★★★☆☆ A man sits alone in a room with a notepad and begins to scribble down his own voiceover. He only writes on one page and seems to always be starting at the top. His thoughts will be meticulous and he will show a certain expertise. When he’s finished writing he will place the pen on the table, neatly aligned with the pad.
★★☆☆☆ Bereavement, mental health, the threadbare US social welfare system and homelessness are the heavy topics that British-born director Deborah Richards tackles in her debut feature. Unfortunately, their worthy but superficial and somewhat incoherent presentation means that Move Me No Mountain is an emotionally and thematically inert experience.
★★★☆☆ Sometimes, it’s tough being really skilled at one thing in particular. Having flown out the blocks with two supremely good, bonafide hit horror films (Hereditary, Midsommar), writer and director Ari Aster had to make a departure to avoid being pigeon-holed as a genre specialist.
Hidden away in an unassuming corner of Bermondsey, Roxy Bar & Screen is one of London’s best-kept cinema secrets. It’s an intimate screen which seats cinemagoers in a lounge bar setting, blurring the lines between pub and screen with an...
★★☆☆☆ Whilst there is much to be enjoyed in Johnny Daukes’ debut feature Acts of Godfrey (2012), including the poetic musings of Simon Callow and a suitably dark and comedic performance by comedian Harry Enfield, the film ultimately fails to...
★★★★☆ Betrand Bonello’s latest film House of Tolerance (2011), which was nominated for the Palme d’Or at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, is sumptuous cinema devoid of the typical clichés that plague costume dramas. Instead, it offers a bold and...
★★★☆☆ If you know the track record of French animator Bibo Bergeron – responsible for 2004’s Shark Tale and 2000’s The Road To El Dorado– you may assume that it would be best to stay clear of his latest directorial...
★★★☆☆ Drake Doremus’ Like Crazy (2011) is the latest in a long line of American independent films which have recently taken a bitter-sweet approach towards romance. Up-and-coming duo Felicity Jones and Anton Yelchin (with support from Jennifer Lawrence) star as a pair of...
★★★★☆ Chilling in every sense of the word, The Grey (2012) – though visually stunning – is unlikely to make you want to visit Alaska anytime soon. Starring Oscar nominee Liam Neeson, Frank Grillo and Dermot Mulroney, this thriller from...
★★★★☆ About Schmidt (2002) and Sideways (2004) director Alexander Payne returns triumphantly after a seven-year hiatus with the wonderfully poignant, Hawaii-based comic-drama The Descendants (2011), starring Hollywood megastar George Clooney in what is arguably his most impressive role to date.Matt...
★★☆☆☆ Sitting through Jes Benstock’s The British Guide to Showing Off (2011) is (presumably) like a bad acid trip – loud, garish and leaves you with the worst come-down in history. This documentary about the alternative artist and sculptor Andrew...
★★★★☆ The premise of 30 Minutes or Less (2011), the latest film from Zombieland (2009) director Ruben Fleischer, sounds slightly worrying – how was an action comedy starring Jesse Eisenberg and Danny McBride, concerning a couple of inept crooks and a pizza...
★★★☆☆ Life, Above All (2010) – which has been compared to 2009’s Precious – enjoyed a warm reception on the festival circuit and was met with a ten minute standing ovation on its debut at the Cannes Film Festival. In...
★☆☆☆☆ It defies logic how some films get made – Scott Spiegel’s Hostel: Part III (2011) has no redeeming virtues whatsoever, a perfect example of what would have been branded a video nasty during the 1980s. The third instalment in...
★★★☆☆ It’s taken just over 18 months for Catherine Breillat’s Bluebeard (2009) to make its way to DVD (courtesy of New Wave Films), following a limited UK cinematic release back in July 2010. Initial critical reception remained mixed, with many...