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Category Archives: Film
Review: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)
I’ve gone back to taking notes for this one with pen and paper – it seemed more…writerly. I have never used a typewriter. Marielle Heller’s CAN YOU EVER FORGIVE ME? deftly tells a story that’s so bizarre it could only … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)
After the sickly style and horrible humanity of NIGHTCRAWLER, I thought Dan Gilroy partnered with Jake Gyllenhaal could do no wrong. And yet, VELVET BUZZSAW turns out to be a load of pretentious cobblers. Art critics can be empty and … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Dan Gilroy, Darren Aronofski, Horror, Jake Gyllenhaal, Mystery, Nicolas Winding Refn, Nightcrawler, Rene Russo, The Ring, Velvet Buzzsaw
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Review in Brief: Polar (2019)
What if JOHN WICK (the movie, not the character) hated you? That’s POLAR. There’s no killer’s code in this tale of hitmen (and women) offing each other and humanity is shown to be pretty much done for on a moral … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged John Wick, Little Britain, Mads Mikkelsen, Matt Lucas, Polar, Thriller
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Review: Searching (2018)
If I hadn’t already written my year end list, this would have shaken things up. SEARCHING is a game-changer, no question. How it was put together on a technical level, the final presentation and the revolutionary ways that information is … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Aneesh Chaganty, Drama, John Cho, Michelle La, Mystery, Searching, The Blair Witch Project, Thriller, Up
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Review: Stan & Ollie (2018)
I love slapstick comedy, and because I love slapstick comedy I love Laurel and Hardy, the masters of it. I’ve got my dad to thank for that. The makers of STAN & OLLIE clearly love Laurel and Hardy too, and … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Biopic, Comedy, Drama, Jeff Pope, John C. Reilly, Jon S Baird, Laurel and Hardy, Nina Arianda, Shirley Henderson, Stan & Ollie, Steve Coogan
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Reviews: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
I thought I’d do something a little different for the Coen Brothers’ collection of Western shorts. Taken as a whole I enjoyed the piece, though I certainly thought this was a story selection with peaks and troughs, some sections which … Continue reading
Review: The Favourite (2018)
Queen Anne is a British monarch often overlooked, dismissed, forgotten. I’m into my history and I would have struggled to tell you much about her reign before watching THE FAVOURITE. The film isn’t a history lesson, that’s not what writer-director … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Biopic, Black Comedy, Drama, Emma Stone, Ex Machina, Historical Drama, Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, The Favourite, The Lobster, Yorgos Lanthimos
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Review in Brief: Teen Titans Go! To the Movies (2018)
Sometimes there is a place to laugh at really loud and long farts and murdering Bruce Wayne’s parents by time travel. TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES is that place. I’m a bit old for the show the film spins … Continue reading
Posted in Film, Film Review
Tagged Animation, Comedy, Scott Menville, Superhero Movie, Teen Titans Go! To the Movies
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Review: Mary Poppins Returns (2018)
Like everyone who’s reviewed this what I’m going to ask is (brace yourself) is MARY POPPINS RETURNS practically perfect in every way? Not quite, but its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses and its style and intentions are quite admirable. The … Continue reading
