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 [...]
The Duke is a gentle farewell to British cinema great Roger Michell March 8, 2022 A long-delayed film finally getting its release is a weekly occurrence at the moment, but British comedy-drama The Duke arrives with some sadness. It is the final film of Roger Michell, the beloved British director of Notting Hill, Venus, and Enduring Love, coming just five months after his passing. The BAFTA winner’s final bow is [...]
Even after 50 years, The Godfather is still the Don Corleone of movies March 8, 2022 Even half a century since its release, it shouldn’t be difficult to convince you why The Godfather is worth catching this weekend for its anniversary. It’s The Godfather – the title itself is practically a synonym for good cinema. Adapted from Mario Puzo’s novel, Francis Ford Coppola had to fight to get his vision on [...]
The Batman – Robert Pattinson stars in a new twist on a familiar hero March 7, 2022 Strap in, everyone, blockbuster season has officially begun. It’s the first opportunity for Hollywood to return to some kind of normal release schedule since 2019, and who better to bring back the crowds than The Dark Knight himself? Robert Pattinson’s debut as The Batman is the 8th Batman-related film in the last decade. It won’t [...]
Cyrano is a sweeping and sentimental musical March 7, 2022 The 19th film adaptation of French play Cyrano de Bergerac brings with it to cinemas an advantage. This new version, directed by Joe Wright (Darkest Hour, Atonement), is based on the well-received 2019 Broadway musical by Erica Schmidt. She serves as screenwriter here, while the production’s lead Peter Dinklage is also on board. The Game [...]
