Drama
Napoleon Review
For anyone not following cinema news over the last year, Napoleon is the latest film by Sir Ridley Scott (Gladiator, The Dualists), starring Joaquin Phoenix, (Joker, 8mm) as the titular emperor and Vanessa Kirby (The Crown) as Empress Josephine. Written by David Scarpa (All the Money in the World), the theatrical version of this sprawling eighteenth century epic follows Bonaparte’s journey as lowl...
Saltburn Review
Universal Pictures and Warner Bros present Saltburn; the latest feature from Writer/Director and Academy Award winner Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman). After receiving critical acclaim from film festivals all around the globe, Saltburn is hoping to shock audiences with its gothic thrills and twisted chills. Set against the backdrop of the mid-2000s, Saltburn tells the tale of Oliver (Barry ...
The Old Oak Review
Set in a small north-eastern English town still living in the shadows of the UK miners’ strike, a new form of solidarity and brotherhood emerges as Ken Loach weaves a heart-warming story of a group of Syrian refugees trying to make a new life for themselves – but who is in more strife – the refugees or the forgotten townspeople? This unassuming film begins with a poignant metaphor as ...
Sound of Freedom Review
In Tegucigalpa, Honduras, a young brother and sister, Miguel and Rocío, are kidnapped as part of a child-modelling scam. Their father Roberto discovers the children have been sold to be used as sex slaves. In California, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Special Agent, Tim Ballard, is becoming frustrated by the work he does arresting the people who make and distribute child pornography. He kn...
Gran Turismo Review
Sony’s own Playstation Productions brings one of their beloved game franchises into the cinema spotlight this week in the form of Gran Turismo: showcasing the unbelievable true story of Jann Mardenborough and his journey from full-time gamer to professional racecar driver. With Neill Blomkamp behind the wheel, we’re taken on an adrenaline-fueled ride as we witness how a driving simulator game insp...
Oppenheimer Review
The second half of “Barbenheimer” is upon us. Rounding out the cinematic event that has everyone talking, Universal Studios releases Christopher Nolan’s (The Dark Knight) latest blockbuster – Oppenheimer. Based on the true story of J. Robert Oppenheimer – Father of the Atomic Bomb. Oppenheimer tells the true story of J. Robert Oppenheimer, a brilliant American theoretical physicist who...
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...