Coming out of Midsommar I immediately saw a very blonde woman dressed in a blue and white folksy-style dress, her expression friendly yet with sinister undertones, and nearly legged it, before realising it was my own reflection in a shop window. Midsommar‘s crowd of smiling, fair-haired, prettily dressed cult members are ominous to us from the… Midsommar Read More
Apollo 11 (Sundance London) 5 stars
The words that sum up Apollo 11 hark back to magic – yes, this paen to science (technology, maths, physics) and humanity (bravery, a compulsion to explore, even teamwork) is spellbinding, entrancing, mesmerising. An extraordinary event deserves an extraordinary movie documenting it, and Apollo 11 is certainly that. In a modern era where there are few… Apollo 11 (Sundance London) Read More
Yesterday 3 stars
Jack Malik, unsuccessful at both singer-songwriting and love, is cycling home one night though his Suffolk hometown when the electricity fails across the world for 12 seconds and he’s hit by a bus. It’s a calamity for Jack (Himesh Patel), though it doesn’t seem to affect anyone else much, who see it as a jokey… Yesterday Read More
Anima (Short Film) Short Film 4 stars
Anima is a sometimes mesmerising experience – ironic when you consider both the soundtrack (it’s a film “best played loud”), and that it’s a denunciation of dystopian societies, whose messages to control their populations can be almost hypnotic. This is a film that moves between dreamlike and nightmarish, from realistic settings to the entirely stylised…. Anima (Short Film) Read More
Robert The Bruce 3 stars
Angus Macfadyen, reprising his role as Robert the Bruce, is a lot older than when he portrayed the future Scottish king in Braveheart, though it fits this Robert; a man wiser, ground down, painfully aware of where his actions have led the country: “I truly believed that God had chosen me to be King. And then we… Robert The Bruce Read More
Toy Story 4 4.5 stars
Homemade toy Forky, unable to comprehend that he is alive, and then unwilling to accept his new role as a plaything, is desperate to be disposed of as a used spork should be. For him trash means warm and safe, and his constant attempts to throw himself in the rubbish basket (with “get in… Toy Story 4 Read More
Booksmart 4 stars
Usually the kids in teen comedies leave me feeling incredibly old, but Booksmart‘s Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) seem even more middle-aged than me. They’re very clever, and very hard-working, and only have one day left at high school before graduation. That focus and drive means that even school Principal Brown (Jason Sudeikis)… Booksmart Read More
The Last Tree (Sundance London) 4 stars
Shola Amoo’s second feature is an accomplished and absorbing film, following the teenage Femi as he struggles to create his own identity and sense of place from disparate memories, experiences and expectations. Little confusions, which for teenagers can still loom large, are woven into far more serious choices. There’s a sweet scene when Femi, walking along… The Last Tree (Sundance London) Read More
Animals (Sundance London) 3.5 stars
It’s rare to find a film that combines such huge respect for the gorgeousness and grubbiness of female friendship with such dizzying disrespect for the human liver. They’re connected in this film of course, though I still feel drained just thinking about the sheer quantities of white wine consumed by best friends Laura and Tyler… Animals (Sundance London) Read More
A Vigilante 4 stars
I like this movie’s title – a vigilante, not the vigilante, which would have positioned this as just another exploitation piece. Sadie, herself a survivor of horrific abuse at the hands of her husband, is not out for acclaim but wants to sink into the grey shadows. It also suggests there are more out there,… A Vigilante Read More
I Love My Mum 3 stars
Bickering – so easy to do in real life – is a vastly underrated acting skill. I Love my Mum, the new comedy from writer-director Alberto Sciamma, is soundtracked to the constant hum of tiny aggressions and endless reproaches, a stuck record that needs a kick in order to jump forward. Olga (Kierston Wareing) and… I Love My Mum Read More
Late Night (Sundance London) 3 stars
When late night chat show host Katherine Newbury is told she’s being replaced, she finally has to face her writers’ room. Literally, as most of the men in there have never even seen her in the flesh before. Those men are all white, and privileged, though not as hirsute as I was expecting. They’re lazy,… Late Night (Sundance London) Read More
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