Director: Olivier Assayas Stars: Connie Nielsen, Chloë Sevigny, Gina Gershon Having been wooed by Olivier Assayas' recent output (Personal Shopper and particularly Clouds Of Sils Maria) its been gratifying to find the UK's independent labels responding to a desire to work back through his catalogue. Earlier works have been made available on physical media thanks to … Continue reading Time Capsule: Demonlover
Director: Tim Story Stars: Samuel L Jackson, Jessie T. Usher, Regina Hall Gordon Parks' 1971 film Shaft is probably the mainstream's flagship title from the blaxploitation run of the era, but it - and its sequels - are also outliers in the subgenre. The majority of the pictures that fall into this bracket were about vigilantes, … Continue reading Review: Shaft (2019)
Director: Peter Strickland Stars: Fatma Mohamed, Marianne Jean-Baptiste, Hayley Squires The sinister manipulations of inanimate objects have long antagonised our cinema screens, as horror filmmakers try to wring out truths about our obsessions with commodities. With things. This decade kicked off with an absurdist entry in the genre, as Quentin Dupieux used the prospect of … Continue reading Review: In Fabric
Director: Andrew Bujalski Stars: Regina Hall, Haley Lu Richardson, Shayna McHayle Support The Girls is a movie set almost entirely at a Hooters-style roadside sports bar and is directed by a man. But even as you draw in breath ready for your long and fatigued exhale, wait. It's also one of the best little indies … Continue reading Review: Support The Girls
Director: Josh Cooley Stars: Tom Hanks, Christina Hendricks, Keanu Reeves The BBFC certificate card for Toy Story 4 confirms that it is rated U for universal, as expected, but it also advises that the film contains 'mild violence' and 'scary scenes'. A murmur ripples out across the packed cinema audience. 'Scary scenes'? This is a Pixar … Continue reading Review: Toy Story 4
Director: David Yarovesky Stars: Elizabeth Banks, Jackson A. Dunn, David Denman With superhero movies smothering the mainstream market, there's a level of despondency that comes from realising that they're now heavily influencing the precious few 'original' ideas that make it through around the margins. For example Brightburn (exec produced by Guardians Of The Galaxy's James Gunn, and … Continue reading Review: Brightburn
As a new generation of filmmakers - particularly horror filmmakers - emerges in the states, John Carpenter's influence continues to grow more and more significant. Not only are modern directors eager to try to reproduce the suspense and terse unease of Carpenter's signature pictures, but they are also heavily influenced by the threadbare synth scores … Continue reading Minutiae: The Silence in The Fog
Since 1988 Don Mancini has been writing the 'Chucky' movies; a horror franchise that grew - somewhat improbably - out of original flick Child's Play directed by Tim Hunter. Arriving after the slasher boom, Child's Play is one of several high-concept horror ideas dotted around the late 80's and early 90's, a time when the … Continue reading Ranked: The ‘Chucky’ Films
Director: F Gary Gray Stars: Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Ferguson, Chris Hemsworth I've been accused of contrariness before, and in fairness not without reason. Fine. But here at The Lost Highway Hotel, the name Will Smith is synonymous with entirely smug, borderline unwatchable goofiness. See also Barry Sonnenfield. As a result, the Men In Black franchise has, … Continue reading Review: Men In Black International
HBO's phenomenal miniseries Chernobyl has recently come to a close. A five-part television drama that has garnered universal acclaim from critics and viewers alike, the show rigorously reconstructed the events that caused the 1986 nuclear reactor explosion and the dramatic and costly clean-up operation. It is, simply, essential viewing. It's 9.7 score on imdb (at … Continue reading The Line Between TV And Film Is Disappearing
Director: Tate Taylor Stars: Octavia Spencer, Diana Silvers, Allison Janney There's an impulse while watching Ma - the latest Blumhouse horror picture to hit multiplexes - to simply reject its premise and let it tumble down. These movies have a tendency to go either way, and for every Get Out there's a Truth Or Dare. Initially it seems … Continue reading Review: Ma
Director: Daniel Minahan Stars: Timothy Olyphant, Ian McShane, Gerald McRaney David Milch is one of America's greatest living writers and - for three beautiful years between 2004 and 2006 - Deadwood was his magnum opus, albeit a work left tantalisingly unfinished. The prestigious and foul-mouthed HBO show was abruptly cancelled at the end of its third … Continue reading Review: Deadwood The Movie
