Director: Ben Wheatley Stars: Ellora Torchia, Joel Fry, Hayley Squires From one extreme to the other; those keeping an eye on the timeline here at The Lost Highway Hotel will note this is the second review of the day following Jon M Chu's In the Heights. It's a swift move from all-singing all-dancing to Ben Wheatley's … Continue reading Review: In the Earth
Director: Jon M Chu Stars: Leslie Grace, Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera The New York neighbourhood of Washington Heights - situated just off the Hudson river - is a melting pot of Latin American families, here spotlighted in Jon M Chu's musical based on the stage show from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Chu - who a … Continue reading Review: In the Heights
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson Stars: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Hirona Yamazaki I've never played a Monster Hunter game and couldn't tell you a thing about them. Thing is, when it comes to Paul W. S. Anderson adapting a video game to the big screen (something he has a habit of doing), it rarely really … Continue reading Review: Monster Hunter
Year: 1971 Director: Ted Kotcheff Stars: Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty With much of the UK currently enjoying our annual summer sun (known as a nice weekend in other countries), I've been thinking about movies that reflect or express a sense of heat and hotness. I'm terrible in hot weather. I get grouchy, I … Continue reading Why I Love… #134: Wake in Fright
Director: Aleem Khan Stars: Joanna Scanlan, Nathalie Richard, Talid Ariss Actor Nasser Memarzia barely appears in After Love, but his character - Ahmed - is present in every scene. A Pakistani immigrant married to a white British woman Mary/Fahina (Joanna Scanlan), Ahmed lives a transitory life thanks to his work, which sees him spending as much … Continue reading Review: After Love
Director: Emma Seligman Stars: Rachel Sennott, Fred Melamed, Polly Draper Emma Seligman's Shiva Baby (which I choose to believe is named as such in a nod of respect to '70s Pam Grier action flick Sheba, Baby) arrives via MUBI in the UK on a promising wave of praise; praise that is (yes!) absolutely deserved. Seligman's debut … Continue reading Review: Shiva Baby
Director: Florian Zeller Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Imogen Poots, Olivia Colman Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) would be so much more at ease if he knew where his watch was. Time is a great solidifier, you see. We take it for granted, but when you know when you are then the rest all tends to fall into place. … Continue reading Review: The Father
Director: Ilya Naishuller Stars: RZA, Connie Nielsen, Bob Odenkirk I'm currently under siege from a nudist junkie wannabe-DJ next-door neighbour in his late 40s who insists on playing loud '90s dance music at all hours, often for up to 12 hours at a time. Just recently, this has included a 10-day jag of consecutive all-night … Continue reading Review: Nobody
Year: 1999 Director: Steven Soderbergh Stars: Terence Stamp, Luis Guzmán, Peter Fonda Time has revealed Joss Whedon as a less than admirable source of influence, but I do have to tip my hat to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator for leading me to - I'll say it - Steven Soderbergh's finest. Back around the turn … Continue reading Why I Love… #133: The Limey
Director: Karim Kassem Stars: Karim Kassem, Zeinab Hind Khadra, Lyne Ramadan For a new generation of global filmmakers, the lines that separate drama and documentary have become a fertile ground for experimentation and play. One might feel cautious; that the fidelity of the truth might have become watered down after Trump and everything else. But … Continue reading Viewfinder: Only the Winds
Director: John Krasinski Stars: Noah Jupe, Cillian Murphy, Millicent Simmonds John Krasinski's A Quiet Place was an unassuming hit. Nobody really expected much from him as a director, let alone a smash sci-hi horror with a wicked gimmick and a heartfelt crush for Spielberg. I remember when I saw the film in a capacity screening for … Continue reading Review: A Quiet Place Part II
Director: Gorô Miyazaki English Voice Dub Stars: Kacey Musgraves, Taylor Henderson, Vanessa Marshall Poor Gorô Miyazaki. It's not easy being the son of one of the most gifted living directors of animated features, especially when you decide to walk the same path. That's one hell of a shadow to step out of. Not only that, … Continue reading Review: Earwig and the Witch
Director: Ira Sachs Stars: Isabelle Huppert, Marisa Tomei, Sennia Nanua Ira Sachs' films have been generally well-received and have played locally, but its taken the involvement of Isabelle Huppert to truly draw me into the fold. From the outside, I had perceived his work to have a kind of low-stakes, mild-mannered and wholly middle class … Continue reading Review: Frankie
The work of Kelly Reichardt is considered immortal here at The Lost Highway Hotel. She is, without a doubt, one of the premiere filmmakers working in the United States at the moment. Her work is parred down, particular and poetic in its affinity to the Midwest, its people and history. Her oeuvre is a landlocked … Continue reading Ranked: Kelly Reichardt
Director: Michael Chaves Stars: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, John Noble The eighth film to emerge in this franchise since James Wan kicked it off in 2013, the laboriously titled The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It goes hard embracing the hoariest tropes that make popcorn horror movies easy pickings for criticism, and catnip for punters after … Continue reading Review: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
