Exploring thorny issues through a dialled-up plot, Jonatan Etzler’s English-language debut is an unsettling black comedy that intrigues and entertains but sometimes struggles to strike the right balance between comedy and horror, leaving the two elements fighting for space. The film centres on Maria (Saoirse Ronan), a primary school teacher, struggling to be the teacher…
With the general release of tickets going on sale this week, I thought I’d share my tips and tricks for the London Film Festival – from getting tickets to getting the most out of your festival. This will be my 8th year attending LFF and it is always a highlight of my year. From the films…
Announced with all the hope that Ridley Scott, an adaptation of a bestseller and a cast of top actors (some old hands, some recently risen stars) could bring, The Dog Stars unfortunately lands with a resounding thud. A disjointed, disengaged misfire, it offers little more than a perplexingly empty couple of hours. Set after a pandemic that…
Into our increasingly isolated world comes this comedy about both literal isolation on a remote island and the isolation that can be felt even with people around you. Laugh-out-loud funny and subtly poignant in turn, The Incomer is a real treat that feels like a rare find in the current theatrical landscape. Two adult siblings, Isla (Gayle…
This week Spiderman: Brand New Day overtook Titanic to claim the title of 4th highest grossing film of all time (not adjusted for inflation). It is a phenomenal feat for a film that has only been out for a little over a month, but, as with pretty much every new entry onto that famed list nowadays, it raises the question…
Will Gluck’s contributions in the comedy/rom-com sphere have run the gamut. From the enduring modern classic, Easy A, to the likeable Friends with Benefits to the painful (yet shockingly successful) Anyone But You. Returning to the genre with a more high-concept premise, he unfortunately cannot reconcile the dystopian nightmare of the film’s backdrop with the attempted fizzy genre tone,…
The teen coming-of-age comedy-drama has been pretty absent from cinemas in recent years, but George Jacques brings it back with a new setting. The result is heartfelt and elevated by strong performances, even if it serves as more of an engaging couple of hours than something with lasting impact. We meet 17-year-old Ivy (Bella Ramsey),…
A film with a great elevator pitch – suburban 80s street gets transported back to the Jurassic period – The End of Oak Street capitalises on its Jurassic threats to offer plenty of genre thrills and a throwback to great family movies. Whilst it doesn’t reach the heights of the influences it wears on its sleeve, it…
Swinging back into cinemas after nearly five years, Tom Holland’s Spiderman returns with a story that separates itself from the current superhero saturation by grounding itself it its humanity and the emotional turmoil caused by the end of the last film. We rejoin Peter Parker AKA Spiderman (AKA Tom Holland), now in his early 20s,…
Not to boast, but I have now seen The Odyssey in IMAX 70mm (as Nolan intended, praise be to the IMAX ticket overlords etc.). Undeniably, it was stunning and an incredible cinematic experience. Also, undeniably, I am very lucky to live close enough to one of the 41 cinemas in the world that can show it in…
