Viewing posts written by: Lauren Jayne Bliss
A film festival is a curious time for the cinephile. The event (particularly in this cinematically dry city) is the most anticipated occasion of the calendar year. When it comes, life is put on hold for two full weeks – the highest priority is to absorb the audiovisual delights from the international film community. I find it a strange experience to anticipate pleasure; the hope of feeling repeatedly entranced by the moving image usually puts me in a weird mental…
Every cinephile is excited by the prospect of a film festival, whether it is Cannes, Venice, Rotterdam or the Kino OTOK festival in Slovenia: the coming together of movie lovers and a diverse group of films is a highlight of the calendar year. The first taste we get of the festival, in any case, is the festival program, the official guide to the event. Reading such a guide is like being a child again, poring over that tantalising showbag lift-out…
There is often a distinct vibe or unsaid theme at academic conferences. In the case of this symposium, celebrating three decades of Indigenous community film and video, the undeniable theme was death.
Any film which attempts to provoke the sensibilities of a conservative audience has my vote. Unfortunately, what is really shocking about A Loving Friend is its lack of aesthetic value.
The newest installment in Gillian Armstrong’s documentary series centered on the lives of three working class Adelaide women reflects Armstrong’s pervading interest in femininity. But by conforming to the preconceived notion of the documentary, Armstrong has produced a film which is largely non-cinematic, conformist and dull.
You must be wondering (dear reader) what I, a PhD student in film studies, am doing coveting the world of a teen pop star. Am I not meant to be analysing (and enjoying) only the serious, critically worthy cinematic efforts that capture the attention of likeminded intellectuals? *Yawn* I like Miley Cyrus, I escape with her into the great, glossy teen queen world she inhabits. That she exposes her sexual maturation and undeveloped teenage psyche only furthers my interest.
