DVD Review: The Spring River Flows East
★★★☆☆ “How much sorrow can one man bear? As much as a river of spring water flowing east.” This quotation from Li Yu’s 10th century […]
Film Review: Mildred Pierce
★★★★★ The classic film noirs – The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity, The Big Sleep – are not always known for their complex or sympathetic female characters, […]
DVD Review: Cul-de-sac
★★★☆☆ It’s difficult to remain objective in assessing the films of Roman Polanski, whose accomplishments in cinema have been rightly overshadowed by the fact that […]
Oscars 2017: Moonlight wins surprise Best Picture
Damien Chazelle’s La La Land was ousted by Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight right at the death last night as the latter claimed Best Picture in controversial […]
The Oscars: Just a Hollywood meat parade?
Of all the Oscar protests – from Sacheen Littlefeather and Marlon Brando in 1973, to #OscarsSoWhite last year, Michael Moore castigating George W. Bush and […]
Film Review: Patriots Day
★★★☆☆ It’s some time since any degree of positivity has come out of a bitterly divided, and divisive, US of A. Peter Berg’s Patriots Day […]
Film Review: It’s Only the End of the World
★★☆☆☆ Xavier Dolan has adapted theatrical works before. 2013’s Tom at the Farm was a divisive feature but rendered Michael Marc Bouchard’s play in a […]
Film Review: The Fits
★★★★☆ Just a week after Moonlight graced UK cinema screens in all its feverish beauty we’re treated to another hard-hitting US indie release that places […]
Film Review: A Cure for Wellness
★★★★☆ Gore Verbinski’s new film A Cure for Wellness returns the gothic genre to its roots in melodrama. A grand tale of love and death […]
DVD Review: Memories of Underdevelopment
★★★★☆ Regularly heralded as the greatest Cuban film of all time, Tomás Gutiérrez Alea’s Memories of Underdevelopment is a ranging, challenging work. A cine-essay blend […]
DVD Review: The Crying Game
★★★★★ The Crying Game has come to be defined by its twist. More than something like Psycho‘s shower scene, it’s treated as such a good […]
DVD Review: A Man for All Seasons
★★★★★ Just over fifty years after A Man for All Seasons won six Oscars including Best Picture and Best Actor for Paul Scofield, Fred Zinnemann’s […]
Berlin 2017: On Body and Soul review
★★★☆☆ Opening on a woodland as two deer search through the snow for food, it’s clear from the start On Body and Soul isn’t a […]
Berlin 2017: Ana, Mon Amour review
★★★☆☆ Child’s Pose director and Golden Bear-winner Cãlin Peter Netzer returns to the Berlinale with Ana, Mon Amour, a tale of love, addiction and the […]
Berlin 2017: Adriana’s Pact review
★★★★☆ “Every family has their secrets,” claims Chilean director Lissette Orozco whilst introducing her debut film Adriana’s Pact – but what happens when these secrets get […]
Film Review: Tanna
★★★★☆ “Life is sweet living below the volcano,” says Dain, one of the star-crossed lovers of the South Pacific island of Tanna which gives its […]
Film Review: Multiple Maniacs
★★★☆☆ It’s testament to John Waters’ determination to push the boundaries of perceived decency that his 1970 sophomore feature, Multiple Maniacs, remains shocking to this […]
Interview: Barry Jenkins, dir. Moonlight
In light of last year’s Oscars So White controversy, the eight Academy Award nominations bestowed on Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight could have felt like a reactionary […]