Articles and reviews from Zach

    copy paste  from imdb    A Pale View of Hills (2025) – A Cinematic Meditation on Memory, Time, and Regret There are films that tell a story, and then there are films that unravel one. Kei Ishikawa‘s A Pale View of Hills belongs firmly to the latter category. An adaptation of Nobel laureate Kazuo Ishiguro’s 1982 debut novel, this is a work of haunting beauty—a film that drifts through memory like mist through mountain valleys, leaving you unsettled, moved, and questioning everything you‘ve just seen. The Director and His Vision Ishikawa, who previously helmed the acclaimed A Man (which swept eight Japanese Academy Awards including Best Picture), brings a refined, almost literary sensibility to the screen. He wrote, directed, and edited the adaptation himself, and even secured Ishiguro himself as executive producer. The result is a film that feels faithful in spirit while forging its own cinematic identity. Premiering at the 2025 Cannes Film Festiva...

   copies from imdb  The Premise Paris, 1935. A young, struggling actress finds herself at the centre of a murder investigation after a powerful producer is found dead. The catch? She was at his house hours earlier, fleeing his sexual advances. What follows is less a whodunnit and more a sharp, theatrical satire on fame, justice, and the art of performance itself. What Works 1. Witty, Relentless Humour This is not a dark crime drama. It's a comedy—smart, fast-paced, and unafraid to mock everything from the judicial system to the media circus. The detective, a Sherlock Holmes wannabe, spins increasingly absurd theories that turn every interrogation into a comic masterpiece. His over-the-top deductions are some of the film's funniest moments. 2. Silent Cinema Aesthetic Ozon pays deliberate homage to 1930s cinema, with several scenes visually structured like silent films. Exaggerated gestures, theatrical framing, and melodramatic pauses give the film a timeless,...

Forget Prada – This One Has Heart   imdb   HAUTE COUTURE (2021) –  A Film With Heart, Not Just Hemlines A Hidden Gem from French Cinema That Will Stay With You THE PREMISE – Two Worlds, One Stitch I went into this film expecting a stylish drama about the glittering world of high fashion. What I got was something far more meaningful. Haute Couture is not just a movie about dresses—it's a beautifully crafted story about two women from completely different worlds who find each other when they least expect it. The plot is deceptively simple: a poor young girl from the Paris suburbs steals a handbag from a wealthy woman. Inside, she discovers something unexpectedly valuable and, driven by a flicker of conscience, decides to return it. The owner, impressed by her delicate fingers and natural instinct, offers her a chance to work in her prestigious haute couture atelier. What follows is a journey of trust, growth, and mutual healing that will stay with you long afte...

LA INFILTRADA (2024) – A Spanish Thriller Rooted in Courage and Sacrifice A Hidden Gem from the Spanish Independent Film Scene THE PREMISE – When a Young Woman Becomes a Hero Emerging from the vibrant Spanish independent film circuit, this gripping thriller tells the remarkable true story of Aranzazu Berradre Marín, a young police officer who, at just 20 years old, was selected to infiltrate the terrorist organization ETA . The film opens with her being recruited fresh out of the police academy, tasked with a mission that would define her life for the next eight years. The narrative follows Arantxa (Carolina Yuste) as she presents herself as a militant of the Conscientious Objector Movement of Logroño, successfully penetrating the circles of the Abertzale left . She spends several years living a double life, gradually gaining the trust of the organization until she achieves the ultimate goal: ETA contacts her directly . Her journey takes a dramatic turn when she moves int...

When Nolan Meets Homer and the Bones Rattle After a week of waiting, I finally managed to find a day to go see the film with my wife. And now, dear readers, I will take you step by step through Christopher Nolan's Odyssey — a film that, if Homer had heard it, I'm certain his bones would be rattling in his grave. THE OPENING – When Nolan Decides to Become Homer  The film opens with an African-American character striking a rod against the ground, accompanied by Nolan's own text layered over the Odyssey — vaguely reminiscent of the opening of the Iliad . I found this completely misplaced. If Homer were alive, he would have already filed a lawsuit for aesthetic trespassing. Then we see the Trojan Horse floating in the sea, with Greek soldiers hidden inside the wooden furniture. Here, we're fine — at least the horse had the correct anatomy. The Greeks open the gates and the rest of the warriors pour in... No comment. Let's move on. THE ISLANDS – From Polyphemus...