Category Archives: Film

Review: Roma (2018)

Posted on February 22, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Review in Brief: The Rider (2017/18)

Posted on February 19, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Review: Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Posted on February 15, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Review in Brief: Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

Posted on February 12, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Review: How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World (2019)

Posted on February 8, 2019 by Sam S-P

“There used to be dragons here when I was a boy”. I love the original HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON. The sequel was even better. THE HIDDEN WORLD had a lot to live up to, not least getting us to … Continue reading →

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Review in Brief: Polar (2019)

Posted on February 5, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Review: Searching (2018)

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Review: Stan & Ollie (2018)

Posted on January 28, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Reviews: The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)

Posted on January 25, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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Review: The Favourite (2018)

Posted on January 23, 2019 by Sam S-P

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 →

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