She’s intelligent, outspoken and attractive. She also happens to be a songstress with a large and loyal following; and an immigrant with a fascinating history. Against the odds, she’s made it to the top, but still she never fails to court controversy. Matangi/Maya/M.I.A. paints a picture of the artist known as M.I.A.; who shook the…
“Like” and “you know” – two of the most overused phrases in the English language. They irritate me; and the former is thrashed in the opening scene of Eighth Grade. I had a teenage daughter (now over that hump, thank goodness), so I know what overuse of language sounds like. In this case, they’re spoken…
After a reasonable year in 2017, the movies went one better in 2018. The year may – when the history is written – mark a watershed moment. This was the year when movies (percolating a cultural shift that’s been happening for a while now) realised it wasn’t all about doing the same thing over and…
The original Mary Poppins, which came out in 1964, was a near-perfect blend of fantasy and music. Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke tripped the light fantastic and showed us how a family film should be. Fifty-five years on the world is a vastly different place. Expectations have changed. Technology has morphed. Children expect sophistication….
My list of the worst films of 2018 has just had a late addition with Holmes & Watson, an execrable and terribly unfunny piece of nonsense that will have Sir Arthur Conan Doyle spinning in his grave. This dire comedy about the world’s greatest detective and his devoted assistant Dr John Watson reunites Will Ferrell…
Geez, you think you know a guy! Whether you loved or loathed former US Vice-President Dick Cheney, Adam McKays’ new film Vice will probably give you new insight into this enigmatic figure. Oh, and it may just illuminate some recent history as well. But the most important thing about Vice is that it’s fun. Although…
I’m not sure what’s going on with James Wan’s blockbuster Aquaman. This is a bloated Franken-movie that cobbles together parts of many – mostly better (*cough* Black Panther *cough*) films. Yet by the time the climactic final battle takes place, I found myself cheering for our hero. How does that happen? As a director, Wan’s…
Disney’s latest animated offering, Ralph Breaks the Internet, just lifted the roof on what’s possible. It’s not only extremely clever, but funny and engaging for the whole family. Wreck-It Ralph (voiced by Jon C. Reilly) and Vanellope von Schweetz (Sarah Silverman) have been best friends since their previous misadventures (six years ago in Wreck-It Ralph), hanging…
Romeo and Juliet are transplanted from Renaissance Verona to mid-20th Century Poland in Paweł Pawlikowski’s stunning Cold War. This elegant film charts a fractious love affair against the backdrop of fractious times. Pawlikowski has a reputation as a stylish and thoughtful director; sometimes compared to a younger version of his compatriot Roman Polanski (without the…
Do you like your period dramas to be fussy affairs filled with ruffles, secret courtships and proper manners? If you said yes, then The Favourite probably isn’t for you. Compared to traditional costume dramas, this is the cinematic equivalent of a Molotov cocktail. Idiosyncratic Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos steps tentatively into the mainstream with this…
