Director: Joe Wright Stars: Gary Oldman, Stephen Dillane, Ben Mendelsohn It's telling that the poster for Joe Wright's Darkest Hour has been quickly reorganised so that it can boast - with a third of its acreage - that the film has been nominated for 6 Academy Awards. That space was laying in wait for those nominations, … Continue reading Review: Darkest Hour
Director: Richard Linklater Stars: Bryan Cranston, Laurence Fishburne, Steve Carell Teaming up with Darryl Ponicsan, author of the novel The Last Detail, Richard Linklater follows the one-two-three punch of Before Midnight, Boyhood and Everybody Wants Some!! with a picture that feels somewhat out of step with a lot of modern filmmaking, one that lands on limited release here in the … Continue reading Review: Last Flag Flying
Director: Steven Spielberg Stars: Meryl Streep, Tom Hanks, Sarah Paulson In January of 2017 just a few short hours after his inauguration, President Donald Trump began a war with the press. It's a situation that has perpetuated, and now dominates the perception of his time in office. That war, over the veracity of the stories … Continue reading Review: The Post
Directors: Lee Unkrich, Adrian Molina Stars: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt Pixar have delved into the metaphysical before with their high water mark Inside Out, a family adventure film that somehow also managed to encompass a bold and complex message about self-awareness and early onset depression (quite how it did this so nimbly remains … Continue reading Review: Coco
Director: Jaume Collet-Serra Stars: Liam Neeson, Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson It's strange that the Taken films kickstarted this hugely lucrative second phase in Liam Neeson's career seeing as how they're all - all - dreadful, artless, xenophobic slogs. But sometimes the means aren't as interesting as the ends. They've brought us to this point, here and now, … Continue reading Review: The Commuter
Director: Martin McDonagh Stars: Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson Culpability hangs heavy over the residents of Ebbing, Missouri in Martin McDonagh's latest film. In an early scene, embittered and grieving resident Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) whips out a flashy piece of dialogue aimed at the local pastor, more or less accusing him of culpability … Continue reading Review: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Director: Adam Robitel Stars: Lin Shaye, Angus Sampson, Caitlin Gerard With arguably the series' most ambitiously threaded story, Insidious: The Last Key spans nearly 60 years. At either end of its chronology the same motif appears; that of an oil dyke plunging away at the ground. It's a fitting visual cue for a film that is … Continue reading Review: Insidious: The Last Key
Director: Michael Gracey Stars: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams If you're going to make a musical about P.T. Barnum, the mid-19th century's 'greatest showman' and incorrigible humbug merchant, you'd better be prepared to go all out. Modern musicals are curious beasts. Take the feted La La Land from Damien Chazelle, for instance. While the sentiment … Continue reading Review: The Greatest Showman
Director: Ridley Scott Stars: Christopher Plummer, Michelle Williams, Mark Wahlberg Though it can't possibly have been the press of his choosing, the hubbub surrounding Kevin Spacey's fall from grace may have provided Ridley Scott with much-needed momentum for his new movie All The Money In The World, an elaboration of a true-life yarn that had been … Continue reading Review: All The Money In The World
