Category Archives: Film
Review in Brief: The Founder (2016)
THE FOUNDER could have easily been a shrine for brand worship, and this story of the birth of McDonald’s must have been signed off by the fast food franchise. The filmmakers largely avoid this by making a very clear (romanticised … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Lion (2016)
LION, the meaning of which is not revealed until the film’s closing moments is sometimes remarkable. There’s no denying this true story is remarkable. The script is punchy and well-judged, with very strong work from Dev Patel, and especially newcomer … Continue reading
Review: Batman and Harley Quinn (2017)
In 1992 Paul Dini and Bruce Timm created Harley Quinn. Since then, the Joker’s abused girlfriend has been a popular but problematic character. In BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN, she’s finally over Mr J, a limited supply of his Joker venom … Continue reading
Review: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Nobody writes stupid as well as Shane Black. Much like his contemporary Aaron Sorkin, he doesn’t write people talking how people actually talk, but within his own distinct worlds his dialogue for bewildered characters crackles almost as much as Sorkin’s … Continue reading
Review: A Ghost Story (2017)
A GHOST STORY is completely and utterly its own thing. Films have explored these themes before, but rarely have we had an extended narrative from a spirit’s perspective that didn’t use that fact as a twist. M (Rooney Mara) loses … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Fences (2016)
While FENCES loses a few points for taking a shortcut in the portrayal of a disabled character, for the most part it is powerful stuff. A well-mounted stage-to-screen adaptation with the cast of the Broadway revival from a few years … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Elle (2016)
ELLE is like the darkest soap opera you’ve ever seen. You get all the extra-marital affairs and mummy and daddy issues you might expect from nightly soft drama telly of the like of EAST ENDERS, but it also subjects us … Continue reading
Review: Get Out (2017)
You might have an idea of the general direction GET OUT is heading in, but few will guess how far down this deep and murky thematic rabbit hole writer-director Jordan Peele will take us. This is a horror film for … Continue reading
Review in Brief: Sing (2016)
SING is a pleasant surprise. It may be a clichéd underdog/competition story retold with singing animals, but it’s got a lot of pep and ends up being the most soulful and best-realised animations Illumination have produced so far. The characters are … Continue reading
Review: Boy (2010)
Handled delicately, grief makes for a great film. Boiling Taika Waititi’s films down to their core themes, if EAGLE VS. SHARK was about battling depression and HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE was about finding a place to truly belong, then BOY … Continue reading
SSP Thinks Film 