October 1, 2010

African cinema, Ousmane Sembene and the Western gaze

In its perspectives and traditions, African cinema draws the spectator into its narrative, nurturing a symbiotic relationship with life itself.
November 26, 2010

Sell Out! (Joon Han Yeo, 2008)

The only showing of the Singapore film, Sell Out, is, oddly enough, sold out. It’s my first Singaporean film, a musical sporting a peculiar premise, so I’m excited about it. A young Singaporean engineer, working for a multinational conglomerate, designs a terrific new product (a tofu processor) but discovers that his invention (and any kind of innovation) isn’t welcomed at […]
March 22, 2010

Les Carabiniers (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)

In Les Carabiniers, Godard is in control, from playing with our scopophilic gaze in the makeshift rape scene or denying us narcissistic satisfaction.
March 26, 2010

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (David Fincher, 2008)

At times , The Curious Case of Benjamin Button feels like more of a story for Zemeckis or Spielberg but Fincher succeeds in his effort, if only barely.
April 20, 2010

Haiti Chérie (Claudio Del Punta, 2007)

Haiti Chérie is a brutal film and stirs up in its spectator, as it should and as did its predecessors, a desire for change.