![Cliff Reviews, Arthouse](/img/default-banner.jpg)
- 282
- 33 312
Cliff Reviews, Arthouse
United Kingdom
Registrace 8. 02. 2021
I am a film enthusiast! I love all films, both newly released and older work. I enjoy all genres including the Hollywood blockbusters. However, the focus of this channel is principally to review arthouse and independent movies.
The channel was created with my writer friend Joe and we initially focused on films that were showing on Mubi in the UK. Joe moved on to focus on his writing so I decided to continue the channel and broaden it beyond films showing on Mubi.
The channel reviews any 'arthouse' movie. For me, arthouse is defined as any movie with an artistic element as opposed to being purely for entertainment. That said, I may broadly interpret this definition sometimes!
I’ve had a long career in economics and went to art school later in life obtaining an MA in fine art. See my website www.cliffstevensonart.co.uk for more details.
I try to avoid major spoilers but sometimes I just need to comment on something! I will identify where this is the case.
The channel was created with my writer friend Joe and we initially focused on films that were showing on Mubi in the UK. Joe moved on to focus on his writing so I decided to continue the channel and broaden it beyond films showing on Mubi.
The channel reviews any 'arthouse' movie. For me, arthouse is defined as any movie with an artistic element as opposed to being purely for entertainment. That said, I may broadly interpret this definition sometimes!
I’ve had a long career in economics and went to art school later in life obtaining an MA in fine art. See my website www.cliffstevensonart.co.uk for more details.
I try to avoid major spoilers but sometimes I just need to comment on something! I will identify where this is the case.
Video
Only the river flows (2023) - Wei Shujun (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 60Před 2 hodinami
Only the river flows (2023) - Wei Shujun (MOVIE REVIEW)
Radical (2023) - Christopher Zalla (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 29Před 7 hodinami
Radical (2023) - Christopher Zalla (MOVIE REVIEW)
The New Boy (2023) - Warwick Thornton (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 69Před 7 hodinami
The New Boy (2023) - Warwick Thornton (MOVIE REVIEW)
Sky Peals (2023) - Moin Hussain (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 15Před 7 hodinami
Sky Peals (2023) - Moin Hussain (MOVIE REVIEW)
About Dry Grasses (2023) - Nuri Bilge Ceylan (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 29Před 19 hodinami
About Dry Grasses (2023) - Nuri Bilge Ceylan (MOVIE REVIEW)
Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning (2023) - Julia Fuhr Mann (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 55Před dnem
Life Is Not a Competition, But I’m Winning (2023) - Julia Fuhr Mann (MOVIE REVIEW)
Green border (2023) - Agnieszka Holland
zhlédnutí 34Před 14 dny
Green border (2023) - Agnieszka Holland
Crossing (2024) - Levan Akin (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 108Před 21 dnem
Crossing (2024) - Levan Akin (MOVIE REVIEW)
Longlegs (2024) - Osgood Perkins (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 205Před 21 dnem
Longlegs (2024) - Osgood Perkins (MOVIE REVIEW)
Wilding (2023) - David Allan (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 34Před 21 dnem
Wilding (2023) - David Allan (MOVIE REVIEW)
Hoard (2023) - Luna Carmoon (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 110Před 21 dnem
Hoard (2023) - Luna Carmoon (MOVIE REVIEW)
Sleep (2023) - Jason Yu (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 155Před 21 dnem
Sleep (2023) - Jason Yu (MOVIE REVIEW)
The Bikeriders (2023) - Jeff Nichols (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 68Před 21 dnem
The Bikeriders (2023) - Jeff Nichols (MOVIE REVIEW)
lo capitano (2023) - Matteo Garrone (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 23Před 21 dnem
lo capitano (2023) - Matteo Garrone (MOVIE REVIEW)
Punch drunk love (2002) - Paul Thomas Anderson (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 13Před 21 dnem
Punch drunk love (2002) - Paul Thomas Anderson (MOVIE REVIEW)
A Quiet Place: Day One - Michael Sarnoski (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 65Před 21 dnem
A Quiet Place: Day One - Michael Sarnoski (MOVIE REVIEW)
Rose (2022) - Niels Arden Oplev (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 27Před 28 dny
Rose (2022) - Niels Arden Oplev (MOVIE REVIEW)
Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger (2024) - David Hinton (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 48Před 28 dny
Made in England: The Films of Powell & Pressburger (2024) - David Hinton (MOVIE REVIEW)
