Somewhat to its credit, Luce is a film that deals with a lot of complex ideas. However, this core complexity is consistently overruled by odd directorial and writing decisions. The end result is a fascinating failure that goes no further than just dipping its toes into provocative territory. Yes, the issues it is tackling (race, … Continue reading Luce (Review)
Sorry We Missed You (Review)
Much like their previous masterpiece (I, Daniel Blake), Ken Loach and Paul Laverty’s Sorry We Missed you is a robust, yet accessible, critique of capitalist Britain. This time, the focus is the gig economy and the spiralling issues caused by the ultra-competitive nature of our current system. The film focuses around a single family, using … Continue reading Sorry We Missed You (Review)
High Life (Review)
Claire Denis' High Life is a brutal, haunting and provocative film about mankind pushed to its limits. It's a film about the very core of identity and what happens when our social contracts fall apart. It's an uncompromising look into the abyss that is punctuated by moments of pure hope, a quality that guides it … Continue reading High Life (Review)
Official Secrets (Review)
At the heart of Official Secrets is a very important story that people need to know. For this reason, people should see this film. Outside of this, Official Secrets is unimpressive. There's an excellent central performance by Keira Knightley but there are a number of cartoonish performances and bizarre film-making choices that relegate Official Secrets … Continue reading Official Secrets (Review)
The Laundromat (Review)
I've long maintained that Steven Soderbergh is the best Steven S__berg(h) in cinema. While his films aren't always home-runs, they are uniformly interesting and fascinatingly varied. The Laundromat only furthers this outlook. It's an ambitious and bold picture that is incredibly uneven but always admirable. To be reductive, The Laundromat is a The Big Short … Continue reading The Laundromat (Review)
The Day Shall Come (Review)
It's much easier to catch a terrorist if you've created them yourself. This, rather disturbing, truth is a large part of US counter-terrorism policy and is adequately skewered by Chris Morris' latest satire. The Day Shall Come is certainly not a true story - it's a farce comedy - but it is inspired by reality: … Continue reading The Day Shall Come (Review)
NastyPALs 15: A Bay of Blood
Stephen and Adam are back in actual movie territory with Mario Bava's brilliant A Bay of Blood. The film so good that Dario Argento had somebody steal a copy from an Italian cinema so that he could watch it whenever he wanted. https://soundcloud.com/user-782108692/15-a-bay-of-blood
NastyPALs 14: Island of Death
Stephen and Adam have a rough time discussing a terrible film. Seriously, don't watch this film. However, do listen to a podcast about it! https://soundcloud.com/user-782108692/14-island-of-death
Rabid (2019) (Review)
Remakes are controversial. However, some of them are also very, very good - especially ones that reboot or re-imagine older films. The Soskas' remake of David Cronenberg's (whose masterpiece The Fly stands out as one of the greatest remakes of all time) Rabid (1977) is a prime example of an excellent remake. The spirit of … Continue reading Rabid (2019) (Review)
Harpoon (Review)
One of my favourite types of film can be roughly defined as the cinema of escalation: a narrative approach in which a potent central conflict is pushed and pushed to the point of extremity. If you want a concrete example of this, look no further than Rob Grant's terrific exploitation movie, Harpoon. Harpoon also fits … Continue reading Harpoon (Review)
Assorted Opinions 