Sorry for the bad taste pun but it was that or “end of the road”. Yes, Tom makes it to the end of his journey, literally. This is very spoilery about his past and how the ending plays out, so if you’re just after my review it’s here. Though initially we are led to believe… The Last Bus: the terminus approaches Read More
The Nest ending: did you twig?
If you can remember the ’80s, were you really there? Do you want to remember? What, even the shoulder pads? Very spoilery. (My five star review is here.) “Rory. Stop.” So ends The Nest, with wife Allison finally asserting her authority, literally and figuratively now at the head of the table, when he skulks in… The Nest ending: did you twig? Read More
The Nest 5 stars
An insecure British trader in New York relocates his family back to the UK at the start of the ’80s financial boom. Back in 1987 a Volkswagen Golf advertisement showed a beautiful blonde woman in London striding away in anger from her presumably feckless husband towards her reliable old VW, while literally throwing away the… The Nest Read More
The Man At The Bottom Of The Garden (short film) Short Film 3.5 stars
Jessica’s parents have been married for decades, but lockdown is proving difficult. And now mum has a plan to get dad out of the house. Made in and of a pandemic — a Zoom call set-up and a snappy 10 minute running time — this isn’t a horror, despite first appearances (and the plethora of… The Man At The Bottom Of The Garden (short film) Read More
Little Women 3.5 stars
If you’re a struggling writer, don’t google what Jo March’s $20 payment for her short story, offered by a publisher who thinks all literary heroines should end up married or dead, works out as in today’s money. You’ll only start crying, and as an author you need to save those tears for Beth dying, I… Little Women Read More
A Friend In Need (Short Film) Short Film 3.5 stars
A Friend In Need brought to mind that (probably apocryphal) Mark Twain quote: “I once sent a dozen of my friends a telegram saying ‘flee at once – all is discovered.’ They all left town immediately.” Here it’s affairs, drugs, crimes against fashion (I’m looking at you, Patrick), and being rude to a pole dancer… A Friend In Need (Short Film) Read More
Redoubtable 3.5 stars
I wouldn’t exactly say that Redoubtable is set to the backdrop of the 1968 Paris unrest. The revolutionary fervour that swept the city in May that year is used more as a prop for Jean-Luc Godard in particular scenes, and like the director himself the film pops in and out of marches, stone throwing and… Redoubtable Read More
All Between Us 2 stars
This dinner-party-from-hell movie was made in 2010, but is only now, eight years later, getting a home entertainment release – presumably to cash in on co-star Tiffany Haddish’s phenomenal (and well-deserved) success. I’ll admit until I realised when the film was made I was rather mystified regarding Haddish’s involvement. It’s a story that has some… All Between Us Read More
A Woman’s Life 4 stars
“What good are the flowers if the fruit does not ripen?” asks Jeanne (Judith Chemla) to herself early on, little knowing that this will pretty much sum up her own existence, 30 years hence. A life not even half-lived, yet alone well-lived. This film from director Stéphane Brizé, based on Guy de Maupassant’s late 19th century… A Woman’s Life Read More