Usually the kids in teen comedies leave me feeling incredibly old, but Booksmart‘s Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) seem even more middle-aged than me. They’re very clever, and very hard-working, and only have one day left at high school before graduation. That focus and drive means that even school Principal Brown (Jason Sudeikis)… Booksmart Read More
Giant Little Ones (Canada Now Film Festival) 4 stars
I’m baffled by modern adolescence, and can hardly believe myself that back in the ’80s mine was modern too. Luckily Keith Behrman’s film leaves me with a sense of hope for my own children’s upcoming teen years, which may have more in common with my own than I feared. In Giant Little Ones Behrman, who… Giant Little Ones (Canada Now Film Festival) Read More
V (Short Film) Short Film 3.5 stars
Not everything you find on Google about vampires is true, says 16 year old Minnie ruefully: “I didn’t get fangs, I certainly didn’t develop some unearthly beauty!” she says as she sits in the kitchen of her flat drinking a bottle of blood she keeps in the fridge. Some things about vampires are true though,… V (Short Film) Read More
The influence of Instagram: interview with Jonathan Ignatius Green, director of acclaimed documentary “Social Animals”
“Almost every adult I’ve talked to about social media has remarked how glad they are that they didn’t have it when they were in high school. What does that say about our true feelings about this thing we’re all glued to?” Jonathan Ignatius Green’s thoughtful and highly entertaining documentary Social Animals, which premiered to great acclaim at… The influence of Instagram: interview with Jonathan Ignatius Green, director of acclaimed documentary “Social Animals” Read More
Social Animals 4 stars
*** Check out my interview with Jonathan Ignatius Green, director of Social Animals *** There’s an arresting shot of 15 year old Kaylyn and her girlfriends on the beach, sitting in a row with their phones out. Someone has just noticed a whale in the surf, but it’s unclear whether they are all photographing the… Social Animals Read More
Blockers 3.5 stars
You say eggplant, I say aubergine. But while we are in some ways divided by a common language, emojis cross linguistic divides. Possibly not age divides though, as three parents struggle to translate their teenage daughters’ messages as they snoop on an accidentally open laptop. I’ll admit I was as baffled as them, and never… Blockers Read More
2:Hrs 2.5 stars
2:HRS is odd. Definitely quirky, sometimes befuddling, with lots left, intriguingly, hanging. At times it feels rather like one of those occasional Doctor Who episodes which has no Doctor in them, a sort-of sci fi tale set identifiably in the UK with ordinary people having to step up when life surprises them. Tim (Harry Jarvis) is… 2:Hrs Read More
Killing Of A Sacred Deer 3 stars
The background sounds during key scenes in Killing Of A Sacred Deer – most of the time it isn’t really music – hugely reminded me of The Twilight Zone, and in many ways the film is like an extended, European cinema version of one of its episodes. This is certainly a movie that is hard… Killing Of A Sacred Deer Read More
Super Dark Times 3.5 stars
What do you do, after an afternoon with friends goes so badly wrong that someone gets killed? With the body? With the weapon? With each other? These are the questions – hard enough for your average law-abiding adult to get their head round, let alone a bunch of boys going through the high and lows… Super Dark Times Read More
Hippopotamus, The 4 stars
*** Read my interview with John Jencks, director of The Hippopotamus *** Stephen Fry’s book of the same name came out over 20 years ago but The Hippopotamus is still very relevant today. Partly as, to twist a phrase, in Britain the aristocracy will always be with us, but mainly because humans as a species seem hardwired with… Hippopotamus, The Read More