Monthly Archives: February 2011

BERLIN FILM REVIEW: ‘The Resident’

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – Brazilian multimedia filmmaker Tiago Mata Machado’s “The Resident” is a collection of didactic sketches performed by a group of men, women and children in protest at the demolition of a building. The film is made … Continue reading

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BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Angelo Cianci’s ‘Top Floor, Left Wing’

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – Angelo Cianci’s “Top Floor, Left Wing” is a genial urban comedy about an Algerian father and son who end up holding a bailiff hostage when the boy thinks police have come to their apartment building … Continue reading

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BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Ralph Fiennes’s ‘Coriolanus’

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – At a time when revolution is once again in the air around the world, Ralph Fiennes delivers a ferocious reminder of the perils in store when a warrior becomes the head of state. He directs … Continue reading

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BERLIN FILM REVIEW: Dirk Lutter’s ‘The Education’

By Ray Bennett BERLIN – German director Dirk Lutter’s “The Education” is clearly intended to be a cautionary tale that takes a bite out of large companies for the way they often mistreat their staff but it’s a toothless affair … Continue reading

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THEATRE REVIEW: Keira Knightley in ‘The Children’s Hour’

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Lillian Hellman’s 1934 Broadway melodrama “The Children’s Hour” shows its age in this new West End production, but it does afford screen stars Keira Knightley and Elisabeth Moss a chance to show they are just … Continue reading

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THEATRE REVIEW: Royal Court’s ‘Clybourne Park’

By Ray Bennett LONDON – Race relations in a Chicago suburb in 1959 and 50 years later take a savage but hilarious beating in the Royal Court’s “Clybourne Park” by Bruce Norris, now transferred to the West End. In 1959, … Continue reading

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THEATRE REVIEW; ‘Vernon God Little’ at the Young Vic

By Ray Bennett LONDON – The Young Vic’s new production of “Vernon God Little”, based on DBC Pierre’s 2003 Booker Prize-winning novel, tries to jam in as many of its characters, incidents and ideas as possible, but ends up in … Continue reading

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THEATRE REVIEW: ‘Greenland’ at the National Theatre

By Ray Bennett LONDON – A very convincing Polar Bear strolls onstage at one point in “Greenland,” the National Theatre’s ambitious but disappointing play about climate change but it’s about the only believable character in the production. Four British playwrights, … Continue reading

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