Year: 2000 Director: John Fawcett Stars: Katherine Isabelle, Emily Perkins, Jesse Moss When it comes to teen horrors that writhe exquisitely in the perverse joys of the macabre, few come close to touching John Fawcett's turn-of-the-millennium offering Ginger Snaps. Conceived in partnership with Karen Walton and brought to life from her acidic script (gleefully prefiguring the … Continue reading Why I Love… #121: Ginger Snaps
Director: Natalie Erika James Stars: Emily Mortimer, Bella Heathcote, Robyn Nevin With most UK cinemas shuttered, you might be hard-pressed to find a new set of scares this Halloween, but consider the arrival of Natalie Erika James' new Australian offering, which has plenty of chills to suit your needs this October 31st. Indeed, chilly is … Continue reading Review: Relic
Director: Sofia Coppola Stars: Rashida Jones, Marlon Wayans, Bill Murray During the rounds for The Beguiled, the whiteness of Sofia Coppola's cinema became part of The Discourse. Though persons of colour have played minor or supporting roles here and there in her work, it was fair criticism - especially considering that film's setting - and … Continue reading Review: On The Rocks
Director: Mark Williams Stars: Liam Neeson, Kate Walsh, Jeffrey Donovan Mark Williams' Honest Thief is a film so bad I can't even hate it. Instead, it just made me feel a kind of sad pity. The kind of pity you feel for a family pet that's DEFINITELY going to have to be put down; it's … Continue reading Review: Honest Thief
Director: Zu Quirke Stars: Sydney Sweeney, Madison Iseman, Jacques Colimon Sibling rivalry, bloody-minded ambition and collegiate pressure all coalesce in Zu Quirke's excellent slow-burn creeper, Nocturne; the jewel in the crown thus far of Amazon Prime's Welcome to the Blumhouse strand. Juliet (Sydney Sweeney) and Vivian (Madison Iseman) are non-identical twins approaching 18 years of age, … Continue reading Review: Nocturne
Director: Francis Lee Stars: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Alec Secareanu The sky is an endless rubble of grey; a shingled beach all of its own, as though doubling the Lyme Regis coastline where Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) scours for fossils. An intense feeling of cold permeates Ammonite at all times, from it's emotionally frozen protagonist … Continue reading Review: Ammonite
Director: Małgorzata Szumowska Stars: Raffey Cassidy, Denise Gough, Michiel Huisman There are a couple of notable firsts happening in Małgorzata Szumowska's new folk-horror, which has arrived on MUBI. It marks the Polish director's English-language debut, immediately making her work more accessible to UK audiences. And, in addition, it marks the first time Raffey Cassidy has … Continue reading Review: The Other Lamb
I first went to Exeter Picturehouse in the middle of 2000. I was a moody 17-year-old who had become partially fixated by Jeffrey Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides. I knew Sofia Coppola had made a movie of it and I was desperate to see it. But it was something of an 'indie' movie (I was by no … Continue reading An ode to Exeter Picturehouse
Director: Phyllida Lloyd Stars: Clare Dunne, Conleth Hall, Harriet Walter Dublin's housing problem and escalating counts of domestic violence - and the linkages between the two - are fine and worthy social issues to investigate in film. Indeed, for Clare Dunne, Herself has been a passion project for the better part of a decade, since she … Continue reading Review: Herself
Director: Veena Sud Stars: Mireille Enos, Peter Sarsgaard, Joey King A look at the copyright date stamp for The Lie reveals that, while it may be new to Amazon Prime as part of the 'Welcome to the Blumhouse' cycle of TV movies for Halloween, it's been on the shelf for a couple of years. This needn't mean … Continue reading Review: The Lie
Director: Emmanuel Osei-Kuffour, Jr. Stars: Mamoudou Athie, Phylicia Rashād, Amanda Christine This month Blumhouse Pictures are treating us to four new tricks, all available on Amazon Prime, so that we can get into the Halloween spirit from the comfort of our armchairs. One of the first up is Black Box, a sci-fi exploration of traumatic memory … Continue reading Review: Black Box
Year: 1999 Director: Claire Denis Stars: Denis Lavant, Grégoire Colin, Michel Subor My first exposure to Claire Denis was Bastards early in 2014 and I reacted very strongly. I was confused and repelled by what I perceived as cryptic ugliness and misery porn; a position I have since revised. In fact, Bastards now ranks among my favourite … Continue reading Why I Love… #120: Beau Travail
Director: Oz Rodriguez Stars: Jaden Michael, Sarah Gadon, Imani Lewis There are strong Attack the Block vibes coming off of this New York teen-horror picture new to Netflix. Set within the neighbourhood of the title, Oz Rodriguez's playful feature takes aim at opportunistic real estate firms buying up properties to wholesale gentrify urban communities. Capitalist … Continue reading Review: Vampires vs the Bronx
Director: Kirsten Johnson This year has seen a lot of people lose elderly relatives to the ongoing global pandemic and most families have been unable to say a traditional goodbye through funeral ceremonies. Reduced gatherings, social distancing... these things and more have been barriers at times, stopping us from communing when we most feel the … Continue reading Review: Dick Johnson is Dead
Director: Sarah Gavron Stars: Bukky Bakray, Kosar Ali, Shaneigha-Monik Greyson Sarah Gavron first came to my attention with her quirky, singular documentary on life in a remote Greenland hamlet, Village at the End of the World. That film prominently featured a young man often dissatisfied and at odds with his environment. Gavron's latest - a narrative … Continue reading Review: Rocks
