It’s that time again. I’ve been studying up feverishly on Bergman’s Persona (for reasons which will be revealed soon). It’s a beguiling film. Beautiful and Frightening. Read the article here.
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NEW ARTICLE: Persona
June 25, 2014
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The Australia Times | Tagged: great movies, Ingmar Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Persona | 
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Posted by Sam Barrett
NEW ARTICLE: JFK
May 4, 2014I turned my attention to Oliver Stone’s JFK for my latest article in The Australia Times. After writing the piece I feel that there is much more to explore with the film and that I really only scratched the surface. It is a tightly packed and beautifully researched masterwork that I hope to revisit with in a more substantial way in the future. I will flag two small spelling errors in the spirit of full disclosure but I hope that they don’t sour the read too much. Up next is a piece on Cronenberg’s Crash.
Click here to read JFK: Stone’s Lost Cause
Leave a Comment » | criticism, The Australia Times | Tagged: cinema, film criticism, JFK, John F. Kennedy, movies, Oliver Stone | Permalink
Posted by Sam Barrett
NEW ARTICLE: Klute
March 17, 2014In the latest edition of The Australia Times I tackled Alan Pakula’s brilliant 19070′ s thriller, Klute. I believe that it is a restrained and powerful masterwork that desperately deserves to be revisited and celebrated by a new generation of cinephiles. The seemingly simple suspense setup hides a dazzling emotional complexity not seen in typical thrillers. The synergy of performance, image and sound is of the highest order and I simply cannot praise the film enough. Add it to your watch list tonight, you won’t be disappointed.
Click here to read the article.
Leave a Comment » | Reviews, The Australia Times | Tagged: Alan Pakula, Donald Sutherland, film, great movies, Jane Fonda, Klute, movie reviews, thriller | Permalink
Posted by Sam Barrett
NEW ARTICLE: Interiors
February 9, 2014My latest contribution to The Australia Times is an exploration of the much maligned and under-appreciated Interiors by Woody Allen. I was inspired to write about the film after a recent screening with a friend. I had always considered the film fine in many respects but it dawned on me as I was watching it that it deserves to be among the greatest of all Allen’s films. The contemporary criticisms of the film seem so outrageous from a modern perspective because of the shifting role of cinema in our culture and the astounding quality of the films around at the time. The snobby potshots taken at Interiors make sense considering the mainstream cinema saw films like The Godfather, Nashville and Network and The Deer Hunter grace its screens every other week. In the current landscape Interiors should be seen for what it is. A brave and bold film for adults about some uncomfortable subjects. As a representative of the cusp members of Gen-Y, we salute you. Click here to read the article.
Leave a Comment » | The Australia Times | Tagged: diane keaton, film criticism, great movies, movie reviews, woody allen | Permalink
Posted by Sam Barrett
NEW ARTICLE: In the Realm of the Senses
January 16, 2014My latest contribution to The Australia Times is a discussion of the incredible In the Realm of the Senses (1976) by Nagisa Oshima. If you haven’t seen it then put it near the top of your list. In the article I question the film’s elusive meaning and praise it’s vivid and inescapable audacity. It is important to look to filmmakers like Oshima to see what cinematic courage really looks like. Check it out HERE.
Leave a Comment » | criticism, The Australia Times | Tagged: film, film criticism, In the Realm of the Senses, Nagisa Oshima, review | Permalink
Posted by Sam Barrett
