Directors: Daniels Stars: Paul Dano, Daniel Radcliffe, Mary Elizabeth Winstead It's a recurring truism of life that, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is. The cheque isn't in the mail. You probably weren't chosen out of hundreds of thousands of entrants to win the Reader's Digest sweepstake. The article you're about to … Continue reading Review: Swiss Army Man
Director: Colm McCarthy Stars: Gemma Arterton, Sennia Nanua, Glenn Close As one would imagine also applies to Mike Carey's novel (admission; I've not read it), the best way to approach The Girl With All The Gifts is with as little foreknowledge as possible, making the job of reviewing the thing that much trickier. The reason for … Continue reading Review: The Girl With All The Gifts
Director: Antoine Fuqua Stars: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Haley Bennett Denzel Washington - doggedly the least-interesting A-list actor working today - heads up the cast of this wholly unnecessary retread of John Sturges' 1960 film, itself a derivation of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai; a film which frequently finds itself in the top end of critics' polls of … Continue reading Review: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Director: Babak Anvari Stars: Narges Rashidi, Avin Manshadi, Bobby Naderi Horror films have been trying for years - decades even - to find convincing reasons for ordinarily sensible people to flee willingly into a dark and scary basement. By providing significant and thought-provoking context, Babak Anvari offers us the most believable one yet. But this is just a small … Continue reading Review: Under The Shadow
Director: David Mackenzie Stars: Chris Pine, Jeff Bridges, Ben Foster The economics of what keeps the rich rich and the poor poor often seem like a rigged game, especially in our present financial climate. It is with intense anger at this capitalist monopoly that David Mackenzie's modern Western Hell Or High Water finds relevancy. Hell, it's … Continue reading Review: Hell Or High Water
Year: 1967 Director: Seijun Suzuki Stars: Jô Shishido (Gorô Hanada), Kôji Nanbara (No 1), Anne Mari (Misako), Mariko Ogawa (Mami Hanada), Isao Tamagawa (Michihiko Yabuhara) Genre: Action / Crime Thriller Released in its native Japan in 1967, Branded To Kill was a product of Nikkatsu Studios but one of a very different stripe to their usual. At the time Nikkatsu were one of the most prolific studios … Continue reading Why I Love… #86: Branded To Kill
Director: Fede Alvarez Stars: Stephen Lang, Jane Levy, Daniel Zovatto Well, what a repugnant little thriller this is. Depending on your constitution that's either a word of warning or a ringing endorsement. Fede Alvarez's home invasion horror (exec produced by his former Evil Dead godfather Sam Raimi) is a throwback to the kind of unsavoury B pictures … Continue reading Review: Don’t Breathe
Director: Adam Wingard Stars: James Allen McCune, Callie Hernandez, Brandon Scott What is it about watching the young being preyed upon in horror movies that we find so enduring, so morbidly entertaining? Time and again we are drawn back to the well, often through perpetuating franchises. A Nightmare On Elm Street. Friday The 13th etc. And now Blair Witch, … Continue reading Review: Blair Witch
Director: Travis Knight Stars: Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Matthew McConaughey "If you must blink, do it now," the viewer is forewarned at the very top of this remarkable animated feature, followed quite wisely by, "Pay careful attention to everything you see no matter how unusual it may seem." It's a fitting mantra for the film; … Continue reading Review: Kubo And The Two Strings
Director: Andrew Dominik Arthur Cave died on July 14th 2015. He fell to his death from the Brighton cliffs after taking LSD. He was fifteen years old. These gut-wrenching facts are all over Andrew Dominik's artful documentary One More Time With Feeling but it takes a long time for them to be addressed head-on. Even then … Continue reading Review: One More Time With Feeling
I feel a mix of things writing this, predominantly fear that I am acting prematurely, attempting to organise thoughts that have yet to settle and find coherence. Yet I'm also emboldened by the kind of obsessive enthusiasm that comes with discovery; that sense of having 'found' something that seems culturally vital but that also speaks directly … Continue reading Out 1: A Personal Cinematic Landmark
Directors: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon Stars: Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill Imagine the life of an animator working for a major movie studio. The care, the patience, the precision, the meticulousness. It takes an admirable combination of creativity and technical skill. The work forces behind these movies are thought of with great esteem and … Continue reading Review: Sausage Party
Director: Woody Allen Stars: Kristen Stewart, Jesse Eisenberg, Steve Carell Say what you will about Woody Allen (and there's plenty that could be said for sure - just ask Susan Sarandon), but the man seems to know a thing or two about love. One way or another he's been around the block a few times, … Continue reading Review: Café Society
