For a film about malaise and disappointment, it is perhaps appropriate that On the Rocks feels so flat. This comedy inflected drama is about a married mother of two, Laura (Rashida Jones) investigating her husband's (Marlon Wayans) suspected infidelities at the behest of, and with the help (arguably) of, her father (Bill Murray). The film … Continue reading On the Rocks (Review)
Ben Rivers' experimental film begins with the filmmaker being given a tarot reading. This moment is looped back to at the end and foregrounds the film's major themes. On its most basic level, this a filmic scrapbook that chronicles the passing of time: there are twelve chapters, one per month, and each is made up … Continue reading Ghost Strata (Review)
This documentary about a man (the father of the filmmaker, Kirsten Johson) during the onset of dementia - and beyond - is a powerful, and wonderfully eclectic, work that showcases cinema's ability to both reveal and heal. Despite its heavy subject matter - it is literally a daughter chronicling her dying father - Dick Johnson … Continue reading Dick Johnson is Dead (Review)
Fourteen years after Sacha Baron Cohen first brought Borat to screens, the character returns with a more overt purpose. Though the previous film was a satirical comedy based on revealing xenophobia in the United States, it is very telling that the political nature of this sequel has surprised people. Though it is easy to say … Continue reading Borat: Subsequent Moviefilm (Review)
Divisive British filmmaker, Ben Wheatley (Kill List, High-Rise, A Field in England) is certainly not the most obvious choice to re-adapt Daphne Du Maurier's hugely popular novel, Rebecca. The book having already been immortalised into film, famously, by Hitchcock (director) and Selznick (producer) in 1940 - and often regarded as one of the greatest films … Continue reading Rebecca (2020) (Review)
There is a recent trend in horror for making very pretty films in which not much happens. Sometimes, this works, but only if the nothing really happening serves a purpose that the aesthetic further highlights. The Other Lamb looks very pretty, and not much happens in it - or, more accurately, nothing really happens that … Continue reading The Other Lamb (Review)
There is a new name in body horror, and it is Cronenberg. However, it is not David Cronenberg; it is Brandon Cronenberg. As, in his second feature, Possessor, Brandon steps beyond his father's shadow to make one of the most interesting - and just one of the best - films of the year. Though it … Continue reading Possessor (Review)
With Shirley, director Josephine Decker breaks into new territory while covering familiar ground. It is a combination that makes for an interesting film, as it continues the strengths of the director's past work while feeling somewhat bolder and - in ways - more refined. It is also Decker's most conventional and accessible film, which is … Continue reading Shirley (Review)
A sublime ending elevates Relic from something unremarkable into something incredibly interesting. Though this final movement is not quite enough to save the film, per se, it does establish it as a very promising debut. In these final movements, Relic fluently speaks the language of horror as a vehicle for articulating nuanced and resonant themes … Continue reading Relic (Review)
One of the most - if not the most - iconic and influential anime feature films of all time is back in cinemas. Akira being briefly available to watch at IMAX theatres means that there has never been a better time - or better way - to watch the 1988 classic. Any fears that time … Continue reading Akira (4K Remaster) (Review)
Assorted Opinions 