Review of Peeping Tom (1960) - Michael Powell (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 47Před 28 dny
Review of Peeping Tom (1960) - Michael Powell (MOVIE REVIEW)
Maxxxine (2024) - Ti West (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 202Před měsícem
Maxxxine (2024) - Ti West (MOVIE REVIEW)
Kinds of Kindness (2024) - Yorgas Lanthimos (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 77Před měsícem
Kinds of Kindness (2024) - Yorgas Lanthimos (MOVIE REVIEW)
The dead don't hurt (2023) - Viggo Mortensen (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 246Před měsícem
The dead don't hurt (2023) - Viggo Mortensen (MOVIE REVIEW)
The Beast (La Bête)(2023) - Bertrand Bonello (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 346Před 2 měsíci
The Beast (La Bête)(2023) - Bertrand Bonello (MOVIE REVIEW)
All five Mad Max Films - George Miller (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 28Před 2 měsíci
All five Mad Max Films - George Miller (MOVIE REVIEW)
La Chimera (2024) - Alice Rohrwacher (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 72Před 2 měsíci
La Chimera (2024) - Alice Rohrwacher (MOVIE REVIEW)
Death proof (2007) - Quentin Tarantino (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 257Před 2 měsíci
Death proof (2007) - Quentin Tarantino (MOVIE REVIEW)
Challengers (2024) - Luca Guadagnino (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 161Před 2 měsíci
Challengers (2024) - Luca Guadagnino (MOVIE REVIEW)
Happy as Lazarro (2019) - Alice Rohrwacher (MOVIE REIVEW)
zhlédnutí 54Před 2 měsíci
Happy as Lazarro (2019) - Alice Rohrwacher (MOVIE REIVEW)
The end we start from (2023) - Mahalia Belo (MOVIE REVIEW)
zhlédnutí 100Před 3 měsíci
The end we start from (2023) - Mahalia Belo (MOVIE REVIEW)
I am trying to find this movie in the USA
I am trying to find it too, I want to watch it
A very honest and appropriate take, thank you. I just saw it and was blown away like you (had already discovered "Nocturama"). It´s the non-explanatory narrative that makes the elliptical structure so believable, I think. Let me add a quote by Jean-Luc Godard he told us journalists during the presentation of "Nouvelle Vague" in Zürich, spring of 1990: "Il n´y a pas à comprendre, il y a à entendre." "Take over" and "swallow" or instead just "listen" and remain "tenderly" open to what you´re experiencing.
I love this! It reminds me of something Oliver Laxe said at a screening of his film Mimosas. He invited us to watch the film with our skin.
Great sentiments 👍✌️🕊️☮️
I wish I could find this at a cinema but will have to settle for streaming. Apart from your very fine review there are two other reasons I am keen to see this. It has a soundtrack by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis who have made some of the finest cinematic music of the last 20 years. Also I just discovered that the director made The Sapphires in 2012, a heartwarming film with a superb soundtrack also based on a true story. By the sound of it this film couldn’t be more different.
I have mixed feelings about Nick Cave’s music! I didn’t realise that the music was by Cave and Ellis until the end credits. The music is really good and is an important part of the film. Hope you get to see it soon!
Thanks to your review I have bought a ticket to see this at the excellent cinema located within the Towner Art Gallery in Eastbourne. I particularly love film based on true stories and your review has really spurred my interest. I saw the Teacher’s Lounge at the New park Cinema in Chichester and rate it highly. I really enjoy hunting down your art house movies.
Yes, it’s a shame how difficult it is to see some of these films at the cinema. I live in Tunbridge Wells and have no local cinema showing Art House movies. So I often go into London to see films at the Curzon chain.
Are you on the mailing list for Depot at Lewes? Reasonable prices, half price Tuesdays, and very comfortable with a great restaurant attached. Doable journey I believe, am sure you would enjoy it and their unique programme.
Thank you, I agree completely.
Really enjoyed this film. I'd love to have seen how he taught his pupils at his earlier schools, particularly as this was based on a true story.
I agree. He does hint in the film that he had a kind of breakdown at his previous school, so perhaps this suggests that he was following a more conventional approach.
A very good summary of Mark Cousins style of film-making: he seems to be hung up on his time interviewing directors and actors, teasing out their thoughts as they rewatched a scene from their films
hello! Do you know the name of the song that the trans girl sings that says something about the merciful way of God? thank you! beautiful movie
No I’m sorry but I don’t. Hope you have success in finding it.
@@cliffreviewsarthouse thanks and greetings from Argentina!
