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
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
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
by Tom Beasley James Corden’s disembodied head floats, wailing, above a carriage motoring along a road in the dark. A CGI mouse which almost resembles Kettering-born comedian James Acaster opens its mouth wide in an uncanny, terrifying scream. Rob Beckett also shows up and says the word “chicks” unironically. This is Cinderella, as you’ve never seen it before. After having its cinema release curtailed by … Continue reading Cinderella – Review
by Hamish Calvert Writer-director Sean Durkin’s sophomore film, The Nest begins with an exterior shot of the O’Hara family home in mid-eighties, suburban New York. The Canadian filmmaker tells us a lot with this one shot, which lingers just long enough for audiences to gain a good understanding of the characters they’re about to be introduced to. In the frame viewers see a detached house, … Continue reading The Nest – Review
by Ella Alalade Candyman is the stand-alone sequel to the 1992 Candyman, serving a chilling creep-fest. Nia DaCosta beautifully demonstrates how to make a psychological horror. A fresh yet classic take on making the audience focus on the systemic issues within deprived communities, but also how destiny or fate can take an ugly form. This film is set in Chicago, in the gentrified neighbourhood of … Continue reading Candyman – Review
