REVIEWS
Here's my views on the latest releases. Feel free to agree or disagree via social media or the contact form on the home page!
Note I may stray into tiny spoilers at times, but I try to keep the big 'uns safely under wraps. I'll always give a [spoiler] heads-up before revealing any major plot points.
PERSONAL SHOPPER -- 4/5
19th April 2017I really enjoyed this film. As with the majority of instances of its ilk, I found the handheld movement of the camera jarring initially but, in this case, as the film wore on, the small readjustments [were there single frames removed even?] became...
GRADUATION -- 4/5
14th April 2017The latest realist feature from Romania's Cristian Mungui focusses on a father's attempts to mould a corrupt system, when his daughter's prospects of getting into Cambridge are damaged. Set against the backfrop of his failing marriage and stuttering...
RAW -- 4/5
9th April 2017For want of a better word, this is a raw coming-of-age tale of a young vetenarian. Eschewing conventions, and graphic in the extreme, Julia Ducournau's debut feature is unflinching and well-crafted, as we follow the character of Justine through the...
GHOST IN THE SHELL -- 3/5
7th April 2017The live-action remake is squarely tailored for audiences who require a degree of spoon-feeding. Gone is the filmic story-telling of the Anime original, replaced with an explanatory opening, detailing Major's recent history. I would definitely...
ELLE -- 5/5
26th March 2017With a back catalogue featuring some of the greatest satires of our time, it should be expected that Paul Verhoeven's Elleis worthwhile viewing. But this is a far more complex and mature offering than his most famous Hollywood works such as...
LIFE -- 2/5
25th March 2017Sadly, the presence of Jake Gyllenhaal cannot revive this lifeless Alienwannabe. The action and dread is, at times, exhilarating, but the script contains too much in the way of expository dialogue, and the whole thing is just too...
FREE FIRE -- 4/5
24th March 2017A return to top form (in my opinon, at least) from Ben Wheatley and co., in this gangster romp set in 1970's Boston. Wheatley and Amy Jump are nothing if not the masters of write within your means, staging all but the most fleeting moments of...
THE LOST CITY OF Z -- 2/5
22nd March 2017This is the story of Percy Fawcett, a turn-of-the-20th-Century military man turned explorer who, when posted to Bolivia as an envoy of the Royal Geographical Society, maps the region and discovers evidence of ancient civilisation.Despite maintaining a...
THE SALESMAN -- 4/5
27th February 2017Featuring strong performances and a watertight script, The Salesmanis the latest film from Asghar Farhadi, whose A Separationwon the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar in 2012. This offering centres on a thespian couple who are...
IT'S ONLY THE END OF THE WORLD -- 5/5
26th February 2017Shot in rude close-up, this is a cacophonous exploration of familial secrets and resentment.
It is an incredibly tense film; the set-up keeps the viewer hooked right through the protagonist's -- Louis's -- first visit ot the family home in 12...