An orphaned girl discovers a magical garden hidden at her strict uncle’s estate. I was underwhelmed by The Secret Garden but not the secret garden. The film feels soulless, its magic and reality uneasy (flower)bedfellows; while the garden is a gorgeously tangled, artfully curated wilderness housing everything a child, kept captive by an adult world… The Secret Garden Read More
Love Sarah 2 stars
A young woman wishes to fulfill her mother’s dream of opening her own bakery in Notting Hill, London. To do this, she enlists the help of an old friend and her grandmother. My main thought after watching Love Sarah was to hope there would be an accompanying recipe booklet. The cakes look delicious: billowing cream,… Love Sarah Read More
Mizuko (short film) Short Film 4 stars
In Japan, there is a special way to mourn an abortion. Mizuko (Water Child) is a short animated documentary film inspired by these Buddhist traditions. For a film that tackles such a sensitive subject, and through so many different styles, Mizuko feels very calming, a soothing ripple washing over us even as it encourages us… Mizuko (short film) Read More
The Aeronauts 4 stars
A period drama about the weather really is peak British filmmaking. Corsets and barometers – what could be better? And they get to change the world. Set in 1862, this is an exhilarating journey up, up and away; with breathtaking action and a thoughtful central relationship between a doer and a thinker, as balloon pilot… The Aeronauts Read More
Replicas 1.5 stars
There’s something pleasingly pointed about a man jokingly claimed to be immortal starring in a movie about creating a form of immortality. Sci-fi cloning film Replicas was also co-produced by Keanu Reeves, whose youthful visage and apparent appearances in portraiture through the ages baffles many who apparently can’t tell the difference between two men with dark… Replicas Read More
Amaurosis trailer: no longer unseen
A shocking family event, a strange new friend who may or may not be all he seems, and an isolated Lake District location – all the elements are there in indie thriller Amaurosis. Previously released in the UK with the title The Unseen, this is an effective and eerie film about the effects of grief…. Amaurosis trailer: no longer unseen Read More
Greta 3 stars
WARNING: Spoilery if you haven’t seen the trailer I’ve categorised this as a comedy thriller, as aspects of it – Isabelle Huppert’s lusciously frenzied performance, a gleefully hideous injury (in close-up!), the shriekingly signalling music – position it like that, though the rest of the cast play it straight and there aren’t any jokes as… Greta Read More
Pet Sematary (2019) 3 stars
Nothing sums up the difference between city and country in Pet Sematary better than the story of the reanimated prize bull. The people of Ludlow in rural Maine combine practicality and belief in old legends, encapsulated by the tale of a local farmer who used a supernatural burial ground to bring back his most valuable animal…. Pet Sematary (2019) Read More
Padre 3.5 stars
“The space behind you is as important as the one in front of you” says James (Willem Dafoe), guiding his female performers as they rehearse his new play. It’s a good analogy for grief and death as journeys. I’ve found that when it comes to grief, once that initial crushing of the ribs has lessened,… Padre Read More
The Babadook 4.5 stars
As six year old Samuel’s doctor says, “all children see monsters”. Or hear them, under the bed and on the stairs. It’s a response to something they can’t control, and a way of making sense of big events in their lives. Most aren’t stalked through the darkness by a terrifying black hatted figure who wants… The Babadook Read More