Kore-eda Hirokazu’s ‘Monster’ Falls Short of Its Literary Ambitions
Kore-eda Hirokazu’s Monster has striking moments, but casually skips over details, reducing its characters to incomplete fragments.
Paul Risker
While technically an English-based film critic and interviewer, PopMatters Contributing Editor Paul Risker shows his political disgruntlement towards his homeland by identifying instead as a European writer. You’ll often find him agreeing with the late great French filmmaker, François Truffaut, preferring the reflection of life to life itself – he’ll even tell you that the cinema is more important than life. Often mistaken for a cynic, he prefers to think of himself as a disappointed idealist. Unsurprisingly he likes skulking in the sanctuary of the dark confines of the cinema.
Described as "philosophically inclined", he has a broad taste in cinema. His film writing has been published by academic and non-academic publications, including amongst others: PopMatters, Little White Lies, Cineaste, DMovies, VideoScope, Eye For Film, Film International, The Quarterly Review of Film and Video, and Filmmaker Magazine. He’s also on the advisory board of Mise-en-scène: The Journal of Film & Visual Narration (MSJ), the official film studies journal of Kwantlen Polytechnic University and serves as interview editor. He regularly contributes to the Arrow Films blog, the FrightFest festival programmes and online blog.
The Repression of Truth in Michel Franco’s ‘Memory’
Michel Franco’s Memory explores the premise of entrapment in the context of trauma and dementia and, in its repression of truth, builds to a chilling moment.
‘Good One’ Challenges Adulthood’s Naïve Appropriation of Wisdom
India Donaldson’s directorial debut Good One leans into gender distinctions, but goes beyond them to offer incisive and observant critique of human nature.
The Settlers’ Blood-Chilling Journey into Humankind’s ‘Heart of Darkness’
Chilean revisionist Western, The Settlers, is a powerful film whose director shows admirable moral integrity that’s often absent in film history.
Lucy Lawless Reimagines the Myth of Icarus in Margaret Moth Film
Lucy Lawless’ debut documentary about combat journalist and trailblazing camerawoman Margaret Moth, Never Look Away, reimagines the Myth of Icarus.
‘Frida’ Documentary Explores Honest Expression Versus the Institutionalization of Art
Frida Kahlo speaks from beyond her grave about the institutionalization of art and culture and the dangers posed by intellectuals warming their precious asses.
‘Skywalkers: A Love Story’ Dances on the Edge of Love
Skywalkers: A Love Story will endure because it’s not trapped in the moment of a daring acrobatic stunt; it’s rooted in the timeless human experience.
Director Savanah Leaf on Questions About Motherhood in ‘Earth Mama’
Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama is part of an ongoing conversation about motherhood which must recognize systemic change and progress as incremental shifts.
Fantasy Made Reality in William Oldroyd’s Adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s ‘Eileen’
William Oldroyd and Thomasin McKenzie discuss sympathising with a young woman caught between fantasy and reality in the adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s Eileen.
Director Christos Nikou Scratches Below the Surface of ‘Fingernails’
Can love be determined by an algorithm? In our interview with director Christos Nikou, he scratches below the surface of his sci-fi romance, Fingernails.
‘The Queen of My Dreams’ Is Not What She Seems
Director Fawzia Mirza and actress Nimra Bucha on their generational dramedy The Queen of my Dreams and what it means when the queen is not what she seems.
Nordic Comedy of Manners ‘The Hypnosis’ Is Full of Surprises
Is Nordic comedy of ‘bad’ manners The Hypnosis a story of a woman’s liberation and coming-of-age? Or is it a dream about entitled and privileged rebellion?