★★★☆☆ New York hip hop antagonists Beastie Boys are a group who have often defied the very notion of pigeon-holing, blending elements of rap, punk and a myriad of samples into their own unique sound. So it feels somewhat fitting that any documentary on the trio should do the same. Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ The opening film of this year’s hastily – and impressively – digitised CPH:DOX festival, Kenneth Sorento’s The Fight for Greenland offers a balanced, clear-eyed view of an indigenous populace grappling with the prospect of autonomy from the Kingdom of Denmark. Colonised by the Danish in the early 18th century, Continue Reading
With the Cannes Film Festival now postponing its 2020 edition in light of the global Covid-19 epidemic until late June at the earliest, and other major fests either cancelling or delaying in recent weeks, CPH:DOX has arguably led the way in adapting to the current situation. Running from 18-29 March, Continue Reading
Parasite’s Korean director Bong Joon-ho upset the odds to win both Best Picture and Best Director at this year’s Academy Awards on a night of mixed feelings over the Academy’s perceived lack of diversity. Sam Mendes’ First World War epic 1917 flagged somewhat after its seven-award Bafta triumph, with Disney Continue Reading
It may be early February but – thanks to a compressed awards season – the 92nd Academy Awards are almost upon us. Once again, concerns over diversity and representation have dominated the discourse, with only one non-white nominee across the four acting categories in the form of British actress Cynthia Continue Reading
★★★★☆ Paul Thomas Anderson’s Punch-Drunk Love has long been held aloft by Adam Sandler advocates as proof of the 53-year-old’s acting chops. While years of shoddy comedies have undone some of that good work, A24 and Netflix thriller Uncut Gems is another sorely-needed reminder of his obvious talents. The latest film from Continue Reading
The winners of this year’s EE British Academy Film Awards were announced earlier this evening at a star-studded ceremony hosted by Graham Norton. 1917 was the big story of the night, winning both Best Film and Best Director for Sam Mendes. Joaquin Phoenix gave a rousing speech on diversity in the industry Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ Industry commentators were somewhat taken aback by Kathy Bates’ Best Supporting Actress nomination for her role in Clint Eastwood’s latest “fact-based” drama, Richard Jewell. Not only was this seen as the sacrilegious nod that knocked Hustlers’ Jennifer Lopez out of the Oscar race, but it was also for a Continue Reading
★★★☆☆ Acclaimed satirist Armando Iannucci follows up the pitch-black delights of 2017’s The Death of Stalin with The Personal History of David Copperfield, a relatively conventional Charles Dickens adaptation embellished with occasional flashes of the Scotsman’s abrasive humour. This is – by this writer’s count at least – the eighth Continue Reading
The nominations for this year’s 92nd Academy Awards were announced this morning. As was the case with the Baftas a week prior, Todd Phillips’ Joker led the way with a huge eleven nominations, followed by Sam Mendes’ 1917, Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood all on ten. Continue Reading
The nominations for this year’s EE British Academy Film Awards were announced this morning. Todd Phillips’ Joker led the way with a huge eleven nominations, followed by Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman and Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood on ten. Sam Mendes’ First World War epic 1917 – released Continue Reading
Despite receiving a total of 34 nominations across film and television, Netflix limped away from this year’s Golden Globes ceremony with just two awards – Best Supporting Actress for Marriage Story’s Laura Dern and Olivia Colman for her star performance in The Crown. Sam Mendes’ First World War epic 1917 picked up Continue Reading
Tail-ended by superb new offerings from the likes of Martin Scorsese (The Irishman), Noah Baumbach (Marriage Story) and Greta Gerwig (Little Women), 2019 has been a vintage year for not only American filmmaking but world cinema. Our top picks of 2019 reflect some of the quality and variety of this Continue Reading
With Netflix’s The Irishman and Marriage Story dominating early awards season debate – and both featuring in our collective top ten – the streaming platforms have truly arrived as major contenders to the traditional studios. And it wasn’t just in the field of English-language filmmaking that Netflix made major gains. Continue Reading
Seeing out its 23rd edition as the snow gently fell outside of Tallinn’s Russian Theatre, the Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) yesterday crowned Anshul Chauhan’s Japanese father and daughter tale Kontora (pictured above) as the Grand Prix winner, with the Best Director award going to Filippino filmmaker Jun Robles Jana Continue Reading