Once Upon A time In Hollywood review: Another classic from Quentin Tarantino August 15, 2019 Even in a summer dominated by Disney, the 9th film from Quentin Tarantino demands attention. The promise of the Pulp Fiction director’s take on The Manson Family has resulted in the biggest opening weekend ever for a Tarantino film, giving a small flicker of hope to anyone who sees a cinematic future beyond remakes and [...]
Mary, Queen of Scots review: An excellent, if factually wild, exercise in historical empathy January 18, 2019 Trailing the petticoats of Oscar contender The Favourite is another female-centric period drama about the notorious feud between Elizabeth I and Mary Stuart. Though this film is far more serious and conventional than its competition, it’s also clearly angled at awards season. Its contenders, Margot Robbie as Elizabeth and Saoirse Ronan as Mary, are undeniably [...]
Real-life Wolf of Wall Street Jordan Belfort reveals why the UK will survive Brexit October 4, 2019 The most remarkable thing about Jordan Belfort, the self-styled Wolf of Wall Street, is not his once-prodigious drug consumption or the Bacchanalian excess of his infamous company Stratton Oakmont – it’s his sheer, bloody-minded staying power. In his 56 years he’s experienced bankruptcy, drug addiction and incarceration, losing more money than most people could earn [...]
Vice movie review: Another Scorsese-esque epic from the maker of The Big Short January 25, 2019 In 2015, Adam McKay went from being known as the man who directed Will Ferrell movies to one of the most stylistically innovative filmmakers in Hollywood. Gigs overseeing Anchorman, Talladega Nights and The Other Guys, plus writing credits on films including Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters and Ant-Man, somehow gave way to The Big Short, [...]
Peter Rabbit review: Highly irritating bunnies ruin a charming rom-com loosely based on Beatrix Potter’s book March 16, 2018 From Paddington to the Big Friendly Giant, British children’s literature is killing it at the box office. It was only a matter of time, then, before someone snapped up the film rights to Beatrix Potter and her merry band of trouserless critters. It’s attracted some big stars, too; Sam Neill as the ultimate nimby Farmer [...]
Suicide Squad movie review: Jared Leto’s strong Joker game can’t save a film that’s too fixated on Margot Robbie’s behind August 2, 2016 There are lots of reasons to dislike Suicide Squad. It shamelessly fetishises guns, for instance, which in the current climate feels pretty distasteful. There are guns emblazoned with “love” and “hate”, guns made out of gold, guns that fly through the air in slow motion. It shamelessly objectifies women, particularly Margot Robbie and more particularly [...]
Queen’s Birthday Honours: the full 2021 list June 12, 2021 Below the full list of names for this year ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) The Rt. Hon. Frederick Richard Penn Curzon, The Earl Howe. For political and parliamentary service. (Amersham, Buckinghamshire) ORDER OF THE BATH Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) [...]
The Legend of Tarzan movie is visually impressive but tonally deaf and rather dull July 8, 2016 This new take on the Edgar Rice Burroughs books finds Tarzan (Alexander Skarsgard) living in Victorian London as Lord Greystoke. He is recalled to his former home in The Congo to investigate potential slave trade in the region, but has been lured into a trap by a corrupt Belgian official Captain Rom (Christoph Waltz). With [...]
The Big Long: Will the Shell-BG deal pay off? January 26, 2016 The Big Short landed in UK cinemas this weekend. The film adaptation of Michael Lewis’s best-selling novel tells the story of Wall Street outsiders who made a fortune predicting the sub-prime mortgage crisis and subsequent financial crash. If you watch the film, and you’re not too busy deciding whether it’s Ryan Gosling, Brad Pitt or [...]
The Big Short interview with director Adam McKay: “Outrage with banks comes naturally… they’re street hustlers” January 22, 2016 The Oscar-nominated director of financial film The Big Short, Adam McKay, wasn't afraid of throwing the cat among the pigeons when I caught up with him yesterday. On the eve of his latest film's release he launched a stinging attack on Wall Street, branding bankers “street hustlers” and labelling the SEC’s response to the crisis “disgusting”. [...]