I didn’t have time to review Spies In Disguise, the animated feature about top agent Lance Sterling (Will Smith) turned into a pigeon by peace-loving inventor Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) – though my 8 year old took time out from important Lego world-building to give it a go. I’ve been grousing every since though, as… Pigeon: Impossible (short film) Read More
“I think women can do anything!” – the first Charlie’s Angels trailer is here
UPDATE, October 2019: I’ve added the second trailer – scroll down to the bottom “We exist because traditional law enforcement can’t keep up,” says Elizabeth Banks’ Bosley in the new Charlie’s Angels trailer, but really they shouldn’t need a reason. This is a sequel to the TV series AND the films from 2000 and 2003…. “I think women can do anything!” – the first Charlie’s Angels trailer is here Read More
Deciphering The Making Of Short Film The Code With Director Patrick Ryder
Award-winning director Patrick Ryder’s latest short film is The Code, a World War 2 drama set in the forests of France shortly before the events of Dunkirk. It follows brothers Will (Kevin Leslie) and Eddie (Jacob Anderton) and their friend Tommy (Robert Dukes), separated from the rest of their regiment and desperate to get to… Deciphering The Making Of Short Film The Code With Director Patrick Ryder Read More
The Code (Short Film) Short Film 4 stars
*** Read my interview with director of The Code, Patrick Ryder *** Three British soldiers, one horribly injured, come across a wounded German, still attached to the silk parachute which is splayed out across a tree trunk lying on the forest floor. The German he utters remains mostly un-translated. He can speak English though, and… The Code (Short Film) Read More
Red Sparrow 2.5 stars
If you’re a fan of nostalgia, you may well appreciate Red Sparrow, a spy mystery filled with utilitarian buildings, grey skies, and kohl-rimmed eyes peaking out from beneath fur hats and huge fringes. Starting off in Moscow, it then moves to Budapest, Vienna and London, playing out like a traditional Cold War thriller; complete with… Red Sparrow Read More
Atomic Blonde 3.5 stars
It’s 1989, just before the Berlin Wall comes down, and as the people of East Germany finally have freedom within reach, British spy Lorraine Broughton finds herself increasingly trapped as her escape routes close. Atomic Blonde is not so much style over substance as just enough style, but too much substance. The beginning is fabulous, the ending had my head spinning more… Atomic Blonde Read More
Grimsby 3.5 stars
The US title is The Brothers Grimsby, though the brothers’ surname is not Grimsby. For the record, their surnames are Butcher and Graves, which sounds like a pair of 18th century serial killers. Or a modern day undertaker and abattoir worker who team up to fight crime in their spare time. (I would definitely watch… Grimsby Read More
Allied 4 stars
We’re in Casablanca in French Morocco and everyone is getting ready for the ambassador’s party. And it does seem like a lot of effort just for some vol-au-vents and a tray of Ferrero Rocher. Maybe there’s not much going on entertainment-wise in French Morocco, there is, after all, a war on. It’s 1942 and Max Vatan… Allied Read More
Another Country 4 stars
There’s something terrifying about rewatching a film you used to play over and over, but haven’t seen in years. Especially if you’ve told everybody you know how wonderful it is. What if it’s full of the misogyny, homophobia and racism that went unremarked upon a few decades ago, the kind you look at now and… Another Country Read More
Swallows and Amazons 4 stars
In the UK in the 1970s you really had to make your own fun, so a source of particular joy for children was sniggering at bedtime while one’s mother read aloud the exploits of the brilliantly named children Titty and Roger in Arthur Ransome’s classic tale of Lake District derring do. Sadly, though Roger remains… Swallows and Amazons Read More