Ron’s Gone Wrong, review: A family film with a tech twist October 18, 2021 It’s a sign of the times that an increasing number of family films are focusing on technology. The Jumanji movies moved from a boardgame to a video game console; Space Jam’s villain was a rogue AI; and one of the best family movies of this year, The Mitchells Vs The Machines, had our reliance on [...]
Venom: Let There Be Carnage, Review October 18, 2021 Despite being a patchy mess, 2018’s Venom rose to surprise box office success thanks to a charming star in Tom Hardy, and an audience that was growing weary of sombre superheroes (Aquaman succeeded in the same year for similar reasons). A sequel was inevitable, but has it done enough to flesh out the cult anti-hero? [...]
The Velvet Underground: An enjoyable rockumentary October 18, 2021 It’s becoming something of a rite of passage for successful directors to make documentaries about their favourite bands. Ron Howard covered The Beatles (with Peter Jackson’s Get Back series on the way), Shane Meadows explored The Stone Roses, and this year Edgar Wright shared his love for Sparks. This week director Todd Haynes (Carol, Dark [...]
Dexter, Directors, and Dirt – an interview with Michael C Hall October 13, 2021 Michael C Hall is a busy man. Next month, he returns to his most famous role, serial killer Dexter, in a reboot of the award-winning drama. Before that he stars in John and The Hole, an indie thriller about a family held captive in a bunker by their teenage son. Hall talks getting his hands [...]
John and the Hole: A surreal family drama designed to confuse October 8, 2021 Some films signal their intentions from the beginning: good vs evil, a love story, or a hero out to save the world. Then there are films like indie thriller John and The Hole, which leave almost every frame open to interpretation. Having just starred in Sean Durkin’s drama The Nest, Charlie Shotwell once again explores [...]
The Addams Family 2: A sequel more silly than spooky October 8, 2021 One of the surprise hits of 2019 was the animated reinvention of The Addams Family, a slight comedy that captured the creepy fun that makes the clan so enduring. After some delays, the all-star cast are back with the inevitable sequel, taking this spooky show on the road. The Addams Family remain blissfully happy in [...]
LFF 2021: Nine top films to watch at the London Film Festival October 8, 2021 The UK’s biggest film festival, LFF, is back with a bang. Having embraced online exhibition last year, the capital’s most iconic cinemas will play host to the must-watch films of the next few months. Below are nine of the biggest. The festival runs until 17 October, and tickets can be purchased via the BFI website. [...]
No Time To Die: Daniel Craig signs off in style October 1, 2021 Fifteen years after first donning the tuxedo, it’s time for Daniel Craig to take his final bow as James Bond. He arrives just as cinema is crying out for a hero: No Time To Die’s several delays (starting in March 2020) were a constant reminder of an industry still reeling from the last 18 months, [...]
What If…? episode 7 review: Meet The Party Prince September 27, 2021 *** WARNING: contains spoilers for Marvel’s What If…? on Disney+ *** Three episodes to go, and while Marvel’s What If…? has got everyone talking, the episodes have been tough at times. This format has been used to explore darker timelines, and jokes about “The Many Deaths of Tony Stark” have already begun circulating online. However, [...]
The Many Saints of Newark – nostalgia masks so-so crime drama September 27, 2021 *** This review of The Many Saints of Newark contains spoilers for The Sopranos TV show *** It was 13 years ago that Tony Soprano looked over his shoulder in a diner to the strains of Don’t Stop Believin’ only for the screen to go black. It was a divisive end to one of the [...]