I can recommend Once Upon a Time in Anatolia another of Ceylan's films. Another long one!! Samet, the main character in About Dry Grasses was fascinating. My favourite scene was the dinner scene with Samet and Nuray, a local woman he has got to know, where she questions him about his philosophy of life. His own philosophy is negative and self-centred - look after number one - don't help anyone - whereas her philosophy is much more socially caring. This film dealt with important issues about how we live our lives and deserves everyone's attention.
Yes once upon a time in Anatolia is now on my list. Thanks for the recommendation. I agree that your favourite scene was really powerful.
Hey Cliff. I am putting together a large collaboration with 50+ creators. Would you be interested in joining?
It's called Critics United. You would be a great fit.
What would the collaboration involve?
I think it is an excellent film, very good because it shows many very important points of view, which continue to affect many athletes.
Have you ever been on a walking tour of a city, or town, or palace and found yourself dwelling on one nugget of information for so long that you miss the next 5 minutes of the tour. This always happens to me and was exactly how I experienced this film. My eyes could never quite keep pace with the ghastly facts being presented through my ears. This is not meant as a criticism but indicates how I felt almost physically inside the film. I kept wanting to press some rewind button because the facts being presented, in such a matter of fact voice, were too awful to contemplate without a pause, yet there was no pause until that intermission (which was not intended for popcorn I understand). I would go see the four and one half hours again tomorrow because I know I would experience it in an entirely different cut. You probably know that there is a 34 hour version, to be played on a loop in an installation where just as you say, the viewer can experience a segment as long or short as may be their preference. But I am so grateful the director made this version for wider distribution. I can never quite lose myself in a gallery in the way I experience cinema.
I like your perspective on it! Did you see it at the cinema? I saw it streamed on a television and I probably watched it two or three sessions. I can see how it becomes a contemplative experience watching the whole thing in a cinema.
Yes I saw it at a perfect cinema, the Depot in Lewes, at a reasonable admission price too compared to most others. Respect to you for seeking it out on streaming though, real devotion to your podcast.
Sounds fascinating. Thanks Cliff.
…And Joseph Quinn was a revelation to me. I loved his character and the actor himself reminds me of a young Robert Downey Jr or Brendan Fraser. My younger friends informed me he came to prominence in Stranger Things which I have never seen. I would pay good money to see him in something “serious”.
I recently saw him in the film Hoard. He was really excellent in that. I reviewed that a couple of weeks ago. I still haven’t seen stranger things but it’s kind of on my to watchlist for some point.
@@cliffreviewsarthouse I’ve just listened to your review of Hoard. I had decided to give this one a miss, but your review has now intrigued me and if Joseph Quinn is in it , guess I must commit. I am really pleased to know he is choosing some challenging material.
I heartily recommend this film for cat lovers. Seriously I enjoyed it, but probably because at no time did I take it seriously. To be fair, alien creatures have had no where left to go more frightening or repellant since the Alien franchise. Have you seen Godzilla Minus One? Now there is an art house creature feature.
Yes, I did see Godzilla. absolutely loved it. Got to see it a second time on the big imax screen at Waterloo. Amazing!
I did a review on it!
@@cliffreviewsarthouse I looked for it, but could not find 🙁
Such a lovely heartfelt film and your beautiful review does it justice. All the characters lack family for a variety of reasons (rejection, abandonment, orphaned) and though none finds exactly what they look for, they do create a community of care for each other in a huge, seemingly impersonal city.
I couldn’t agree more. I too was fearing the plot was about to take a darker turn, as the groundwork had been if the bad things about the character Saul’s past may have been revealed to be true after all.
Fantastic review, I just finished the film in tears! I loved this. Glad someone else feels that way too
Oooh you make me feel like watching it again!
Great review but i am pretty sure that at the end, the audence is supposed to decide for themselves whether the husband is acting and only pretending so that his wife will stop when the ghost is removed from his body or whether it is happening for real. I personally think that he was acting as there is no other reason for his character's profession within the film to be an actor. You also may enjoy the ending more if you consider this as a very possible meaning to the ending.
Interesting. I think it would definitely be worth a rewatch from the perspective of him acting. You’re right that I may well see it in a different way.
I love this movie. Just watched. I also turn away from movies which show a lot of suffering.
Great review! Pretty much agreed with everyone you said! 😊
Sons of Anarchy is about as realistic as Battlestar Galactica. I am THRILLED The Bikeriders was grounded and based on real people and real situations instead of posturing, vulgarity and endless shootouts. Remember, this movie is based on the Chicago Outlaws and the characters are all based on real people and audio interviews from the 1960's. The Bikeriders is about a motorcycle CLUB that slowly gets infiltrated and eventually becomes a GANG.
