See cinema differently
Director: Todd Haynes Stars: Mark Ruffalo, Bill Camp, Anne Hathaway Remember the vast warehouse in Raiders of the Lost Ark where the titular treasure is surreptitiously hidden at the end of the movie? Imagine being the person who has to go in there and find it again. Without guidance. Or, not only that, collate all …
Director: Philippa Lowthorpe Stars: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jessie Buckley, Keira Knightley Philippa Lowthorpe's rosy-cheeked dramatisation of the Women's Lib protest at the 1970 Miss World competition in London is defined by division. It abuts viewpoints and gathers its strands from different nations and perspectives. From the outset it seems unlikely that it will coalesce. Before the …
Director: Richard Stanley Stars: Nicolas Cage, Madeleine Arthur, Elliot Knight What causes a meteorite to crash land on the farm property of the Gardner family? Could it be the incantation performed by teenage witch Lavinia (Madeleine Arthur) in an effort to cure her mother's (Joely Richardson) cancer? Is it a kind of divine intervention sent …
Director: Autumn de Wilde Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Mia Goth, Miranda Hart Given her appearances in the likes of High Life, Luca Guadagnino's Suspiria and The Cure For Wellness, any sighting of Mia Goth in the advanced previews of a movie now leads me to automatically assume it's going to be a weird/dour pressure-cooker experience where everything's liable to …
Director: Céline Sciamma Stars: Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luà na Bajrami Walking home from seeing Portrait of a Lady on Fire, I reached the crossing at a roundabout, pressed the small circular button and waited for the lights to change. Shimmying slightly through my glasses, the green man lit up clearly and I stepped onto the …
Director: Jeff Baena Stars: Alison Brie, John Ortiz, Toby Huss Alison Brie is Sarah, a wallflower-type in her 30's who works in a crafts store. In her spare time she enjoys horses (hence the name here) and her favourite TV show is a supernatural series called Purgatory. She also has a disconcerting habit of waking up …
Last year, when the Parasite press tour was still gaining momentum, writer/director Bong Joon-Ho was asked his opinion of the Academy Awards and, in typical joking fashion, he dismissed the ceremony as "local" and, by extension, not seen as particularly important on the world stage. It's delightful to think that director Bong goaded the Oscars into …
Continue reading "#OscarSoLocal – We Don’t Need Best International Picture Anymore"
Director: Terrence Malick Stars: August Diehl, Valerie Pachner, Bruno Ganz It took 25 years for Terrence Malick to create three features; Badlands, Days of Heaven and The Thin Red Line. Who among us would have predicted the six he has given us over the last decade? This late career run produced some astonishing if polarising work, as …
Director: Cathy Yan Stars: Margot Robbie, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ella Jay Basco What to do about comic book movies? They're not going anywhere, at least not for the foreseeable. It's in vogue right now for 'highbrow' directors to vocally shit-talk them, and these comments are not without merit. These flicks are largely very similar to one …
Continue reading "Review: Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn"
Director: Bong Joon-Ho Stars: Song Kang-Ho, Lee Sun-Kyun, Cho Yeo-Jeong Throughout his career, writer/director Bong Joon-Ho has been preoccupied with matters of class and entitlement. From the underdog family at the centre of monster-movie riff The Host to the very premise of train-bound sci-fi Snowpiercer. Bong has a penchant for asking us to root for …
Director: Marielle Heller Stars: Matthew Rhys, Tom Hanks, Susan Kelechi Watson We didn't really have Mr Rogers in the UK, but we had - and we have - Tom Hanks. From the every-man goofiness of his early comedies, through the earnest '90s to the kind, middle-aged statesman of many a Steven Spielberg picture, Hanks has …
Continue reading "Review: A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood"
The Lost Highway Hotel 