Tag: Todd Haynes

Film Reviews, Film Festivals, Women in Film, Female Characters

May December: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review

Year: 2023 Runtime: 113 minutes Writers: Samy Burch, Alex Mechanik Director: Todd Haynes Actors: Julianne Moore, Natalie Portman, Charles Melton, Gabriel Chung, Elizabeth Tu, Cory Michael Smith, D. W. Moffett, Piper Curda By Sarah Manvel In the end credits of “May December” there’s the standard disclaimer about how the characters in this film resemble no persons living or dead, which is hilarious. Anyone who was … Continue reading May December: Cannes Film Festival 2023 Review

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LGBTQ Cinema, Retrospect Reviews

Pride Month, Retrospective Review: Carol

There’s just something about “Carol” (2015). Not just the mature storytelling, or the strong direction from Todd Haynes, or even the film’s beautiful and stylish design. Those are all contributing factors to the film’s resonance, but, what really captures the spirit, is the magnetism between our two leads: Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara. Based on the novel The Price of Salt, by Patricia Highsmith, and intelligently adapted to the screen by Phyllis Nagy, “Carol” is another intimate LGBTQ story that is required viewing. Continue reading Pride Month, Retrospective Review: Carol

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Acting, Best Actresses of The Decade, Female Characters, Feminism, LGBTQ Cinema, Women in Film

Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No.19: Cate Blanchett

To celebrate the last decade 2010-2019, we are counting down the best actresses and discussing some of their most notable and memorable performances of the decade. With the help of Film Twitter, the ITOL team has selected 30 actresses. Today, we write about Cate Blanchett – a winner of two Academy Awards, for Best Actress in “Blue Jasmine” and Best Supporting Actress in “Aviator.” The actress was additionally nominated in Best Actress category for her phenomenal roles in “Carol” and “Elizabeth: The Golden Age.” Continue reading Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No.19: Cate Blanchett

Zofia Wijaszka1 Comment
Acting, Spotlight, Women in Film

Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No. 20: Rooney Mara

To celebrate the last decade 2010-2019 we are counting down the best actresses and discussing some of their most notable and memorable performances of the last decade. With the help of Film Twitter, the ITOL team have selected 30 actresses. Entry No. 20 is Rooney Mara, and writer Kristy Strouse discusses her favourite performances by Mara over the last decade. Continue reading Best Actress of the Decade, Entry No. 20: Rooney Mara

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31 Days of Horror, Female Filmmaker, Halloween, Retrospect Reviews

31 Days of Horror, Day 14: Office Killer

“Office Killer” is one of those films which has so much potential, but it just lacks a certain something that I can’t quite put my finger on. Released back in 1997, the film looks very dated and there’s something comical about seeing people using big bulky laptops and our main character experiencing issues using a computer. In fact, despite the film being set in the late 90s, the world the character inhabit feels alien as if it exists outside the constraints of time. It’s neither set in the now or 1997 but somewhere else, a foreign time landscape, which makes for a disorientating viewing experience. Regardless, the time setting is the least of the film’s problems. Continue reading 31 Days of Horror, Day 14: Office Killer

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Female Characters, LGBTQ Cinema, Personal Essays, Retrospect Reviews

The Moral Perplexities of Two Women In Love in Todd Haynes’ “Carol”

When “Carol” premiered, the film received a 10-minute standing ovation at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The motion picture based on Patricia Highsmith’s novel titled “The Price of Salt” was shot on Super 16 millimeter film. Todd Haynes, the director and Phyllis Nagy who wrote a screenplay, wanted “Carol” to look and have an atmosphere of the late 1940s/early 1950s. Both did such an outstanding job. Continue reading The Moral Perplexities of Two Women In Love in Todd Haynes’ “Carol”

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