche) comes The Crime is Mine, starring French superstars Isabelle Huppert and Dany Boon…

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The Godmother – movie review

French cinema icon Isabelle Huppert displays her comedic side in Jean-Paul Salomé’s crime caper The Godmother (La Daronne). The film starts out as a conventional crime drama with the cops looking to intercept a shipment of drugs, but ends up in some pretty wild territory. Huppert plays Patience Portefeux*, a translator with the Paris police….

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Greta – movie review

Neil Jordan was a big name in the 1990s. Movies like The Crying Game and Interview with the Vampire made him a household name. Since then his output has been a little patchy, but now he’s back with Greta, a film with a crafty premise and a great cast. The problem is that Jordan’s direction…

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Happy End – movie review

Happy End is another typically downbeat drama from misanthropic Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke (The White Ribbon). Set in the coastal French town of Calais, the film follows the affluent but dysfunctional Laurent family. Haneke works in heavy themes of death, power, the refugee crisis, social media and class. And despite the title, there is no…

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