Joachim Trier’s The Worst Person in the World review: An instant classic March 27, 2022 Director Joachim Trier rounds out his Oslo Trilogy, which began with 2006’s Reprise and continued with 2011 Cannes favourite Oslo, August 31st. For this final chapter, Trier has chosen a romantic comedy, one of the more challenging film genres with all its tropes and cliches to avoid. Yet, by subverting all of those conventions he [...]
Chopper is 20 years old, and still a brutal, brilliant modern great March 26, 2022 The early 2000s were a goldmine for stylish crime classics. Films like Sexy Beast and Lock, Stock… might have stolen the headlines, but The 21st century had barely started when a gem from Australia introduced us to a new star. Eric Bana, a TV comedy actor, found instant stardom when he took the lead in [...]
We’re calling out for a hero: Michael Bay. But is his Ambulance good? March 25, 2022 As painful as it might be to admit, it’s the perfect time for Michael Bay to make a comeback. Cinemas need big, bold crowd-pleasers, and there’s no-one bigger or bolder than the man behind the Bad Boys and Transformers franchises. His new film is called Ambulance, but those thinking this will be a sensitive ode [...]
Fresh review – a delightfully disturbing thriller March 22, 2022 Loveable Marvel star Sebastian Stan has been trying some darker roles recently, playing shady characters in The Devil All The Time and The 355, as well as raucous rocker Tommy Lee in Disney+ series Pam & Tommy. However, nothing the actor has done so far will touch the grizzly insanity of his new role, horror-thriller [...]
Deep Water review is this Sad Affleck’s disasterpiece? March 22, 2022 Poor Ben Affleck. Last year he was laughed out of cinemas for his part in The Last Duel, and his solid performance in The Tender Bar was largely ignored by awards voters. This year saw The Batman, a film he was originally meant to direct and star in, become a huge success with someone else [...]
The Phantom of the Open sees Mark Rylance on fine comic form March 22, 2022 British cinema loves a quirky amateur. Whether it’s steel workers doing The Full Monty, W.I. members becoming Calendar Girls, or a largely fictional biopic of Eddie The Eagle, comedies about giving it a go have become a regular at the box office. The latest in that line is this golf-themed comedy, loosely based on the [...]
Good BAFTA, Bad BAFTA: Whose Oscar Race Is Heating Up? March 14, 2022 Last night’s BAFTA handed out their film awards in the first in-person ceremony in two years. Australian star Rebel Wilson hosted the awards, with winners that were surprisingly competitive. Dune led the pack with five wins in technical categories, while fellow front runners CODA, The Power of The Dog and West Side Story came away [...]
Turning Red review: Another straight-to-streaming Pixar hit March 11, 2022 It hasn’t been a great pandemic for Pixar. Turning Red is the third film to miss cinemas entirely, heading to Disney+ in the wake of the Omicron variant. Like Soul, it seems unfortunate that a film breaking a lot of barriers should miss the big screen, being the first Pixar film to be solely directed [...]
Red Rocket review – a fascinating story of sleaze March 10, 2022 Like 2017’s Oscar nominated The Florida Project, director Sean Baker once again deals with people at the other side of The American Dream in a story that is miles away from anything you’ll currently see at the cinema. Simon Rex stars as Mikey, a former LA porn star who returns to his hometown in Texas [...]
Ali and Ava film review – a wholesome modern British romance March 8, 2022 British director Clio Barnard returns with her first film since 2017’s Dark River, and it’s an uplifting story of a second chance at love. As the title suggests, this is the story of Ali and Ava, two lost souls who seems to find each other in their bustling Bradford community. Ava (Claire Rushbrook) is a [...]