Michelle Strozykowski's Blog
Posted by Michelle Strozykowski
I've been cogitating and deliberating over my pick of the year's Best Foreign Films. I started with a list of over 25 films, that I have painstakingly cut to 12 for the latest article (above) – and it's still a monster! I could probably have picked 10 French films alone. I absolutely adored Marion Cotillard in La Vie En Rose, but there were also so many other good women in foreign films this year too. I wanted to at least try and spread the pick of the best across more than one nation.
One of my 10 Most Important Middle Eastern Films Persepolis was also a difficult film to leave out, but with a limit on links within the body of the article it seemed more sensible to mention it here in the blog instead. Here are some other links to films that were mentioned in the top picks article:
I also picked Couscous of course, which I've previously written about as one of the best ever Foodie Films, but I left out Guerrilla mainly because I prefer Gael Garcia Bernal's film The Motorcycle Diaries when it comes to Che Guevara biopics.
So there you have it. Go Check out the Best Foreign Films of 2008. I really hope I picked at least one that you love, and hopefully highlighted others you might have missed. Thanks for reading and do feel free to let me know if I've missed a masterpiece. But please bear in mind – the cut was really hard!
Posted by Michelle Strozykowski
I was very saddened to hear of the death of Paul Newman. I've posted a tribute to this wonderful man, who starred in 3 of my all time favourite films – Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Sting and Cool Hand Luke. Actually it's 4, if you count the guilty pleasure that is The Towering Inferno too. I have many of these guilty pleasures - don't we all? The sort of films and TV shows we all love, but quickly resign to the back of our minds if somebody asks what's your favourite?
In the good natured spirit shown by Devin Harris when he got hustled by street baller Stuart Tanner, I will now share a few of my often overlooked favourites:
I know we're all supposed to sneer at the mass marketing of our emotions shown by the reality shows, but I just love Strictly Come Dancing. I know I'm not alone on this one, as millions tune in every week, but probably not so many list Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion as an all time favourite film. This film has the best bad dancing I've ever seen. Strictly fans should check it out. Priceless.
There are so many classic foreign films to choose from, and I have hundreds of bona fide, critically approved favourites, but for some reason I still secretly prefer The Magnificent Seven to Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. As foreign film feature writer, I probably shouldn't really admit that, but there you go.
Even worse than that, certainly in the eyes of serious film critics, I completely adore Mike Myer's version of the Dr Seuss classic Cat in the Hat. This film tanked at the box office and got absolutely slated by critics, but I think it is the funniest children's film I've ever seen. Oh Yeah!!!!
Blimey, and that's only the tip of the iceberg! Now I'm going to slowly back out of the room, and we'll all pretend that didn't just happen, OK?
Posted by Michelle Strozykowski
With Halloween fast approaching, I thought I'd take a look at the classic German horror film The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. It's a spooky old black and white movie, which has been a major influence on the landscape of modern cinema. From a purely cinematic perspective, I love and admire the film, of course, but I also can't help thinking it would make a great background movie for a vintage themed Halloween party. As it's a silent film, it would be absolutely ideal, just flickering away in the corner of a darkened room.
Whilst I'm on the subject of horror films, Halloween '08 also marks the first stirrings of internet activity regarding an exciting little British film called Lesbian Vampire Killers. Primed to be a clever comedy horror, along the lines of Shaun of the Dead - and starring James Corden and Matthew Horne from the brilliant TV show Gavin and Stacey - LVK is already causing quite a buzz.
Look out for my interview with the writers of Lesbian Vampire Killers, Stewart Williams and Paul Hupfield, some time in the new year. (I'm sure I'll mention it again, nearer the time). For now, eager beavers can keep up to date with all the breaking news via Momentum pictures' Lesbian Vampire Killers mailing list.
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Posted by Michelle Strozykowski
Well, sorry...It's been a while since I last blogged. It looks like even longer than it actually is because I accidentally deleted the last post too!
There have been one or two technical problems with the blogs here at Suite101, and also with the little mouse that runs around in a ball to power my brain. It happens to the best of us! Even those clever science guys at CERN have been having problems with their Big Bang Machine, so that makes me feel a bit better.
I hope that any regular readers will note that I did, however, keep to my word and step away from the doom and gloom of existensial angst. Namely, I moved away from Bergman and the Seventh Seal, in the foreign films topic, focusing instead on Italian comedy Volere Volare - an oldie but a goodie, well worth checking out.
Aside from films, just recently I've spent many hours glued to the box in the corner of the room. Telly is just so great at the moment. My own particular guilty pleasure, Stricty Come Dancing is back on British screens, and I've also been totally obsessed with a new (to me, at least) show called The Fixer. I missed The Fixer first time around, but now I'm totally smitten. And the best news is series two has already been commissioned. Yay!!!
Posted by Michelle Strozykowski
I finally managed to see The Dark Knight last week, which I thoroughly enjoyed. LOVED Heath Ledger as the Joker, which almost goes without saying thanks to the media his untimely death brought to his performance in the film.
I hold no bones with all this silly talk of an Oscar nomination though. Yes, his Joker was everything you wanted from the character - at times charming, at others chilling and psychotic - but would there be any suggestion of an Oscar if Ledger wasn't dead?
The Dark Knight is a summer blockbuster. A very fine one, granted, but not an Oscar contender by fault or design. Besides, Ledger was part of an excellent ensemble cast, so if he deserves an Oscar nom then so too do Aaron Eckhart, Christian Bale and Gary Oldman.
For more information on Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan and his incredible filmography - not a foot wrong so far - please check out my latest article Director Profile: Christopher Nolan
