REVIEW: Ema (2020)
“Another stunningly shot, morally fascinating piece of work from Pablo Larraín” Rating: ★★★★½ Directed by: Pablo Larraín Written by: Guillermo Calderón, Alejandro Moreno Cast: Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael García Bernal, Santiago Cabrera A couple deals with the aftermath of an adoption that goes awry as…
REVIEW: Fanny Lye Deliver’d (London Film Festival 2019)
On a secluded farm in Shropshire, England in 1657 lives the Lye family: wife Fanny (Maxime Peake), her husband John (Charles Dance) and son Arthur. They live a spartan, quiet, puritanical life. John is the unquestioned patriarch of the house and rules the farm with…
REVIEW: Babyteeth (London Film Festival 2019)
The heart-wrenching juxtaposition of the early embers of young love, as you look to navigate feelings that have been up to now, been quite alien to you. With the potential finality that could strike with a debilitating illness, clinging to those shreds of positivity as…
REVIEW: Monsoon (London Film Festival 2019)
In his magnetic feature-length debut ‘Lilting’, director Hong Khaou keenly observed a mother and her deceased son’s boyfriend as they poignantly tried to overcome the language barrier, to find a commonality in their respective grief. Now he looks to deploy a similar delicacy and quiet…
REVIEW: A Beautiful Day in the Neighbourhood (London Film Festival 2019)
A dearly beloved children’s television host whose mild-mannered nature along with his wonderful wisdom charmed many an American. Yet the reputation built and his lasting impact perhaps didn’t quite translate to our shores until Morgan Neville’s well-received award-winning documentary ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ last…
REVIEW: Portrait of a Lady on Fire (London Film Festival 2019)
‘I’ve dreamt of that for years. Dying? Running.’ The heart-stopping meet cute shared by Noemie Merlant’s blossoming painter Marianne and Adele Haenel’s reluctant bride-to-be Heloise on the edge of the cliff, whose longing stares into the wide crystal blue waters epitomise the isolation felt and…
REVIEW: Vivarium (London Film Festival 2019)
From the moment that Vivarium’s opening bright red credits flash onto the screen à la Michael Haneke’s Funny Games, you know you’re in for a wild, unpredictable ride. When young couple Tom (Jesse Eisenberg) and Gemma (Imogen Poots) arrive at an estate agency looking to…
REVIEW: The Irishman (London Film Festival 2019)
It is hard to put into words just what Martin Scorsese means to me as a film fan, as I’m sure everybody reading this could attest to. His influence on cinema, filmmaking, and pop culture is absolutely unparalleled; come on, I even named my pet…
REVIEW: Pink Wall (London Film Festival 2019)
“As a whole, for a directorial debut, it’s quite brilliant how assured this film is by Tom Cullen” Rating: ★★★★½ Directed by: Tom Cullen Written by: Tom Cullen Cast: Tatiana Maslany, Jay Duplass, Sarah Ovens Release Date: 15th November 2019 Six scenes. Six years. Six…
REVIEW: The Report (London Film Festival 2019)
In December 2014, 525 pages of a 6,725-page report on the CIA’s post-9/11 use of torture on terror suspects were released. The rest of the original, unredacted report remains classified, but Scott Z. Burns’ political docudrama The Report sheds light on the investigation, spearheaded by…
REVIEW: Uncut Gems (London Film Festival 2019)
The Safdie Brothers (Josh and Benny) made their mark in 2017 with the excellent Good Time. With a fantastic performance from Robert Pattinson, this taut thriller expertly demonstrated the brothers ability to create tension, and if your nerves weren’t shredded enough then, just you wait…
REVIEW: The House of Us (London Film Festival 2019)
Taking elements of Hirokazu Kore-eda’s explorations of family units, and the vivid, childlike lens of Sean Baker’s The Florida Project, Ga-eun Yoon’s film about three girls who make a family of their own is a heart-warming and gorgeous depiction of childhood that is impossible not…
REVIEW: Jojo Rabbit (London Film Festival 2019)
Right from the start, Jojo Rabbit had critics and the audience divided. Premiering at the Toronto film festival it was received with both praise and criticism mainly because of its portrayal of Nazis. Packed with a star-filled cast who all received praise helped it win the People’s Choice…
