The success of the original Knives Out took many by surprise. On the surface a twisty “drawing room” mystery (though in reality much more), the film was a runaway success, prompting Netflix to sign director Rian Johnson up to at least two more films featuring the enigmatic detective Benoit Blanc. Now the first of them…
Martin McDonagh reunites with Colin Farrell and Brendan Gleeson, and returns to form, with the biting satire, The Banshees of Inisherin. Although many liked his last film, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, I personally didn’t. I think the cultural disconnect between America and Europe let it down. But now, back in familiar territory, he brings…
I find Ruben Östlund a polarising filmmaker. In my experience, you either “get” him or you don’t. While his 2014 film Force Majeure was well-received, his 2017 art world parody The Square left many cold. Even so, it picked up the Palme d’Or at Cannes; so obviously someone liked it. His latest film, Triangle of…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 16 December 2022. On Mynolia’s sharp debut All Things Heavy, the singer invents herself as a vulnerable dreamer, armored by heavenly melodies as she moves through an increasingly disconnected world. Though the album is titled All Things Heavy, Mynolia…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 9 December 2022. Shannen Moser wants to have a conversation: with their past selves, their present self, their undesignated, unfurling future selves; with the trees that adorn their old street, and the door they used to call home; with…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 2 December 2022. The British multi-instrumentalist, orchestral arranger and composer Fiona Brice has drawn on her abundant talents to forge her new album, And You Know I Care. It’s a deep listening experience that raises the post-classical bar, eschewing…
Our selection of the best new music across a range of genres from the week ending 25 November 2022. Acclaimed singer-songwriter Alela Diane has released her sixth studio album, Looking Glass. This is Diane’s first new album in more than four years. Diane grew up in the winding rivers and golden hillsides of Nevada City,…
The artistic merger of Pixar and Disney is just about complete. While the business merger was done long ago, both Disney and Pixar have been producing distinctly different product. But now Disney has released Strange World, a Pixar movie in all but name. Under the direction of Don Hall (Raya and the Last Dragon) and…
Luca Guadagnino is a singular filmmaker. After three intimate dramas in I am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015) and Call Me By Your Name (2017), he pivoted to the blood-soaked remake of Suspiria (2018). Now he’s back with Bones and All, a film that merges his gentle, lyrical style with another hefty dose of…
American cinema isn’t really noted for its absurdist films. They tends to linger around the edges of an industry dominated by other genres. But The Menu breaks that stereotype wide open; as director Mark Mylod delivers one of the most deliciously absurd – and brutal – black comedies of recent years. Mylod takes his audience…
