Director: Magnus von Horn Stars: Magdalena Koleśnik, Julian Swiezewski, Alexsandra Konieczna We are a planet of abundant over-sharers. Culturally, collectively, globally... we're obsessed with self-documentation. From selfies to 'stories', news feeds, tweets and everything in between, this website included. We're habitually cataloging our lives, uploading and updating a persistent stream of information that's too vast … Continue reading Review: Sweat
Director: Prano Bailey-Bond Stars: Niamh Algar, Sophia La Porta, Michael Smiley In Britain in the early '80s, numerous low-rent horror films became the scapegoat of the Tory government's ills, dubbed "video nasties" and cut to ribbons by the British Board of Film Censors (now the British Board of Film Classification). This in an effort to … Continue reading Review: Censor
Director: Justin Lin Stars: John Cena, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson There's a point in nearly any long-running TV series or soap opera when desperate writers will start to retcon character histories to bring in hitherto unknown relatives (usually younger siblings) in an effort to tell new stories and freshen up the cast list. It usually … Continue reading Review: Fast & Furious 9
Year: 1999 Director: Jamie Babbit Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Clea Duvall, Melanie Lynskey When I first saw and enthusiastically responded to Desiree Akhavan's fervent take-down of queer conversion therapy The Miseducation of Cameron Post, I had neither seen nor heard of Jamie Babbit's 1999 satirical masterclass But I'm A Cheerleader. Which is not to say I … Continue reading Why I Love… #135: But I’m a Cheerleader
Director: Ben Wheatley Stars: Ellora Torchia, Joel Fry, Hayley Squires From one extreme to the other; those keeping an eye on the timeline here at The Lost Highway Hotel will note this is the second review of the day following Jon M Chu's In the Heights. It's a swift move from all-singing all-dancing to Ben Wheatley's … Continue reading Review: In the Earth
Director: Jon M Chu Stars: Leslie Grace, Anthony Ramos, Melissa Barrera The New York neighbourhood of Washington Heights - situated just off the Hudson river - is a melting pot of Latin American families, here spotlighted in Jon M Chu's musical based on the stage show from Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda. Chu - who a … Continue reading Review: In the Heights
Director: Paul W. S. Anderson Stars: Milla Jovovich, Tony Jaa, Hirona Yamazaki I've never played a Monster Hunter game and couldn't tell you a thing about them. Thing is, when it comes to Paul W. S. Anderson adapting a video game to the big screen (something he has a habit of doing), it rarely really … Continue reading Review: Monster Hunter
Year: 1971 Director: Ted Kotcheff Stars: Gary Bond, Donald Pleasence, Chips Rafferty With much of the UK currently enjoying our annual summer sun (known as a nice weekend in other countries), I've been thinking about movies that reflect or express a sense of heat and hotness. I'm terrible in hot weather. I get grouchy, I … Continue reading Why I Love… #134: Wake in Fright
Director: Aleem Khan Stars: Joanna Scanlan, Nathalie Richard, Talid Ariss Actor Nasser Memarzia barely appears in After Love, but his character - Ahmed - is present in every scene. A Pakistani immigrant married to a white British woman Mary/Fahina (Joanna Scanlan), Ahmed lives a transitory life thanks to his work, which sees him spending as much … Continue reading Review: After Love
Director: Emma Seligman Stars: Rachel Sennott, Fred Melamed, Polly Draper Emma Seligman's Shiva Baby (which I choose to believe is named as such in a nod of respect to '70s Pam Grier action flick Sheba, Baby) arrives via MUBI in the UK on a promising wave of praise; praise that is (yes!) absolutely deserved. Seligman's debut … Continue reading Review: Shiva Baby
Director: Florian Zeller Stars: Anthony Hopkins, Imogen Poots, Olivia Colman Anthony (Anthony Hopkins) would be so much more at ease if he knew where his watch was. Time is a great solidifier, you see. We take it for granted, but when you know when you are then the rest all tends to fall into place. … Continue reading Review: The Father
Director: Ilya Naishuller Stars: RZA, Connie Nielsen, Bob Odenkirk I'm currently under siege from a nudist junkie wannabe-DJ next-door neighbour in his late 40s who insists on playing loud '90s dance music at all hours, often for up to 12 hours at a time. Just recently, this has included a 10-day jag of consecutive all-night … Continue reading Review: Nobody
Year: 1999 Director: Steven Soderbergh Stars: Terence Stamp, Luis Guzmán, Peter Fonda Time has revealed Joss Whedon as a less than admirable source of influence, but I do have to tip my hat to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator for leading me to - I'll say it - Steven Soderbergh's finest. Back around the turn … Continue reading Why I Love… #133: The Limey
Director: Karim Kassem Stars: Karim Kassem, Zeinab Hind Khadra, Lyne Ramadan For a new generation of global filmmakers, the lines that separate drama and documentary have become a fertile ground for experimentation and play. One might feel cautious; that the fidelity of the truth might have become watered down after Trump and everything else. But … Continue reading Viewfinder: Only the Winds
