The video conferencing service Zoom, for better or for worse, has become an integral part of modern life during the Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, it's unsurprising - considering the recent success (or just simple existence) of films such as Unfriended and Searching - that we now have a Zoom film. To be even more specific, a … Continue reading Host (Review)
Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Review)
Though already an interesting filmmaker, Never Rarely Sometimes Always (NRSA) establishes Eliza Hittman as one of the most impressive writer/directors in the business, and as a unique voice making important films. On a narrative level, this is the tale of an under-18 girl from rural Pennsylvania (Autumn (Sidney Flanigan)) who, after an unexpected pregnancy, has … Continue reading Never Rarely Sometimes Always (Review)
Last and First Men (Review)
Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson's debut - and sadly final - film is a fascinating thing. It exists on the installation art side of cinema and is composed of beautiful (primarily) black and white shots of abstract architecture (and other landscapes) that are accompanied by narration from Tilda Swinton. The footage is of real things but the … Continue reading Last and First Men (Review)
Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (Review)
Off-putting name aside, Dogs Don't Wear Pants (DDWP) is a really impressive movie full of excellent decisions. It is a film of real style - and of some substance - that manages to cleverly negotiate disparate tones while always feeling cohesive. From the beginning, DDWP involves a number of tropes that are often off-putting, or … Continue reading Dogs Don’t Wear Pants (Review)
Vivarium (Review)
Naming a film about domestic life, in which a young couple 'move in' (more on that later) to a new home, after an observed enclosure gives you a strong indication of the ideas the film is going to push. Vivarium is a film that, ultimately, hides a very predictable and drawn out narrative behind a … Continue reading Vivarium (Review)
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Review)
As a love letter to Eurovision in a Eurovisionless year, Fire Saga is a success. As a film, or as anything else - bar a vehicle for Dan Stevens to be mesmerising, it is a resounding failure. This overlong and deeply unfunny film has a number of fake Eurovision sequences that feel like real Eurovision … Continue reading Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Review)
Family Romance, LLC (Review)
Despite having a long history in both narrative and documentary cinema, in his later career Herzog has become more synonymous with the second. This is probably because, outside of some notable exceptions (some of which are debatable), Herzog's documentary output has been of a much higher quality than his narrative features for some time. Sadly, … Continue reading Family Romance, LLC (Review)
New Podcast: I’ve Never Seen…
Welcome to 'I've Never Seen', a new podcast where myself and a friend watch landmark films that we previously hadn't seen and then talk about them. You can find us on Twitter (IveNeverSeen1) and on Instgram (iveneverseenpodcast). Our first episode is up now. We discuss 'The Birth of a Nation' and 'Gone With the Wind.' … Continue reading New Podcast: I’ve Never Seen…
Da 5 Bloods (Review)
When Da 5 Bloods is at its best, it is something rather incredible. Here, like in many of the best Spike Lee movies, we see the director's ability to entertain and inform whilst pushing meaningful ideas and clear political messages. Though the tonal consistency isn't as strong here as in some of his finer pictures … Continue reading Da 5 Bloods (Review)
The Last Thing He Wanted (Review)
Dee Rees is an exceptional filmmaker. Pariah and Mudbound are two incredibly important, and relatively under seen, films which establish this. With these two films we see a mastery of character over plot and an ability to tackle difficult, though vital, subject matter in an arresting way. Sadly, The Last Thing He Wanted is a … Continue reading The Last Thing He Wanted (Review)
Assorted Opinions 