“Weird shit” says Caruthers, who lives in an isolated forest caravan, of the activities of a terrifying near-demonic biker gang that his friend Red is planning to track down and kill. It’s a good description of both the gang and gleefully bloodthirsty action-horror Mandy, though it doesn’t go far enough. To be honest I had no… Mandy (London Film Festival) Read More
The Guilty (London Film Festival) 4.5 stars
*** Check out my interview Jakob Cedergren, star of The Guilty *** “I have blood on my hands” says a character in the taut and dread-filled Danish thriller The Guilty over the phone, and it’s a chilling moment. We don’t see any of the fear or horrors that unfold in the movie, as all the dialogue –… The Guilty (London Film Festival) Read More
Assassination Nation (London Film Festival) 3.5 stars
Assassination Nation – a noisy, bloody allegory for modern society – may feel like being whacked over the head by a righteously raging My Little Pony, but it’s also hugely entertaining. One of the problems with fighting back against a resurgence like Trump’s is that eventually people just get bored. They know he’s awful already. You… Assassination Nation (London Film Festival) Read More
Etruscan Smile (Boston Film Festival) 3.5 stars
Most of the characters in The Etruscan Smile are stuck in their ways, though Emily (Thora Birch) – who could easily be the most caricatured of all, with her diarised mothering, “autonomous baby”, and cry-it-out sleep training – is actually the one most prepared to accept she might have made a mistake. Her husband Ian (JJ… Etruscan Smile (Boston Film Festival) Read More
Cannes 2018: Lost In Film, Lost In France
I partied in a medieval turret over the bay. I was serenaded with a traditional song by an actor from Uzbekistan. I got an illegal red carpet selfie. I stood outside the Palais begging for a premiere ticket. I consumed more cheese than a ’70s gameshow addict. Oh and I saw some FILMS. This is… Cannes 2018: Lost In Film, Lost In France Read More
Cannes Film Festival: Quick Tips
Check out my long-read article on *my* 2018 Cannes Film Festival, or read my quick Top 15 Cannes Tips here: 1 Be nice to the festival security people, they’re trying to keep you safe (and are very helpful and friendly). 2 Check out the Journalists Terrace in the Palais Des Festivals for a chilled-out place to… Cannes Film Festival: Quick Tips Read More
2001: A Space Odyssey (Cannes 2018) 5 stars
I’m usually that person saying it’s okay to watch movies any way you can – Netflix, cinema, laptop, mobile phone. Hell, download it to your own eyeball then look for explanations in a recently-discovered ancient cave painting, if it works for you. But 2001: A Space Odyssey is one that, if you get the chance,… 2001: A Space Odyssey (Cannes 2018) Read More
BlacKkKlansman (Cannes 2018) 4 stars
There’s a big sign strung across the entrance to the Colorado Springs Police Department, encouraging new recruits from diverse backgrounds to apply. Ron Stallworth (John David Washington) is soon their first black police officer, fulfilling his lifelong dream. And once there, he also joins another outfit as their first black recruit; the local branch of… BlacKkKlansman (Cannes 2018) Read More
Girls Of The Sun (Cannes 2018) 3 stars
ISIS fighters believe that if a woman kills them they don’t make it to Paradise, which gives the female Kurdish fighters in Eva Husson’s film another layer of fuck-you on top of their extraordinary bravery, and skill. In fact leader Bahar (Golshifteh Farahani) even answers the iPhone of a man they have just killed and… Girls Of The Sun (Cannes 2018) Read More
Fahrenheit 451 (Cannes 2018) 2.5 stars
I love the initial minutes of dystopian storytelling; how a society got to this point, the new realities of everyday life, and the capacity of the human spirit to absorb horrific change without challenging it. How much do they agree? How much are they hoping someone else will save them? Or maybe they just don’t… Fahrenheit 451 (Cannes 2018) Read More
Solo: A Star Wars Story (Cannes 2018) 3.5 stars
Solo is terrific fun, a blast, a movie that never feels too long. But also doesn’t quite reach the heights it aspires to. WARNING – this is slightly spoilery, including Han and Chewy, so if you want to go into the cinema in blissful ignorance about this and some other plot points, leave now, with… Solo: A Star Wars Story (Cannes 2018) Read More
At War (Cannes 2018) 3 stars
I’ll admit that as someone who hails from the North East of England I was both surprised and delighted that Stephane Brize’s latest film, about industrial unrest in France, references Sunderland, the city just south of my birthplace. Though in some ways it’s not that unlikely, as it has long been an industrial area, despite… At War (Cannes 2018) Read More