You may know Armando Iannucci from his biting satires of British and American politics via In the Loop and Veep respectively. His latest political spoof, The Death of Stalin, explores the events surrounding the passing of appalling Soviet leader Josef Stalin. But far from being a history lesson, the film resonates with contemporary relevance. In a recent interview, …
The latest from Finnish auteur Aki Karismaki, The Other Side of Hope was the opening night film at the 2017 Scandinavian Film Festival. This comedy is full of his usual droll humour, deadpan style and absurdist touches. Karismaki often pokes fun at the Finnish working class and their daily struggles. The Other Side of Hope…
While gay marriage was recognised in the United States some time ago, it hasn’t led to an influx of mainstream gay-themed movies. They remain few and far between. Something like the excellent Academy Award winner Call Me by Your Name remains in the art house space. Love, Simon breaks the mould – an openly gay…
Teaming (arguably) the most successful director of all time with a story that plays on both the current obsession with gaming and pop culture nostalgia would seem to be a no-brainer. It has to be good, right? Well, kinda. Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One is a visually stunning spectacle at times, but it’s no E.T….
There’s a fine line with fantasy that can, and often does, cross the line of credibility. A Wrinkle in Time absolutely smashes it. Meg Murry (Storm Reid) is a typical middle-school student. Struggling with issues of self-worth, she just wants to fit in. The daughter of two world-renowned physicists, she’s intelligent and uniquely gifted. So is her…
Aardman has a rich history of creating fine animated features in movies like Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep. Although Early Man – the largest Aardman production mounted in its 40-plus year history – isn’t up there with the best of them, it still has its moments. Set in prehistoric times, the film follows the story of…
The Endless is a mind-bender that doesn’t make sense and gets weirder the longer it goes. Two brothers – Justin (Justin Benson) and Aaron (Aaron Moorhead) – have escaped a death cult. But they struggle to make ends meet and make something of their lives when they return to society. They live in poverty in a…
The Divine Order is a crowd-pleasing light drama from Switzerland. A bit like Pride and Made in Dagenham, it explores how a social movement can bring about change and alter entrenched attitudes. In 1971, women in Switzerland were still denied the right to vote – one of the last countries in the industrialised world to…
In the 1950s, Biblical films were extremely popular. Sweeping epics like the Oscar-winning Ben Hur and the spectacular The Ten Commandments scoring at the box office. These stories featured timeless themes of good versus evil. But in the 60s, their popularity seemed to wane. More modern takes on Bible stories have tended to be revisionist,…
Do you love giant robots? How about huge slobbering monsters? Buildings being smashed to pieces? The world being saved? If you said yes to any of these, then Pacific Rim: Uprising is exactly the movie for you. Director Steven S. DeKnight brings this muddled tale to the big screen with a lot of spectacle, but…
