Author Archives: Sartaj Govind Singh

About Sartaj Govind Singh

Notes from a distant observer: “Sartaj is a very eccentric fellow with a penchant for hats. He likes watching films and writes about them in great analytical detail. He has an MA degree in Philosophy and has been known to wear Mickey Mouse ears on his birthday.”

My Top Ten Films of 2018

Posted on December 30, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

10) You Were Never Really Here You Were Never Really Here is a blistering and stark character study of a man whose violent existence is no longer soothing the traumas of his past. Instead, it entrenches him further into hopelessness … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, 2018 Films, Lists, Top Tens | Tagged Black Panther, BlacKkKlansman, Lady Bird, Luca Guadaginino, Lynne Ramsay, Mandy, Mission Impossible Fallout, Phantom Thread, Suspiria, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, The Shape of Water, You Were Never Really Here | 6 Comments

Brief Consideration: Aquaman (2018)

Posted on December 24, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Aquaman is the best superhero movie that George Lucas never got to make. The film impresses as a grandiose four coloured epic that is unexpectedly moving and wholly surprising. Taking inspiration from Geoff Johns’s New 52 comic book series; the … Continue reading →

Posted in Comic Book Movies, DC, Reviews | Tagged Amber Heard, Aquaman, Arthur Curry, Atlantis, DC Comics, james wan, Jason Momoa, Metallica, Nicole Kidman, patrick wilson, Star Wars, Temuera Morrison | Leave a comment

Review: Suspiria (2018)

Posted on November 16, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Remaking Suspiria is a dicey proposition. Daria Argento’s 1977 film is a towering and effective mood piece. It straddles the line between being a nightmarish Technicolor fairy tale and feeling like a nasty snuff film conjured by its supernatural antagonist. Even with … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Films, Reviews | Tagged 1977, Dakota Johnson, Daria Argento, Goblin, Luca Guadaginino, Stanley Kubrick, Suspiria, The Shining, Thom Yorke, Tilda Swinton, Volk, West Berlin | 3 Comments

Brief Consideration: Mandy (2018)

Posted on November 5, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

If you were to have a casual glance at any of the posters for Mandy, you would not be wrong in presuming that the film may well be a hellish and intense experience. In reality, the picture is surprisingly serene, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Films, Brief Considerations, Uncategorized | Tagged Andrea Riseborough, Bill Duke, Jóhann Jóhannsson, Linus Roache, Mandy, Nicolas Cage, Panos Cosmatos, Vangelis, Wild At Heart | Leave a comment

Review: Halloween (2018)

Posted on October 29, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

John Carpenter’s Halloween was a minimalist masterpiece with an effortlessly versatile central antagonist. He was as much an unconscious manifestation of male aggression to the central heroine, Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis), as he was the proverbial bogeyman- walking among … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Films, Reviews | Tagged Andi Matichak, David Gordon Green, Dr Samuel Loomis, Halloween, Jamie Lee Curtis, John Carpenter, Judy Greer, Laurie Strode, Michael Myers, Slasher Films, Slasher Genre, The Shape | 1 Comment

Review: The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (BFI London Film Festival)

Posted on October 22, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

By all that is sane and fair, Terry Gilliam’s long-awaited adaptation of Cervantes’s monumental comic novel- Don Quixote, is finally here. While the film’s sheer existence is a cause for celebration, keeping the long and arduous journey to the screen … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018 Films, Film Festivals, Indie Cinema, Rare Post, Rare Reviews, Reviews | Tagged 2018, Adam Driver, BFI London Film Festival, Cervantes, Don Quixote, Jonathan Pryce, Knight of the Rueful Countenance, Lost in La Mancha, Terry Gilliam, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote | Leave a comment

200th Post Special: My Top Ten Favourite Films

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

10) Rashomon (1950) Akira Kurosawa’s mesmerising tale about the subjective accounts of a murdered Samurai introduced the world to Japanese Cinema. Its imprint can still be traced in films as diverse as The Last Jedi and Isle of Dogs. As … Continue reading →

Posted in Lists, Star Wars, Top Fives | Tagged Before Sunset, Blade Runner, Christopher Nolan, Nosferatu the Vampyre, Phantom of the Paradise, Rashomon, Rushmore, Star Wars, The Dark Knight, Wes Anderson, Wild Strawberries, Young Frankenstein | 4 Comments

Brief Consideration: The Mad Max Series (1979-1985)

Posted on October 14, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Mad Max (1979) Mad Max is a flawed and occasionally impressive first directorial effort from George Miller. His ability to construct set pieces is the real highlight of the film. For example, the opening action scene combines subtle humour, a … Continue reading →

Posted in Brief Considerations | Tagged Barter Town, Beyond Thunderdome, Carmageddon, George Miller, Mad Max, Mel Gibson, Post-Apocalyptic, The Road Warrior, Tina Turner, Western | Leave a comment

Brief Consideration: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Sergio Leone’s 1966 film opens with an elaborate title sequence. The audience is treated to various images that range from looking like chalk-drawn wanted posters, Warhol pop art concoctions and patient stencilled undertakings. The eclectic array of styles encapsulates the … Continue reading →

Posted in Retro Reviews, Vintage Cinema Screenings | Tagged Angel Eyes, Clint Eastwood, Dollars Trilogy, Eli Wallach, Lee Van Cleef, Sergio Leone, The Bad, The Good, The Prince Charles Cinema, The Ugly, Tucco, Western | Leave a comment

Brief Consideration: The Predator (2018)

Posted on September 16, 2018 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Depending on the viewer, The Predator will either be a howling laugh riot with the occasional instance of shocking, bloody violence. Or it will play like a tedious, tone deaf and persistently erratic revival of the B-movie franchise. Count me … Continue reading →

Posted in 2018, 2018 Films | Tagged B-movie, Boyd Holbrook, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Predators, Sci-Fi, Shane Black, Sterling K. Brown, Steven Spielberg, The Predator, Thomas Jane | Leave a comment