Art and crime have always been strange but frequent bedfellows. From the often-illegal activities of Caravaggio to the sensational art heists of the 20th Century, public fascination with both never seems to wane. And while art crime can be deadly serious, director Roger Michell gives it a comic twist in The Duke. Michell’s films tend…
Michael Morbius (Jared Leto) possesses a brilliant mind. But a rare blood disorder has left him crippled and in agonising pain. Under the watchful eyes of his consulting physician Emil Nikols (Jared Harris), Morbius befriends a new patient Milo (Matt Smith). Early on, Morbius helps save young Milo’s life when the machine he is attached…
A film to put you off eating meat forever, Fresh on Disney+ is a twisted tale of depravity with some humorous moments. Noa (Daisy Edgar-Jones) is an attractive, bright everyday young woman who can’t seem to find a decent guy. Her online dating is nothing short of disastrous and her latest dinner companion has been…
An English/Spanish co-production, It Snows in Benidorm is the new film from writer-director Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive). This languidly paced, slow-burn mystery lacks any real sense of threat or menace, and unfortunately it leaves many questions unanswered. The film deals with the search for identity and connection, but the ending is vague and unsatisfying….
In Dog, a traumatised veteran, Riley Rodriguez (Eric Urbiztondo), has died. His parents want the specially-trained dog that worked alongside him to take pride of place at his funeral. That means a 2,400 kilometre road trip with the canine – a Belgian Malinois named Lulu. But through eight tours and seven years on the front…
The spirit of the late great Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman permeates this gentle but ambiguous drama from French filmmaker Mia Hansen-Love (The Father of My Children) which blurs the line between fiction and reality. Filmmaking couple Chris (Vicky Krieps, from Phantom Thread) and Tony (Tim Roth) arrive on Faro Island, located in the Baltic Sea…
Growing and maturing get a twist in the animated feature Turning Red. Meilin (the voice of Rosalie Chiang) is a very bright and dutiful 13-year-old. She diligently follows her overprotective – and, at times, overbearing – mother’s lead and always does the right thing by her. But one night the totally unexpected happens. Meilin turns…
I couldn’t think of a more appropriate name for a cliche-riddled film that fails to ignite than Off the Rails. When Anna she dies of cancer, she leaves European rail passes for her three good friends to revisit their past adventures. Each of the middle-aged women have their issues. Cassie (Kelly Preston), who plays a…
Although it’s a cliched romantic comedy, Book of Love is not entirely without humour or charm. Henry Copper (Sam Claflin) is an academic turned writer whose debut novel The Sensible Heart is not exactly a page turner, nor has it been flying off the shelves. In fact, when he holds a meet-the-author session, the book…
Early on in Susanna Nicchiarelli’s Miss Marx, the writer-director makes it clear she considers her subject to be a kind of punk rock icon. Pity then that her film largely shuns that angle and instead meanders into becoming another tepid costume drama. The film ostensibly features a fiery feminist icon, but it plays out as…
