A-Ha the Movie: A fascinating insight into the Norwegian pop giants May 25, 2022 Most people know a-ha from their toe-tapping pop tune Take On Me, but over the course of forty years the Norwegian trio have retained much of their fame and adulation. However, as this anniversary film proves, that same affection isn’t reserved for each other. Filmed over four years, Magne Furuholmen, Morten Harket, and Paul Waaktaar-Savoy [...]
Chip N Dale: Rescue Rangers is a meta barrel of laughs May 24, 2022 Nearly a year on from the disastrous Space Jam: A New Legacy, it’s Disney’s turn to mash a load of intellectual properties together in hopes of making a movie. This new spin on 80s cartoon Chip N Dale: Rescue Rangers is avoiding cinemas, but might be one of the smarter straight-to-streaming options out there. The plot [...]
Top Gun: Maverick, a perfect blockbuster, is Tom Cruise at his finest May 23, 2022 Tom Cruise comes full circle, returning to the role that made him a megastar. While he had found success with Legend and Risky Business, it was 1986’s Top Gun that set the template for the biggest star in Hollywood. A couple of months shy of his 60th birthday, he feels the need for speed again [...]
Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness review: Impressively OTT May 17, 2022 There are three certainties in life: death, taxes, and The Marvel Cinematic Universe. Phase Four of the biggest movie franchise in the world had a mixed start, with the enjoyable Shang-Chi counterbalanced by the dreary Eternals, and Black Widow sitting somewhere in between. It came roaring back thanks to Spider-men past and present in No [...]
The Drover’s Wife review: Glosses over the difficult past of a nation May 16, 2022 With The Drover’s Wife, director and star Leah Purcell brings her third adaptation of the Henry Lawson short story, having written a play and a novel on the same subject. As with the other two pieces, this film version fleshes out the narrative, giving the title character a name (Molly Johnson), and shining a light [...]
Everything Everywhere All at Once review: Its peculiarity is what makes it special May 16, 2022 In any other year, this Everything Everywhere All at Once review might start with an explanation as to what a Multiverse was. However, Marvel has plunged headfirst into the concept with last week’s Doctor Strange and The Multiverse of Madness, which enjoyed one of the biggest opening weekends of the year. Everything Everywhere All at [...]
Wake Up Punk review: Egos drown out discourse in search for true meaning of punk May 9, 2022 Just what exactly is Punk in modern society? It’s a question posed by Vivienne Westwood and son Joseph Corré in this new documentary. Sadly, the film never seems to find an answer as egos and hypocrisy drown out the discourse. The main narrative surrounds Corré’s protest in 2016, where he burned around £5m of his [...]
Casablanca Beats is a hip hop story with soul to spare May 6, 2022 There’s often an extra dimension to films that are inspired by the director’s own life. Nabil Ayouch (2015 drama Much Loved) draws on his own life in this story of a Anas (Anas Basbousi), a former rapper living in the Sidi Moumen suburb of Casablanca who takes a job teaching young people his craft at [...]
Downton: A New Era is nostalgic, predictable fun May 6, 2022 Familiarity is king when it comes to cinema at the moment. Superheroes, video games, and even the Jackass crew have all found success prodding at our nostalgia over the last few months. It’s the perfect time for the return of Downton Abbey, the cosy TV drama which led to an even cosier 2019 film. The [...]
Happening film review: An indie gem worthy of its accolades and hype April 26, 2022 The winner of the prestigious Golden Lion at last year’s Venice Film Festival finally hits UK cinemas, with Happening, the second film from journalist-turned-director Audrey Diwan, arriving with a hive’s worth of buzz. Set in France in 1963, Happening is the story of Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei), a promising student with a bright future ahead of [...]