Category Archives: Film Review
30s Review: The Adventures of Robin Hood (1938)
Why do they keep trying to make Robin Hood gritty? Robin Hood is supposed to be fun! Folk heroes bring cultures together by passing on stories and teaching us lessons about ourselves. Trying to force a modern tone on them … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Paddleton (2019)
“An oncologist…that’s the cancer one?” Yes, PADDLETON is a “cancer movie”. It’s also an indie road movie involving two guys struggling to articulate their feelings. But I don’t think all that many of either look at both sides of terminal … Continue reading
Review: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)
Drew Goddard clearly loves genre storytelling, but in a sideways manner. His films aren’t really spoofs or pastiches, they’re twists and re-jigs. The essential elements that make a genre recognisable are all there, but arranged in a pattern you’ve never … Continue reading
Review: Lucky (2017)
Some people really are just lucky. How was a man that had crossed the threshold into his 90s, that smoked and drank and liked cream and sugar in his coffee, still that sprightly? John Carroll Lynch’s film proclaims in the … Continue reading
Review: Roma (2018)
You’re probably going to decide whether ROMA is for you or not by its opening shot, a very long shot of soapy water washing up and down some flagstones. It certainly sets the mood and the pace of the piece, … Continue reading
Review in Brief: The Rider (2017/18)
THE RIDER is a story about overcoming trauma, much like JOURNEYMAN, but it pack the added punch of the real. What is a rider who can’t ride? “My mom and dad taught me everything I know, but I learned a … Continue reading
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
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
SSP Thinks Film 