A stern and cold-voiced woman tells two 5 year olds named Boy and Girl that they’re going on a dangerous journey and if they don’t do what she says she will hurt them. It’s a frightening opening to this film about motherhood, not just because of the calamity it hints at but also because this… Bird Box Read More
Sometimes Always Never (London Film Festival) 4 stars
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 (with whom Hunter has collaborated previously on the shorts… Sometimes Always Never (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
The 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… The Etruscan Smile (Boston Film Festival) Read More
Anchor And Hope 3.5 stars
“Is it in?” Roger enquires as they try to make a baby. But in this witty and sometimes exhausting drama of emotions, this is a role reversal. Kat is trying to inseminate her partner Eva with her friend Roger’s sperm via a syringe, while Roger is in the other room. Loads of babies are conceived… Anchor And Hope Read More
The Incredibles 4 stars
“Leave the saving of the world to the men? I don’t think so. I don’t think so…” says Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), and The Incredibles movies (the sequel, made 14 years on but set immediately after the end of this movie, is out now) always manage to turn expected Superheroics on its head. Above all, The… The Incredibles Read More
Family Games 3.5 stars
“Wouldn’t it be perfect if it rained” says Sloane to her boyfriend Barrett as a taxi takes them to her dad’s isolated woodland home before his remarriage the next day. Barrett has the good grace to look uncomfortable over Sloane’s bitchiness. For her this trip is not about celebrating nuptials, putting a brave face on… Family Games Read More
Coco 4 stars
Coco is an extraordinary feast for the eyes, and rather a delight for the ears too. It’s a deliciously colourful experience, from the prettily embroidered dresses of the women in 12 year old Miguel’s family; to the glowing candles and orange marigolds filling the graveyard on the Day Of The Dead; to the Land Of… Coco Read More
New Life 2 stars
New Life – the title has several meanings that become clear as the story unfolds – isn’t saying anything new. But it is lifted by a nicely-pitched central performance from an actress who just gets better as her character is tested to the max. As a young boy Ben (Jonathan Patrick Moore) moves to the… New Life Read More
A Family Man 3 stars
“You made me a mother” says Elise (Gretchen Mol) to her eldest child Ryan, who is being treated for leukaemia, and I know just what she means, but he’s also her husband Dane’s firstborn and becoming a parent doesn’t seem to have made him much of a father. A Family Man was originally called The Headhunter’s… A Family Man Read More
Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 (3D) 3.5 stars
“There are two types of being in the universe – those who dance, and those who do not” as many a clubbing friend has suggested, in hope rather than expectation, while watching me drunkenly flail my arms around to everything from Abba to the Sisters of Mercy, unaware that the back of my skirt is tucked into… Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2 (3D) Read More