See cinema differently
Director: Leigh Whannell Stars: Logan Marshall-Green, Betty Gabriel, Harrison Gilbertson Do you fondly recall the late 80's/early 90's boom in pulpy, violent sci-fi thrillers? Leigh Whannell sure does. The creator of Saw and Insidious returns here with a terrific ode to these pictures of yesteryear, employing many of their tics without resorting to cheap-shot homage or empty …
Director: Desiree Akhavan Stars: Chloë Grace Moretz, John Gallagher, Jr., Sasha Lane OBJECTS IN THE MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR. The above phrase, commonly stamped on wing mirrors, was made famous as a cinematic punchline in 1993 when Steven Spielberg used it to comic effect in Jurassic Park. In that movie it was a playful wink …
Director: Spike Lee Stars: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier Spike Lee's blazing return to form, BlacKkKlansman, opens with one of the most famous shots in American cinema, though not one of his own. The picture begins with the sweeping moment in Gone With The Wind when Scarlett O'Hara (Vivien Leigh) steps from the train to a sea …
Director: Aneesh Chaganty Stars: John Cho, Michelle La, Debra Messing The horror series Unfriended beat Aneesh Chaganty to the punch with the laptop-based variant of found footage cinema, but that shouldn't diminish how impressive some of the achievements are here. Searching is a new mystery thriller which wholly takes place on a computer screen, the narrative unfolding …
Director: Antoine Fuqua Stars: Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Ashton Sanders Back when I was a teenager I had a VHS copy of U.S. Marshals, the also-ran sequel to The Fugitive. That film's star Harrison Ford had bolted the fledgling franchise. Instead it was Tommy Lee Jones who reprised his role, hunting down Wesley Snipes with …
Director: Jon Turteltaub Stars: Jason Statham, Ruby Rose, Bingbing Li So The Meg already looks like it might be the biggest non-franchised hit of the summer. That such a thing exists would ordinarily be heartening as our cinemas are saturated with relentless serials and reboots... but did it have to be this? Who am I kidding? It's …
This was supposed to be a review of Cold War (pictured), the new romance from acclaimed Polish director Pawel Pawlikowski, but it's not going to be. That's a shame, because it's a film I was rather looking forward to, having been so enchanted by his last picture, Ida. Cold War takes the austere black and white aesthetic and Academy …
Continue reading "Sit Still & Shut Up: or How To Go To The Cinema"
Year: 1997 Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa Stars: Kôji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki Few films of late have gotten under my skin like Cure. I watched it thanks to the recent Eureka! edition released here in the UK under their Masters of Cinema imprint. Bought-to-see. And it hung around me for the longest time, playing on my mind, …
Year: 1972 Director: Sergio Martino Stars: Edwige Fenech, Anita Strindberg, Luigi Pistilli In spite of the significant shortcomings of their gender politics, I find myself persistently lured back into the world of early 1970's giallo cinema; that treasure trove of Italian stalk-and-slash movies identified by their black gloved killers, despicable socialites and breathtakingly cinematic original …
Continue reading "Why I Love… #97: Your Vice Is A Locked Room And Only I Have The Key"
Director: Peyton Reed Stars: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña Ant-Man And The Wasp doesn't feature any crossover characters from any other quadrant of the MCU. After the "everybody in!" maximalism of Avengers: Infinity War there's actually something nice about a pit-stop this insular. Peyton Reed's follow-up to his 2015 underdog is pleasingly small-scale, but it lands …
The Lost Highway Hotel 