Ha, I do actually agree with you. The bikeriders is far superior to Sons of anarchy! But a little bit of posturing, vulgarity and endless shootouts is one of my guilty pleasures! I would’ve enjoyed seeing Tom and Austin Doing a bit more of this. But I do genuinely appreciate your point that this isn’t what this film is aiming at . and I did enjoy it.
finally someone says it lol
Great! This is one of my favourites. There’s a lovely interview with PTA after he’s just made that monumental, ensemble melodrama, Magnolia, and he’s asked what he’s making next. He says he’s going to do a 90 minute comedy with Adam Sandler. And he did. Sort of.
I agree the ending didn't really fit with the rest of the film. The film had been ambiguous and subtle and was intriguing and humorous at times. I really enjoyed it. The ending then gave us a reason why the husband had been sleepwalking. Maybe it was the way it was depicted but it felt forced and not the right ending for the film I had been watching. It all felt too overt. But worth watching nonetheless.
Yes I completely agree!
Such a classic film. A seedy, disturbing more realistic Hitchcock. Would be interesting to see a contemporary adaptation. Probably one of those classic films that is untouchable. Great and very passionate review 😊
Dude, you lost me at, “these aren’t necessarily bad people. They’re people who are ignorant of what they are doing.” The filmmaker clearly demonstrates that MacLennan and Bill, both from the global north, know what they’re doing. This is 1901, well into neocolonialism. Movements to abolish policies that dehumanized non-European groups weren’t leading political actions of nations, but were nonetheless already well established in the global north. Hell, the American civil war was already fought 46 years prior. As men from the U.S. and Scotland, they would have certainly been familiar with debates around what we call today dehumanization, and clearly were making a choice. Menendez’s wife, also doesn’t strike me as all that ignorant. She uses the church and western cultural conformity to justify forced assimilation of indigenous youth, but it’s clearly in service of defending her own privilege. I don’t believe her indignation of the government’s agent can be used to describe her as ignorant of her own crimes. That’s a false dichotomy. The priest probably believes it. But her, she’s comes across as more calculating, both indignant, and aware. It’s hard to imagine her granting any of the recipients of her charity the same social status she occupies. That’s a choice. The government agent is perhaps the only one who is unaware of his own glaring hypocrisy. He, at first, appears to want to help the indigenous population, but he also does it through forced assimilation and an ugly position of power. He believes his own BS. Segundo is trapped between all these people, he knows what he’s done and he appears haunted by it. Menendez… as you say seems mostly business driven, which makes him the most “inhuman” in his motivations. He chooses not to care, out of greed and power. Sorry… the filmmaker very much appears to show that most of these characters are actively making ethically destructive, inhumane choices. They own it.
You make really good points! I can’t really disagree with you. At some point, I will get round to watching this again and I’ll certainly bear your comments in mind.
@@cliffreviewsarthouse Your point about questioning “how history is recorded and relying on photographs and film as a source of history” resonates strongly though. And while the filming of Segundo and Kiepja at the end shows how unreliable documentary material gathered by neocolonial interests can be, Gálvez’s choice to use western genre devices throughout the film also aligns with your point I think. Consider how the western as a Hollywood invention whitewashed the genocide of millions of indigenous people by rewriting history. To take a tool of genocidal erasure and use it to expose brutal truths of genocide is smart! Agreed how important this film is!
Yea,but in my honest opinion, you have to be a really big fun of Lea Seydoux. This is the actors movie. And the director just enjoy of Lea: in different maquillage, different light,different costumes... This movie is a real triumph of Lea Seydoux!
Loved hearing your thoughts on this!
It's a delicious movie!
The writer guy's original novel sounded much more interesting, than the one we get at the end.
Awesome review! Keep up the great work!
Great review as always :)
Can't wait to see it!
Loved the film, and it's still at the back of my mind since I saw it. The subtle steps of "de-thawing" were so touching and relatable.
It's Quentin Dupieux
Oops! Thanks for pointing this out!
I was in 2 minds about watching this. I'll skip it
Just finished it, wth happened in the end ?! I didn’t really understand
I think there is a lot of amibiguity in this film. I don’t think there are straightforward answers. At face value the 2044 world is one where AI has taken over and only humans who are free of emotions are useful. Gabrielle is kept in a low job because she hasn’t had her feelings removed. She is shocked at the end because Louis has gone through the process. However, this only explains so much. The fact that we have these 2 people who are living in different eras is not really explained. But I really like it nonetheless. It feels like it all fits together. It was only the second time that I saw it that it kind of fell together. I felt like you at the end of my first viewing!!
