History

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 ...

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) ...

The Woman King Review

In cinemas from this week, The Woman King stars Viola Davis (The Suicide Squad) as General Nanisca, John Boyega (Star Wars The Force Awakens) as King Ghezo, Thuso Mbedu (The Underground Railroad) as Nawi and Lashana Lynch (Captain Marvel) as Izogie. Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood (The Old Guard) and written by Dana Stevens, The Woman King takes the historically murky backdrop of 1823 Dahomey, W...

Elvis Review

Elvis Aaron Presley was an American singer whose music and influence made him an icon of the 20th Century. From 1956, when he sold 10 million singles for the RCA company in twelve months, until his untimely death in 1977 at the age of 42, Elvis was a global star. His effect on new music waned in the later 1960s, however his fame and his influence were intact until he died. He was dubbed The King o...

The United States vs. Billie Holiday Review

How much did I love THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY? Well, I went right on down to my library and checked out the book it’s based on.  How much did everyone else love it? I’m not even joking: the cinema burst into applause as the final credits rolled.  THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY is not your usual biography film. It’s actually based on a chapter of ‘Chasing the Scream: The First and ...