A young boy in Hitler’s army finds out his mother is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. JoJo Rabbit works nearly all of the time, which for a comedy about the friendship between a small boy in the Hitler Youth and a Jewish girl, and with a buffoonish Hitler as an imaginary father figure, is… JoJo Rabbit (London Film Festival 2019) Read More
Little Monsters (London Film Festival 2019) 3 stars
Little Monsters is a great advert for teacher excellence, if not much of a recruiting tool – as multi-talented kindergarten teacher Miss Caroline has to save her class of small charges as they face down an attempted zombie apocalypse. I say attempted; it does feel a little half-hearted, as the world’s slowest undead hordes stagger round… Little Monsters (London Film Festival 2019) Read More
Peanut Butter Falcon (London Film Festival 2019) 5 stars
Zak runs away from his care home to make his dream of becoming a wrestler come true. The Peanut Butter Falcon infuses its message of autonomy and risk-taking with a sense of magic – as Zak, a young man with Down Syndrome, escapes his dreary, constricting care home for freedom and adventure. As Zak (Zack Gottsagen)… Peanut Butter Falcon (London Film Festival 2019) Read More
“Sometimes, Always, Never” director Carl Hunter on mods, muzjiks and his Merseyside movie
“Scrabble as a motif, order can be created, things can be put right. But you’ve just got to know the rules and be willing to play.” Carl Hunter, director of Sometimes, Always, Never. Film director Carl Hunter used to play in Liverpool band The Farm, part of the soundtrack to my 90s youth – and he was in a… “Sometimes, Always, Never” director Carl Hunter on mods, muzjiks and his Merseyside movie Read More
London Film Festival (LFF) – What’s It Like As Press?
UPDATE 2021: This was written a few years ago, pre-COVID, and pre any changes the organisers have made to their systems, so bear that in mind. I haven’t updated the article as I don’t know how LFF is operating now (sadly I’m not going this year but if you are I hope you have a good time — and stay safe!) Got a movie website? (Let’s not call it a blog…. London Film Festival (LFF) – What’s It Like As Press? Read More
London Film Festival Round-Up 2018
I saw some films! I met Jessica Hynes! I saw more films! I interview people! I met Jessica Hynes! And I spent a fortune on rail travelcards to meet Jessica Hynes! The 2018 BFI London Film Festival (LFF) ran from 10-21 October, finishing with me meeting Jessica Hynes, I mean with a red carpet world… London Film Festival Round-Up 2018 Read More
Sometimes Always Never (London Film Festival) 4 stars
*** Read my interview with director Carl Hunter *** Finally, a story about the beautiful game that isn’t boring or dependent on stereotypical ideas of its players. Yes, I’m talking about Scrabble. Set near Liverpool in the North West, director Carl Hunter’s delightful film is witty and moving – and beautifully written by Frank Cottrell Boyce… Sometimes Always Never (London Film Festival) Read More
“The Guilty” Star Jakob Cedergren On The Making Of The Blindsiding Danish Thriller
The Guilty, a nervy, tense Danish thriller set solely in the claustrophobic confines of an emergency dispatcher’s office, is released in the UK on 26 October. Asger Holm is a policeman working on the emergency phones, often dealing with timewasters and fakers – until he receives a call from Iben, a woman who is being… “The Guilty” Star Jakob Cedergren On The Making Of The Blindsiding Danish Thriller Read More
Sorry To Bother You (London Film Festival) 4 stars
With so many of us well-boiled frogs now, the only way to demonstrate how crazily evil our world has become is to take the metaphors and make them concrete. That’s what Boots Riley has done with his blunt satire Sorry To Bother You. In this alternative reality which isn’t that alternative, America has continued the… Sorry To Bother You (London Film Festival) Read More
Jessica Hynes On Freedom In Filmmaking & Her “Kurosawa Scene”
Jessica Hynes, writer and star of Channel 4 comedy Spaced and star of W1A and The Royle Family (among many, many other shows and movies), has recently directed her first feature film, the micro budget seaside-set family drama The Fight. The movie follows frazzled mum Tina who takes up boxing when she’s forced to find ways to acknowledge… Jessica Hynes On Freedom In Filmmaking & Her “Kurosawa Scene” Read More
The Fight (London Film Festival) 3.5 stars
*** I chatted to Jessica Hynes at the London Film Festival – check it out here *** There are plenty of altercations in Jessica Hynes’ directorial debut, both internal and physical; as mum Tina fights her past and her resultant self-worth to stand up and take control, by climbing through the ropes into the boxing ring. Boxing is… The Fight (London Film Festival) Read More
Stan & Ollie (London Film Festival) 4 stars
Unlike those comedians who are determined not to be funny in real life, Laurel and Hardy – and particularly Stan Laurel – are always on. Their act bleeds off the stage and the page, and into every day. “I’m just going to find a woman I hate and buy her a house” says Stan Laurel… Stan & Ollie (London Film Festival) Read More