Promising Young Woman is a dark, brilliant Oscar contender April 14, 2021 Tearing its way through awards season is Promising Young Woman, the drama that has had film fans abuzz ever since the trailer first appeared in 2019. Just over a year and a pandemic later, the film has picked up two BAFTAs (Outstanding British Film and Best Original Screenplay), and is vying for five Oscars at [...]
Falcon and The Winter Soldier Episode 4 catch-up April 9, 2021 *** WARNING: The following review contains spoilers for all current episodes of Falcon and The Winter Soldier *** Last week Falcon and The Winter Soldier introduced us to an old enemy in Daniel Brühl’s Helmut Zemo, helping Sam (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky (Sebastian Stan) track down the leader of the Flag-Smashers, Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman). [...]
Chaos Walking review – dreary sci-fi romp wasn’t worth the wait April 9, 2021 It’s never a promising sign when a movie is released that should have been on our screens several years ago. Chaos Walking, an adaptation of Patrick Ness’ sci-fi novel, began principal photography in 2017, with a view to a 2019 release date. Poor test screenings resulted in extensive reshoots followed by a delay due to [...]
Lee Isaac Chung’s Oscar hopeful Minari is a well of emotion April 8, 2021 It’s unlikely that any of the Oscar hopefuls will arrive in the traditional way this year. Nomadland will head to Disney+ at the end of April, Netflix’s Best Picture nominees are already available, and last week saw the UK debut of Lee Isaac Chung’s Minari. Partly based on Chung’s own childhood memories, the film takes [...]
Palm Springs is a dark twist on the Groundhog Day formula April 8, 2021 Before the dark times, it’s likely most of us will have been stuck at the wedding of some vague acquaintance or relative we don’t care for. We’ve stared into space through prolonged speeches, and tried to sneak out before the DJ played The Macarena. Well, what if you could never leave? That’s the nightmarish prospect [...]
Sound of Metal – Riz Ahmed deserves his Oscar nom April 8, 2021 The Academy Awards are just a few weeks away, and will belatedly celebrate the most unusual year in cinematic history. While more profitable movies have been moved to a future where they can feasibly be seen in cinemas, a lot of this year’s hopefuls are smaller films that will debut on streaming services. One of [...]
Falcon and The Winter Soldier episode 3 catch-up April 2, 2021 *** WARNING: This review contains spoilers for all current episodes of Falcon and The Winter Soldier *** We come to the halfway point of Marvel’s action/espionage/buddy cop miniseries. As you might imagine, an ominous presence is looming over the investigations of Sam/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan). What you might not expect [...]
Godzilla Vs Kong – a spectacle that belongs on the big screen April 1, 2021 The first big blockbuster of the summer has arrived (yes, even in these times Hollywood considers the summer season to start at the end of March). As the title suggests, Godzilla Vs Kong sees the two big monsters of cinema meet face-to-face in a battle for supremacy. We find Kong isolated in a domed Skull [...]
The Mauritanian – Tahar Rahim saves Kevin McDonald drama March 31, 2021 On the surface, The Mauritanian should have been a bigger contender during awards season – it’s got a stellar cast, a high-profile director in Kevin McDonald (The Last King of Scotland), and an intriguing story. However, despite some well-deserved acting nominations elsewhere, it hasn’t shown up on the radar of Oscar voters. McDonald is adapting [...]
Falcon and The Winter Soldier S1E2: Marvel picks up the pace March 29, 2021 *** WARNING: spoilers ahead for all current episodes of Marvel’s Falcon and The Winter Soldier *** Unlike WandaVision, which played its cards close to its chest, Falcon and Winter soldier had a lot of world building to do in its first episode. Sam/Falcon (Anthony Mackie) had given up Captain America’s, while Bucky/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian [...]
