Wild Tales (2014) – released on DVD 15th June 2015
**** Director: Damian Szifron Duration: 122 minutes (Argentina) Bristling with flair, panache and a fair chunk of the absurd, Damian Szifron’s Wild Tales is a short, sharp shock to the … Continue reading
Lambert & Stamp (2014) review – The odd couple behind the Who’s success get their own doc
***1/2 Director: James D. Cooper Duration: 117 minutes As we edge closer to the twilight years of rock music’s original progenitors – those establishment rattling, musical mavericks of the 60s … Continue reading
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) review
**** Director: Joss Whedon Duration: 141 minutes (US) Shrouded in secrecy and keenly anticipated in a manner that could only be described as fervent, Age of Ultron bears the fruits … Continue reading
Fast & Furious 7 (2015) review
Mission Improbable? It doesn’t take Ed Miliband in a leadership debate to give a ‘hell yeah’ to that question. Fast & Furious 7’s not just Ludicris, but ridiculous too. ***1/2 … Continue reading
The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2015)
**** Director: John Madden Duration: 123 mins It was the Eagles who signed off ‘Hotel California’ – their ode to man’s journey from innocence to experience – with the observation … Continue reading
Life Itself (2014) – Documentary on the late, great Roger Ebert arrives on DVD
**** Director: Steve James Duration: 120 mins (US) By Greg Wetherall (@gregwetherall) Is it an essential requisite that anyone who dare elect themselves as a professional critic must be in … Continue reading
Virgin Mountain (2015) – Berlin Film Festival 2015
Director: Dagur Kari Duration: 94 minutes (Iceland/Denmark) **** Considerably overweight and out of love. Cruelly bullied by the brutes in the work place and showing signs of arrested development at … Continue reading
As We Were Dreaming (2015) – Berlin Film Festival 2015
Director: Andreas Dressen
Duration: 117 mins (Germany/France)
***
Although powerful in certain sections – a wonderful collision between parent and his son’s recalcitrant company is compelling, as is a nightclub gun scene – it more often than not leaves the viewer looking at their watch almost as much as the screen.
Love & Mercy (2014) – Berlin Film Festival 2015
Director: Bill Pohlad Duration: 118 mins (US) *** John Cusack is Brian Wilson. Yes, that Brian Wilson. He of the Beach Boys. If that seems like a strange piece of … Continue reading
Knight of Cups (2015) – Berlin Film Festival 2015
Director: Terrence Malick Duration: 118 minutes (US) ** ‘Wake up’. ‘WAKE UP!’ It’s not often that a recurring line spoken about the human consciousness is equally appropriate as a shallow … Continue reading
The Square (2013)
**** Director: Jehane Noujaim Duration: 108 minutes (Egypt/USA) Oscar shortlisted documentary on the uprising in Egypt; a revolution that gave a gravitas to social networking, whilst simultaneously evidencing history in … Continue reading
Mandela: Long Walk To Freedom (2013)
**** Director: Justin Chadwick Duration: 139 minutes (UK/South Africa) In light of recent events, there is a rather large shadow cast over the release of this film. In some sense, … Continue reading
All Is Lost (2013)
***** Directed: J.C. Chandor Duration: 106 minutes (US) Alone, adrift and in dire need of salvation. This is not a presumptuous and damning indictment on any reader of this piece, … Continue reading
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues (2013)
*** Directed: Adam McKay Duration: 119 minutes (US) Comedy films, especially modern comedy films, face the eternal dilemma; how to stretch an exciting premise and/or characters into a feature length … Continue reading
The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug (2013)
**** Director: Peter Jackson Duration: 161 minutes (US/New Zealand) To those who are excited and invested in the series, it is time to dust down any anticipation. The wait is … Continue reading
Homefront (2013)
*** Directed: Gary Fleder Duration: 100 minutes (US) Our hero, Jason Statham, is a normal man (albeit an ex-DEA agent) just trying to get through his day. Having moved out … Continue reading
Gone With The Wind (1939)
***** Dir: David O’Selznick Duration: 233 minutes (US) Gone With The Wind (1939) is a film easily defined by statistics. It is oft-quoted that if box office receipts were adjusted … Continue reading
Seduced and Abandoned (2013)
**** Directed: James Toback Duration: 98 minutes You may have heard about the 99%. Well, in Seduced & Abandoned, Toback and Baldwin (he of James and he of Alec) offer … Continue reading
Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs 2 (2013)
*** Dir: Cody Cameron & Kris Pearn Duration: 95 minutes After the runaway success of ‘Despicable Me 2’ earlier this summer, along with a whole swathe of other successful follow-up … Continue reading
Captain Phillips (2013)
**** Dir: Paul Greengrass Duration: 134 minutes (US) It is 2009 and an American cargo ship is heading through international waters. Plain sailing? Not quite. This is a ship that … Continue reading
Soho Cigarette (2013)
** Dir: Jonathan Fairbairn Duration: 99 minutes (UK) Style Can’t Keep This Cigarette Alight. Anyone who is able to wade through the muddy waters and obstacle-strewn walkways of the film … 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
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
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
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