by Robbie Jones Sam Mendes’ cinematic output for the last 10 years has sat comfortably in the category of spectacle, from the thrills and kills of the James Bond franchise to the Oscar-winning WW1 epic 1917. With Empire of Light, Mendes returns to a far more intimate level of storytelling. Sadly, his latest effort gets off to a strong start before it falls on its … Continue reading Empire of Light – BFI London Film Festival 2022 Review
by Robbie Jones TW: Please be advised that this review, and the film itself, deals heavily with the subjects of fatphobia and eating disorders. They say Hollywood loves a comeback story, and that couldn’t be more true for Brendan Fraser; beloved for his action and comedy roles in the 90s and 00s, things went south for Fraser’s career as his personal life became plagued by … Continue reading The Whale – BFI London Film Festival 2022
by Sarah Miles Coming up with a follow-up to a movie like 2020’s Host could lead to some real fear of a difficult second album. Host, the story of a group of friends on Zoom who decide that an online séance is a great way to beat the lockdown blues, and things go about as well as you might expect from that setup, was nothing … Continue reading Dashcam – BFI London Film Festival Review
by Sarah Cook Neil Maskell is a tremendous actor. From the haunting Kill List to the quirky Utopia, Maskell has gifted us with some bloody brilliant roles. The minute he appears on screen, you cannot keep your eyes off him. This is especially so in Paul Andrew William’s Bull as Maskell gives yet another tour-de-force performance The film’s premise is simple enough: A gang enforcer … Continue reading Bull – Review
by Robbie Jones There are many aspects of Wes Anderson that viewers will make a point of noting, from his idiosyncratic worlds and visual symmetry to the kooky characters to that inhabit his worlds. There’s a lot to be said for his aesthetic, but one of his greatest talents is in his writing. As a storyteller, Anderson frequently excels at coming of age tales and … Continue reading The French Dispatch – BFI London Film Festival
by Anton Bitel “Sometimes people just need solitude, you know,” says Eric Black (Tom Hughes) in writer/director Russell Owen’s Shepherd. Eric is explaining what has drawn him to become sole resident – apart from his dog Baxter and hundreds of sheep – on a remote coastal island. His addressee, the gruff, half-sighted boat woman Fisher (Kate Dickie) who is transporting him to his new job … Continue reading Shepherd – BFI London Film Festival Review
Movies on Weekends 