Tag Archives: Mystery

Review in Brief: The Standoff at Sparrow Creek (2018/19)

Posted on September 10, 2019 by

You don’t tend to see chamber pieces about big men with guns, but that’s exactly what THE STANDOFF AT SPARROW CREEK is, which is pretty novel. Someone in this militia has opened fire at a cop’s funeral and everyone is … Continue reading →

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Review: Pokémon Detective Pikachu (2019)

Posted on June 1, 2019 by

Is DETECTIVE PIKACHU the best video game movie ever made? Probably. Does it stand up as a film in its own right? Mostly. Sorry if it seems like I’m sitting on the fence with this one but I’m genuinely struggling … Continue reading →

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Review: Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011)

Posted on May 12, 2019 by

Oddly enough, despite its 1970s setting, cold grey rooms and tweed, Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of John Le Carré’s TINKER TAILOR SOLDIER SPY feels more relevant and connective than ever. Maybe it’s because the modern world we live in is becoming … Continue reading →

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Review: Bad Times at the El Royale (2018)

Posted on March 4, 2019 by

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 →

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Review in Brief: Velvet Buzzsaw (2019)

Posted on February 12, 2019 by

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: Searching (2018)

Posted on February 1, 2019 by

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: Beast (2017/18)

Posted on December 18, 2018 by

BEAST is just my jam. It’s a dark – bleak even – horror-mystery set in a far-flung and beautiful corner of the UK. It’s also a family drama where the family doesn’t enter into it much, because our lead would … Continue reading →

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Review: A Simple Favour (2018)

Posted on September 28, 2018 by

A SIMPLE FAVOUR is certainly something. I like going into a film without the faintest idea of what to expect and still having a really good time (GAME NIGHT was the other one of those for me this year). Paul … Continue reading →

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Review: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)

Posted on September 3, 2017 by

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 →

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Review: Zootropolis (2016)

Posted on September 15, 2016 by

ZOOTROPOLIS (which has the much better title of ZOOTOPIA in the States) is not only the best film of 2016 so far but also may well be the most important. It’s the usual pristine, vibrant and peppy animation from the … Continue reading →

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