10 out of 10

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10 out of 10: 0.5MM

A miscellany of genres presented with a potpourri of visual stylings, Momoko Andô’s 0.5mm emulsifies screwball comedy and affecting drama into one epic emotional traversing across generational divides. Entrance into the lives of these pensioners is reluctantly granted through stereotypes and book-cover judgments then coaxed via blackmail into living arraignments that, in turn, give way to complex character portraits of lonely men in the diminuendo of life, cast aside from society and left to wilt away in their homes.

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10 out of 10: NEWS FROM HOME

The purview of the visuals consists of Akerman’s new residency, New York City; but, unlike city symphony films of the past wherein the experimental, poetic structure of the images are meant (in most instances) to enlighten the viewer as to the spirit and overall culture of the city itself and its citizens (which is still incidentally captured), Akerman inverts the intentions of these images by employing them as a signifier of her circumstances, the emotional landscape she finds herself in while attempting to carve out a path for herself in a foreign country, away from those she loves.

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10 out of 10: CORNER OF HEAVEN

CORNER OF HEAVEN revolves around a young boy leaving behind his younger sister and their grandfather in search of their mother, who left days earlier. The camera follows the young boy along his seemingly destinationless journey, wandering through the broken villages along the Yellow River; a meditative excursion through a dreamlike ethereality of beauty and brutality, CORNER OF HEAVEN is a coming-of-age film like no other.

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10 out of 10: SINK OR SWIM

An unquestionable triumph of autobiographical cinema, Su Friedrich's SINK OR SWIM is a mournful retrospection upon the relationship of a father and his daughter told through 26 short story segments accompanied by a litany of voyeuristic black and white imagery. An assemblage of sorts, gathered and organized, lined-up and counting back from the letter Z the memories of a childhood that shaped the woman into who she is, or who she was in 1990.

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10 OUT OF 10: THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES

Wyler's 1946 re-acclimation epic, THE BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, skirts on the threshold of indelible American classic, unable to fully break through into the realm of cinematic masterpiece; so often, when talking about the quintessential gems of 1940s Hollywood, Wyler's post-war drama tends to get lost in the sea of discussion usually reserved for films like CASABLANCA, DOUBLE INDEMNITY, CITIZEN KANE, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE and more. Seemingly lost in the mix is the fact that THE BEST YEARS... garnered eight Oscar nominations (winning seven) and happened to be the highest-grossing film since GONE WITH THE WIND and the only film in history to have an actor win two separate Oscars for the same role - non-actor Harold Russell.

10 out of 10 – ‘Man Bites Dog’

DIRECTED by REMY BELVAUX, ANDRE BONZEL and BENOIT POELVOORDE           1992      95 min.   Belgium

First things first, if you have not

10 out of 10 – ‘The Iron Giant’

DIRECTED by BRAD BIRD                       1999                     86 min.                USA

The year was 1999.   Star Wars returned to theatres.  Audiences were blown away after being introduced to Neo and The Matrix.  The world was shocked

10 out of 10 – ‘Les Diaboliques’

DIRECTED by HENRI-GEORGES CLOUZOT                   1955                   116 min.                 France

I have spent considerable weeks trying to decide which Alfred Hitchcock masterpiece to write about in our 10/10 feature.  As is now obvious, I have yet

10 out of 10: THE SWEET HEREAFTER

DIRECTED by Atom Egoyan                          1997                            112 min.                       Canada

Egyptian-born Atom Egoyan is

10 out of 10 – ‘A Woman Under the Influence’

DIRECTED by JOHN CASSAVETES                         1974                         155 min                          USA

I have always heard of the great work of John Cassavetes – the fact that he

10 out of 10 – ‘Vera Drake’

DIRECTED by MIKE LEIGH                     2004                    125 min.                   UK

British writer and director Mike Leigh is one of the world’s most acclaimed

10 out of 10 – ‘The Silence of the Lambs’

DIRECTED by JONATHAN DEMME               1991               118 min.             USA

For the two people who have not seen