A surreal nightmare, Titane pushes the boundaries of taste. Still, it’s intriguing throughout and doesn’t let up for its entire 100 minutes plus. A father (Bertrand Bonello), who turns out to be a doctor, is having trouble controlling his seven-year-old daughter Alexia (Adele Guigue) in the back seat of their car while driving. She makes…
A Boy Called Christmas is about overcoming tragedy and obstacles. Nikolas (Henry Lawfull) is a Finnish boy who lost his beloved mother and is being raised by his woodcutter father Joel (Michiel Huisman) in a small cabin. They have little. One day, Joel receives an invitation to visit the king (Jim Broadbent). The king acknowledges…
Special effects wizardry, violence and a dollop of humour drive Venom: Let There Be Carnage. The storyline is almost incidental, but split personalities are at the heart of it. Tom Hardy reprises his role as former journalist Eddie Brock, now host to bad alien symbiote Venom. When I say “host”, I mean that literally –…
Two newcomers, a rising star and a consummate veteran collaborate on Best Sellers. Anthony Grieco provides his first script for Lina Roessler to direct her debut feature. Both are actors who’ve now turned their hands to new fields. And despite some valiant efforts by all concerned, a lack of cohesion drags on this heartfelt film….
The Power of the Dog is Jane Campion’s first feature film since Bright Star, twelve years ago. Produced under the auspices of streaming giant Netflix, this modern western, set in Montana in 1925, is based on Thomas Savage’s little-known 1967 novel. Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch) and his brother George (Jesse Plemons) work the sprawling family…
Jonathan Larson wrote the smash hit Broadway musical Rent. How he got there is the subject of Tick, Tick … Boom!, the new film from Lin-Manuel Miranda. Larson (Andrew Garfield) dreams of being a Broadway musical writer. His creativity is recognised by his close and loyal friends, but he is on the cusp of 30…
Genre-bender Edgar Wright goes fully belter in his new film, Last Night in Soho. While it’s most recognisably a horror (specifically giallo, the bloody Italian inspired sub-genre) movie, Wright also dabbles in romance, mystery and musicals along the way. And although the film bursts with ideas, they clash to the extent it all becomes a…
Aimed at Gen Z, Zola has attitude but, arguably, few smarts. The premise is straightforward enough, namely how two twenty-something women fall out. Zola (Taylour Paige) works at a fast-food restaurant. She’s befriended by Stefani (Riley Keough) who she serves at the diner. Both are pole dancers and they have a night out in a…
Justin Chon treads a difficult path in his new film Blue Bayou. The writer-director (and star) seeks to highlight a little-known social issue in America; but he uses a problematic protagonist to do it. The result is a heartfelt and moving film, but one that’s perhaps less powerful than Chon intended. The issue is the…
Scott Cooper, who directed Jeff Bridges to an Oscar with Crazy Heart, returns with Antlers. This eerie and deeply unsettling horror film set in a small and forgotten mining town in Oregon that has been devastated by the opioid epidemic. The film has been produced under the auspices of horror/fantasy veteran Guillermo del Toro, whose…
