February 2004

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Features

#The Last Frontier

Westerns since The Searchers have failed to show the realities of inter-racial relationships - and Ron Howard's The Missing is no exception, argues David Thomson.

#Afghan Aftermath

Siddiq Barmak's acclaimed Osama presents a microcosm of life under the Taliban. But will it resurrect Afghan cinema, asks David Calhoun.

Shock Corridors

Gus Van Sant's Elephant recreates the Columbine killings in a style that's resolutely anti-entertainment. He explains his strategy to SF Said.

Our Town

Dogville is Lars von Trier's strongest and most star-studded movie yet. J.Hoberman places its tale of martyrdom, revenge and hypocrisy within a very American tradition.

Excursion To Hell

The late Elem Klimov's Come and See broke new ground in depictions of the horrors of war. John Wrathall celebrates a director whose career was blighted by Soviet bureaucracy. Plus Julian Graffy remembers that heady era when the films were jumping off the shelves.

Selected reviews

#Film of the Month: Cold Mountain

Anthony Minghella's Cold Mountain, set during the American Civil War, chimes unexpectedly with the current climate, says Edward Buscombe.

#The Dreamers

#Girl with a Pearl Earring

Reviews in this issue:

  • Amandla! A Revolution in Four Part Harmony
  • Bartleby
  • Big Fish
  • Black and White
  • Cold Creek Manor
  • Film of the Month: Cold Mountain
  • Cremaster 2
  • Dead End
  • Dogville
  • The Dreamers
  • Elephant
  • The Emperor's New Clothes
  • The Fighting Temptations
  • Game Over Kasparov and the Machine
  • Girl with a Pearl Earring
  • It's All about Love
  • Kitchen Stories
  • The Last Samurai
  • The Late Twentieth
  • The Lord of the Rings The Return of the King
  • A Mighty Wind
  • The Principles of Lust
  • The School of Rock
  • Shoreditch
  • $teal
  • Sylvia
  • Tattoo
  • The Three Marias
  • Timeline
Last Updated: 20 Dec 2011