Tales of the First World War relayed to Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) by his grandfather, Alfred Mendes, form the spine of this gripping action film. Taking us from the British trenches to behind enemy lines, all in two seemingly continuous shots, Mendes puts his characters - and us - through the wringer, as they desperately try to forestall a massacre.
Fresh off the critical and commercial success of Lady Bird, and a clutch of major film awards, writer-director-actress Greta Gerwig had the pick of the bunch when selecting a new project. As it happened, a new adaptation of LM Alcott's 1868 novel Little Women which she had authored for Sony Pictures was in need of... Continue Reading →
And Then We Danced – Lost in music (LFF Review)
Merab (Levan Gelbakhiani) is one of the star performers at an elite dance academy in Tbilisi. He's struggling to provide for his family, but is going steady with his girlfriend Mary (Ana Javakishvili), and seems primed for a spot in Georgia's touring company, taking their traditional national dance around the world. Then Irakli (Bachi Valishvili) walks in, flashes a smile, and Merab's professional and personal future suddenly seems far less certain.
Ad Astra – it's lonely out in space
It's a boom time for allegorical science fiction movies which frame their galactic journeys as personal quests, a test of emotional endurance as much as physical, where the prize is a long-awaited epiphanic moment for their psychologically constipated heroes.
Clown-grade – It: Chapter Two Review
The eagerly anticipated It: Chapter Two gives us almost three hours of clownery, a sprawling runtime that pays tribute to author Stephen King's notorious logorrhoea in a very literal way.
Pain & Glory – Review
Despite the immaculate dress sense, wild salt-and-pepper hair and a certain similarity in their choice of subject matter, Antonio Banderas isn't portraying movie director Pedro Almodovar here. But as Salvador Mallo, beloved director of Spanish cinema, you'd be forgiven for making the mistake.
Once Upon A Time in… Hollywood – Review
It's 1969 and it feels like the end of the road for Rick and Cliff.
Blinded by the Light – Review
Gurinder Chadha's follow-up to the Delhi-set Viceroy's House brings us a little closer to home - Luton, in fact - with this moving real-life tale of a British Asian teen in 1987 who pursues his dreams with a shot in the arm from the music of Bruce Springsteen.