Tag: Top 50 films of the decade

Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade, Women in Film

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 33: The Mustang

Year: 2019 Runtime: 96 Minutes Director: Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre Writer: Brock Norman Brock, Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre Stars: Matthias Schoenaerts, Jason Mitchell, Bruce Dern By Rosa Parra Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre brings us a film about a convict who’s offered the opportunity to enter a rehabilitation program to train wild horses. Based on true events this film focuses on the capturing and training of wild horses. These horses … Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 33: The Mustang

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Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade, Women in Film

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry 37: Blinded By The Light

The screening I attended showed the making of this film and the journey of the director (Gurinder Chadha) and the man whose life influenced this film (Sarfraz Manzoor). I was moved and utterly sucked in just watching the preview! I enjoyed the making of this film; from the director reading Sarfraz’s memoir and instantly wanting to make the film to both of them anxiously waiting to hear back from Springsteen after sending him the screenplay.

Based on the memoir of Sarfraz Manzoor, the majority of the topics are universal, making them easier to relate. Chadha manages to capture the difficulties individuals endure on a day to day basis all while successfully allowing the music to aid in the narration. Although the story takes place on a different continent to the one I live, it resonated with me. Political issues, social tensions, identity issues, family dynamics, friendships, and many more topics are situations we’re are currently experiencing. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry 37: Blinded By The Light

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Animated, Film Reviews, Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry 38: Brave

A young girl has extraordinary skill in the defensive arts. She is independent, smart, humorous; in short, everything a mythic heroine should be. “Brave” (2012) captures the lush countryside of ancient Scotland in vibrant tones of green, brown and blue. We anticipate an epic journey for our heroine worthy of Joseph Campbell in the great tradition of Celtic folklore but are ultimately disappointed by a pedestrian plot that was clearly so much more at some point but has been reduced to clichés and confusion.

At the heart of the film is the relationship between teenage Merida (Kelly MacDonald) and her mother Elinor (Emma Thompson). Like so many others in a Disney/Pixar production, Merida is a princess on the cusp of being married. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry 38: Brave

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Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade, Women in Film, World Cinema

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 40: I Am Not A Witch

A dry humour. An uncomfortable satire. A stunning fairytale tableaux. “I Am Not A Witch” (2017) has an impact that’s hard to describe. The film starts with a young Zambian girl Shula (non-professional actor Margaret Mulubwa) being accused of witchcraft. She is given the choice of being turned into a goat or declaring she is a witch. She chooses to say she is a witch and is taken to live in a ‘witch camp’.

At the witch camp Shula is cared for and encouraged by the other women who all remain attached to long white ribbons at all times lest they fly away. Tourists arrive by minibus to leer at them as a local attraction and they’re loaned out to work long hours for someone else’s benefit. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 40: I Am Not A Witch

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Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews, Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade, Women in Film

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 42: The Love Witch

Anna Biller’s 2016 film, “The Love Witch”, is a magical, sensual exploration of female sexuality and empowerment. With stunning cinematography, set design and costume design, this film inspires praise for both it’s undeniable style and thought-provoking messages.

The film follows witch and burlesque dancer, Elaine on her quest to find true love. However, her outlook on men and their capability to love is concerning to her fellow witches, especially since many of Elaine’s intense love potions do not result in a happy ending of any kind. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 42: The Love Witch

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Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade, Women in Film

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 42: The Kids Are All Right

Year: 2010 Runtime: 106 Minutes Director: Lisa Cholodenoko Writer: Lisa Cholodenoko & Stuart Blumberg Stars: Annette Bening, Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Josh Hutcherson, Mark Ruffalo By Caz Armstrong “The Kids Are All Right” (2010), directed and co-written by Lisa Cholodenoko, is an expertly acted comedy-drama with complex emotions and a backdrop of a lesbian relationship. It was one of the first mainstream films to show … Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 42: The Kids Are All Right

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Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No.44: Obvious Child

Re-watching and reappraising “Obvious Child” in 2019 for the In Their Own League top 50 films directed by women since 2010 list, it’s hard to imagine the film finding distribution in the US in an era where stricter abortion laws are being imposed, and the government-backed film Unplanned was a box office hit. Not that the film wasn’t without its share of anti-abortion outrage on its initial 2014 release.

This is a personal film, with a shot of the political. Gillian’s Robespierre’s debut feature isn’t as steeped in the abortion debate as something like Alexander Payne’s “Citizen Ruth”, but it balances a heavy subject with a lightness of touch that shines through Jenny Slate’s leading performance as Donna. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No.44: Obvious Child

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ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 45: Certain Women

Year: 2016 Runtime: 107 Minutes Director: Kelly Reichardt Writer: Kelly Reichardt Stars: Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, Lily Gladstone Certain Women: A Woman’s Lonely and Honest Landscape By Ariana Martinez Films that progress slowly and with gentle telling are not something most audiences are accustomed to but must allow themselves to experience. “Certain Women” (2016) is one such film, as it subverts predisposed expectations … Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 45: Certain Women

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Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews, Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 46: The Beguiled

Sofia Coppola’s American Southern Gothic film, “The Beguiled” (2017), is an atmospheric drama that takes place at a girls’ school in Virginia in 1864. The American Civil War rages around the house, ever-present despite the lack of action. The film features a trio of talented blonde women — Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, and Elle Fanning — in addition to Colin Farrell. While it’s not the masterpiece that some of Coppola’s other films like “Marie Antoinette” (2006) or “The Virgin Suicides” (1999) are, it’s a moving and aesthetically beautiful portrait of women in wartime. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 46: The Beguiled

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Female Filmmakers, Film Reviews, Retrospect Reviews, Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 47: Cloud Atlas

“Cloud Atlas” (2012) is not an easy film to understand. In this sense, it owes a debt to another film about time, space and mankind’s cyclical movement through both, Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey” (1968). Whereas Kubrick asked where mankind was going, directors Tom Tykwer, Lana Wachowski, and Lilly Wachowski seem to answer that wherever we’re going, we’ve been there before.

“Cloud Atlas” defies a simple plot summary. It is essentially a series of interconnecting stories of people who live and die in different eras of time but who might be the same people reincarnated to face similar challenges repeatedly in an attempt to change the course of mankind’s fate. The truth at the heart of the film is that all of humankind are metaphorically like the multitude of drops that make up an ocean. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 47: Cloud Atlas

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