On behalf of my fellow judges, Emma Clarke and Jo Wilson, I would first like to congratulate the organisers of this first Graham Greene Film Review Competition, and then, most heartily, commend all those who entered this inaugural contest which has, of course, taken place in the dark shadow […]
The Graham Greene Film Review Competition
Winning Review: Andrew Key for Fruitvale Station
Judges’ Comments: Fruitvale Station, a searing 2013 docu-drama about the last day in the life of a young African American man shot by police in the San Francisco Bay area in 2008. We thought: ‘The writing is controlled and intelligent and denotes the reviewer’s admiration for the film while allowing the reader to make up […]
First Runner-Up: Catherine O’Sullivan for The Assistant
Judges’ Comments: The very, very close first runner-up was Kitty Green’s recent The Assistant, a claustrophobic drama set in a film production office. This, we all agreed, was ‘an impressive review that flows easily between critiquing the film itself and a dialogue about the world it exposes. There is an intelligent analyst at work here.’ […]
Second Runner-Up: Maddy Fry for The Green Mile
Judges’ Comments: The Green Mile, Frank Darabont’s epic 1999 adaptation of Stephen King’s Death Row drama: the critic thought it a ‘masterpiece’ and argued ‘passionately’ in its favour. We also felt the reviewer ‘shined a nicely ironic eye on the subject matter’s outdated view on women and race, noting the imbalances but setting them […]