If you've heard anything about Pieces of a Woman, chances are it is about the twenty-plus minute continuous shot of a traumatic home birth. It is an exceptional sequence, with masterful filmmaking in which the obtrusive camera movements add to the swell of tension and anxiety, while the unbroken shot further compounds this. It is … Continue reading Pieces of a Woman (Review)
Category: Films
The Father (Review)
There is a pleasing intricacy to how the Father is constructed. The narrative bends in intelligent ways, ways that slowly reveal a larger intent. This structural dexterity, primarily enforced through dialogue, is used to invoke subjectivity. This is both subjectivity of meaning but also an internal subjective state as the film tries to align itself … Continue reading The Father (Review)
Love and Monsters (Review)
After a brief, but rather obnoxious, narrated introduction, Love and Monsters settles into being a well executed and very tropey apocalypse movie. It ticks all the YA and post-apocalyptic boxes you would expect, going every direction you think at will - with even later twists on the formula feeling inevitable. But, when a film gives … Continue reading Love and Monsters (Review)
My Octopus Teacher (Review)
This stunningly filmed Netflix documentary starts out somewhat offputtingly. It seems to have no purpose beyond showing off some incredible underwater cameras and to facilitate a man's desire to spend a year swimming in a beautiful location. Luckily, this all soon makes sense and is subverted - and legitimised - in a beautiful way. Throughout … Continue reading My Octopus Teacher (Review)
Hillbilly Elegy (Review)
J.D Vance's best selling, and deeply controversial, memoir uses his lived experience (as presented by him) as the springboard for a number of conclusions about society and politics. He sees himself as a microcosm and from this projected an assortment of views that many, myself included (though I have admittedly only read around the book) … Continue reading Hillbilly Elegy (Review)
A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Review)
Aardman movies used to feel like events. Their unique visual language and attention to detail, that necessitated long production times, made each new film (or TV movie) special. Alas, with this, and with Early Man, we see how lengthy production can make things feel dated. Farmageddon is still a fun film peppered with creative visual … Continue reading A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon (Review)
One Night in Miami… (Review)
A lot of historically inspired films are, realistically, historical fan fiction. However, this does become a problem when they also feel like historical fan fiction - and this is the case with One Night in Miami. This adaptation of a stage play dramatises the night after Muhammad Ali (then Cassius Clay) became the heavyweight champion … Continue reading One Night in Miami… (Review)
Another Round (Review)
Though immediately successful as a smart critique of alcohol culture, specifically in Denmark (though, as a Brit, the film certainly has messages for us), Another Round is special because it is so much more than a polemic. This is a compelling drama, and a witty comedy, populated by well realised and beautifully performed characters - … Continue reading Another Round (Review)
Sound of Metal (Review)
As a piece of technical filmmaking, Sound of Metal is quite astonishing. It is defined by superlative sound design, subtly brilliant visuals and precise performances. It also adheres clearly to effective dramatic formulas, carving out a narrative that hits established emotional beats with a touch of arthouse flair round the edges. All of this is … Continue reading Sound of Metal (Review)
Promising Young Woman (Review)
A subjective lens is often the best way to skewer harsh realities. In Promising Young Woman, our view of the world is purposefully distorted by aesthetic. This is an overtly stylised, carefully framed and candy coloured treat - but one that hides real danger. This colourful, or false, view of the world plays multiple roles … Continue reading Promising Young Woman (Review)
Assorted Opinions 