Diary of a Spectator: Movie and TV reviews
  • Home
  • About
Picture

Diary of a Spectator 

Movie and TV reviews 

If you go into "The Courier" expecting a feel-good historical drama, you won’t be disappointed.

3/15/2021

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Benedict Cumberbatch in THE COURIER. Photo Credit: Liam Daniel. Courtesy of Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions.
 As literature and media consumers, we’re accustomed to reading stories that fit neatly into one of a few familiar narrative templates. Regardless of genre, even the most unique original screenplays can be reduced down to a basic plot formula that we’ve already encountered a million times (according to author Christopher Booker, there are in fact 7 basic plots, hence the title of his 2004 book). The hero’s journey, for one, is proven cinematic gold, as we’ve seen with the Marvel franchise’s takeover of 21st century cinema. This plot structure not only provides us with a thrilling adventure, but it allows us to indulge in the possibility that we, too, could one day be a hero. With social media personalities plastered all over our screens, it’s nice to escape into a fantasy world where the most ordinary people get the chance to prove their moral strengths. This is the kind of fantasy that screenwriter Tom O'Connor created in his Cold War espionage thriller, The Courier. Working with director Dominic Cooke, O'Connor pulls together a variety of historical sources to craft a classic based-on-true-events story that reminds us why we keep going back to the movies. ​

Read More
0 Comments

“Dara of Jasenovac” (Dara iz Jasenovca) is a technical beauty, but leaves us wondering about the purpose and effect of Holocaust films moving forward

2/6/2021

18 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Biljana Čekić as Dara in DARA OF JASENOVAC. Photo credit: Aaleksander Letic.
Serbia’s official submission for the 2021 Academy Awards, Dara of Jasenovac, reminds us that no matter how many Holocaust films are made, there are important details and individual stories that have not yet been represented on the screen. Directed by Predrag Antonijević, Dara of Jasenovac is the first film about the Jasenovac complex in The Independent State of Croatia during the 1940s, which was run by the fascist Ustase government and used for the systematic murder of ethnic Serbs, Jews, and Roma people. While the film’s protagonist, 10-year-old Dara (Biljana Čekić), is not based on a specific historical person, the filmmakers chose to tell the story from a child’s perspective to emphasize the fact that there were specific camps in Jasenovac for children. The film begins when Dara is first transported to the complex along with her mother, infant brother, and other people from her village. She is subsequently moved through different facilities, gradually coming to understand the evil unfolding around her as those who entered the camp with her are killed one by one. Taking on more responsibility than she should ever have to bear, Dara resolves to do everything she can to keep her brother alive.

Read More
18 Comments
    ​​"Our embodied spectator, possibly perverse in her fantasies and diverse in her experience, possesses agency...finally, she must now be held accountable for it." 
    -Michele Aaron

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020

    Categories

    All
    Action
    Activist
    Adaptations
    Adventure
    Amazon Originals
    Animal Movies
    Anxiety
    ARROW
    Australia
    Band Movies
    Based On A True Story
    Biopic
    Buddy Comedy
    Comedy
    Crime
    Dark Comedy
    Documentary
    Drama
    Elements Of Madness
    Fantasia Film Festival
    Fantasy
    Filmnation Entertainment
    Foreign Language Film
    Ghosts
    Giant Pictures
    Gore
    Grindhouse
    Gunpowder & Sky
    Hero's Journey
    Historical
    Historical Drama
    Horror
    Independent
    Inspired By A True Story
    In Theaters
    Iran
    Lionsgate
    Mental Health
    Micro-budget
    Movie Reviews
    Musical
    Mystery
    Noir
    Omaha Film Festival
    Parody
    Political
    Rape Revenge
    Review
    RGB Film
    Roadside Attractions
    Roadtrip Movie
    Romance
    Romcom
    Santa Barbara International Film Festival
    Satire
    Serbia
    Series Review
    Slasher
    Sony Pictures Classics
    Streaming
    Suspense
    SXSW Film Festival
    The Philippines
    Thriller
    Vertical Entertainment
    Virtual Cinemas
    VOD
    War
    Western

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
  • About