Sundown – Toronto International Film Festival Review
by Jordan King A quietly menacing malaise laps against the shores of Acapulco, resting at the feet of the Bennett family in Sundown, a sun-kissed and unsettlingly serene anti-thriller from Mexican provoc-auteur Michel Franco. Franco’s film opens with the Bennetts – Neil (Tim Roth), sister Alice (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and her two teenage kids – enjoying life in the lap of luxury at a hotel resort … Continue reading Sundown – Toronto International Film Festival Review
Rose Plays Julie – Review
Few actors can play a self-satisfied bastard as well as Aidan Gillen. As the unscrupulous Petyr ‘Littlefinger’ Baelish in the HBO series Game of Thrones, he had television viewers cringe at his every insincere utterance. In Rose Plays Julie, his third collaboration with the writer-director team Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, he is cast as an unpleasant, full-of-himself archaeologist, Peter. I’d like to imagine that … Continue reading Rose Plays Julie – Review
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Review
by Tom Beasley The playful opening text of Everybody’s Talking About Jamie feels a lot like a manifesto by which we should all live our lives. “This story really happened,” it reads, “and then we added the singing and dancing”. It’s a statement of intent for the movie which follows, adapted from the blockbuster West End musical – itself inspired by 2011 BBC documentary Jamie: … Continue reading Everybody’s Talking About Jamie – Review
Respect – Review
by Tom Beasley Of all of the victims of the movie Cats – and there were many – perhaps the most mistreated was Jennifer Hudson. One of the best singers currently working in Hollywood was forced to belt out Memory while bathed in her own tears and snot, with dodgy digital fur distracting from her vocals. Remember when we thought she was going to win … Continue reading Respect – Review
BFI London Film Festival 2021 – Full Line-Up
by Robbie Jones After a week of watching the festival circuit from afar, the UK can finally take solace in the fact the 65th BFI London Film Festival is only a month away. With a new hybrid format, audiences will be able to take part in premiere galas in the heart of London, screenings across the UK and even online for those who can’t travel. … Continue reading BFI London Film Festival 2021 – Full Line-Up
Annette – Review
by Tom Beasley In the most talked about scene of Leos Carax’s bizarro musical maelstrom Annette, Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard continue to croon a love song at each other during sex, with Driver at one stage warbling the melody from between Cotillard’s legs. As well as securing the film plenty of column inches, it’s a clear statement of thematic intent. For this couple, literally … Continue reading Annette – Review
