Loki episode 3 review – two of a kind at the end of the world June 24, 2021 *** WARNING: This article contains spoilers for all current episodes of Loki and some of the Marvel Cinematic Universe *** Last week’s episode of Loki featured a lot of Mobius (Owen Wilson) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) sharing detective theories and life philosophies. It ended with a supermarket chase and the reveal of The Variant/Lady Loki [...]
Supernova review – Tucci and Firth in heartbreaking dementia love story June 22, 2021 The follow up to his 2014 debut Hinterland, British filmmaker Harry Macqueen works with two Hollywood legends in a quiet, but devastating drama that was sadly overlooked in this year’s awards chase. Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci play Sam and Tusker, partners of twenty years laughing and bickering in their campervan on the first leg [...]
Fast and Furious 9 review – yet more brainless fun June 22, 2021 For a film about street racing that was a modest hit back in 2001, the Fast and Furious franchise has ballooned into something no one could expect. This week sees the release of the tenth instalment in the series (if you count spin-off Hobbs & Shaw), and the reported penultimate episode of the main story. [...]
Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard: Awkward title, awkward film June 18, 2021 Some sequels are made as part of an ongoing story, answering questions that were left dangling or making the universe a little bigger. Others are solely made because the first film made more cash than expected. Hitman’s Bodyguard, a mid-budget comedy with Samuel L Jackson and Ryan Reynolds, surprised pretty much everybody by becoming a [...]
Luca is an enjoyable Pixar Lite that’s in thrall to the work of Ghibli June 18, 2021 The past eighteen months has seen a complete shift in what we mean by the term ‘straight to on demand’. Once the preserve of movies that weren’t worth a cinema release, circumstances have meant a hybrid solution is now the sensible choice for a lot of new releases. That said, the big movies are still [...]
Loki Episode 2 review – Loki Vs The Apocalypse June 16, 2021 *** WARNING: This review contains spoilers for all episodes of Loki and parts of The MCU *** Last week’s opening episode of Loki saw our favourite God of Mischief (Tom Hiddleston) apprehended by the Time Variance Authority, and saved from extermination by a TVA agent named Mobius (Owen Wilson) who believes he is key to [...]
The Reason I Jump doc lets us see the world differently June 16, 2021 Winner of the Audience Award at Sundance, The Reason I Jump takes it title and direction from the book of the same name. It was written by Naoki Higashida, a 13-year-old nonspeaking autistic boy, who describes the way he perceives the world. While the book has its critics who question the validity, to others it [...]
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton follow-up In The Heights is a joy June 16, 2021 Lin-Manuel Miranda’s stage phenomenon Hamilton became a streaming hit last year, as Disney+ released a filmed version of the original cast performance in order to capitalise on a captive audience. It showed that there is still a huge enthusiasm for the writer’s work, which is why the poster for In The Heights features the show’s [...]
Loki Episode 1 review: A deep dive into a Marvel anti-hero June 9, 2021 *** WARNING: This review contains spoilers for the Loki TV series, and parts of the Marvel Cinematic Universe *** In eighteen months of Disney+’s existence, there hasn’t been a new show with as much potential as Loki. The Mandalorian had a lot of hype by virtue of being a Star Wars show, while both WandaVision [...]
LIFF 2021: British Asian talent celebrated at this year’s festival June 9, 2021 Cinemas may be open again, but 2021 remains a difficult time for the film industry as it reconnects with audiences. For many film festivals, this means taking a hybrid approach that welcomes back the magic of the big screen while still providing an online presence for those still out of reach. The 12th Bagri Foundation [...]