Director: Carlos López Estrada Stars: Daveed Diggs, Rafael Casal, Jasmine Cephas Jones Gentrification and racist cops come under the spotlight in this vibrant, sometimes ramshackle, but always heartfelt love letter to the city of Oakland, California. Written by its two main performers and directed by the relatively unknown (but not inexperienced) Carlos López Estrada, Blindspotting is … Continue reading Review: Blindspotting
Year: 1950 Director: Anthony Mann Stars: Barbara Stanwyck, Walter Huston, Judith Anderson This year I've been fervently trying to even up my experience of the so-called golden age of cinema, in doing so I've made attempts to embrace one of the genres that I have previously spied with dubiousness and suspicion; the western. To the … Continue reading Why I Love… #100: The Furies
Year: 1965 Director: Federico Fellini Stars: Giuletta Masina, Sandra Milo, Mario Pisu Federico Fellini is one of those goliath names in world cinema, so esteemed by critics that their body of work becomes immediately intimidating. Venerated like Bergman. Like Godard. I remember vividly the first Fellini film I saw; La Dolce Vita. A shade too early … Continue reading Why I Love… #99: Juliet Of The Spirits
Director: Paul Feig Stars: Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, Henry Golding We can always count on trashy movies hitting the multiplexes year in and year out, but goddamn, few recently have been as gloriously knowing and deliciously entertaining as the latest from Paul Feig, the man behind the beloved Bridesmaids and the besmirched Ghostbusters reboot. Whatever you make … Continue reading Review: A Simple Favour
Director: Jacques Rivette Stars: Anna Karina, Liselotte Pulver, Francine Bergé Pity the poor, hasty or unobservant fool who snaps up a copy of Jacques Rivette's The Nun - newly restored and available on bluray from Studio Canal - believing it to be the recent travesty of popular horror unleashed on cinemas. You can picture the bewilderment … Continue reading Review: The Nun (1966)
Director: Jon M Chu Stars: Constance Wu, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina Even more than the western, the romcom has been all but purged from cinemas in recent years. An oft-dismissed genre, its comfort food for the soul and as such often adheres closely to a tried and tested recipe. Innovation is rare because the formula is … Continue reading Review: Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Shane Black Stars: Boyd Holbrook, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay A couple of weeks ago Leigh Whannell's snappy and vicious little sci-fi movie Upgrade earned limited release here in the UK and was seen by virtually no one. It's a film of some charm, chiefly if you're beloved of that violent brand of SF most keenly … Continue reading Review: The Predator
Director: John Carroll Lynch Stars: Harry Dean Stanton, David Lynch, Barry Shebaka Henley One of the (many) pleasures of last year's Twin Peaks revival was the precious scenes of Harry Dean Stanton reprising his role of Carl Rodd from 1992's Fire Walk With Me. His involvement added little to the typically strange plot machinations, but he added … Continue reading Review: Lucky
Director: Corin Hardy Stars: Taissa Farmiga, Bonnie Aarons, Demián Bichir Marvel may well be 20 films into their unstoppable juggernaut - having secured millions of new fans in the process - but building and sustaining a cinematic universe isn't that easy. The rise of the unexpected Conjuring universe is a case in point. James Wan's ambition is all … Continue reading Review: The Nun (2018)
Director: Bart Layton Stars: Barry Keoghan, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner To what extent are movies culpable in real life crimes? It's a question that rears its head with regularity, particularly when the perpetrator(s) are young. Popular culture has a self-evident influence over our lives, shaping (but not defining) our preferences and politics, and perhaps also … Continue reading Review: American Animals