@@cliffreviewsarthouse No I actually completely understood it , except for the end ; let me rephrase my question Sir , what I meant was did he actually dies physically , or did he just removed all his emotions and became emothionless and that’s why she feels like he is gone ? Plus , what does the bird means in the end when Louis vanished and the bird took his place ? Can u explain if u know please ?
While I mostly disagree with your views on the Villeneuve Dune movies (I dislike them,too, but mostly for other reasons), there's a lot of insightful comments and just the fact that you dared going against the grain by giving a negative review on them, warrnats a thumbs-up for this video. Also, your comments on the Lynch adaptation ring true for me. Thank you for this video.
Thanks for the positive comments. I sometimes hesitates to go against the grain as there are films that I have hated the first time and on a 2nd or 3rd viewing I’ve grown to love them. This is why I did watch Dune I once to give it a second go. I wanted to like them but they just didn’t fully work for me. I will probably go and see the next one. They do feel like epic unmissable cinema.
@@cliffreviewsarthouse I mostly liked the Villeneuve Dune movies at first, but there was something nagging that I couldn't quite shake off. And then, the more I thought about them the less I could allow the cinematics cloud the fact that they are, at the end of the day, too much of a Hollywood product. Great costumes, great vistas, impressive imagery, but the Hollywood-isms were bothering me more and more. I watched Part 1 thrice and Part 2 twice. The repeated exposure reslted... toxic :) Thanks again for your review. I actually hope one day you might do a more in-depth one.
Just seen this for the first time on iplayer and think your review was spot on.
Really good review. Couldn’t agree more.
George and Lea looked as though they didn't really know what was going on. Still, they took the money and ran anyway. 😂
Your review has got me excited for it! And I also think it will help me to appreciate it more. Thanks
That’s great. Let me know what you think!!
Just had dinner with Davy
Great review! I liked it as well :)
Second review I've watched on your channel (first was La chimera), I subscribed 'cause I like the films you review. I guess (and hope) everybody is different but I definitely don't care AT ALL if characters are likable in films or literature (you also said something similar to the character of King Josh O' Connor in the other review). I don't think this film is overcooked and I enjoyed it very much, like every Guadagnino film since his beginnings (and every interview I saw on him, I wish directors know 1% of history of cinema as he does). Of course this one is a "mainstream" film and I wish all mainstream movies were a little bit like this one. I particularly enjoyed every relationship on this triangle, specially the one involving the two guys, a relationship always missing on every single love triangle film. His Anatomy of a scene on the New York Times on CZcams is a must see. Actually, many things make this one a different one, treating men as women are usually treated (the male characters are always shirtless, the way the camera shot them) and Zendaya as men are usually treated (that unforgettable smile watching them making out). Anyway, I don't try to convince you, every artistic experience is different, so I guess better for me that I loved it, specially that hug at the end with Zendaya's face 😍 Cheeers from Spain, I hope was English was readable!
I’m glad you got more out of it than me. I did see it immediately after I had seen La Chimera so my ‘palette’ wasn’t exactly clean! Sometimes this can affect my experience of a film. Your English is great!
@@cliffreviewsarthouse Wow, I guess you had a “Josh O'Connor directed by Italian directors” double feature! Even when it sounds like a lot fun they are very different films, each one with a distinct sensibility and contrasting goals. So yes, sometimes one cinematic experience can affect the other one, happens to me a lot. I love how many reviews you had on films that I think they deserve to be talk about so I cannot wait to continue watching them and checking out your thoughts!
Nice Review. I subbed! Do you review a lot of sport movies?
Generally no. Although I love the rocky films! But generally I focus on films that have an arthouse content. Even though I interpret ‘arthouse’ broadly I’m not sure I could justify reviewing rocky!
@@cliffreviewsarthouse I actually directed a film (full-length). Would you review it?
In terms of indie films, I tend to review films released through Curzon or MUBI. And there are already too many to review! If you want to send me a link, I’ll happily take a look at it.
@@cliffreviewsarthouse Okay Great! It's on channel called, "My Friend Bruce"
Cassavetes is the best, the most authentic.
Tragedy and our reactions to it comes as a surprise to our lives and without satisfying explanation. How it happens is not as important as that it happens. Welcome to the beautiful mystery of nature and consciousness! Good movie.