DVD Releases: ‘Cyrus’
Charming, witty, and quintessentially quirky, Cyrus (2010) is a slice of well-worked comedy from plucky lo-fi indie brothers, Jay and Mark Duplass. John C. Reilly plays […]
DVD Releases: ‘Paranormal Activity 2’
Paranormal Activity (2007) was the infamous movie that spooked Steven Spielberg (who quickly jumped in to help distribute the film), and had audiences jolting out of […]
DVD Review: ‘Leap Year’
★☆☆☆☆ A depiction of intense loneliness and psychosexual torture, Michael Rowe’s minimalist debut feature Leap Year (Año bisiesto, 2010) raises many a difficult question with regards to its […]
DVD Review: ‘Due Date’
★★☆☆☆ When it came to co-writing his latest comedy, Due Date (2010), The Hangover (2009) director Todd Phillips took more than a few leaves out […]
DVD Releases: ‘Another Year’
Disappointment and regret loom large in Mike Leigh’s latest film, Another Year (2010). From the opening shots of Janet’s (Imelda Staunton) pained expression as she […]
Oscars 2011: 83rd Academy Awards winners
As predicted, The King’s Speech was the big success story of this year’s “new look” Academy Awards ceremony, walking away with the Oscars for ‘Best […]
Oscars 2011: 83rd Academy Awards predictions
It’s time! The 83rd American Academy Awards kick off on Monday morning at 0100 GMT, so to celebrate the return of the world’s most significant […]
Italian Film Festival 2011: Preview
In keeping with the current turmoil and unrest running amok in the world, Italy finds itself in a very confused state. Partly resigned, partly in […]
Film Review: ‘Animal Kingdom’
★★★★★ Every once in a while, a film comes along that resolutely restores your faith in cinema, which is so often tarnished by predictable genre […]
Film Review: ‘Howl’
★★☆☆☆ The hybrid Allen Ginsberg biopic/re-enactment/interview/adaptation Howl (2010) is a curious little picture. Written and directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, the film debuted at […]
Film Review: ‘Waste Land’
★★★★☆ There’s always a niggling feeling when you watch a film like Lucy Walker’s Waste Land (2010) that you’re going to be guilt tripped into sorting […]
Special Feature: On style, taste and formalism
The director of a film is usually the person who is identified as the author (or auteur), because they decide primarily how the film should […]
Ghost hunting with Paranormal Activity 2
On a cold, dark London evening, I had the chance to experience Tod Williams’ Paranormal Activity 2 (2010) – released on DVD this coming Monday […]
Special Feature: ‘Eclectic Electric All-Nighter’
The Electric Cinema – the oldest cinema in London – will be celebrating its 100th birthday this Saturday (26th February) with the ‘Eclectic Electric All-Nighter’. The venue […]
DVD Review: ‘The Living and the Dead’
★★★☆☆ Adapted by Josip Mlakic from his award-winning novel of the same name and directed by Kristijan Milic, The Living and the Dead (2007) tells the tale […]
DVD Releases: ‘Despicable Me’
In an attempt to establish themselves as genuine rivals to the sublime Pixar, Universal Pictures offers up its debut 3D animation in the form of […]
Film Review: ‘Inside Job’
★★★★☆ Nominated for Best Documentary at this year’s Academy Awards, Charles Ferguson’s Inside Job (2010) may not be the most enjoyable watch of those featured […]
Film Review: ‘Justin Bieber: Never Say Never’
★★★☆☆ Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) details the almost overnight transformation of a small town kid from Canada into an international mega star. Around the world, […]