Interview: The Wicker Man Director On His Final Cut, Cursed Remakes And Not Wanting To Be Typecast
It is 40 years since the Wicker Man first bore its indelible image of a giant burning human-shaped casket onto the retinas of cinema-goers. Now, in a new restoration and … Continue reading
Rush (2013)
**** Dir: Ron Howard Duration: 123 minutes (USA/Germany/UK) A retelling of a famously bitter and volatile rivalry. Has Ron Howard evaded caricature in this high-octane biopic of sorts? Niki Lauda … Continue reading
Museum Hours (2012)
**** Dir: Jem Cohen Duration: 106 minutes (2012) (Austria/US) A leisurely film that pores through the relationship between art and life may not sound like the easiest sell. However, for … Continue reading
A Field In England (2013)
*** Dir: Ben Wheatley Duration: 90 minutes (2013) (UK) Tripping across the countryside. Fighting can be a drug. But so can mushrooms. Ben Wheatley takes a turn down the sublime … Continue reading
Pacific Rim (2013)
*** Dir: Guillermo Del Toro Duration: 131 minutes (2013) (US) A screaming cacophony of mayhem and destruction. Ear plugs may be needed for this confrontation, as monsters and robots collide. … Continue reading
The World’s End (2013)
*** Dir: Edgar Wright Duration: 109 minutes (2013) (UK) Gang on the run. Pegg, Frost & Co unite for the third instalment in the proclaimed ‘Cornetto Trilogy’. However, is this … Continue reading
Monsters University (2013)
***** Directed: Dan Scanlon Duration: 110 minutes (2013) (US) Pixar bring back Mike and Sulley for a journey retracing their college days. It is a trick that enables pratfalls, truculence … Continue reading
It’s Such A Beautiful Day (2012)
* Dir: Don Hertzfeldt Duration: 62 minutes (2012) (US) Wasted talent and wasted time on unnecessarily grim animation feature where the techniques and execution of the animation are the only … Continue reading
Gimme The Loot (2012)
**** Dir: Adam Leon Duration: 79 minutes (2012) (US) Escapades a-plenty in this refreshing shaggy dog tale and debut from Adam Leon. Could the mainstream studios wake up for a … Continue reading
The Gatekeepers (2012)
*** Dir: Dror Moreh Duration: 101 minutes (2012) (Israel/France/Germany/Belgium) Flawed documentary that promises much and delivers some. Director manages to get six former heads of the Israeli security agency, the … Continue reading
Sundance London: A Diary – Days 3 and 4
Seeing as Sundance is about to fade into a fond memory, it makes sense to distil the second half of the festival into one single entry. I am sure I … Continue reading
Sundance London: A Diary – Day 2
The second day of Sundance brought a more limited experience for this writer (days 3 and 4 brought an abundance of panel discussions and films, so please bear with me). … Continue reading
Sundance London: A Diary – Day 1
Robert Redford and his indie centric group have once again taken up residency of London’s O2 for the welcome return of Sundance London. Returning for a second year, the festival … Continue reading
Trance (2013)
**** Danny the Champion of the World? Olympic opening ceremony hero returns with pulsating thriller to rock your socks off and dazzle your senses. Dir: Danny Boyle Duration: 101 mins … Continue reading
Robot & Frank (2012)
*** Dir: Jake Schreier Duration: 130 mins (2012) The shape of things to come? Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid for the new millennia? A meditation on old age, dependency and … Continue reading
Broken (2012)
**** Dir: Rufus Norris Duration: 90mins (2012) How much misery can one audience take? This belligerently sombre drama will depress even the most hardened Eastenders fans. Be prepared. A simple … Continue reading
The Digest. Short Review: Zero Dark Thirty (2012)
**** Dir: Kathryn Bigelow Dur: 157 mins (US) (2012) Tracking the 10 year hunt for the poster boy and figurehead of Al Queda, Osama Bin Laden. As the dust settles on … Continue reading
Django Unchained (2012)
*** Dir: Quentin Tarantino Dur: 154 mins (US) When the lights are burning bright and you think they are stars – turns out it is merely electricity lighting up the … Continue reading
Life of Pi (2012)
**** Dir: Ang Lee Duration: 127 minutes (US) (2012) Life of (the) Pi(ous); adaptation of the ‘unfilmable’ book. Can visual ingenuity mould an engaging tale? Or is this merely a … Continue reading
The Master (2012)
* Dir: Paul Thomas Anderson Dur: 144 mins (US) Hollywood heavyweights turn the spotlight on the lure of the cult. With snooze-inducing consequences. Warning: they may bore you into submission. … Continue reading
2012’s Essential Documentaries. Have The Oscars Got It Wrong?
The nominations for the 2013 Oscars are now in. Much conjecture will take place over the main categories, so instead of adding voice to an area where there is already toomuchnoise (sic), … Continue reading
Review: Jack Reacher (2012)
**** Dir: Christopher McQuarrie Duration: 130 mins (US) (2012) Reach(er) for the stars? Tom Cruise stretches diminutive frame to fill the shoes of a modern literary action giant. Does he … Continue reading
Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012)
**** Dir: Peter Jackson Duration: 159 mins (US) Carry On Camping. The epic 1st part of this new Tolkien trilogy. Seeing as Peter Jackson is ‘doing a Lucas’, is this his Phantom … Continue reading
Review: Sightseers (2012)
**** Dir: Ben Wheatley Dur: 88 mins (UK) ‘If you should go down to the woods today….’ Comedic highs and bludgeoning blows in this rampaging caravanning holiday. The caravanning … Continue reading
Review: Amour (2012)
**** Dir: Michael Haneke Duration: 127 mins (France/Austria/Germany) How do you come to terms when the person you love descends into an irrevocable state of ill health? The heart breaking … Continue reading
Review: Rust and Bone (2012)
**** Dir: Jacques Audiard Duration: 123 mins (2012) (France/Belgium) Spirits set to self-destruct. Audiard turns a spotlight on two flawed individuals in unsentimental love story. Can we ever tame something … Continue reading
Review: Skyfall (2012)
*** Dir: Sam Mendes Duration: 143 mins (2012) (UK/US) Look who’s back. Yearning for a welcome shot of familiarity? Or curious to know if there is any new life in … Continue reading
Review: Spike Island (2012)
*** Dir: Mat Whitecross (2012) Fool’s Gold? Or What The World Is Waiting For? Spike Island revisited as a Stone Roses themed love note frames a coming of age tale … Continue reading
Review: Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
*** Dir: Ben Zeitlin Duration: 93mins (2012) (US) Film preoccupied with death. Salvation. Innocence. Purity. Love and anger. Through the eyes of a 6-year-old. This first feature from director Ben … Continue reading
Review: Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted (2012)
**** Dir: Eric Darnell, Tom McGrath, Conrad Vernon Duration: 93 minutes (2012) (US) The gang is back for another cross-continental jaunt in a surprisingly effective (and very funny) entry for … Continue reading
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