Drama
Bank of Dave Review
BANK OF DAVE is probably best described as a double rom com: two love stories, unfolding at the same time. The first love story is pretty familiar: sad-lawyer-boy Hugh (Joe Fry) meets idealistic-doctor-girl Dr Alexandra (Phoebe Dynevor). Sparks fly: first the angry sort, then the love sort. It’s a sweet little rom com. Decidedly heart-warming, whilst managing to dodge some of the more cliché plot ...
Air Review
All too often star-studded casts in keenly anticipated films have disappointed us and many worried that Air would fall into this disappointing trend but it seems director Ben Affleck can do no wrong! This historic drama recounts the story of Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) as he puts his career on the line to create a line of shoes based on a young, up-and-coming basketball player Michael Jordan (Dami...
Creed III Review
Michael B Jordan, everybody’s favourite Killmonger (Black Panther), stars in and directs what seems likely to be the final chapter in a Creed trilogy (at least, the final of the franchise to centre on Adonis, more on that later). For a directorial debut, it’s a good one! From a narrative and character development perspective, much like Creed II, part III in the Adonis Creed story doesn’t necessari...
Spoiler Alert Review
Spoiler Alert: stories of good men dying young will always make you cry, but sometimes they can leave audiences looking for more. It feels oddly harsh to critique Michael Showalter’s Spoiler Alert as it is based on a true story of the same name, written by Michael Ausiello. It tells the story of how he lost his husband to cancer, and follows their relationship from its inception, through their gro...
The Whale Review
“…and I felt saddest of all when I read the boring chapters that were only descriptions of whales, because I knew that the author was just trying to save us from his own sad story, just for a little while.” A crumpled essay read a thousand times over, an allegedly broken webcam and a very sad story are at the centre of Darren Aronofosky’s The Whale, an adaptation of another author’s semi autobiogr...
TÁR Review
Cate Blanchett is note perfect as the lead in Todd Field’s much anticipated drama Tár, but is it a film that is too wrapped up in itself to appeal to the average Joe? Tár tells us the haunting story of titular Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett), a conductor on the verge of her biggest achievement, and potentially her own undoing. The “Maestro” (Tár) is the severe and demanding conductor of the Berlin orc...
Babylon Review
Like the elephant in the opening scene that relaxes its sphincter and covers one of its handlers in liquid filth, Damien Chazelle puckers up and explodes all over his audience for three hours in Babylon, a love/hate letter to debaucherous early Hollywood that’s as ambitious as it is unbalanced. This polarising epic is drawing 5-star reviews from some and 1-star from others, seemingly depending on ...
The Fabelmans Review
The official blurb for the movie THE FABELMANS is: “Growing up in post-World War II era Arizona, young Sammy Fabelman aspires to become a filmmaker as he reaches adolescence, but soon discovers a shattering family secret and explores how the power of films can help him see the truth”. This is an accurate description of the story, but movie you will experience has somewhat more going on. The ficti...
A Man Called Otto Review
You don’t need to have read the book (A Man Called Ove) or seen the original film adaptation in Swedish to be, frankly, underwhelmed by A Man Called Otto. This new adaptation had the same emotive storyline that tugs on the heartstrings, but the americanisation makes it a tad more… bland. It is based on the heartwarming story of an elderly widowed curmudgeon Ove (renamed ‘Otto’ and played by Tom Ha...
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish Review
It has been eleven years and Antonio Banderas (Desperado, Shrek 2) returns as the titular outlaw along with Selma Hayek (Hitman’s Bodyguard, House of Gucci) as Kitty Paws and Harvey Guillen (Archer, Harley Quinn) as newcomer Perrito, a want to be therapy dog masquerading as a cat. If that last bit sounds amusing, then director Joel Crawford (The Croods: New Age) has a treat in store! Before we rea...
The Banshees of Inisherin Review
Welcome to a beautifully bizarre exploration of a souring male friendship brought to a comedic and melancholy end point – you’ve arrived at The Banshees of Insherin. Banshees is the latest offering from writer-director Martin McDonagh (Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, 2018), who brings back the stars of his 2008 debut In Bruges, Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, to create this deli...
Emily Review
My love for this movie “resembles the eternal rocks beneath: a source of little visible delight, but necessary”, to quote Emily Brontë’s most famous work Wuthering Heights. Emily, directed by Andrew Dominik, spins us a creative interpretation of the titular author’s short life and the deeply personal motivations behind her most famous work. Emily, portrayed by Emma Mackey (Maeve in Sex Education) ...