Monthly Archives: September 2011

Jonathan Pryce to play ‘King Lear’ at the Almeida

By Ray Bennett Great news from London’s Almeida Theatre: Jonathan Pryce will perform “King Lear” there in a production directed by Michael Attenborough that will run Aug. 31 to Nov. 3. Also next year, the Almeida will have Federico Garcia … Continue reading

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Delon and Schneider sizzle in restored ‘La Piscine’

By Ray Bennett When you see Alain Delon and Romy Schneider in the 1969 film “La Piscine” you have a much better idea of what it must have been like to be young and beautiful in St. Tropez in the … Continue reading

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THEATRE REVIEW: Mike Leigh’s ‘Grief’ at the National

By Ray Bennett LONDON (The Hollywood Reporter) – Mike Leigh’s new play “Grief” is the complete opposite of his film “Happy-Go Lucky” with a family rendered almost cataleptic by personal loss and the gloom of post-World War II England. Given … Continue reading

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Coppola’s ‘Conversation’ set for Blu-ray in UK

StudioCanal said it will release Francis Ford Coppola’s 1974 drama “The Conversation” starring Gene Hackman on Blu-ray Disc for the first time in the UK on Oct. 31. The film won the Palme d’Or at the Festival de Cannes and … Continue reading

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Roland Emmerich’s ‘Anonymous’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – It’s curious that the lives of many creative men, e.g. Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg, are so uninteresting, and in the case of William Shakespeare there is also a distinct lack of information. So you … Continue reading

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Paddy Considine’s ‘Tyrannosaur’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – Joseph is the kind of man you wish never to encounter in a pub. Played with savage intelligence by Peter Mullan in Paddy Considine’s gripping if hard to watch drama “Tyrannosaur”, Joe’s default setting is … Continue reading

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Michael Fassbender in ‘Shame’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – If Turner Award-winning artist turned film director Steve McQueen focussed less on Michael Fassbender’s naked willy and more on character and plot then his second feature “Shame” might be much more interesting. The title is … Continue reading

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Michael Hazanavicius’s ‘The Artist’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – The word irresistible is bandied around a lot in reviews but it is the only way to describe Michael Hazanavicius’s marvellous black-and-white silent movie “The Artist”. A treat for film lovers, it is set in … Continue reading

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: ‘The Forgiveness of Blood’

Joshua Marston’s “The Forgiveness of Blood” offers the Hatfields and the McCoys Albanian style taken seriously with a good deal of suspense. It screens tonight and Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, and at the BFI London Film Festival … Continue reading

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TIFF FILM REVIEW: Gus Van Sant’s ‘Restless’

By Ray Bennett TORONTO – “Restless” is a regrettably lame title for Gus Van Sant’s little film about a love affair that flourishes in the face of death, which against the odds is insightful, witty and charming. Annabel is beautiful … Continue reading

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