Author Archives: Sartaj Govind Singh

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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.”

Initial Impression: It (2017)

Posted on September 13, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Of late the mainstream money-spinners in the horror genre have been films that are constructed like elaborate and intricate games of peekaboo, jolting the audience into a temporary shocked reaction, which in the end is unfulfilling and tiresome. In the … Continue reading →

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Initial Impression: Twin Peaks: The Return (2017)

Posted on September 6, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

While I still can’t decide whether the season finale of Twin Peaks: The Return was audacious or disappointing, I do think it’s foggy and elusive conclusion burns brightly with a universal truth. Even with the best intentions, grief cannot be … Continue reading →

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Review: RoboCop (1987)

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

RoboCop was one of my first forbidden movie fruits. The initial tantalising peep was during a late night showing on television when the recently deceased police officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) was being brought back to life as the title … Continue reading →

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Personal Tribute: George Romero

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

When reflecting on the recent passing of the revered horror director George Romero, the first thing that comes to mind is the long-standing filmmaker had a social conscience. His creation of the Zombie sub-genre unleashed a Rorschach test of a … Continue reading →

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Personal Tribute: Martin Landau

Posted on August 7, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

In all of his performances, Martin Landau effortlessly conveyed the interior life of his characters. In Alfred Hitchcock’s North by Northwest, he plays Leonard, a heavy who assists Phillip Vandamm (James Mason) in his nefarious acts against Roger Thornhill. (Carey … Continue reading →

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Review: War for the Planet of the Apes (2017)

Posted on August 1, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

War for the Planet of the Apes is a bludgeoning film of empty, and meaningless metaphors wrapped up in the clothing of presumed depth. It’s the sort of picture that feigns profundity, but instead, collapses under the weight of its … Continue reading →

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Review: Dunkirk (2017)

Posted on July 25, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Dunkirk is an audacious and brutal war picture that shell shocks with a furious invention and skilled cinematic craftsmanship. Told in a triptych structure: the film depicts the Dunkirk evacuation from the perspective of three Spitfire pilots who patrol the … Continue reading →

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Brief Consideration: Dune (1984)

Posted on July 18, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

At a recent 70mm screening of David Lynch’s Dune, the film’s strange power captivated me, in the same manner, as witnessing an exotic dancer who rhythmically struts with utterly reckless abandon. The larger canvas was a fever dream of superimposed … Continue reading →

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Initial Impression: Logan (2017)

Posted on July 16, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Logan is a Film Noir in Western clothing. The sombre and significant final outing for Hugh Jackman’s interpretation of Wolverine is striking in its evocation of the classic American genre. Rather than existing in a heightened expressionistic world of shadowy … Continue reading →

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Concise Review: Spider-Man Homecoming (2017)

Posted on July 9, 2017 by Sartaj Govind Singh

Spider-Man Homecoming is more a pat on the back with half measured niceties than a triumphant and cheer-inducing return. The sixteenth Marvel picture in the cinematic canon boasts an adolescent high school Peter Parker, (Tom Holland) whose desire of wanting … Continue reading →

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