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…
Arrogance, entitlement and indulgence meet desert justice in The Forgiven. This rich and textured movie by John Michael McDonagh (Calvary) is based on Lawrence Osborne’s eponymous 2012 novel. Medical specialist David Henninger (Ralph Fiennes) and his wife Jo (Jessica Chastain) spend a lavish weekend with old friend Richard Galloway (Matt Smith) in Morocco. The location…
After Kingsman: The Secret Service and Kingsman: The Golden Circle, director Matthew Vaughn delivers a prequel. The King’s Man is the origin story, explaining how and why the spy organisation the Kingsman was formed. And it’s jam-packed full of action. The story starts in South Africa in 1902. Orlando Oxford (Ralph Fiennes) from the Red…
State-sanctioned lies underpin the political thriller Official Secrets. The lies cost as many as a million lives. The US and the UK were looking to justify starting a war in Iraq; with or without the backing of the UN (which wasn’t forthcoming). They do so on the pretense that the Iraqis have weapons of mass…
Even if you’re not a ballet fan, it’s likely you’ve heard of Rudolph Nureyev. Along with Anna Pavlova and Mikhail Baryshnikov, he’s an icon of the art form. But in The White Crow, actor turned director Ralph Fiennes delves into some lesser-known parts of Nureyev’s story to create a fascinating portrait of a supreme –…
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…
