The highs, lows and eventual triumph of singer-songwriter Robbie Williams, as portrayed by a chimp. Better Man certainly brings back musical memories, though rather than the nostalgia-fest one might expect they force us to face the uncomfortable truth: as the real Robbie Williams belted out Angels from the stage and thousands of us sang it… Better Man Read More
Finding The Way Back 3 stars
Jack Cunningham was an HS basketball phenom who walked away from the game, forfeiting his future. Years later, when he reluctantly accepts a coaching job at his alma mater, he may get one last shot at redemption. Like many redemption-via-sports movies, Finding The Way Back is less about looking outwards at the court, track or… Finding The Way Back Read More
Judy 3.5 stars
Despite Judy Garland’s far-too-early death at the age of 47, there’s a sense in Judy that by then her life had come full circle, and not in a good way. Interweaving her five-week engagement at the Talk Of The Town club in London a few months before her death with her teenage years in Hollywood,… Judy Read More
Rocketman 4.5 stars
Several times during Rocketman young Reggie Dwight reappears in Elton John’s life, even as the singer-songwriter is trying to escape him, before he realises that little Reggie is the anchor for everything. Elton’s childhood was often bleak. Yet despite this film’s honest depictions of loneliness, addiction and despair, Rocketman is a joyous and boisterous fantasy grounded in… Rocketman Read More
Her Smell 3.5 stars
For a film about music and musicians, the soundtrack to Her Smell is less the songs, and more the chanting, stomping fans out in front of the stage – in love with Becky Something, and furious with her at the same time. Becky (a riveting Elisabeth Moss), lead singer with punk rock band Something She, is… Her Smell Read More